Jobcentre Plus

Having joined the ranks of the recently unemployed I paid my first visit to the Job Centre to see what it was all about.
I hate job centres anyway, the staff are usually patronising and judgmental. The people look depressed and if it’s giro day the kids hang out around the front waiting for their dole cheque.
This job centre is alright, the judgmental looks are kept to a minimum and the staff are actually pretty friendly. I still hate it on principle but at least this one is alright compared to Penarth job centre. (Possibly the worst within the Cardiff area)

For the first time in 20 years I had the misfortune to need to visit the local jobcentre. On the positive side it was clean, the furnishings were modern and in good repair. And there were no bad smells! However, the real nitty gritty, i.e. how they treat the public, or customers as they are now referred to, has not improved at all. I accept that the staff are probably overworked and underpaid, but simple courtesy costs nothing. The staff on the door were officious and lacked understanding that the whole process could be new and daunting to many people. They had a jobs worth attitude. (i.e. they were very unhelpful it’s more than my jobs worth, mate, to help you with that.) Luckily for me, I doubt if I will need to visit it again for another 20 years And that will be too soon.