So today's highlight had to be my fortnightly visit to Jobcentre Plus in Wood Green. To be honest I didn't really want to go today as I had an interview at 3pm and quite frankly signing on happens to send me into a state of depression. When I called last week to see if I could change my signing on time as it was depressing and I had an interview in the afternoon, I was told "it'll delay your payments and they didn't have alternative times for weeks and weeks". Anyway, the long of the short of it was I thought I would still go along as normal.
Anyway, I selected 2 comms roles off the jobpoint machine and took my printouts to the signing on man. This time he wasn't chatty at all. In fact he was mute - maybe he had swine flu or maybe he had decided to channel his efforts into following his dream to be a mime artist. He literally said nothing to me, pointed so that I sat down, tapped a few bits and bobs rather slowly onto his PC (he ain't no touch typist that's for sure). Then he highlighted where I had to sign and nodded his head to signal my exit.
The silent treatment was kind of unnerving - maybe he was just trying to not waste his breath anymore on the 'tainted unemployed'.
Wow - "Mime" day at the Job Centre. Now there is a great idea. It must be really depressing to go into the Job Centre and have to mingle with the long term unemployed - you know, the people who have dogs on pieces of string and don't actually want to ever have a job as it would get in the way of their drinking hobby. Anyway, it would make the experience a lot more bearable if they had a "Theme" day. A bit like the pubs do. So Wednesdays might be the aforementioned "Mime" day.
ReplyDeleteThursdays could be "Female Diva" day where they all dress up as their favourite female singer.
Fridays would have to be YMCA day, just to end the working week on a high.
And Saturdays, well for the vast majority of the staff at the job centres I imagine that would continue to be "Dress up as your favourite Nazi dictator" day, Of course, Saturday isn't a working day for them, so what they get up to in their own time...