It is recommended every jobseeker reads this following guide!

It is a myth to think you have to sign every document you are given as if you accept the contents of such. It is probably a good start to read the following tips before you continue with the guide!

Tip 1: You are a jobseeker with nothing else better to do!!  (You don’t have a job remember?)

Actually, okay we all have lives, and sometimes we have mandatory appointments and such which is obviously going to be supreme to this rule. If you are working part time, you need to make your own version of this.

Jobcentre Plus and Welfare to Work providers have to allocate set time to each “customer”. Don’t be the school kid and think spending extra time there is detention. The fact is the longer you are there standing up for your rights, its more of an annoyance and problem for them, then it is for you.

If you have a 10am appointment… albeit its no fun but there is no reason (unless otherwise planned) why you cannot stay until 10pm – if and when, an adviser decides that the extra time (I would assume 30 minutes average) would be an injustice to yourself.

The issue is they have a schedule of other “customers” to see (or if at the end of the day, they want to go home from work – not do forced unpaid overtime). Don’t forget to remind them that time isn’t an issue for you because you are unemployed and have no work commitments.

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Tip 2: They (of any rank) are not the boss of you but they always have someone higher up as their boss.

It is largely forgotten to most claimants that you are an individual who is responsible for yourself and in effect you have to have a job to be ordered within reason to do anything (obviously excluding police, courts etc.).

With them its a different ball game entirely. An Employment Officer, Adviser, Manager, District Manager, Director, and even the CEO etc. always has someone above them who they report to. DWP and welfare to work providers (contrary to their beliefs) are accountable for their actions.

Avoid the “Can I see the Manager” culture – it doesn’t get people that far.

I recommend you to research who the manager is (i.e their name) and their job title (i.e. centre manager, business manager etc.) if a welfare to work provider, and for Jobcentre Plus it is probably best to start with asking for their supervisor before asking for the “Jobcentre Manager” or “Customer Service Manager”. Knowing someone’s name seem to imply you know them so its always better to give a name than a job title – first name terms can help too (make sure you know their last name as they are likely to ask for it).

If there is a problem don’t fear to go higher up, but do not jump places, so for example at Jobcentre Plus asking for the District Manager is overkill and s/he is unlikely to be around let alone want to see you. Although you can reserve the right later on to make an official complaint with him or her.

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Tip 3: “Morals over Money”

Don’t be easily intimidated with threats of benefit sanctions.

Unless you otherwise believe different, right and wrong always comes before financial award. Anyone who disagrees is a fraudster! So it would be disappointed to hear someone fiddling the system.

Don’t forget to let them know how you feel in this regards. The reason why you sign on is because you don’t have any income, however, the reason why you haven’t got income from illegal methods such as by theft and fraud to avoid signing on is because you are a decent law abiding citizen.

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Tip 4: Always get a copy of everything you sign, retain the copy and if it is in dispute take a picture of the signature area (with a camera phone/digital camera if you have one with you).

They will try to “lose” documents as they see fit and in some cases even modify the documents; knowing that its likely for you to either lose/dispose of your copy or not ask for a copy – so only take a copy if you are going to keep it safe for approx 6 months.

The “take a picture” idea is only extreme to prevent them printing off another copy and tracing your signature.

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Tip 5: If you sign an agreement in the same way as a person who agrees with it, there is little point arguing at a later date that you didn’t agree with the contents.

It will only make you appear to be an idiot and encourage them to develop a grudge against you.

Follow this guide for help in signing a document if you don’t agree with it.

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Tip 6: Be a good citizen!!

If another jobseeker is in trouble help them out! They are unlikely to know about how to protect themselves.

Countersign the agreement with an indication of why. The best way to do this is to sign your name next to theirs beside or under a title of “witness”. It is generally a good idea to partially sign over the other signature to avoid it being removed by covering/tipp-ex and photocopying.

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Tip 7: Make it clear that you will send a copy to the HQ of the provider/DWP and another copy to Jobcentre Plus (District Manager).

Whether you do this is up to you but its important to make them understand that the situation hasn’t ended just because you wrote something next to your signature and a few minutes later left the premises. They will likely see you as someone who researched this via the internet and showing off.

Sending a copy of the dispute to their superiors (and in regards to the welfare to work providers, to the people who pay them the money to run the scheme) with a covering letter indicates that they are accountable. Even if the local management of the centre was to dismiss the issue; a neutral party is unlikely to take the same tone.

If you did send off the agreement to the addresses you may be surprised if they see it as a very serious concern but even if they don’t address the issue; chances are behind closed doors the staff members are going to get a bollocking. It also passes your stress on to numerous people in their organisation and harms their time.

General Agreements (Action Plans etc.)

For Jobseeker’s Agreements, which are a requirement of a Jobseekers Allowance claim, please scroll to next heading. As one must be “in force” for an active claim the rules of dealing with them are different.

For good practice:-

• Always read the document thoroughlybefore signing.
• Remain polite, calm and sociable at all times.
• Communicateany problems you have with the agreement before the next step.
• Do not accept short evasive answers if you feel they are being kept short for purposes of being dishonest.
• Act as if you do not understand instead of being misunderstood as uncooperative or argumentative. A textbook scenario of being forcefully stubborn won’t do you any favours.
• The situation should ideally be conversational and not confrontational.
• Look to negotiating an reasonable and fair compromise. You can meet in the middle – winning isn’t always about getting it all your own way. You only lose when you comply by not reading the agreement and signing when you don’t agree with it.
• If possible, bring someone along who is reliable to support you. They must be in an “impartial” capacity, thus someone just echoing the same argument won’t get anywhere. If the person can mediate the situation into a compromise it is more likely the compromise will be more favourable to you.
• Grip the agreement well. This prevents the other party (welfare to work adviser/JCP) taking back the agreement to use as evidence claiming you refused to sign (and subsequent claims of Failure to Attend (FTA)) which is untrue as simply at that point you had failed to sign because they took away the agreement before you could sign. Also don’t leave the agreement on the table for the same reason. This also allows you to slowly read the agreement to buy time (and annoy them).
• Don’t forget the above tips (at the top of the page!)

There are three scenarios about signing agreements which will be explained below:

I agree, lets sign

This is straight forward. If you agree with the agreement, sign your name and date it.

We will soon provide guidance of how to scribe the perfect signature!!!

I disagree, sign under duress

If you disagree with the agreement where it hasn’t been changed to become acceptable after a long discussion and you have received direct threats sign your name alongside the text “Signed under duress“.

It is important that you only use this if it is a direct threat, otherwise use signed under protest below.

I disagree, sign under protest

If you disagree with the agreement where it hasn’t been changed to become acceptable after a long discussion and you have not received direct threats, sign your name alongside the text “Signed under protest“.

Jobseeker’s Agreement (JSAg)

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