Job searching during the pandemic

[AprilR]

So i have been unemployed since the pandemic started. For the first time in 4 months i had a job interview this week and at first i was ready to give it a go.
However, this job requires me to be active a lot (using public transport since i can't drive)
Also the people working there were not wearing masks and there seemed to be no precautions against corona and because of this i am seriously reconsidering. Another con regarding the job is: ıt seems to be a stressful environment according to my cousin's friend who works there and i would have to take on a lot of responsibility. There seems to be a lot of unwritten rules in the office and i am scared to ask what they are. All the places i worked before people were very friendly and helpful to me and they were watching over my work. This place seems different however.
I just wanted to share this in case someone is having similar problems regarding work, and during a pandemic to boot. I really have no idea what to do.

 

[Aspychata]

To me the con of not having a job outweighs the risk of a bad job. Do you have any of the complications that put you at risk? Does this job involve interaction with a lot of random people? The number of random people and how much you are at risk due to age or health should be a consideration.
l didn't work the Fourth of July, and l was relieved. It was too many people. l am in the danger area because of my age.
The good news is, you can always take a job and quit if you really don't like it. So if you work a couple months and decide you don't like the amount of responsibility and low supervision, it's still experience. l stayed in a horrible job for a year because it did open up other doors for me. In fact my boss told me he hired me because of that position. But l was harassed repeatly at the job by customers and store manager. l limped out of that position. Another manager was very nice to me.

 

[Karamazov]

A thought has occurred:
Here in the UK all employment contracts are offered on a three-month probation basis: either the employer or the employee can sever the contract at the end of that period if they’re not satisfied/happy with no overhanging obligations.

Do you think looking into how these work as legal contracts and going back to them requesting that your contract of employment be drawn up on that basis would be worthwhile?

(Give yourself the power to call it off if it’s too much, without endangering your employment record for future applications.)

Don’t like the sound of the no masks thing: but maybe for NTs discussing legal matters without seeing each other’s faces in full is a no go. :shrugs:

 

[Jonn]

A lot of people don't want to work, I imagine because they fear catching the bug.

 

[AprilR]

The job Will include lots of exposure to crowded places (namely the courthouse and public transport) I Will have to visit different offices too. I am not at the risk group but my parents are, so i Will not be able to visit them if i were to start working. The office i Will work at has more than 10 people, and they don't use masks.
Also, the pay might be a just a little more than minimum wage. They were very vague about the subject.
At this point, unless they will pay me considerably higher than minimum wage i don't think i Will take the job.

@Karamazov: I did consider they might have a probation period but where i live there is a ban for termination of agreements until October, although the ban is only on the employer's side, not on the employee's.
I think i am going to consult my psychiatrist before giving them an answer, if i can reach her that is..

 

[Karamazov]

I think, given how difficult a decision you’re finding it, consulting your psychiatrist on the issue is a very good idea.

 

[Jonn]

Thankfully I am in early retirement.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Try not to overthink it - just go with your gut feeling.

Ed

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

The job Will include lots of exposure to crowded places (namely the courthouse and public transport) I Will have to visit different offices too. I am not at the risk group but my parents are, so i Will not be able to visit them if i were to start working. The office i Will work at has more than 10 people, and they don't use masks.
Also, the pay might be a just a little more than minimum wage. They were very vague about the subject.
At this point, unless they will pay me considerably higher than minimum wage i don't think i Will take the job.

@Karamazov: I did consider they might have a probation period but where i live there is a ban for termination of agreements until October, although the ban is only on the employer's side, not on the employee's.
I think i am going to consult my psychiatrist before giving them an answer, if i can reach her that is..

Then wear a mask or face shield to work, and carry hand sanitizer. It's what we're doing every day in America. Your customers will thank you.

 

[AprilR]

Update: They gave a negative answer, but i was thinking of refusing anyway. Glad that this got resolved.

 

[Karamazov]

Ah well, maybe a smaller office when the powers that be are more in control of the current plague will be possible. :fingerscrossed:

 

[Ella Spell]

Every interview is a good experience. The right job will come along when you're ready.

 

[paloftoon]

Everyone's situation is different. The person who said that if you don't like a job, you can quit. It may that simple for that user, but you might be in more of a crisis. You can best determine if you need the money or if you can hold off for something more.

If you aren't afraid to lose this job, then by all means ask those awkward questions. If you don't want to ask during the interview, ask the HR person this kind of information. If you are afraid to take this job and you know you'll probably get it, start trying to prepare as much as you can for it. Network with other people on LinkedIn in similar companies if you can and ask them for some tips.

When you're talking with these people, remember, simply asking for free, potentially quality advice is not necessarily a great expectation. Nothing quality generally comes for free. So, offer to spend time with so and so at a cafe (socially distancing) if the person is open to that. Or, is there advice you can offer them back (without overwhelming them) or maybe a game you can play with them online that they like? Something like that.

 

[Aeolienne]

A thought has occurred:
Here in the UK all employment contracts are offered on a three-month probation basis: either the employer or the employee can sever the contract at the end of that period if they’re not satisfied/happy with no overhanging obligations.

All employment contracts? Even the civil service?

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

All employment contracts? Even the civil service?

What's an employment contract? I don't think they have that here in the USA. You just sort of get hired.

 

[Aeolienne]

Definition from Worksmart (advice website run by the UK's Trade Union Congress):
A legally enforceable agreement between an employer and an employee. It can impose duties on both the employer and the employee. They are normally (but not always) written down and given to the employee before or when you start work. The courts will rule that a contract exists between you and your employer if you have agreed to perform a task in return for payment. Some terms of a contract of employment may not be written down, but are 'implied' by law or by 'custom and practice' in your workplace. For example, the employer's duty to provide a safe, secure and healthy environment is implied by law in all contracts of employment.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Definition from Worksmart (advice website run by the UK's Trade Union Congress):
A legally enforceable agreement between an employer and an employee. It can impose duties on both the employer and the employee. They are normally (but not always) written down and given to the employee before or when you start work. The courts will rule that a contract exists between you and your employer if you have agreed to perform a task in return for payment. Some terms of a contract of employment may not be written down, but are 'implied' by law or by 'custom and practice' in your workplace. For example, the employer's duty to provide a safe, secure and healthy environment is implied by law in all contracts of employment.

Oh we have something like that. But not a contract. There are workplace safety laws. The employer has to pay you at least minimum wage and provide a safe environment. Different states have different laws on rules for firing employees.

 

[VictorR]

In my experience, in the US and Canada, (formal) employment contracts are most common where there is a collective agreement in unionized jobs, and also where the employer is a larger organization (i.e. Fortune 500 company). For smaller employers it's pretty common to have no contracts, or worse, poorly written ones.

Federal and state/provincial law cannot be overridden by a contract as a rule of thumb, but unfortunately there are some employers who manage to talk their staff into accepting illegal offers (e.g. $2 extra per hour for overtime when they should be paying 1.5x, etc.), in which case the employee would still have the right to demand proper compensation as per the law, as notwithstanding that they signed a contract, a clause would not be valid if it is patently illegal.

As Yeshuasdaughter noted, protections for workers in terms of being dismissed/released vary greatly. Another area with major disconnect is workplace harassment - in some jurisdictions it is covered by local workplace safety legislation, while in others, it is now.