Information
for New Clients
What
Services Does Job Focus Provide?
Job Focus provides:
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Getting
ready for work
Job Focus helps job seekers to get
ready for working. Having a job is challenging for everyone, and often quite demanding.
Because of this, we take time to get to know your interests and abilities before we
recommend what types of jobs are best suited to you.
We can also give job seekers and young
adults who are still at school free advice about what courses and training to do to best
prepare for a rewarding and satisfying working life.
Deciding on the
right job
We believe that it is important to find
a job that is suited to you - work that you can do successfully and that you enjoy. We
start by making a plan together. The plan describes what steps we need to take to get the
right job. Those steps include the job searching that we will do and anything that you
will do.
First we talk to you about your
interests and assess your skills and abilities. Then we agree on what kinds of work to
look for, including the types of jobs, the days and hours, and suitable locations.
Getting the
right job
Job Focus approaches employers on your
behalf with a view to negotiating suitable jobs. We have a large network of employers and
will carefully match you with job vacancies that become available.
We also help you to work out what you
can do to find yourself a job; for example, some clients are able to find suitable
employers themselves which we then approach on their behalf.
Learning
your new job
Once we have found the right job for
you, Job Focus can work alongside you to support you to learn your new job and settle into
the workplace. We make sure you understand what your employer wants you to do, and that
you are introduced to your co-workers. It is also important to get to know about health
and safety in your work place, who to contact if you are sick and to whom you report
accidents.
Once you are doing your job
successfully, we fade into the background to encourage you to become more independent of
us.
Keeping your
job
We keep in contact with our working
clients for as long as they want or need us. Somtimes this is for a couple of months,
sometimes we keep in contact as long as you have your job.
We also support clients to cope with
changes to their job or work place, to learn new jobs, or to find a new job. Even if we
are no longer in contact with you, you or your employer can always contact us for our
assistance again.
For more tips for keeping your job, click here.
How do I
become a client of Job Focus?
Contact us and we will tell you the
best way to apply to become a client of Job Focus, or go to your nearest Centrelink office and ask the Disability Officer
to refer you to us.
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Information
for Clients
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How do I
know what Job Focus is doing for me?
When you first start with Job Focus, we
agree on a plan of action - an Individual Employment Plan (IEP).
The plan describes the steps that we will
both take to reach your goal of employment, and we will give you a copy of the plan.
Our progress toward achieving your goal
is reviewed every 3 to 6 months.
If you are having trouble following
your steps in the plan, we can change it to suit you better. Your plan can be changed at
any time, just ask your case worker.
Can Job Focus tell me what to do?
No, we can only suggest what we think
you should do to get a job. We tell you which jobs we think you can do successfully, but
you always choose whether to accept a job or not.
We cannot stop your pension or
unemployment payments; we are not part of the government.
Interpreters
If we need an interpreter to talk to
you, we will arrange to have one at meetings and interviews. Please let us know about this
when you first contact us.
Advocates
You can use a friend or a family member
to support you at any time, except at work when you get a job. Just bring them along to
any meetings and appointments you have with us.
What about my
privacy?
Job Focus keeps a lot of information
about each client. We keep your file locked in a filing cabinet when it is not being used,
and our computer database is protected by a password. We do not tell anyone anything about
you unless we have your permission.
We treat all personal information as
confidential. Job Focus policies and procedures comply with the Privacy Principles of
section 14 of the Commonwealth of Australia Privacy Act 1998 and our staff act in
accordance with these principles at all times
How can I
have a say about Job Focus?
- Join the Client Representative Committee
and attend their meetings. Let the Manager know if you would like to join this committee.
- Join the organisation that runs Job
Focus - Western Port Employment Support Service Inc. Ask the Manager for details about
joining.
- Put your suggestions in the office
mailbox, either to the Client Representative Committee or to the Manager.
- Join in the Self Assessments and
Planning Days held each year, where we review Job Focus over the past year and make plans
for the coming year. These events are attended by clients, staff and committee members.
- Come to our Annual General Meeting, held
in September each year, and join in.
Concerns, Complaints
and Conflict
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What can I do if I'm not happy about
something?
Please talk to someone about it!
It is your right to have concerns and
complaints listened to and taken seriously and to have conflicts resolved. Job Focus is keen to make sure that our clients
feel that they can tell us when they have a concern, complaint or conflict. We are
committed to treating our clients' concerns, complaints and conflicts seriously, keeping
them private, and working to a satisfactory resolution.
Whenever you raise a concern, complaint
or conflict, you can get a friend or family member to support you, or we can help you to
find an independent person to support you. It is always better to speak up when you first have a
concern or a complaint and it is important not to over-react nor to jump to conclusions
before hearing both sides of any story.
Concerns and
Complaints
Concerns and complaints may be about
Job Focus or about something at your work.
The first and most important thing to
do is to tell someone - sooner rather than later
Concerns
or complaints about Job Focus
STEP 1
Tell your Case Worker about it.
If you don't want to talk to your Case
Worker about it, or you have tried that and it hasn't helped, talk to the Manager about
it.
STEP 2
Your Case Worker or the Manager will
suggest steps to take, and you can suggest things to do too.
When we agree about what we are going
to do, we will plan the steps to take, write them down, and set dates to review our
progress.
STEP 3
We will meet with you at the agreed
times to monitor our progress toward addressing and resolving your concern or complaint.
If our plan is not working, we will discuss other steps to take and then try them
Concerns
or complaints about your job or work place
STEP 1
Unless you are confident about pursuing
the matter alone, you should tell your Case Worker who will support and advise you.
If you have a concern, the first thing
to do is talk to the person who is most involved and see if you can fix it by talking it
through.
If you have a complaint, your workplace
will have its own complaints procedure. You should get a copy of this first and read it or
get it explained to you.
STEP 2
Your Case Worker will support you to
pursue your complaint using your workplace's complaints procedure.
Most complaints procedures are
basically the same and you should expect an agreed plan of action with set timeframes.
Conflict
Conflict is a normal part of life, and
you should expect a bit of conflict at work.
Some conflict cannot be resolved and
sometimes the best we can do is agree to disagree. Often it helps just to talk it through
with the person involved.
Conflict
with someone at Job Focus
Talk to the person with whom you have a
conflict.
If you don't want to talk to that
person or if you have already tried and it didn't work, talk to your Case Worker or to the
Manager. They will support you to resolve the conflict.
Conflict
with someone at your work
Your Case Worker will support and
advise you about the best ways to deal with conflict at work.
Independent
Support
If you can't resolve a complaint or
conflict using the steps described in this brochure, we can help you to contact an
independent organisation to support and advise you, such as an advocacy service, a legal
service, a trade union or a government department.
You will find details of some of these
on our links page, in our office brochure stand, or your Case
Worker can help you find one.
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Tips for keeping
your job
- Initiative Complete given
tasks and, if ‘out of work,’ look around to see what needs to be done and do it
- Willingness to learn Learn
the way things are done in the company
- Socialize appropriately
Join in social events and competitions such as end of year functions, a Melbourne Cup
sweep, and at other times when appropriate. Do not drink alcohol at work
- Willingness to follow instructions
Always follow directions exactly as told - if required, take notes
- Honesty Be honest and tell
the truth; if you're not sure how to do something, ask someone; never steal as it will
lead to instant dismissal
- Dependability Be on the job
every day; telephone if absent or late; try to make personal appointments out of working
hours. If you are sick, contact your employer as soon as possible and get a medical
certificate from your physician
- Punctuality Arrive at work
on time and do not leave early; do not be the last to return to work; do not chat for long
periods during work time
- Enthusiasm Be enthusiastic
about your work, don't whinge about it to anyone else at work. If you want to grumble
about your job to someone, this is fine but tell a friend or family member, or tell us at
Job Focus.
- Acceptance of criticism
Listen and learn from the constructive criticism of your supervisor
- Loyalty Show loyalty to the
company inside and outside work hours
- Be sure of your duties Ask
for further instructions if a task is unclear or if you are unsure about how to do
anything
- Presentation Dress
appropriately; observe the way your co-workers dress and dress in a similar style
- Nip problems ‘in the
bud’ Try to avoid leaving problems until later on. If in doubt, discuss any
problems with your Job Focus case worker
- Flexibility Be flexible and
adaptable, open to change. Because of time or staff constraints' you may be asked to
accept duties that are not in your job description - do so willingly. If someone asks for
help, don't say "That's not my job."
- Observe and respect the chain of
command Learn what position each co-worker holds and how they relate to your
position
- Sing your own praises When
you’ve done well, mention it to others without boasting
If you have any suggestions to add to this list, send them to us at Job Focus
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All our services are
free and comprehensive, and we work in with other services to provide an integrated and
coordinated employment support service. Please feel welcome to contact us anytime.
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