Vantaggi
Overall enjoyed the job, good training and my managers were good people working under a lot of pressure. Enjoyed working with clients who were usually happy with the care they received.
Svantaggi
Zero hours contract. I was with them for many years and didn't get a single pay rise. Some negligible increases were given on sleep rates to ensure they met the legal requirements of average rate of pay for a 24 hour shift. Pay has had to increase very slightly since leaving as it was about to be overtaken by minimum wage. There have also been reductions to pay on bank holidays which used to be double time. It was a shame that the monetary value of our labour was not maintained as the cost of living increased over a decade or so. Lack of sick pay leaves people having to go to work sick and pass it on to others. Also felt pressured to work when unwell or needing a day off as they often struggled to cover shifts. Found kt difficult to switch off from work as you are often called, texted or emailed on your day off and sometimes while on annual, sick or maternity leave about covering shifts. Pension contributions are the legal minimum/not useful for retirement funds and the company who handles them often invests poorly, losing money you have paid in. No means of career progression without going into management for which there are limited roles.