Value added Perk for Care Workers
The care working field in the UK has seen a rapid increase in demand as the social and cultural norms change with the passing decade. The role of a care worker is to provide the needs and wants of a service user. The job includes protecting them from harmful things which can be avoided, caring for their specific needs, helping them in the daily tasks, and arranging fun-loving events for them which makes them feel as much a part of the society as a normal person is..
In the midst of all this, care workers in the UK are not allotted any value-added perks which makes them feel discounted towards the institution. In regards to this, it is extremely important to understand that while the care workers are dedicated towards their share of work, it is also necessary to understand the amount they are being paid per hour is not always the amount which they deserve.
Workers around the world tend to put aside their worth because of the fear of losing the job. Job uncertainty becomes a sword which employers dangle in front of them. In the United Kingdom, the statistics show that care workers are quite in demand due to change in the socio-cultural norms. It’s not easy for the millennials to work 40 hours a week, study for their assignments and exams and still be able to provide for their grandparents and parents while maintaining a social life. This is why various people tend to choose old age homes for their parents and grandparents so that they are not burdened by the sheer amount of work they are expected to do. This is where the care working community comes. The care working community makes sure that the service users are provided in the best possible ways.
One of the issues many workers face, whether they belong to the care working field or a management level field is the lack of knowledge and finesse to ask for ‘more’ from the employers. When you are faced with an interview with the head of your department, you tend to stutter your way through demanding things you would want in your package for the work and services you are providing the institution and patients with. It is important to remember the amount of hard work, dedication and time you will be putting in. The amount of time you will be spending in a 12-hour shift is equivalent to dedicating half of your week to the institution. Keeping in mind all these facts, as a care worker, you should know how to negotiate a better deal for yourself. According to the statistics by the National Living Wage, the minimum wage of a care worker of 25 and above age is £8.21, which means with the experience you have and the added qualities, skills and personality you possess, you can garner an amount more than £8.21 for your wage per hour.
While negotiating a decent package for yourself, you need to remember three key points:
Understand your worth. Once you know the amount you deserve, you will automatically be more confident in asking for what you should get. While working the long hours and hectic shifts with service users who may get on your nerves, the only thing motivating you to get over the dramatics is the amount you will be getting at the end of your payment cycle. If you know that your work is of the worth which is no less than £12 per hour, then be confident and ask for it. You may lose some interviews and people may frown at you for having the audacity to ask more, but at the end of the day when you will look yourself in the mirror, you will know and understand that you fought for your rights.
One of the most important tactics while negotiating is to remember to raise the amount to the highest degree than you would settle for. For example; if you find £12 per hour wage acceptable then you should ask bit higher. The employers tend to not accept the wage you want but rather have their way of making you accept the deal they would be okay with
Be professional. When asking for perks and added benefits, you need to be able to prove with your work that you do deserve the perks. Professionalism in this era is everything to the client. The clients usually favors the candidate who shows the highest form of professionalism in his/her work. Being professional does not only mean showing respect to the client and knowing your work, but it also includes having the potential to go the extra mile for the job
A study conducted by OnePoll.com indicates the types of perks employees would want from their employers. Most of the employees ranging from 18-25 ages simultaneously agree that they would want paid holidays, free tea and coffee in the workplace, flexible working hours, free dental care, private healthcare and allowance for mental healthcare, restaurant discounts, free eye check-ups, phone allowances, free laptop, free transport service if they need to stay back in the office late, a clothing allowance, and nanny service.
The employees between 26-45 ages want increased pension contribution, private healthcare and allowance for mental healthcare, restaurant discounts, assistance with childcare cost, free eye check-ups and phone allowances.
The employees in between 45-50+ ages want basic needs to be met like; free fruit, free taxis if you need to stay in the office late, summer hours between May and August phone allowance/work phone, subsidized gym/fitness classes, free/on-site gym and classes, help with housing, eye check-ups, phone allowances, free laptop, free transport service if they need to stay back in etc.
While few of the perks may come across as over-the-top to some people, the majority of the value-added perks are of dire importance in this era. It is impossible for a single mother/father to work in the healthcare department 40 hours a week and still be available to enjoy the beautiful journey of parenthood. Most of the white-collar jobs provide these perks without the employees demanding them so it seems a little unfair to the care working community to be deprived of the perks which can make their life easy and helpful.
The care workers can also increase their value by going a mile ahead of the goal. The customer-centric approach in this era is taking hold of the system. Services which are made keeping in mind the benefits of the customers receive a huge outcome as well as positive feedback from the masses. The care workers will go ahead of their goals if they are provided for. By being provided, it means the employees will provide them with their needs, wants and somewhat luxuries. The employer can conduct a needs analysis which will lead to getting to know the employees. What most of the employees basically want apart from flexible hours is to have job security, food allowances and paid holiday leaves.
The value-added perks are not only very beneficial for the employer but also for the NHS as it adds to going a mile long for the employees. The outcome of the value-added perks is also a huge input in the framework provided by the local authorities, the NHS and the clients. If the care worker is met with the share of his or her perks and benefits, the result of that will be reflected in his happiness which will lead to a positive impact on the work he produces. The happier the employee is, the more efficient the work will be produced. After all, happy employees make the business profitable.
If employees are treated with more dignity and care, the services provided by the care workers will result in a tenfold outcome. It is again important to understand that the care workers should be confident about asking for the value-added perks. The confidence is everything when it comes to negotiating a good deal with the employers. The care worker’s personality and negotiating skills are tested at a keen level when it comes to asking for a package. To get a better deal and value-added perks which are both a plus point to the employer, the NHS and care worker, the individual should step forward with thinking ahead of his/her time.
