living above the job

RE: living above the job

Celine — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 08:55:58 GMT

Maybe advertising that accom is private access and not shared might help? As others have said, when I was younger and a bit of a vagrant the accom on site was great, but mentally I was never "off duty"... nowadays I don't think I'd want to live on site.

RE: living above the job

Sal the 1st — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 19:45:38 GMT

[quote user="Robyn "]

If I were moving cross-country then it would be a huge draw for me, having somewhere 'temporary' to stay before I found a place of my own. You know how expensive moving can be! They're also fabulous for on-call staff, it might be the make or break between accepting OOH work depending on how close I would be living to the practice as I don't drive. I wouldn't live in for very long if I could help it though. All the practices I've worked in with flats have used them as break rooms so they're never truly private, and I'd feel as though I was never away from the place. I live a very literally two minute walk away from my current practice and even that is far too close sometimes!

I wonder if the changing attitude has been wanting more of a work-life separation/balance than previous generations?

Reading over your post though Sal, maybe it would depend on the setup/how private it is? As I say, the practices I've been in which have had accommodation have used them communally and you couldn't have friends or partners stay and I couldn't deal with that. Perhaps if it was more of a normal flat (maybe with a separate entrance) it would be more appealing?

[/quote]

separate entrance and private not shared with other staff - wouldn't be accessible to anybody that didnt live there, no access to the flat via the practice you have to come out of the practice to then get into the flat

RE: living above the job

Scottywildcat — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:15:13 GMT

I'm a country girl who has a dog, 3 cats and a snake so I doubt any practice would want me and my brood staying in their flat lol and I couldn't handle it anyway as I value my peace and privacy

Good if your young, single and no ties though!

RE: living above the job

Robyn — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 16:32:52 GMT

I wonder if the changing attitude has been wanting more of a work-life separation/balance than previous generations?

RE: living above the job

Nicola Smith — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 15:33:34 GMT

I think it's a good way of attracting staff from further afield . I personally haven't lived in but one practice I worked at did have their flat used a lot by people moving area - even if they chose to then get a place of their own further down the line it gave them a bit of time to settle in and explore the area to decide where to live.

RE: living above the job

jojofruits — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 13:53:49 GMT

I live in an have done for 10 years in 3 different practices!

major major plus sign for me.. on a single wage I don't think I could live in the parts of the country I have done without it and been able to keep my lifestyle ( horse) haha !

RE: living above the job

steph fursland — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 09:28:31 GMT

I lived above my first job with two SVNs. It could have been intense as we lived and worked together, if you're fed up with someone for leaving the flat a tip, I could see it might spill over into work! Luckily we got on really well so that wasn't a problem for us. However, the living room of the flat was used as a break room, and even when I wasn't working, the staff who didn't live there would 'pop up' to ask things (memorably, had to refuse to set up a cat on fluids on a Saturday night because it wasn't my weekend to work and I had had three glasses of wine....!) We were also told that overnight guests weren't allowed - this wasn't adhered to, because in my eyes we were independent adults, not a bunch of boarding school girls, and I didn't appreciate my (male, mid 50s) boss dictating my private life.... I was quite unhappy in that job and the fact that I could never be truly away from work really contributed to that. So I understand why maybe your VCA wasn't keen! I think accommodation could be quite a draw for finding staff, if it is a decent flat and it represents better value for money compared to the local market, because if someone is relocating for a job it takes away the hassle. If you take rent out of wages pre-tax then it becomes very cost effective (check with accountant that it won't be a taxable benefit though). I think you should also be very clear about whether living there will come with the unofficial expectation that they will do extra night checks/be disturbed by other members of staff/have the locum stay there, or will it be an actual private place they can call home?