The All New Jobs Thread

[Baz]

Work was given 2 hours notice that they’ll be in charge of all the phone calls related to contract tracking and tracing. Thankfully I’m considered too vital in my usual duties to be one of the mugs speaking to people on the phone offering advice and whatever other shite they’ll be doing.

I’ve never loved invoices more. :arry:

[Spikey M]

That's a massive bullet dodged. That must be the only job worse than Shinners one.

[Foe]

Shinners is so enthusiastic about it too getting personally attached.

Commendable and yet absolutely baffling.

Arsed being someone phoning someone and asking them to lock themselves up for 14 day, mid summer.

[niko_cee]

When you put it like that it sounds like there's massive scope for scamming people you don't like.

[Lewis]

What seems to have happened with us is that our parent unit however many miles away has come up with a space vs staff formula for its own building, which is one of those open-plan, New Labour spaces full of timewasters and useless women who can work from home, and then applied it across the board. The pass-the-responsibility meeting on that one must have been impressive.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Month's figures are in, my territories achieved 8% GROWTH on May 2019. It's like Greece winning the Euros, if this doesn't get recognition at the end of the year they can go fuck themselves.

Meanwhile, 81 year old chairman has flown to Milan :D

[Yevrah]

Didn't feel he was exposing himself to enough Coronavirus here?

[Pepe]

Just been invited to participate in an eight minute moment of silence (for the 100,000 covid deaths + that lad who was killed by a cop) via Zoom. :cab:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Eight minutes?

Firstly that's a seriously long time to be silent, secondly why 8?

[Pepe]

I don't know.

[Pepe]

Please join a moment of silence with [Dean of Engineering] No audio and no video. The meeting will last 8 minutes.

Maybe it is some sort of test.

[Disco]

How does that constitute a 'meeting'?

[Spikey M]

Lol

[Jimmy Floyd]

Didn't feel he was exposing himself to enough Coronavirus here?

His daughter lives there, it's his 82nd at some point in June and he wants to be with the family, or, to put it more accurately, he wants the family to be with him.

Absolute loon.

[Spikey M]

'No audio and no video' hahahaha.

That's done me in. What cunt thought that up and what is the point?

[Pepe]

Team building? Fuck knows.

[Lewis]

His daughter lives there, it's his 82nd at some point in June and he wants to be with the family, or, to put it more accurately, he wants the family to be with him.

Absolute loon.

I feel like in any other situation this geezer would be a classic national hero, like the seventy-seven year old I work with who planned to commute in on his motorbike if they asked him to stay off the train.

[Shindig]

He's dying of natural causes. Heroic.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Someone in our warehouse was un-furloughed on Friday and came back in this morning.

Got to 10.45 before he was phoned by a contact tracer and told to self-isolate for 7 days :D

[SvN]

:D

The fact that part time furloughing is allowed in a month is going to be brilliant, and I'm delighted they brought the date forward.

[Jimmy Floyd]

One of my colleagues is back in this morning for 1 week (he will then be off for the rest of the month), which apparently is allowed under terms of the furlough. I haven't read them but presume our MD has if he's done that.

Lazy fucker still doesn't answer the phone.

[Ian]

Someone in our warehouse was un-furloughed on Friday and came back in this morning.

Got to 10.45 before he was phoned by a contact tracer and told to self-isolate for 7 days :D

Superb.

[Spikey M]

Someone in our warehouse was un-furloughed on Friday and came back in this morning.

Got to 10.45 before he was phoned by a contact tracer and told to self-isolate for 7 days :D

:lol:

Has the old man taken it predictably well? Or is he too busy necking Prosecco in Rome or wherever he went?

[Disco]

I was spot on with our methodology for bringing people back, it's just after one director is sufficiently (ie even vaguely) inconvenienced by covering their work.

And by covering I mean mostly ignoring.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't think the old man cares about warehouse people, they are scum beneath his level. With me, he knows who I am but doesn't always remember my name (the company is only like 50/60 people, so he probably should).

[mugbull]

How easy would it be for this worker to have had his friend call him posing as a contact tracer and get a free extra week off?

[Foe]

Someone in our warehouse was un-furloughed on Friday and came back in this morning.

Got to 10.45 before he was phoned by a contact tracer and told to self-isolate for 7 days :D

If he tests positive has that they fucked the entire company onto isolation?

[Jimmy Floyd]

How easy would it be for this worker to have had his friend call him posing as a contact tracer and get a free extra week off?

Probably quite easy. I just heard him go in and tell his boss.

[Boydy]

That's superb. :D

[Andy]

How easy would it be for this worker to have had his friend call him posing as a contact tracer and get a free extra week off?

The track and trace people send an isolation form for your employer and chances are he will just get sick pay.

[SvN]

One of my colleagues is back in this morning for 1 week (he will then be off for the rest of the month), which apparently is allowed under terms of the furlough. I haven't read them but presume our MD has if he's done that.

Lazy fucker still doesn't answer the phone.

Three weeks is the minimum time someone can furloughed, but there's no minimum time betweeen furlough periods. I brought back an admin person for 3 days to bring the books up to date and send out a few invoices.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We've had an absolute shambles this week.

One of my colleagues was brought back for a week (as above) to reduce the pressure on me. Obviously, once he was here the managers all liked that he was here (it's become evident in this period how much the lazy commission earning twats rely on us salarymen to actually do any work), and last night the decision was taken by MD in the office to keep him on for the rest of the month. MD informed me, and I said I was glad as having him around takes the pressure off me.

Fast forward to this morning, and the decision has been reversed. Yes, that's right, El Presidente has phoned in from his fucking villa and said that the furlough stays, thus completely undermining his own managing director and putting me back in the shit on my own. Oh well, I'm kind of used to it by now.

[Magic]

LOL so the leasing companies have rocketed the cost of HYBRIDs since April and the new tax laws came out as the demand is so high. That means you can pick up pretty sweet cars for a low monthly cost because nobody wants them due to such high BIK rates but the eco cars are expensive as fuck. So only senior management and directors, yes the highest paid guys, have it in their bands. Fucking RACKET.

[Ian]

I think next time you're changing company you should let us help you choose a prospective employer. You seem to have a knack for choosing nutters of one variety or another.

EDIT: Out the way, Magic.

[Shindig]

DWP's approved our automation trials. :uhoh:

[mo]

New school rota came out yesterday morning, giving me two days notice to organise child care. Twats.

[Magic]

Did you see in Scotland the summer holidays next year is when they're going to make up for lost days this year? We're taking to the streets lads.

[Lewis]

What seems to have happened with us is that our parent unit however many miles away has come up with a space vs staff formula for its own building, which is one of those open-plan, New Labour spaces full of timewasters and useless women who can work from home, and then applied it across the board. The pass-the-responsibility meeting on that one must have been impressive.

In addition to this, they have decided that the two metre rule is an iron law, rather than just guidance, so we can only have so many people in in case two of us need the toilet (or want to use the kitchen, use the same corridor, etc.) at once and can't agree to take turns. Consequently, they will be rotating us in and out on certain days as not to exceed whatever formula they have to adhere to.

[Jimmy Floyd]

What happens when HMG change it to 1m in a couple of weeks' time?

[Lewis]

They'll probably spend about six weeks adjusting the formula.

[Lofty]

I think your experience of actually performing against the odds is going to be the story in a fair few places, apparently my wife's work is actually beating last year's figures despite the majority of the workforce being furloughed. Think that bodes ill for the furloughed though.

[Ian]

In addition to this, they have decided that the two metre rule is an iron law, rather than just guidance, so we can only have so many people in in case two of us need the toilet (or want to use the kitchen, use the same corridor, etc.) at once and can't agree to take turns. Consequently, they will be rotating us in and out on certain days as not to exceed whatever formula they have to adhere to.

I like to imagine they've roped off safe walking paths around the whole office with a one-way system, etc.

[Shindig]

Open plan offices should make that easy, to be fair. Our team now only has four people in.

[Baz]

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

Work have shared this link in the Teams chat. Does it mean I'll get some free money after all this? :drool:

[Smjffy]

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

Work have shared this link in the Teams chat. Does it mean I'll get some free money after all this? :drool:

:moop:

Social care workers being given £500 extra in Wales, tax relief for those working from home, furloughed workers being able to take second jobs, grants for businesses that didn't even earn as much as said grant......fml.

:moop:

I got £200 something off the job centre. That's a months wage apparently. Sickening.

[Spikey M]

Swish

[Raoul Duke]

I think your experience of actually performing against the odds is going to be the story in a fair few places, apparently my wife's work is actually beating last year's figures despite the majority of the workforce being furloughed. Think that bodes ill for the furloughed though.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/may/25/bullshit-jobs-a-theory-by-david-graeber-review

Bring on UBI :nodd:

[Jimmy Floyd]

What happens (and I'm watching this unravel in real time in my workplace) is they realise that the fewer people you have, the more 'productivity' there is per person.

The most useless bloke in my team I really can't see getting back at the end of this. In a sense it's deserved, because he's fucking useless, but then why was he employed in the first place?

[Giggles]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/may/25/bullshit-jobs-a-theory-by-david-graeber-review

Bring on UBI :nodd:

That bullshit is never happening. Not that any of us will ever see anyway.

[Magic]

What happens (and I'm watching this unravel in real time in my workplace) is they realise that the fewer people you have, the more 'productivity' there is per person.

The most useless bloke in my team I really can't see getting back at the end of this. In a sense it's deserved, because he's fucking useless, but then why was he employed in the first place?

This happened after the recession too, they'll be fucked for 5 years whilst the good employees boost business. More staff required to deliver the boom and thus the fuckwit army come back with a vengeance.

[Kikó]

Yep - easier to hide guff when you have more people. Necessary to hire to avoid burnout (Hello Jimmy!) but there is a balance between hiring well and filling your company with deadweight.

[Raoul Duke]

What happens (and I'm watching this unravel in real time in my workplace) is they realise that the fewer people you have, the more 'productivity' there is per person.

The most useless bloke in my team I really can't see getting back at the end of this. In a sense it's deserved, because he's fucking useless, but then why was he employed in the first place?

Bullshit jobs. In reality, most companies are overstaffed as they're still operating on pre-digital era principles. Technology has made everyone more efficient but there are more people.

Plus human system trend towards entropy over time. I'm convinced the biggest cohesive organisational unit achievable is a football team, everything after that is bad noise and HR departments.

[Spikey M]

The way my work records how much you're doing makes things so easy. It's based entirely on the number of cases you've worked and the number of tasks carried out.

I had a long email exchange earlier, pretty much all 1 line jobs, and it's taken my tasks up to 50% of the total work completed for the day. I've been sat scratching my bollocks and twiddling my thumbs ever since. I just need to stop being in any way concise to make full use of this going forward.

[Giggles]

I'd love that kind of structure.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The bell tolls. The most useless guy in my team has been made redundant.

I quite enjoyed the MD's method of communicating this: walking around the office repeating 'Yeah, so I've let X go' every few paces.

[Lewis]

The measures put in at work were a lot less stupid than I imagined, so that is something. Apparently senior management is just completely deferring to the unions, knowing full well that they will just refuse anything and everything, and then acting as if they can't make any decisions. That sounds about right.

[Foe]

Odds of having a job in 2021 look a tad bleak, currently.

[Shindig]

I know the feeling.

[Manc]

Rainy day fund is a must.

[Dark Soldier]

After 3 years with my company I've got a promotion (well, more a sidestep). Currently Assistant Team Leader dealing with escalations, dickheads etc. As of Monday I'm working IT/Back Office, doing timesheets, allocating work, paysheets, stock business emails and IT support.

No more customer facing bollocks, lets go.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Fuck me I have dealt with some cunts today. First of all there was some twat from Norfolk who claimed 'not to have the capacity' to place an online order. How did he find our number, in the fucking Yellow Pages? Then some French cunt, by which of course I mean a French person, phoned up and said that an order he placed two weeks ago was not an order, but the 'preview of an order' and he didn't understand why we'd invoiced him and delivered the goods. I said why didn't you tell us this when we sent the email confirmation two weeks ago. He said he had been 'out of office' for two weeks and not checked his emails. Come on, Jean-Pascal, not even the French are that fucking useless, you lying piece of shit.

Finally, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, some prick in Madrid cancelled a £1,000 order he had placed the previous day because of 'slow delivery time'. I mean, mate, the thing weighs 150kg, did you want us to send it strapped to a magic teleporting donkey?

The climate is so impossible now, people just won't spend money.

[Magic]

After 3 years with my company I've got a promotion (well, more a sidestep). Currently Assistant Team Leader dealing with escalations, dickheads etc. As of Monday I'm working IT/Back Office, doing timesheets, allocating work, paysheets, stock business emails and IT support.

No more customer facing bollocks, lets go.

It's a tremendous thing DS. :drool:

Well done!

[Magic]

This wholesale thing is a piece of piss as well, provided your company has an excellent proposition.

I've done nothing and my commission this month is £1,900. My resellers place the orders themselves.

[Ian]

Fuck me I have dealt with some cunts today. First of all there was some twat from Norfolk who claimed 'not to have the capacity' to place an online order. How did he find our number, in the fucking Yellow Pages? Then some French cunt, by which of course I mean a French person, phoned up and said that an order he placed two weeks ago was not an order, but the 'preview of an order' and he didn't understand why we'd invoiced him and delivered the goods. I said why didn't you tell us this when we sent the email confirmation two weeks ago. He said he had been 'out of office' for two weeks and not checked his emails. Come on, Jean-Pascal, not even the French are that fucking useless, you lying piece of shit.

Finally, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, some prick in Madrid cancelled a £1,000 order he had placed the previous day because of 'slow delivery time'. I mean, mate, the thing weighs 150kg, did you want us to send it strapped to a magic teleporting donkey?

The climate is so impossible now, people just won't spend money.

I may have said before that I think the most unreasonable customer I've even spoken to was a woman who was threatening to call the police on the Student Loans Company for STEALING HER PASSPORT. That she had posted to them with the full knowledge that it might not get processed for whatever timescale they were telling people at the time.

[Dark Soldier]

I once had a customer kick off because, on a plate on their dining set, the supplier had molded a cock and balls onto it. Clear as day. They got a full refund and kept the item for a 'conversational' piece.

[Ian]

:D

That's excellent.

Was trying to think of others and I think all my best ones were on the phones for Student Loans Company. You got some proper mongos.

Also a big fan of the guy who Scottish Power cut off because he'd rigged his meter to power heatlamps for cannabis and got his mum to call up and sort it out for him.

[Dark Soldier]

There was also the woman who sent in images of her damaged furniture but also attached three images of her post breast surgery shots.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Luckily I do mostly B2B but the rare encounters with the general public do not make me want to meet any more of them. The combination of rude and thick as shit is the current trend in the UK.

[Spikey M]

I had someone say 'one fourth' rather than a quarter earlier and it struck me so odd that it left me completely unable to follow the rest of the sentence.

[Spikey M]

The best whacko I had was a bloke who had a fine for not having a TV Licence.

He refuses to pay the licence fee because he will not pay for what they're up to. The BBC, along with the Met Office have been EXPERIMENTING ON OUR WEATHER! Any BBC viewing is purely for research purposes.

[Don]

It's worthwhile to note a lot of these nutter complaint sorts dialing it up are putting it on to take advantage of the systems. I know of sorts who have come back from holiday with a massive telephone bill and gone in so hard on the phone they ended up not only having their bills waived but also recompensated for their troubles :D

[Dark Soldier]

It's worthwhile to note a lot of these nutter complaint sorts dialing it up are putting it on to take advantage of the systems. I know of sorts who have come back from holiday with a massive telephone bill and gone in so hard on the phone they ended up not only having their bills waived but also recompensated for their troubles :D

I was such a cunt. Furniture could've crushed some Mother's kid and I'd have only offered a fiver gift card.

[Ian]

The best whacko I had was a bloke who had a fine for not having a TV Licence.

He refuses to pay the licence fee because he will not pay for what they're up to. The BBC, along with the Met Office have been EXPERIMENTING ON OUR WEATHER! Any BBC viewing is purely for research purposes.

Tremendous. Did he divulge what these experiments were?

[Spikey M]

Tremendous. Did he divulge what these experiments were?

I wasn't too keen to follow him down the rabbit hole but there had been some flooding up north that year and they were behind it. Going to take it to court he was. He's probably been assassinated by now

[Ian]

"I suppose you think it's a coincidence that so-called climate change is happening right when Doctor Who has turned into a woman, do you?"

[Shindig]

Man, I miss banking complaints. The ones that know just enough knowledge to be dangerous are the best. "No, my husband works at a bank and he says ..."

[Spikey M]

So close Shinners. So fucking close.

[Shindig]

If I could replace all my posts with the John quote, I would.

[Spikey M]

I've just had an elderly lady on the phone telling me that she's 'always been promiscuous'. It in no way fits in with what she was telling me and I have no idea what she thinks promiscuous means but I hope she uses it lots.

[John]

I'd guess she was looking for 'parsimonious'.

[Lofty]

One of the all time greats I had while customer facing was being challenged on the price of a half fare by a parent during the school holidays because 'it's only 50p at the swimming in the holidays!'.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Being challenged on price by tight arse, lying chancers is one of the ones I despise the most as a salesman, probably because I'm a non-tight person in any walk of life and I don't get their mindset at all.

'Yes, we have that in stock, price is £28.'
'Is that the best you can do?'
'Yes.'
'Seems a bit dear to me.'
'That's how much it is.'
'At Competitor X I can get that for £24.'
'Well, here you can get it for £28.'
'OK, I'll place the order.'

I wouldn't win too many awards for revolutionary mind-bending sales technique but it gets the job done.

[Giggles]

Just tell them it will cost them more than £4 of their time to hang up and call someone else.

[Lofty]

Used to get that at PC World Jim, people coming in having watched too much Dominic Littlewood that morning and trying all his tips, immediately asking to speak to the manager and asking for the best price when buying a low end single item purchase :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

The whole point of having a manager is that nobody should ever be able to speak to them. If anyone kicks off at me and demands escalation I just tell them to do one.

[Ian]

When I was briefly managing a team of evening call centre-y types I would take escalations from proper dickheads because I knew the guys actually knew what the fuck they were doing so it was fun to reiterate that to them but while having to be less friendly about it because my bonus wasn't affected by being nice to people on the phone.

[Shindig]

That was always the thing that got me about escalations. If the manager calls a customer back, it's just to reiterate the words you've told them. In the jobs I've done, managers are so far removed from your job, they need your words to get them through a call they'd rather not make.

[Ian]

Yeah I was quite lucky in that instance in that I knew the job as well as the people taking them as I'd trained them but yeah, in most call centres unless you're just wanting to hear a different voice tell you the same thing (and that does pacify a daft amount of people) then it's often a total waste of time.

In one of the ones I was in you wrote down callback requests on a form, put them all in a box which then usually got binned at the end of the day.

[Shindig]

The only time I've seen the punter get their way was when we had a bloke deputising when the other managers were all on a privilege day. I told him exactly what to say but he completely crumbled. I was livid.

[mo]

A job has come up that I really want to go for, but the deadline for handing in my notice for the academic year was the end of May. So going to suck it up and ask the head tomorrow if he'll waive my notice period in the event I'm offered the job. Nothing to lose really as I was resigned to staying another year anyway, so if he says no it's no big deal.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Today is the start of 2 more weeks on my own as the furloughed people have been rotated back to their bedrooms until the end of June, and honestly, fuck this.

[Ian]

No more pronouncements from the MD mooching about the office?

[Jimmy Floyd]

There are rumblings that he's going to make use of part time furlough arrangements in July, but no, all I've heard from him today is how he should have taken 3 wood off the 16th tee on Saturday morning, with driver being an unnecessary risk given he was 1 up with water all down the right.

[Ian]

Sounds like he had a pretty rough weekend.

[Jimmy Floyd]

There's currently some DRAMA in the warehouse as one of the workers (white) was found to have posted some racist stuff on the Sky News website, and another worker (black) somehow found out and complained. The guy is now claiming his account was hacked. They're now trying to work out whether they can sack him or not.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They're now listing all the non-white employees and speculating on what their reactions might be if the guy isn't sacked. They really need to work on getting a thicker office door so I can't hear all this.

[Shindig]

Chennai's gone into lockdown again so I'm sure those bodies that have been borrowed across the office aren't coming back. Wouldn't this be something if it had an effect on outsourcing abroad?

[Boydy]

They're now listing all the non-white employees and speculating on what their reactions might be if the guy isn't sacked. They really need to work on getting a thicker office door so I can't hear all this.

Any further developments by the end of the day?

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://youtu.be/T37FA6LtaVc?t=56 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T37FA6LtaVc)

00:46

[phonics]

not to abuse my powers but if it worked i did your timestamp for you

[Luca]

They're now listing all the non-white employees and speculating on what their reactions might be if the guy isn't sacked. They really need to work on getting a thicker office door so I can't hear all this.

:D

Straight out of The Office (US). You could see Michael and Dwight trying to figure out how the decision might be accepted by Stanley/Kelly/Oscar.

[Jimmy Floyd]

not to abuse my powers but if it worked i did your timestamp for you

You can't timestamp when it's embedded, which is why I linked (I don't manually edit urls post 11pm).

[phonics]

You can't timestamp when it's embedded, which is why I linked (I don't manually edit urls post 11pm).

I’ll look into that functionality. Seems weird it doesn’t react like every other site ever.

[phonics]

:D

Straight out of The Office (US). You could see Michael and Dwight trying to figure out how the decision might be accepted by Stanley/Kelly/Oscar.

Better Off Ted had a great bit on this where the automatic doors wouldn't recognise black people so they did a cost benefit analysis on whether to remove the doors or fire all the black people.

[John]

You're doing that episode a disservice there. It's more complex than that, and I don't think it's ever suggested that they get rid of all the black employees. The joke underpinning it is that it's cheaper to hire a minimum wage white guy to follow each black employee around and activate the sensors for them than address the problem with the sensors.

[Shindig]

They've stopped repairing the automatic door in the office on this basis as well. For the sake of two disabled members of staff, it's not worth it.

[Kikó]

Alright Tory.

[Spikey M]

Massive flood in the server room at work. :drool:

[Baz]

Officially requested to work from home until 22nd July today, as that’s the start of the summer holidays. I don’t see why it won’t be approved.

Then even beyond then I reckon I’ll wfh on Tuesdays and Thursdays anyways, just because.

Also had to jump start my car again last night. Make sure you’re taking yours out for a regular spin (every 5 days is my minimum aim) if yours is just sitting there. :dc:

[mo]

A job has come up that I really want to go for, but the deadline for handing in my notice for the academic year was the end of May. So going to suck it up and ask the head tomorrow if he'll waive my notice period in the event I'm offered the job. Nothing to lose really as I was resigned to staying another year anyway, so if he says no it's no big deal.

So I chickened out of that and asked about notice periods in a roundabout way and got my answer (‘no’, basically). Emailed the school I’m applying to and asked if they’d consider my application if I had a later start date and they said yes. Told my Head of Department and Head Teacher today I was going to apply, and coincidentally they announce this afternoon that the position of Second in Department is going to be advertised. I feel a bit conceited saying this but that’s a pretty big coincidence (they know I want to progress but the opportunities haven’t been there at my current school). So going to apply for both and see what happens.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Come on then Giggles. 'Co Laois'. How the hell do you say that?

[Giggles]

Come on then Giggles. 'Co Laois'. How the hell do you say that?

You keep someone on a tight _______.

[Jimmy Floyd]

My biggest German customer yesterday put in an urgent order for 78 of a particular type of dipstick - MUST BE WITH US TOMORROW. Now, we've never sold this dipstick, and can only locate 10 of them in the world (all in India). When I explained this, the woman in Bremen sounded like she was almost in tears of frustrated anger. 'WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR TOMORROW?'

Why would you need 78 of a certain dipstick TOMORROW? I just don't get it. Aren't dipsticks all the same anyway?

[Disco]

It's almost always that their customer has placed the order and nobody can be bothered to manage their expectations. For us it's the drippy wet ones that clearly won't give their customers a proper lead time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If you ever find a customer who isn't 'drippy wet', please do send them my way. The hand-to-mouth type trading setups are the worst.

I love certain well-rehearsed conversation streams.

'Do you have this item?'
'No.'
'When will you have it?'
'Never.'
'But... our customer has a requirement.'
'Does he?'
'We need it delivered within three weeks for a tender contract.'
'Do you?'
'PLEASE GIVE AN UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE'
'There is no update. We still don't do it.'

[Manc]

The furlough dream is over for me. Back to work on the 23rd.

[Giggles]

Customers sending WhatsApp messages :mad:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Fucking tell me about it. I have a guy in Zaragoza who'll send me a picture of an engine at 10pm on a weeknight and then complain at 9am that I never quoted him. Fuck off mate.

[Giggles]

I’ve an out of office on my email and on my voice mail so these cunts are just waiting on a reply now because they don’t know I’m unavailable. If I even message back to just say I’m not in then they’ll latch and torment me for the rest of the day.

[Spikey M]

Are you using your personal phone for work? If so, you need a work phone pronto and it needs to go off if you're not working. Fuck that shit.

[Giggles]

Work pays for my phone and I can use it as a personal one so it’s the only one I use and I don’t have to answer it out of hours or anything like that. It’s just really unprofessional to send a WhatsApp, he’ll lose hours before he realises I’m not working today or tomorrow.

[Boydy]

Block them on whatsapp.

[Giggles]

Not a bad should but wouldn’t they still think they’ve sent it?

[Ian]

Even if he's the only one doing it type out a text that looks like you're sending it to a bunch of folk saying you'll no longer be responding the Whatsapp messages, they should direct any messages / requests / whatever to whichever form of contact you prefer.

[Boydy]

I'm not sure.

Edit: Ian's idea is good.

[Boydy]

https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/being-blocked-by-someone

Any messages sent to a contact who has blocked you will always show one check mark (message sent), and never show a second check mark (message delivered).

[Giggles]

https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/being-blocked-by-someone

Any messages sent to a contact who has blocked you will always show one check mark (message sent), and never show a second check mark (message delivered).

Good to know. I have the blue ticks turned off completely but that would at least show someone it hasn’t sent. Might go through my list and block all customers on it.
I might put Ian’s one in future out of office outlook replies and eventually they’d all get used to it anyway.

For now I’ve changed my ‘status’ to say I’m off and to call the office number.

[phonics]

So as you can imagine, as someone that organises an Internatioanl conference, COVID wasn't the best news.

It means my life has been hell for 8 weeks trying to get people to understand bad technology that they picked because they ignored anyone who knew anything. It's been 8:30 starts and 1am finishes for most of that time. Although sometimes I found gaps in the endless meetings and WFH meant I could get a nap in every once in a while. The opening is 10 days from now, same as it would be if COVID never happened.

Meanwhile, Trump, current president of the country our conference was in, has implemented an immigration executive order that would have torn up my and 95% of the staffs VISAs, 100% of our scholarship recipients and 50% of our fee-paying delegates.

I think COVID actually saved us from obilivion whereas now it's just possible bankruptcy.

[Shindig]

Wild idea: Host it on the board.

[Smjffy]

:cry: Finally. 4th July.

What a pussy that I am actually crying with happiness.

[Giggles]

Cunt rang me twice again this morning (despite me having an out of office phone message) and only rang the office this afternoon according to the Teams group. Imbecile has lost a whole day there :face:

[Kikó]

We've been told today that most of us won't be returning to the office until early September at the earliest and by the sounds of it, it might not happen this year. Excellent.

[Shindig]

Our lot have put in place procedures to make it really hard to pop back into the office.

[Manc]

First day back yesterday. No laptop, no emails, no phone calls. Grand.

[Magic]

Our office is pretty much back at full capacity. Owner knows the value of TEAM WORK so lol @ those sticking with WFH.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I am getting buttfucked by workload at the moment to the point that I've half given up. I went in to the MD's office to ask when the others are coming back because this is not sustainable. I found him having changed into his golf gear and about to set off for the course having booked a short notice half day. He said 'It's all a bit up in the air at the moment' and headed for the first tee. Great.

[Baz]

Another secondment opportunity has come up; this time as a data analyst for the local test and trace thingy.

Doing actual helpful work that would look good on my CV vs carry on doing the bare minimum and getting paid to sunbathe

Ehhh I’ll skip this one.

[Boydy]

Our office is pretty much back at full capacity. Owner knows the value of TEAM WORK so lol @ those sticking with WFH.

I bet your office is full of sales wankers who unironically say shit like "team work makes the dream work".

:sick:

[Manc]

I am getting buttfucked by workload at the moment to the point that I've half given up. I went in to the MD's office to ask when the others are coming back because this is not sustainable. I found him having changed into his golf gear and about to set off for the course having booked a short notice half day. He said 'It's all a bit up in the air at the moment' and headed for the first tee. Great.

Is there any way you can join him for a round? I'm picturing a Goldfinger scenario.

[Ian]

I am getting buttfucked by workload at the moment to the point that I've half given up. I went in to the MD's office to ask when the others are coming back because this is not sustainable. I found him having changed into his golf gear and about to set off for the course having booked a short notice half day. He said 'It's all a bit up in the air at the moment' and headed for the first tee. Great.

It'll all be worth it when your sitcom about it hits the air.

[Boydy]

The Koreans wouldn't have left you in the lurch like this, Jim.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No, they wouldn't, bless their little hearts. They also would still have me on 1% annual rises negotiated by the no doubt tigerish trade union over there, so it's swings and roundabouts. And at least here you can talk to colleagues during the working day without it being the most awkward thing ever.

[Magic]

I bet your office is full of sales wankers who unironically say shit like "team work makes the dream work".

:sick:

No the sales team are all remote obviously, but I'd expect nothing less from someone which such little understanding of capitalism.

[Raoul Duke]

How long have you been there? If it's > 1 yr then just find something else and leave

[Foe]

I am getting buttfucked by workload at the moment to the point that I've half given up. I went in to the MD's office to ask when the others are coming back because this is not sustainable. I found him having changed into his golf gear and about to set off for the course having booked a short notice half day. He said 'It's all a bit up in the air at the moment' and headed for the first tee. Great.

Permanent furlough for more. This is your new work load.

[Disco]

I am getting buttfucked by workload at the moment to the point that I've half given up. I went in to the MD's office to ask when the others are coming back because this is not sustainable. I found him having changed into his golf gear and about to set off for the course having booked a short notice half day. He said 'It's all a bit up in the air at the moment' and headed for the first tee. Great.

I was in the same position this time last week, I absolutely gave up and just let it all pile up. Sure enough once my boss realised I was ignoring the emails he was sending me and customers started bitching at him we had a little sit down where I refused to do the work of three people anymore and a temp (his daughter) started yesterday to cover most of the menial stuff.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm kind of doing that now. Inbox is up to 51 at time of writing (normally try to end each day on <5). There's just no way of controlling it without someone else to answer the phone.

[Disco]

Mine were up at nearly 200 but that is across 5 or 6 inboxes, most of which were for departments I'm not even supposed to be working in.

[Spikey M]

Jimmy taking the knee. :cool:

[Foe]

I have hundreds and thousands of unread emails.

If it’s that important they’ll email again.

[Spikey M]

Who can see the slight flaw in that system?

[Magic]

Who can see the slight flaw in that system?

Depends on his function within the organisation.

[Giggles]

At least 90% of emails have no need to be sent anyway. People just filling in their day fabricating the illusion that they're busy.

[Spikey M]

Stop describing me you bastard.

[Jimmy Floyd]

In a buying/selling job, most emails are pretty necessary.

Chase-up phone calls, on the other hand...

[Manc]

Giggles might just be the great mind of our time.

[Giggles]

One of the bints has decided to come back to work and implement social distancing like she’s just thought of it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just got called into the MD's office, he tells me the company are 'very appreciative of my efforts', but he can't guarantee there will be any bonus available at the end of the year so he's convinced the chairman to allow up to 10 days' holiday to be paid rather than taken.

Trying to work out if that's as good an offer as he says it is; having taken 1 day's holiday in 2020 thus far, I suspect the answer is no.

[Ian]

I'm sure I'm being stupid here. Are they saying they'll pay you extra for holidays you won't get to take?

[Lewis]

Take all ten of them now and find out.

[Disco]

Yeah, take the ten days essentially at double pay and also book ten days of your actual holiday.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They're saying they'll pay me the time (so double I guess) instead of being able to take up to 10 days of my existing holiday (I have 16 left to take + 3 mandatory at Christmas).

So if I took them up on this I would have 6 days off available this year but a bit more money (payable in December).

[Disco]

I think I'd actually take the days off out of principle.

[Spikey M]

Yeah. Fuck that.

[Pepe]

'You get no bonus this year, but at least you get less vacation days!'

Deal of the century.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He was offering it to me quite earnestly as a really generous deal, so good to know I'm not as gullible as I might be.

[SvN]

It never works out as much as you'd think, either.

Someone at my place did the same and came back to me asking if I'd made an error, as the extra pay was hardly anything.

[Don]

Given I'll end the year with about 247 days of annual leave left over as will most others, you can see the sense behind it.

[Baz]

Can’t you carry it forward?

[Jimmy Floyd]

You can never carry anything forward here, it's use it or lose it. The chairman is from another era and just doesn't like the idea of anyone being off work, he also 'doesn't believe in' working from home even in the current circumstances.

[Don]

I can only carry forward 10. Thankfully that's been eased due to COVID so I will be semi-retired next year.

[Lewis]

Yeah, I have about forty days to use by next year. On fucking what?

[Ian]

'You get no bonus this year, but at least you get less vacation days!'

Deal of the century.

:D

[Disco]

Yeah, I have about forty days to use by next year. On fucking what?

Not being at work.

[Lewis]

I can do that at work.

[Disco]

We'll now you can do it at home for a bit of a change of scenery.

[Lofty]

19 days left to take, sadly with the house needing doing and my holiday down the shitter any time off taken will be me doing DIY I imagine.

[Manc]

Drill yourself silly.

[Shindig]

I've got 5 days left. I was thinking about booking them in but I've had so much time off already with furloughs and 4 day weeks. I can carry them over and then might sell them in February. Or book in a three week SUPERHOLIDAY somewhere in 2021.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I just heard one of the warehouse people come into the manager's office and ask to borrow money because he's skint. Is that a thing? Surely not. People really are useless.

[Boydy]

People being skint is a thing, yes.

[Magic]

Yes people get advances on their wages all the time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've never heard of that and I've been in some skanky places. Shows what I know.

[Spikey M]

I've heard of it, but I've never known it happen.

[Shindig]

Unprecedented times. I've not seen it happen.

[Magic]

One of my mates at the same company got it because he was needing a final push for his house deposit (so he got his annual wage upfront and just lived off commission).

Another pal needed an advance to save him from a payday loan. Happens much more often than you think.

For what it's worth I'd never engage it as it's embarrassing and hard to turn around.

[Jimmy Floyd]

One of my mates at the same company got it because he was needing a final push for his house deposit (so he got his annual wage upfront and just lived off commission).

That sounds like about the most stressful thing imaginable.

[Magic]

That sounds like about the most stressful thing imaginable.

It gets worse as he had a no-pay month so had to take a 'loan' from the company which he's still paying back 13 months later. :eyemouth:

[Smjffy]

I'm taking part in a web-seminar today with an MP but I have to use Zoom for the first time. Does anyone know how I can connect my microphone via Bluetooth on a laptop as talking into the laptop itself sounds distorted and crackled?

[Magic]

I'm taking part in a web-seminar today with an MP but I have to use Zoom for the first time. Does anyone know how I can connect my microphone via Bluetooth on a laptop as talking into the laptop itself sounds distorted and crackled?

If your laptop has built in bluetooth use that, if it doesn't you'll need a dongle for it.

Failing that just use your smartphone as that'll have bluetooth and you don't need a massive screen for a VC.

Also you can dial in as well and just use the laptop for video only.

[Smjffy]

Oh, there's an app for the phone?!

[Raoul Duke]

I just heard one of the warehouse people come into the manager's office and ask to borrow money because he's skint. Is that a thing? Surely not. People really are useless.

Or maybe he just doesn't get paid much and got hit by an unexpected bill?


Oh, there's an app for the phone?!

Yeah they have apps. Work fine for this stuff.

[Smjffy]

I've figured it out with the app. Thanks, guys.

My question is going to be:


The hospitality industry is the sector with the most new starters excluded from Rishi Sunak's schemes with HospitalityUK placing the number at nearly 500,000 but there is estimated to be between 1.6 to over 2M excluded from the Job Retention Scheme, I am but one of them. March was the last wage I earned, April I received nothing from the Universal Credit because my payment from the job HMRC couldn't prove was mine wiped all of out it. Since May I have received just short of £400 a month thus leaving me nearly £4,000 in debt. With accommodation refunds over £35K and £25K winter debt, my employer was able to furlough some staff but not others due to the RTI cut off but then she was refused the CBILS loan after a four week wait and she did not qualify for any grant as the rates are over £51K. As a result she has had to personally borrow over £107,000K to be able to reopen so together we can contribute to the economy whilst retaining jobs that many are going to lose. The schemes are great, we know this, they have helped many out, including some of my team mates but why have they not helped me or my employer?

It's been selected out of a fair few hundred as we only get to ask ten. OOF! Bring it on.

[Magic]

Good luck.

:thbup:

[SvN]

"And that's all we have time for today".

[Jimmy Floyd]

Or maybe he just doesn't get paid much and got hit by an unexpected bill?

He's a known idiot, but my point was more that I'd assumed companies would never agree to such a thing.

[SvN]

Of course they would, it means they've got them by the balls.

[Smjffy]

:moop: I couldn't connect my mic so the host asked my question.

BBC News at 6pm and 10pm if anyone wants to see the sort of stuff I've moaned about.

[Giggles]

Work would be the last place I’d ever go looking for a sun for exactly the reason SvN said. You’d be better off with some lad after your knees.

[phonics]

:moop: I couldn't connect my mic so the host asked my question.

BBC News at 6pm and 10pm if anyone wants to see the sort of stuff I've moaned about.

Tim, tip for the future, get a hands free headphone/mic combo for your phone. At this point they're better than a laptop mic/cam set-up.

[Smjffy]

Tim, tip for the future, get a hands free headphone/mic combo for your phone. At this point they're better than a laptop mic/cam set-up.

I will do, thanks. I only have a basic smart phone (Huawei P something) but I assume any would be fine?

Finally start working again tomorrow so I can start making some plans. It's a horrible thought that just two weeks is all I need to obliterate the income I've had since March. :moop: However, I've enjoyed this kind of. It definitely makes me want to get more involved even once I've got the desired result.

We're trying to set up a cross party group now and the questions to MP's are going to be a regular thing. Another has been arranged for next Monday so I'll try and order one off Amazon if you fancy linking me to a sufficient one.

[phonics]

I will do, thanks. I only have a basic smart phone (Huawei P something) but I assume any would be fine?

Finally start working again tomorrow so I can start making some plans. It's a horrible thought that just two weeks is all I need to obliterate the income I've had since March. :moop: However, I've enjoyed this kind of. It definitely makes me want to get more involved even once I've got the desired result.

We're trying to set up a cross party group now and the questions to MP's are going to be a regular thing. Another has been arranged for next Monday so I'll try and order one off Amazon if you fancy linking me to a sufficient one.

The camera will be better and it's just a matter of getting a decent bluetooth headset. I'm not your man for that @Giggles (https://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/member.php?u=26) or someone will know better on that front.

Recommend getting one of these tripods for 20 quid as well: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Phone+tripod%2C+UBeesize+Portable+and+Adjustab le+Camera+Stand+Holder+with+Wireless+Remote+and+Un iversal+Clip%2C+Compatible+with+iPhone%2C+Android+ Phone%2C+Sports+Camera+GoPro%3F2018+NEW+VERSION%3F&linkCode=gs3&tag=gearjuk-21

and then you've got a remote recording studio for about 50 quid.

Last reccomendation would be finding a set-up in a room with lots of fabric. Maybe a living room that has couches and carpet in it? Do that and close the curtains and you'll get less echo.

[Manc]

Huawei? Get the fuck out of my country.

[Spikey M]

5G superspreading cunt.

[Smjffy]

Cheers, phonics.

I finally got to work today and it was amazing. OK it wasn't any cooking but deep cleaning a kitchen and reorganising everything was awesome. Today has been awesome too tbh as the campaign I'm part of has hit the money load. :cool: A meeting is being set up shadow chancellor of exchequer so hopefully if things move fast we might get some news on the 8th when Sunak makes his announcements but if not then we're further ahead than we were. It will happen eventually.

[Jimmy Floyd]

MD just came into the office and told us the Saudis have dumped a million dollar order on us (our total stock at any one time is worth about 4 million). Fucking love the Saudis, always have done, you could quote them fresh air at a million bob a square inch and they'd say 'delivery within three months please'. You'd better pay me a bonus now you piece of shit.

[Spikey M]

No but you can have an extra 3 days less holiday.

[Jimmy Floyd]

What happens if I go into negative holiday from all these generous deductions? Do I have to start coming in at night? I mean, it would be an honour.

[Ian]

Just for God's sake don't win Employee of the Month.

[Luca]

MD just came into the office and told us the Saudis have dumped a million dollar order on us (our total stock at any one time is worth about 4 million). Fucking love the Saudis, always have done, you could quote them fresh air at a million bob a square inch and they'd say 'delivery within three months please'. You'd better pay me a bonus now you piece of shit.

I mean, you didn't technically make the sale... :baz:

[Smjffy]

Prepped half the new menu today and had meeting about how we'll go about things. Later in the evening, I only got to ask Keir Starmer directly about what's happened over the last few months with being ineligible for all schemes etc.

Lots of MP's agreeing to join the APPG now too...i really think it's going to happen. Woo!

[Manc]

That's Sir to you.

[Boydy]

Prepped half the new menu today and had meeting about how we'll go about things. Later in the evening, I only got to ask Keir Starmer directly about what's happened over the last few months with being ineligible for all schemes etc.

Lots of MP's agreeing to join the APPG now too...i really think it's going to happen. Woo!
What is going to happen exactly?

[Spikey M]

There's going to be a menu and people will order food off of it. Are you fucking thick or something?

[Raoul Duke]

Kier Starmer will be making a soufflé, if I've followed correctly :sherlock:

[Smjffy]

What is going to happen exactly?

3M+ employees and employers to get the support they should have had in March and I'm going to get fucked on the weekend.

[Spikey M]

Not unless you can get the Rashford onside

[Don]

Let's not just throw out that 3m figure without informing the good people whose money you're asking for what that total includes.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbleB1RXsAApKfF?format=jpg&name=900x900

I don't know who from that first group thought it'd be good to get the others aboard but let's just say I'll wank a tremendous amount when Rishi spits in their faces and that's nothing against your lot.

[Smjffy]

Are all not tax payers?

On one hand you've got govt saying build, build, build whilst simultaneously destroying many businesses and the extra job losses that comes with it.

3M+ is easiest way but reality is probably over 5M as new starters was a huge number.

Example. If my employer didn't take personal loan out then everyone would have lost their jobs. There is enough redundancies on the way as it is.

All the campaign groups have differing figures but hm treasury report last week highlighted a lot with recommendations. I'll be happy when such a large % of the countries work force gets supported.

[SvN]

3M+ employees and employers to get the support they should have had in March and I'm going to get fucked on the weekend.

Is this actually happening?

[Smjffy]

1278031237983145985?s=20

Yeah it is. Unless you mean getting fucked on the weekend and yes, that's also happening.

Even the treasury released a report confirming it as well as suggestions on how to fix it. It's wrong, so wrong. Forget my furlough stuff, it's gone way beyond that. I didn't realise it wasn't just new starters who got screwed. It was so many more.

EDIT: Check out the comments, SVN. It's bang out of order.

[Manc]

Morbid fucker.

[SvN]

What comments are you referring to?

It will be interesting to see what support they offer to those that weren't elligible for any of the current schemes.

[Smjffy]

On the Tweet. Or if you use Twitter, type in the hashtag #who are pretty much representing all those affected be it new starters, self employed, directors and so on.

As I said, if my employer never took out a £107,000 personal loan then nearly 100 of us would have lost our jobs regardless of being furloughed or not and truthfully for me personally, that would have been it.

[SvN]

Out of interest (and not intended as a dig), did you look for other work? One of my friends was furloughed and rather than sit at home, he went and got a job as an Amazon delivery driver and has been raking it in.

[Smjffy]

Out of interest (and not intended as a dig), did you look for other work? One of my friends was furloughed and rather than sit at home, he went and got a job as an Amazon delivery driver and has been raking it in.

For me personally, kind of. I was heading home back to Wales so I could do just that, I planned on jumping back in care but then I collapsed in Truro and ended up in hospital then back to where I came.

I would have looked for work from day one but I was struggling to even buy food. The biggest problem for me personally as far as work goes wasn't so much that I couldn't but where I am in the country. I live in a place called St Mawes and lockdown meant the ferry closed, the National Express closed and the train was £200 for a one way ticket. When I say I'm stranded, I really was stranded where I am.

If I had gone home then chances are I'd have got a former employer to hire me back and I wouldn't even be part of this furlough business. I'm no work shy individual, I'll do whatever. I signed up to UC and they offered picking jobs on fields as we were short staffed for them and I'd have done that but I couldn't get to any of them nor did they offer accommodation.

I did have an interview for the track and trace app but I wasn't selected in the end. I could have worked from home doing that.

[Magic]

I thought you couldn't get another job if you were furloughed?

[Smjffy]

Oh, no, you could and many did. You just couldn't work for current employer.

A lot of people have done very well out of the schemes and that's good, I'm glad for them but when 3M+ haven't and for many it's a case of debt, losing homes, businesses, jobs....it's a hard pill to swallow.

Another example. We hired a 17 year old in my place of work, first job, first time in full time in paid employment and started 10 days before me....got secured by being furloughed. Me, 35, 19 years of solid taxes etc, worked for employer before, had contract, wage slip, everything but I got nothing.

My bills didn't stop, just my income.

[SvN]

I thought you couldn't get another job if you were furloughed?

Nope, you can. You just need to check that your current employer is okay with it (in case they you were doing work for a competitor, for example).

[Baz]

My work have been refusing to pay some invoices cos they would leave us about £600k in the red. Had a meeting today where they were all bigging themselves up beforehand “WE WILL NOT PAY THEM!” “The data cannot be correct.” “They’re pulling a fast one.” etc.

Cue meeting, everyone’s sheepish af and it seems that they’re gonna have to pay and who the hell knows how. :lol:

Thankfully it all spans from before I started but dayum someone messed up royally when setting this contract up.

[Kikó]

Email has come through, current plan is no office until 1st Jan.

[Spikey M]

My work have been refusing to pay some invoices cos they would leave us about £600k in the red. Had a meeting today where they were all bigging themselves up beforehand “WE WILL NOT PAY THEM!” “The data cannot be correct.” “They’re pulling a fast one.” etc.

Cue meeting, everyone’s sheepish af and it seems that they’re gonna have to pay and who the hell knows how. :lol:

Thankfully it all spans from before I started but dayum someone messed up royally when setting this contract up.

Most people wouldn't find their impending unemployment funny.

[Baz]

Most people wouldn't find their impending unemployment funny.
I’m safe as houses, don’t worry.

One of my side (I’d say bois but it’s three women, and I’m not bruh enough to say gals) grew some balls at the end and batted back a bit but jeez we’re done for. I’ve been saying for ages that something was up but it fell on deaf ears for too long and now people have took it seriously it’s too late. Serves em right. My line manager agrees and feels exactly the same about other issues she’s raised, that she’s all but given up even trying to point out mistakes in contract discussions.

The whole place needs a cull really. Prehistoric mentality ruining what could otherwise be successful.

First to go will be the woman who stole my desk, obvs.

[Manc]

Have you been handing out blowies?

[Lofty]

I just heard one of the warehouse people come into the manager's office and ask to borrow money because he's skint. Is that a thing? Surely not. People really are useless.

Craig Bellamy asked for an advance on his wages once I'm sure of it.

[Smjffy]

Today's the today and I'm so far behind as far as being prepared for it as some suppliers still haven't got to us.

This is not going to end well.

[Baz]

Today is indeed today.

Enjoy yourself.

[mugbull]

Tooo-day is gonna be the day

[Shindig]

Cracking at the first sign of work. That's our Tim. :)

[Smjffy]

That was madness. Absolute madness.

[thommo]

Unfortunately found myself being let go at the end of my (extended) probation period at the job I started just under a year ago. Even more irritating is the fact the probation was extended as I took 3 days to care for a dependent (my daughter) and the extension was automatic if that was the case. Didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but it's come back to bite me.

I had the end of probation meeting and it felt like no matter what I said, their minds were made up that I was going. The managers brought up some performance issues - one was understandable as I hadn't done something in time, but I had rebuttals for the majority and was even able to send reports/documents as proof when the meeting was briefly adjourned, which definitely surprised them. Made no difference though and that was that.

So now it's back to the drawing board. I should be able to find something (hopefully soon), but either way it's going to be a few weeks or months eating into the savings that we've been putting aside for a house.

[Don]

What was the job in? I'm guessing it was a COVID related redundancy.

[thommo]

Actually, it was food packaging which you'd think would be pretty safe from anything. They did let someone else go in a similar but higher role to mine a few months ago, and she'd been there for 10+ years, so it could be some restructuring of the departments.

[Manc]

Thr trivia thread. :drool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Any bosses will use any excuse at this point. 'Uncertainty'

[Boydy]

Just found out both the managers in the office here are leaving.

Pretty gutted as they're both extremely sound.

[Foe]

I need to stop dialing into company webcasts. Every time I do I have less confidence about having a job at the end of the year.

Brutal.

[Shindig]

My brother in law's just got the axe from his banking job. He said earlier in the year he expected to be gone by April. Meanwhile our work's ballooned up and they're asking the HP's if they want to work overtime. Hopefully that trickles down to some overtime for us.

[Ian]

We're bringing everybody back off furlough and have apparently beaten the revised target for the quarter so all the people who were 'asked' to take a temporary 10% paycut are getting their money back.

[Smjffy]

Lots of MP's agreeing to join the APPG now too...

152 have joined now. :drool: It's tomorrow morning but I'm going to do it via my phone as I haven't got round to getting a headset.

Today has been quite a quiet one compared to Saturday which was nice. It's surprising how broken I feel after just a few days, it's as though my joints don't know which direction to go.