Would you put up with this?

[Jackass]

Hi all.

I'm lying in bed this morning because when the alarm went off this morning, I just didn't really care enough to get up.

I'm getting very unhappy in my job, but unfortunately, I don't want to leave it for a few reasons.

But I'd like opinions on how this place is managed, because all my friends I tell can't believe it, I can't believe it, but no one in work seems to bat an eyelid!!

Ok, so I've been working in this place for just under six months, most of the people around me have been there a couple of years, so maybe they're used to it or don't notice it anymore, but it's in the financial services sector in a big company and it feels so patronising and like I'm back in 6th class!! It's mental!!

Ok, here are a few examples of what I mean, being treated like kids, patronised and insulted:

1/ Although it is required for our work on occasion, our management does not authorise us to use the internet with the exception of a select few e.g. team leaders or supervisors, who we would have to go to to look up something on the internet required to carry out our work properly. When raising the issue with a fellow staff member, I was told that this was because they think we'll be on the Internet all day instead of working...

2/ We do have access to email, however spot checks are carried out regularly and the floor manager seems to spend most of her time checking other people’s emails for non-work related correspondence (Irony?)

3/ I am a punctual employee and I rarely miss work (I chose to today as I'm fed up). Whilst I was in my job for about 3 months I moved house, so for about 3 days in a row (fair enough that's not the best, but they new the circumstances and I was always on time for the past 3 months). My management reprimanded me by sending an email reading:

"Nick, it has been noted that you have been late frequently recently, working hours are from 9am - 5.15pm. Please ensure you are here between these times."

The boss who sent this sits across from me...I can talk to her from my desk...would have been nice to have the decency to say it to me not email!

4/ I'm not going to lie. The guy I sit beside is a bit of a knob. I don't really like him and I wouldn't say he's mad about me either...nothing hostile what so ever, but we have completely different tastes in music, social scenes, sport, entertainment..everything...and I'm not mad about his personality, decent guy, but wouldn't spend much time with him outside of the office.

Anyway, during work we'll share the odd joke, tell the odd short story about the weekend or whatever...a bit of chit chat for our sanity if nothing else, but I would imagine for the entire 8 hours im in the office we would spend about 10 minutes talking.

I recently received this email:

"Nick and ****, it has been noted that you have been talking and laughing frequently. Please be more aware and courties of the people around you. There is x amount of items of work outstanding that need to be completed. seating arrangements will be changed if necessary "

He was as shocked at this as I was...we don’t stop and talk, we talk while we are working away at our desks and I can never remember laughing loudly with him..the odd small laugh but that's it...

5/ I liked this one...didn't involve me but I liked it..got this email yesterday..

"Please note overtime is for doing work and not catching up on gossip. If you do not understand any of the above please let me know"



6/ My workload can be badly mismanaged also..not by my direct line manager, she's actually quite good and I think she might feel a bit stupid sometimes implementing the instructions of senior managers, like the emails etc..anyway, I think it's the organisation of work and it being transfer from department to department can get delayed, a back log builds up and then it all gets shipped over at the same time. This results in a feast and famine workload.

Half the month we work our asses off to clear the workload (as its so built up and instructed to do so) and the other half of the time there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING to do...not so long ago, we were unfortunately in a famine stage of work. I had spoken to my line manager to see if she wanted anything done or if any other department did, she said she’d have a look but as far as she knows there's nothing at the moment. (It was early days with me working there so I wasn't trained on much).

Anyway I tried to get through a few clients emails etc. but there's only so much work you can make up...so I got an email from a friend of mine about something and we were talking back and forth via email.

This was noted by a senior manager, who was reading these emails by the way which is quite embarrassing, as I didn't know at this stage that they did this and it was about my girlfriend!!

Anyway my line manager came over and said I'm not doing any work etc. etc. I reminded her I came to her looking for work and there's nothing to do...I quote: "Look Busy"

Haha..look busy...

I'm 24 years old, I have about 4 years experience and go to college at night and am doing my finals next month.

I don't want to leave as HR have given me study leave of a week and reimbursement for my course when I get it and I'm also registered to start another course after which they will be paying for and I have a potential bonus kicking in soon, plus I'm only there 6 months and was only in my last job 12 months (Why did I leave?? I Loved that job!!) so I think for the CV side of things it would be good to get experience here as its a different sector of the financial services and the career I wish to pursue it's very good to have broad FS experience.

Oh, and the money is sh*t.

Is this the most autocratic, demoralising, petty and pathectic office you've ever heard of?

Sabre0001

Not sure what could make you want to stay really, it would want to be something GREAT!!!

Tom Dunne

TBH, it's sounds like a hell hole where they don't trust anyone.

Methinks they read the book "How to manage people and foster a great work environment", and disregarded everything in it.

Get your qualifications, year's experience and get the F*** out.

Bluetonic

Why don't you study in work in the time you have spare?

To be honest doesn't sound like anything too unusual. As for the sending of the emails it's standard practice as a method of keeping a record that it was 'said' to the employee, it removes the chance the employee refuting it in the future.

As a quick question when you were running late did you ring ahead and let them know?

tmalmb

Agreed with the two guys above, get out, you don't need this sh1te. There are lots of great places to work that foster a healthy working environment and empowerment to employees....BUT before you go, be sure to let them management team know what you think

kmick

Nick,

I worked in a very similar job.
1) There was internet access but it was only available at lunch and after 5. We got emails if we used it outside that same as you. Agree with your boss (send an email) that you can use it at lunch. That is about all you can ask for. Access to eamil is not a given in a lot of companies.

2)Again email is not for personal use so why even quibble with this. If you need to send an email to someone keep it short and sweet. Then develop a thick skin when you get an email giving out to you. Just ignore it.

3)Moving house it not an excuse for being late. There are no excuses for being late. You know what time you have to get there. So get there on time. It sounds like you were 15/20 minutes rather than 2 hours. What I am saying is dont blame the company for you being late.

4)So you got an email for talking and laughing - I got something similar and was actually moved. Bummer the place you work in is a crappy place to work and you know it. Answer back emails like this so you get it off your chest. I would respond and say.
'Dear Mary, thank you for your email to Nick and I. We do maintain a cordial relationship but to say we are talking and laughing all the time is innaccurate. Talking and laughing is a normal part of a healthy working environment. If Nick and I are being singled out I would like specific examples from you of innappropriate talking and laughing. We can then discuss this with HR.
Regards
Joey'

5)Again nothing crazy in this if they pay you overtime they expect you to work - if some people gossip then they should belt up. But why not send it just to the individual liek You and Nick. Seems unfair

6)Look busy - what a crock - but its part of the game. There is no remedy for being bored in work Im afraid. Try and do something that will improve your life. Tidy your desk. Do someone else paperwork, help out someone you dislike, do a spreadsheet to improve a process. Life is not about getting handed things sometimes you have to go out and fight for stuff. It will make you feel better and will pass the day.

Now before you think - what a tankerwith a W. i have worked in a job very similar to yours. It was painful and I left after 3 months. Stick it out for another 6 months then start applying for other jobs. Then leave. Who cares if they will pay for your course. Life is too short. Most companies pay for courses these days. I sympathise with you but think about your own role in all this surfing, emailing and coming in late is all within your remit to change.

seamus

Nick wrote:

1/ Although it is required for our work on occasion, our management does not authorise us to use the internet with the exception of a select few e.g. team leaders or supervisors, who we would have to go to to look up something on the internet required to carry out our work properly. When raising the issue with a fellow staff member, I was told that this was because they think we'll be on the Internet all day instead of working...

This is something that technophobic companies or management tend to do. It's not all that rare, but it's pretty frustrating. At best, you can raise the issue with management. But you'll probably face a brick wall. I've found that it's next to impossible to convince these people otherwise (and often they'll be backed up by lazy IT departments, who prefer not having to deal with everyone accessing the web). In my experience, this is something that can only be solved by someone in I.T. doing up a proper project plan for giving everyone access, or by a new modern-minded manager.

2/ We do have access to email, however spot checks are carried out regularly and the floor manager seems to spend most of her time checking other people’s emails for non-work related correspondence (Irony?)

Same as the Internet, this is probably not something you can change.

All of the rest of your points point to two things:-

1. The management are lazy and/or bored. They have nothing better to do than send out petty emails, but have no desire to makes performance improvements or any changes.
2. Whoever's driving the bus, is a penny-pincher. If they can reduce their costs, they will. And even in the smallest of places.

The business will probably self-implode soon enough. I'd get out of there and find a proper company.

J.S. Pill

Sounds like your average office run by a detached cadre of managers to me.

Nick wrote:

4/ I'm not going to lie. The guy I sit beside is a bit of a knob. I don't really like him and I wouldn't say he's mad about me either...nothing hostile what so ever, but we have completely different tastes in music, social scenes, sport, entertainment..everything...and I'm not mad about his personality, decent guy, but wouldn't spend much time with him outside of the office.

Anyway, during work we'll share the odd joke, tell the odd short story about the weekend or whatever...a bit of chit chat for our sanity if nothing else, but I would imagine for the entire 8 hours im in the office we would spend about 10 minutes talking.

I recently received this email:

"Nick and ****, it has been noted that you have been talking and laughing frequently. Please be more aware and courties of the people around you. There is x amount of items of work outstanding that need to be completed. seating arrangements will be changed if necessary "

He was as shocked at this as I was...we don’t stop and talk, we talk while we are working away at our desks and I can never remember laughing loudly with him..the odd small laugh but that's it...

That is a bit extreme alright

damnyanks

If its that anal why on gods green earth are you looking to stay on after your study is finished?

A lot of companies will give you the opportunity to study and pay for it. Which is more important, your sanity or them paying for that piece of paper.

Tom Dunne

The only thing is, a 6-month stint in a company won't look too good on a CV.

If the OP can stick it out for the year, it would look better.

Cheese Princess

That is unbelievable!

Have to say I have never experienced anything like that and as far as I know none of my friends have either.

In this day and age that kind of attitude from management is only going to alienate staff and make them leave the company...which is what I would be doing if I were you.

There are plenty of other companies out there that will pay for your course and give you study leave and won't make you feel like you're still in junior infants.

pwd

If you feel like people are being unfair to you at work say it to them in a reasonable manner. If the criticism is unwarranted then you'll be able to point this out without getting worked up easily. If the criticism is justifiable then be careful not to justify it in future.
If it's a case of the manager enjoying giving crep to someone, then they will pick on someone else if you don't just accept it. You're there 6 months so you're probably the new guy and the easy target etc. Often it's not the person to blame who gets the most crep but just the person who'll take the most crep.

mikemac

OP, stick it out for a year and then walk. Loads of jobs in Financial Services, companies are crying out for staff with some experience. Less than a year looks bad on a CV though

I was in a similar situation to you, not as bad though. Handed in my 2 months and when I showed up the next day, my desk was taken by a new hire and I was told to help the post room for the next few weeks. Was working in Funds at the time as a graduate.

If I stayed 1 more week I’d have got an annual bonus but just couldn’t face it.
Never showed up for my last two weeks and took sick leave for the 2 weeks before that.

Still got a reference though:)

newestUser

Am I the only person who's thinking "Welcome to the real world, people can be ar*eholes, learn to suck it up because you'll get this in lots of places?"

Have I just been unlucky in the jobs I've worked in?!?

Tom Dunne

newestUser wrote:

Am I the only person who's thinking "Welcome to the real world, people can be ar*eholes, learn to suck it up because you'll get this in lots of places?"

Yes.

newestUser wrote:

Have I just been unlucky in the jobs I've worked in?!?

Yes.

There is no excuse for that type of work environment.

pwd

tom dunne wrote:

Yes.



Yes.

There is no excuse for that type of work environment.

no I've also encountered this and seen it happen others. In my experience you can usually stop it by not accepting it.

Darragh29

I was in a similar situation a few years back in a large multinational. Continual petty nonsense, poorly trained management, (this accounted for 99% of the sh1te that went on). It's a terrible fact that you can end up in possibly the most complex job that there is, namely managing people and all the human factors that come along with managing human beings, and in Ireland in the vast majority of instances, you can get this job with no qualification in management. This is why I had a problem in my old workplace and you are having a problem here.

What I did was a difficult thing to do, as just like in your own situation, the job had me tied with golden handcuffs into a job that I absolutely HATED, with college fees and attractive 6 monthly bonuses! In the end, I threw caution to the wind and left, and I'm a happy, healthier person now because of this decision to put myself first. My advice to you is, if you are not happy leave in the morning! Places like this end up getting inside your head and causing you health problems if you stay there long enough, causing relationship and self confidence problems, my advice to you is get the fu*k out of there while you still have your sanity.

homah_7ft

I work for a large multinational too and I was open-mouthed reading your post. That is simply shocking to me. It's a bad state of affairs when you get an email telling you to stop talking with your colleague. As anyone who has been successful in managing people will know, it's a godsend to have happy people working with you. All I can say to you is that it's not like this everywhere and you should get out as soon as you feel you can. Watch out for claw-back on your tuition fees as well! Good luck.

BostonB

I dunno why you're still there tbh. Sounds like a nightmare.

PeakOutput

the only thing ill say is that if i ever get a reprimanding email(rarely as i find the job piss easy and as im one of a few who excededs their targets i get away with alot) i make a point of speaking directly the team leader or whoever it was about it. i have no problem with getting in trouble but if its serious enough to be brought up its serious enough for a face to face in my opinion and as i have no intention of being there for the rest of my career i dont mind standing up for myself

i dont know if it helps but i think what im trying to say is if you think something is bull**** say it say it micely and dont make it personal but say it....i find i get respected more after it anyway

Stark

I got to this point and knew I'd read enough:

I recently received this email:

"Nick and ****, it has been noted that you have been talking and laughing frequently. Please be more aware and courties of the people around you. There is x amount of items of work outstanding that need to be completed. seating arrangements will be changed if necessary "

The last time I had anyone say that to me, I was 11 years old.

Dave!

Get a new job, this place sounds crap

leeroybrown

Nick wrote:

"Nick and ****, it has been noted that you have been talking and laughing frequently. Please be more aware and courties of the people around you. There is x amount of items of work outstanding that need to be completed. seating arrangements will be changed if necessary "

I've worked in an office where any conversation or laughter was viewed as work that wasn't getting done. It really stifles the atmosphere in the office and tends to be counterproductive as employees dislike being there.

chump

Sounds godawful - bless I wouldn't last a day in a place like that...

Get out get out get out

cold_filter

Shocking, utterly shocking.

gazzer

At the moment I work in IT and the section (10 people) is as quiet as a mouse. I come in in the morning and always say 'Good Morning' or when I leave say 'See you tomorrow' but hardly anybody every replies.. Its not that they are just ignoring me it is like that with everybody.. It really annoys me.. The woman that sits opposite me does not speak at all.. never... (well unless somebody asks her a work question).

Now this job is in the civil service.. I have worked in 8 different sections/departments over the years and whilst the work was hard going (seriously) for the most part there was a pretty good working atmosphere.. We all helped each other out.. We were allowed a radio in certain sections (if we were not dealing with the public) and while I didnt love my job I like liked it.

I got a promotion to work in IT 2 years ago and the atmosphere is just totally different.. Bosses who sit 5 feet from you email you instead of asking you a question to yoru face. If their boss has a query about the work I have done they ring my boss who then emails me.. rather then them just asking me directly.

The silence in the section really gets to me.. Im very prone to talking to myself when I work and I just sound like a madman cos nobody else is talking... I cant wait to get out of the section. but it will be another few months yet I would say as I have to be replaced before I go and with decentralisation everything is up in the air.

Aglomerado

That sounds awful. I would get out of there, but get your college fees out of them at least before you move on to bigger and better things. There are more enlightened workplaces out there...

I had some woeful experiences in my previous employment history too, I used to work for a fairly large company in the mid west. Lovely company to work for, can't fault them, but the line manager in our department was an absolute wagon. I managed to stick it out for 3 years before deciding that I'd finally had enough and went back to full-time education. She:

Reprimanded me for "playing manager" when a new girl bored out of her wits on her fourth day (boss was ignoring her and not sorting out her training) asked to sit beside me and watch me doing my work:

This same girl never turned up for her second week in the department. We never heard from her again.

Told two girls that they had to ask for permission to leave the office and say where they were going in future just because she caught them having a fag in the basement (pre-smoking ban days!). There was no proper smoking break time. Boss didn't smoke so she didn't care if people didn't get to have a fag.

Would pass comments about Arts graduates (me) loudly in the office, while boasting that her daughter had a "proper" science degree.

She changed a procedure which directly affected my work, without telling me, and then bawled me out for not going about my work in the "correct" way. I protested rather loudly at the time, which resulted in her ignoring me apart from work related matters until the day I left - she didn't take criticism very well but was well able to dole it out!!

Would spend ages talking loudly on the phone to her children. If they had good news, she would sit at her desk so we would all have to listen, if it was bad news she would run into another room with a cordless phone. If her children were calling from abroad, she would ring them back from the office phone. As far as I know, senior management didn't take her up on this... maybe they were afraid!!!

To my knowledge, she is still there, ruling her small department and is in all honesty the cause of the high staff turnover in that area.

God help all who sail in her!

I am currently in management myself, in the civil service (yes it is hierarchical, but it's a far nicer environment), supervising the same number of people, and there is no way I would adopt her tactics (I wouldn't get away with it even if I wanted to!). In fact, I think I tend to lean a bit too far in the opposite direction!

Good luck with it!

chump

Aglomerado wrote:

Would pass comments about Arts graduates (me) loudly in the office, while boasting that her daughter had a "proper" science degree.

Well the boss was right about one thing - YE WAH!

rediguana

A company sending emails like those to employees can only hope to foment sabotage and malfeasance.

Aglomerado

chump wrote:

Well the boss was right about one thing - YE WAH!

lol...trust me I'm used to it! Although waiting tables (as her daughter was doing at the time) wasn't the best use of a Science degree that I've heard of... !!

Stephen

The last time I experienced management like that was when I was 16 and working in a shop. Run OP, run!

Raiser

Wow what a pack of smalltime, paper-pushing, micro-managing, low-IQ, fault-finding, mental midgets.

- Theres people digging ditches in the wind and rain though - sad as these folks are theres worse jobs - stick it out until you get enough experience to land something better.

*TIP* 99.999999999999999999999% of all the remaining [office] jobs on the planet will be better than suffering these middle-manager-morons

Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.

Stark

You'll probably find one or two elements of it in many places, but I'd say you'd be hard pressed to find another place that has all the behaviours that you mentioned.

BossArky

OP, please tell me you posted this thread from work?

nesf

Stark wrote:

You'll probably find one or two elements of it in many places, but I'd say you'd be hard pressed to find another place that has all the behaviours that you mentioned.

I'd agree with you here. Many places are strict on internet/timekeeping/etc.


OP: You're unhappy and you either need to decide to stick it our for year for the sake of your CV or to leave, try and find a new place that'll give you study leave and hope you'll be happy there. Standard enough decision, a lot of people have had to do the same and there's solid arguments for both sides.

That said, I don't understand why you feel hard done by with the timekeeping, internet access and the email checks. These are relatively understandable to called on, there's very rarely a good excuse for being late, if the internet is not necessary for you to do your work there's no need for it and you shouldn't expect to be allowed check private emails in work any more than you should expect to be allowed receive private phone calls at work. Some companies will leave you do some of the above (for whatever reason) but they're not inalienable rights that you should expect in a company (though they are a nice perk to working in a place and possibly should be looked for).

The whole talking and laughing thing though is a bit silly and authoritarian if you two do only occasionally talk during the day. Only you know whether you can face another six months (or whatever it takes) of this place.

mountainyman

She is building up a case to sack you. That is why everything is in writing. In 6 months when they don't make you permanent this will be why.

Get out after your exams.

Also talk to HR.

MM

DublinWriter

OP,

Places like you described are basically like a cancer in your soul to work for and can seriously damage you down the line for other, more decent employers. I really don't envy your situation.

What I will advise you to do is the following:

1) Keep a detailed diary of the daily workplace happenings, you never know when you may need it
2) Keep all copies of all correspondance from your 'manager'
3) When given an instruction such as 'look busy', ask for it in writing

I really don't understand why they have you by the balls for 6 months. Is it a college work placement thingy? If you, you should flag everything you mentioned here to a course director in your college.

All the best,

DW.

ToxicPaddy

Unfortunately I've had the "pleasure" of working for companies and bosses like that mate.. if I was the OP I'd get my finals and run..

I worked in a company once where my boss, the IT manager, was told at the monthly management meeting in front of every other manager by the MD that our dept spent too much time laughing and in good humour so we couldn't possibly be doing anything constructive!!! :rolleyes:

Another place I worked in had a senior person(assistant manager) storm up to me and scream at me that they don't pay me to have breakfast and read the newspaper, they pay me to work.. to which I informed her just as quickly and loudly that I was actually in work early and I wasn't officially starting my shift for another half an hour and technically they weren't paying me until then and I'm entitled to eat my breakfast and read the newspaper as its my time.. She wasn't impressed but was very quickly hauled into the managers office and had her rather large flabby ass chewed off!!!

Most companies worth their salt will encourage you to do courses/get qualifications if its of benefit to them so change jobs and they will cover the cost.. no need to put up with that ****e and when HR give you an exit interview list off everything you've had to put up with.. its the only way that things might have a hope in changing..

Tox

I took up a job like this in the last which has a lot of similarities to 6th class also and is not challenging me whatsoever!
I'm looking around though

digitally-yours

Name the company and shame them !!!!!!

thats absolutely Insane !

Hate my company too but urs one wins the battle hands down

bogmanfan

The company I work for is in the midst of outsourcing a lot of functions to a "third-party" company which was established by two former employees. From what I've heard, conditions at this new place are appalling. 9-hour day, but you are only paid for 8 (unpaid lunch hour). No phone or internet access for employees. Additionally, mobiles are to be left on silent and calls may not be answered. There are 2 15-minute breaks during the day. These are the only times you may leave the office, even to piss. Plus, they're only offering 6-month contracts and will only give you a week's notice. Also, the money is a long way shy of what people get in our place. To be honest, I can see them having a revolving door there.

Glowing

bogmanfan wrote:

The company I work for is in the midst of outsourcing a lot of functions to a "third-party" company which was established by two former employees. From what I've heard, conditions at this new place are appalling. 9-hour day, but you are only paid for 8 (unpaid lunch hour). No phone or internet access for employees. Additionally, mobiles are to be left on silent and calls may not be answered. There are 2 15-minute breaks during the day. These are the only times you may leave the office, even to piss. Plus, they're only offering 6-month contracts and will only give you a week's notice. Also, the money is a long way shy of what people get in our place. To be honest, I can see them having a revolving door there.

OH MY GOD! That is unbelievable. It would probably cost them more in the long run to pay for administration/retraining of new staff every second day. Why don't companies realise that good conditions and a nice working environment are necessary to attract and keep good staff.
What sort of company is this?

seamus

bogmanfan wrote:

From what I've heard, conditions at this new place are appalling. 9-hour day, but you are only paid for 8 (unpaid lunch hour).

Unpaid lunch! Shocker! :rolleyes:
Most people don't get paid for lunch.

No phone or internet access for employees. Additionally, mobiles are to be left on silent and calls may not be answered. There are 2 15-minute breaks during the day.

If it's a callcentre type job where they're hiring people in at extreme entry-level (< 20k), then these measures can be understandable. Internet access is always contentious, but it's a distraction. Call centres have big problems with people ignoring the phone in order to answer/make personal calls, send emails, or take a impromptu 20 minute break sitting on the toilet playing games on their mobile. In order words, with people being distracted. I would say this is partly because they people they hire are straight out of college and so lack professionalism that's built up with experience, and also because the jobs are generally mind-numbing.
Data entry jobs and jobs which basically rely on an employee doing X amount of work in a given day also tend to have similar problems/policies.

Plus, they're only offering 6-month contracts and will only give you a week's notice. Also, the money is a long way shy of what people get in our place. To be honest, I can see them having a revolving door there.

They seem to be aiming more for a revolving-door business than a career-developing one. One weeks notice on six month contracts is fairly normal at low levels. I'm guessing that the functions are procedures that can largely be input into a big database - thus staff only take a day or two to get oriented, and there's little short-term benefit in investing in education for your staff - everything they need to know is in the database.

bogmanfan

You would think from the conditions that this would be a very low-level position, but actually they are employing senior staff from our company, at salaries in excess of 50k. And treating them like 8-year-olds.

markf909

bogmanfan wrote:

The company I work for is in the midst of outsourcing a lot of functions to a "third-party" company which was established by two former employees. From what I've heard, conditions at this new place are appalling. 9-hour day, but you are only paid for 8 (unpaid lunch hour). No phone or internet access for employees. Additionally, mobiles are to be left on silent and calls may not be answered. There are 2 15-minute breaks during the day. These are the only times you may leave the office, even to piss. Plus, they're only offering 6-month contracts and will only give you a week's notice. Also, the money is a long way shy of what people get in our place. To be honest, I can see them having a revolving door there.

Sounds like something a widely circulated Irish newspaper has recently done.

Charcoal

Am I the only person who doesn't *get* what the problem is here? Having read over a number of the posts, it appears that some people believe that they are at work for a purpose other than working.

I don't know anyone who gets paid for a lunchbreak, and 9 hours working day with 1 unpaid lunchbreak (not working during this hour) is standard!?!

Most companies have IT policies and only allow internet access where necessary because you are paid to do your work, and not to surf the net. Same with email - its there to facillitate your job, not your social life. If you want to email your friends, do it from home.

Again, you are at work to work, and if your mobile goes off, unless it is a company phone, it is a personal call - you are not working while you are paid to be at work!?! In a call centre, customers can hear that interferancy signal sounds when there are mobiles on desks and it sounds terrible. If your company asked you to call customers from your home phone, you would hardly do it for free - you would charge them, why would you expect them to pay for your personal calls on a company landline?

You are legally entitled to a 15 min break every 4 hours - and you are paid for this, even though you are not working...

Employers take on employees on temporary contracts so that they can weed out timewasters, and people who are dossing and not working. It also looks better for the employee if they are not kept on, as they can say their contract ended rather than they were fired.

The original poster is in a job for less than 6 months.

Already, he has been late 3 times and has been absent on the day he posted,
He has been reprimanded for talking while he should be working & emailing his friends while he should be working.

But the big bad company gave him a week's (paid, I'm sure) study leave, reimbursed him for his course and is sending him on another one!?! The bastards!!!

In my opinion his attitude stinks, and I am one of the working minions, not in manangement. I'm one of those people who has to carry lazy time wasters like him to actually get the job done.

Go work in the public service, sounds like you would fit right in!!!

Sorry for the rant but that **** annoys me!!!

BostonB

Whats your motive in commenting on snippets out of context to change the story?

theAwakening

Some people including the original poster need to remember that you are employed to work. You need to be disciplined. Rules are rules live with them. Any point the original poster mentioned there is reasonable enough from a managerial persepective, barr this thing about him/her being emailed rather than consulted face-to-face by someone five feet away from them.

No mobile calls for personal use. standard rule. applied in most jobs ive had.
No internet access for personal use: increases employer's bill and is unproductive workwise.
A bit of craic and banter is great for team morale but at the same time if you are in an environment where your loud laughing may distract a fellow employee well then respect that instead of moaning about it.
If you're late for work 3 days in a row then it would be bad management not to bring to your attention. Nobody likes lateness.

If you hate your job, leave. But every job needs discipline, and no job needs lazyness.

BostonB

theAwakening wrote:

....
If you're late for work 3 days in a row then it would be bad management not to bring to your attention. Nobody likes lateness....

Over a period of 6 months. They knew in advance, and OP was moving house.

Nice.

Charcoal

He was there 3 months when he was late and they knew he was MOVING, not that he would be LATE. I don't see how moving house would make you late for work......

Seriously, you can't get away with that kind of behaviour especially in the first few months at work because you are not covered by the Unfair Dismissals legislation. I.e. they can fire you at any time during the first 12 months without any recourse and if its a fixed term contract you don't get the protection of the unfair dismissals legislation even if you have 12 months service.

So in my mind, only a very silly person would be late or absent AT ALL during that period. Me thinks it will come back to haunt him at an appraisal - he could seriously be out of a job. I am surprised that he is not on a warning at this stage. It seems to me he has a very immature attitude towards work.

Its not nice, its business, its employment, thats how it works. For the OP's post and bogmanfan's post they have both outlined pretty normal work situations not some crazy Victorian conditions that no-one should have to put up with. I can't believe that there are people out there who think that their conditions are anything other than normal, this guy gets paid study leave and course funding and he is only in the door - that is unusual!

BostonB

I think this illustrates clearly how there are people who are more concerned with following the absolute letter of the rules than if someone is getting the work done. Personally as long as someone wasn't late habitually, and taking the proverbial. But got their job done to the required standard, I wouldn't think twice about it. Mind you I'm bias because I thinking of the guy in our office who's always in time, works longer hours than anyone else, but yet is one of the least productive guys in the office. I know not everyone is like that, but still...