Irish people and time keeping...

Latchy · 03-11-2011 6:02pm

Bowlardo wrote: »

Team leader: "Maura you had 9 lates last month. how come this keeps happen and what do you think you can do to prevent this happening again?"

Maura: "to be honest i have accepted that I am the type of person who is always going to be late and i think you will just have to accept that the way i am"

Team leader left speechless ...priceless......

Well whatever about her timekeeping ....it's funny as fook

hondasam · 03-11-2011 6:02pm

Bowlardo wrote: »

Maura: "to be honest i have accepted that I am the type of person who is always going to be late and i think you will just have to accept that the way i am"

Team leader left speechless ...priceless......

I love this, mangers never acknowledge when workers are early,

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:03pm

al28283 wrote: »

Would you rather the plumber/electrician/whatever leave your house with the job unfinished because he has another job scheduled? Or wiould you rather him finish the job and be a bit late to his next job?

I don't care, he should plan his day well and use his head, or if unable - call and apologize and they never do that! They just sound like they are doing you a favour!

hondasam · 03-11-2011 6:09pm

Biedronka wrote: »

So, why is this so difficult for most of you? It really drives me crazy -almost every single person I make appointment with is not on time!
People who provide any kind of service and coming to my house, to fix something etc -I try to make appointment with them and I hear -
between 4-6.. WHAT>??? Are you kiding?I am not going to sit all afternoon and wait for you -forget!
This happens all over again
-with delivery man, plumbers, electricians, babysitter.
I thought its recesion and people should really care about their customers, but no -they just dont care, there are busy, they alway have exuse!
From now on I will not let in anybody who is over 5 minutes late, thats it. :mad:

you living in Poland or Ireland ?

Aishae · 03-11-2011 6:10pm

To be fair I don't have a problem with an hour late. But 2/3/4 hours late and no shows are taking the piss. At least ring and rearrange things. It doesn't just sedm like a relaxed cultural attitude. It seems unprofessionally lazy and unmannerly.

I knew a guy (technician) that often fecked off home after 1 job (so he'd be home by 1-2) leaving other customers on his schedule to go swing. He'd tell the employer that he was held up on the first job plus traffic etc. He got away with that for some time (not anymore)
I don't think all techs and servicemen are like that - I've met nice ones - but it's scary how common that sort of carry on is. Making jobs drag on (we've all heard of painters etc that turn up after 10, have tea, throw some tools about and then disappear by 2)

Its important to note there are decent ones out there. We had an eircom tech most recently. He was good. Punctual and speedy. Thing is it's the individual rather than the company (even though the truth of the matter is the individual is representing the company)

Iwasfrozen · 03-11-2011 6:11pm

Biedronka wrote: »

I don't care, he should plan his day well and use his head, or if unable - call and apologize and they never do that! They just sound like they are doing you a favour!

They are doing you a favour. They are accepting your money in exchange for their services. Anyway putting all that aside I think you have a very bad attitude. The world does not work the way you want it to and everyone does not plan their day around you. Most people learn this at the 8-12 age but for soem reason you don't seem to have.

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:12pm

hondasam wrote: »

you living in Poland or Ireland ?

In Poland, but there is so many Irish people here already, they just keep coming but they are all late. :rolleyes:

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:13pm

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

They are doing you a favour. They are accepting your money in exchange for their services.

Accepting my money..

kfallon · 03-11-2011 6:16pm

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Am i missing something here?

Johro wrote: »

Not really. I was being sarcastic. I should've used :rolleyes: rather than .
I don't get it either, other than maybe the poster inferring there's no such thing as a 'tradesman' in Ireland.

Ye both need to get a dirtier mindset

hondasam · 03-11-2011 6:17pm

Biedronka wrote: »

In Poland, but there is so many Irish people here already, they just keep coming but they are all late. :rolleyes:

You are complaining about the Irish who are working in Poland.why not get a Polish worker then, problem solved.

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:17pm

Aishae wrote: »

To be fair I don't have a problem with an hour late.

I do have a problem with more then 15 minutes late, because it ruins my day. I have things to do, even walking a dog, my other appointments.
If somebody is 30 minutes late, I will be late too if I have something to do later.

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:18pm

hondasam wrote: »

You are complaining about the Irish who are working in Poland.why not get a Polish worker then, problem solved.

I live i Ireland for 6 years- it was just ironic.

Iwasfrozen · 03-11-2011 6:20pm

Biedronka wrote: »

Accepting my money..

Yep. That's what i said.

kfallon wrote:

Ye both need to get a dirtier mindset

Oh, i get cha now.

Johro · 03-11-2011 6:20pm

Aishae wrote: »

To be fair I don't have a problem with an hour late. But 2/3/4 hours late and no shows are taking the piss. At least ring and rearrange things.

Definitely. A guy was supposed to fix my sat dish, was without telly for quite a while coz he just didn't turn up when he said he would, then he'd ring that night , apologise, saying he was just up to his eyes with jobs and re-arrange for another day, when he wouldn't turn up again. That just pisses me off alright. If you're too busy, say you're too busy and don't have me sitting at home waiting like an eejit when I could be doing stuff that's useful.
In the end I had to ring him and tell him to forget it and got someone else, who was also late, but by a few hours.
What annoys me also is that none of them offer you a discount for being late. I think it's fair to ask.

hondasam · 03-11-2011 6:23pm

Biedronka wrote: »

I live i Ireland for 6 years- it was just ironic.

Really.your posts are quite funny, good/bad english when it suits. Trolling is fun.

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:23pm

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Yep. That's what i said.

-and you are too kindly accepting money from people who pay you and you are doing them a favour by doing your job yes? :rolleyes:

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:25pm

hondasam wrote: »

Really.your posts are quite funny, good/bad english when it suits. Trolling is fun.

Leave my english alone, I know its not perfect, but not everyone is so good at learning foreign languages -are you?

strobe · 03-11-2011 6:25pm

Biedronka wrote: »

In Poland, but there is so many Irish people here already, they just keep coming but they are all late. :rolleyes:

It seems like all our bad service people and tradesmen must have gone to your country and all your awful ones came to ours so. Like an exchange programme or something. I hate to break it to you but the amount of time I have had to send people round to houses to rectify atrocious work done by Polish tradesmen here over the last few years is incredible. You people are kind of famous for it right across western Europe. We will keep our bad time keepers in Ireland and you keep your incompetent chancers in Poland and we call it even, deal?

Iwasfrozen · 03-11-2011 6:25pm

Biedronka wrote: »

-and you are too kindly accepting money from people who pay you and you are doing them a favour by doing your job yes? :rolleyes:

Yes, the tradesman (easy kfallon) is doing you a favour by exchanging your money for a service. Money itself can't fix your dishwasher or plumb your house. You need someone willing to accept the amount of money as adequate payment.

donmeister · 03-11-2011 6:26pm

Here's an idea - Shut the fuck up.

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:27pm

strobe wrote: »

It seems like all our bad service people and tradesmen must have gone to your country and all your awful ones came to ours so. Like an exchange programme or something. I hate to break it to you but the amount of time I have had to send people round to houses to rectify atrocious work done by Polish tradesmen here over the last few years is incredible. You people are kind of famous for it right across western Europe. Give us our bad time keepers back and you take your incompetent chancers back and we call it even, deal?

Read my posts again, I live in Ireland.

Johro · 03-11-2011 6:27pm

kfallon wrote: »

Ye both need to get a dirtier mindset

Okay, get ya, fair enough. Am not Irish.

John Doe1 · 03-11-2011 6:27pm

I was actually going to answer this earlier but you know my inferior racial make up and all that...:rolleyes:

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 6:28pm

donmeister wrote: »

Here's an idea - Shut the fuck up.

-reported

Wetai · 03-11-2011 6:29pm

Biedronka wrote: »

I thought its recesion and people should really care about their customers, but no -they just dont care, there are busy, they alway have exuse!

Sorry, I'm a bit late to the thread..., but;
What if they're doing that, i.e. "going the extra mile" for their customers - the one(s) before you.

KeithM89_old · 03-11-2011 6:30pm

donmeister wrote: »

Here's an idea - Shut the fuck up.

Actually you can.
Do not post here again.

Johro · 03-11-2011 6:37pm

I worked in construction for a few years, with a couple of Polish guys and they worked harder than most of the Irish guys there, arrived for work earlier, and were the last to leave, after tidying up the site. I'm sure there are some who are chancers, or just bad at their job or badly trained, but there are plenty of Irish so-called tradesmen who do shitty work. You'll find cowboys wherever ya go. The Irish, generally, are notoriously bad for timekeeping, it's just fact.

hondasam · 03-11-2011 6:38pm

Biedronka wrote: »

Leave my english alone, I know its not perfect, but not everyone is so good at learning foreign languages -are you?

fair enough but I read your previous posts and it was perfect english, that's all, you only seem to have a problem with it in this thread.

Johro · 03-11-2011 6:46pm

hondasam wrote: »

fair enough but I read your previous posts and it was perfect english, that's all, you only seem to have a problem with it in this thread.

To be fair I think some of it is mis-typing rather than mis-spelling. The kinda stuff that happens when you type in a hurry. I'm always doing it, I just read over the post before I click 'submit' and delete the extra letters you get sometimes while you type, or type in the missing ones. Reading back some of the posts it seems there are some letters missing, it's not mis-spelled or badly structured, at least no more than the average AH post.

John Doe1 · 03-11-2011 6:54pm

well we may have bad timekeeping but at least we are NOT the most depressing country on earth i.e yours

Snakeblood · 03-11-2011 6:55pm

John Doe1 wrote: »

well we may have bad timekeeping but at least we are the most depressing country on earth i.e yours

We are Poland? That's more confusing than depressing.

Johro · 03-11-2011 6:56pm

John Doe1 wrote: »

well we may have bad timekeeping but at least we are the most depressing country on earth i.e yours

Now that's badly structured.

Millicent · 03-11-2011 6:57pm

John Doe1 wrote: »

well we may have bad timekeeping but at least we are the most depressing country on earth i.e yours

Was that intentional cos I agree sometimes. :pac:

Dunno why people are jumping on the OP. I'm Irish and it drives me mad. It's rude, disrespectful and really no way to run a business.

Dare I say, it's indicative of the very attitude that has this country in the state it's in--not giving a fuck about anyone or anything bar yourself, not even those who pay your wages.

Latchy · 03-11-2011 7:01pm

Johro wrote: »

To be fair I think some of it is mis-typing rather than mis-spelling. The kinda stuff that happens when you type in a hurry. I'm always doing it, I just read over the post before I click 'submit' and delete the extra letters you get sometimes while you type, or type in the missing ones. Reading back some of the posts it seems there are some letters missing, it's not mis-spelled or badly structured, at least no more than the average AH post.

Yep ...usually when you are in a hurry and you might spot the error straight away or later but as long as we spot it ourselfs rather than some thanks whore doing it for us

Eve_Dublin · 03-11-2011 7:22pm

I'm getting very Germanic in my old age but it's unbelievably disrespectful. I live in Spain and it's even worse here. I teach English and my students regularly come in to class 30 minutes late (for an hour long class) and up to 50 minutes late for an hour and a half long class!! Are you fecking joking me or what? I actually had a word with them about it (after pretending to be cool about it for fear of them complaining about me and me getting fired) and I told them that I bother my arse to get here on time, plan the class and try and give 100% and they couldn't be bothered being here on time (although I said it much more politely than that). They thought I was messing (because I usually am) and excused it with their nationality but I don't buy into that bollocks anymore. It's disrespectful. It's 2011, you're country is in the toilet and you can't be bothered to help yourselves get out of the mess (this part I didn't say either but I thought it VERY LOUDLY INDEED!!). I told them to not come to class if they can't be here on time, simple as that.

Same goes with all business here. :mad:

Aishae · 03-11-2011 7:48pm

Not calling though you know you'll be late or not arriving at all, but ringing later to aay sorry and rearrange things then do the same that day too. They're afraid to lose the job. If they keep you hanging they figure they'll keep you hoping but if they admit they can't manage their workload or are too busy one week they know you'll just ring someone else.
Or at least thats the way it seems. Poor way to run a business

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 7:53pm

John Doe1 wrote: »

well we may have bad timekeeping but at least we are NOT the most depressing country on earth i.e yours

-hmm, I wouldn't be so sure with all that rain and darkness.. I love Ireland, but I wouldn't say it is not depressing sometimes... in Poland you get hot summer and white winter at least its is brighter..

Son Of A Vidic · 03-11-2011 7:56pm

I tell you something OP, these guys are busier than ever with the 'black' economy. 3-4 fours years ago I could get the electrician/plumber around in 2-3 days. These are guys that have always sorted stuff out for me. Now my plumber reckons he won't be free to install a stove for me until the end of January 2012 at the earliest. He told me this last month. :eek:

parrai · 03-11-2011 8:06pm

Biedronka wrote: »

So, why is this so difficult for most of you?

Whilst you have a valid point in time keeping and making appointments being important, the problem is your issue with IRISH people when this is a common problem in a lot of trades, in a lot of countries around the world... You just can't generalise like this without getting people annoyed... It make your point sound fascist.

Biedronka wrote: »

It really drives me crazy -almost every single person I make appointment with is not on time!
People who provide any kind of service and coming to my house, to fix something etc -I try to make appointment with them and I hear -
between 4-6.. WHAT>??? Are you kiding?I am not going to sit all afternoon and wait for you -forget!

In any business that requires a call out, a business can only give a certain time period, because the simple fact is, no-one can predict the way their day will turn out... They can look at the day the have mapped out, and say these jobs will take a certain amount of time and it SHOULD be possible to fit your job in...

Now I agree, this should be said at the beginning.

bnt · 03-11-2011 8:15pm

After my first year in Ireland, I became well-acquainted with the phenomenon I call "Irish Time". I lived in the UK and South Africa before moving to Ireland, and have spent months in the USA: I didn't see quite the same thing in those countries. "Irish Time" is not to be confused with "African Time":
African Time: "When will the train arrive?" "Tomorrow". And the train arrives tomorrow. Vague, but correct.
Irish Time: "When will you be here?" "10am tomorrow". Person does not arrive at 10am, possibly not even the same day.
The difference is that African Time doesn't promise more than it delivers, but Irish Time is all about promises that are not kept. In my experience this is a peculiarly Irish phenomenon. If you don't like being stereotyped in this way, don't make a commitment unless you are willing and able to keep it. :cool:

Chuck Stone · 03-11-2011 8:15pm

I was going out with a girl from one of those efficient countries on the mainland.

I had to learn to be wishy-washy with my language with her because she would take what I said literally.

'I'll see you at 8pm' meant disappointment and questions if I turned up at 9pm (she'd be at home - not waiting for me outside btw!!).

I remember going over for a visit to said country and she was rushing to get the bus all efficiently and I'd say 'hey! be cool. We'll take our time and get the next bus'.

Very different attitudes to time keeping.

Latchy · 03-11-2011 8:19pm

bnt wrote: »

If you don't like being stereotyped in this way, don't make a commitment unless you are willing and able to keep it. :cool:

Don't get all bothered when somebody points this irony out to you either .

parrai · 03-11-2011 8:23pm

bnt wrote: »

After my first year in Ireland, I became well-acquainted with the phenomenon I call "Irish Time". I lived in the UK and South Africa before moving to Ireland, and have spent months in the USA: I didn't see quite the same thing in those countries. "Irish Time" is not to be confused with "African Time":
African Time: "When will the train arrive?" "Tomorrow". And the train arrives tomorrow. Vague, but correct.
Irish Time: "When will you be here?" "10am tomorrow". Person does not arrive at 10am, possibly not even the same day.
The difference is that African Time doesn't promise more than it delivers, but Irish Time is all about promises that are not kept. In my experience this is a peculiarly Irish phenomenon. If you don't like being stereotyped in this way, don't make a commitment unless you are willing and able to keep it. :cool:

:rolleyes:

binxeo · 03-11-2011 8:35pm

Latchy wrote: »

Then when they do call up to explain or arrive (if at all ) they make it sound like they are doing you a favour ...when it's only what they were supposed to be doing anyway . I hear ya and it is pretty inconsiderate

Exactly.... they are not doing me a favour, I am doing them a favour. If a trademan messy me about regarding times, I will just get someone else to do the job and the first guy looses his money. Its his choice in the end of the day. Be on time or don't get the job. Simples.

Bowlardo wrote: »

I was in a team meeting a few last years where the team leader was going around to everyone doing the whole your not doing this right or what not.

Time keeping was as big issue at the time.... maura was late 9 times last month (if you logged in at 9:01 it was considered a "late")

Team leader: "Maura you had 9 lates last month. how come this keeps happen and what do you think you can do to prevent this happening again?"

Maura: "to be honest i have accepted that I am the type of person who is always going to be late and i think you will just have to accept that the way i am"

Team leader left speechless ...priceless......

Team leader should have gone to HR I reckon. People will continue with this type of attitude if no one does any thing about it. That is half the problem in this country nobody does/say anything.

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

They are doing you a favour. They are accepting your money in exchange for their services. Anyway putting all that aside I think you have a very bad attitude. The world does not work the way you want it to and everyone does not plan their day around you. Most people learn this at the 8-12 age but for soem reason you don't seem to have.

What planet are YOU on mate.....people don't learn that at 8-12. We learn in school to be on time to stick to a time table to be in a certain class at a certain time for a certain lesson and if you are late you get a reported of being late. Work and services aren't about favours...maybe you should look up that word ina dictionary mate....you don't seem to understand the difference between work/service and favours

FYI "favour US, favor [ˈfeɪvə]n1. an approving attitude; good will
2. an act performed out of good will, generosity, or mercy"

LiamN wrote: »

Sorry, I'm a bit late to the thread..., but;
What if they're doing that, i.e. "going the extra mile" for their customers - the one(s) before you.

I'm sorry here but you think by being punctual and on-time is going the extra mile. So are customer service reps in call centers going the extra mile by answering the phones.....where is the logic there!!!

Tazz T · 03-11-2011 8:48pm

Someone mentioned the Spanish and Italians were just as bad. From my experiences in Greece, the Greeks are worst of all. They won't turn up and simply shrug it off when you contact them. Strangely enough, these seem to be all the nationalities in trouble at the moment. Has anyone had similar experience with the Portuguese.

I hate people who are late. What they're saying by being late is that your time isn't as important as theirs, i,e, they're superior to you.

Where To · 03-11-2011 8:48pm

Bowlardo wrote: »

I was in a team meeting a few last years where the team leader was going around to everyone doing the whole your not doing this right or what not.

Time keeping was as big issue at the time.... maura was late 9 times last month (if you logged in at 9:01 it was considered a "late")

Team leader: "Maura you had 9 lates last month. how come this keeps happen and what do you think you can do to prevent this happening again?"

Maura: "to be honest i have accepted that I am the type of person who is always going to be late and i think you will just have to accept that the way i am"

Team leader left speechless ...priceless......

Maura should be sacked tbh.

Iggy Pop · 03-11-2011 8:55pm

The King of Moo wrote: »

That happens in a lot of other countries.

It's the exact same in the U.K and Italy (among others), and the Spanish "Mañana" culture is famous.

A famous Gaelic professor was asked if there was an Irish translation for word Mañana so he did some research and replied that were some that were reasonably close but that there was none that expressed the same sense of urgency :pac:

Latchy · 03-11-2011 8:56pm

Iggy Pop wrote: »

A famous Gaelic professor was asked if there was an Irish translation for word Mañana so he did some research and replied that were some that were reasonably close but that there was none that expressed the same sense of urgency :pac:

Brendan Behan quote I think .

Biedronka · 03-11-2011 9:23pm

parrai wrote: »

the problem is your issue with IRISH people when this is a common problem in a lot of trades, in a lot of countries around the world...

Sure the title of the thread is making you think it is unfair generalization, but I think I have mentioned in one post that I am sure there are decent punctual people here, but this is just my experience and I can't help it.
I used to live in Poland, Sweden, Germany, USA and sure, there were always some problems with people doing some services and stuff, but it was never so crazy with timekeeping.
Maybe I am not so easy going, maybe I am getting old or something and I just wouldn't care about it at all some time ago, but recently somehow I needed many things done around the house and it was just unbelivable. All the strugling with getting anybody to do anything!
Sorry, but my afternoon and evening is ruined after I am waiting for two hours for somebody to "do me a favour" and fix the hot water!
Both -I can't take shower and I am just so upset I can't relax!
Why wouldnt he tell me he just cant -I would look for somebody else!
This simply is not fair, they are chancing it and this is very very bad attitude!

Wetai · 03-11-2011 9:28pm

binxeo wrote: »

I'm sorry here but you think by being punctual and on-time is going the extra mile. So are customer service reps in call centers going the extra mile by answering the phones.....where is the logic there!!!

They could be doing it for people before someone, meaning they could be late for that person. i.e. if they're trying to do a bit extra for person 1, 2, & 3 - this could make them a bit late for person 4 & 5, for example. Doing 5 minutes extra work for person A would make them 5 minutes late for person B, C, and D.

Irish people and time keeping...

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