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The grumpy thread


outlaw118

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Last job was like all this, less pay than the people I was supervising etc. Manager doing as little as possible and passing on any blame, I just got up and walked out and left it all behind, the only thing I missed was my Hi Vis jacket but if I'd put it on they've have know I was leaving. :lol:

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Many workplaces are really starting an overwork/bullying assault on staff. The mood really has changed for the worse,

STARTING????? Where have you been for the last 20 years or more? You've just described most of my so-called career, and probably most of the rest of us. And very likely our parents' and grandparents' careers too. Will anything ever be done about it? No, because we are dealing with human nature here.

 

Cms, well done; Hirst and Claypole, absolutely right.

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I'm glad everything I do is on my tacho: there's no argument over shift length. If I did it, it gets paid for. And I have the law telling me how long I can do, and how much I have to rest, which is damn handy when telling peeps to stuff their last run.

What really has got my goat, more than once, is 'assessment'. I've got bits of plastic and paper from various places to certify that I can do the job their way. Most of them treat it as a shift, and pay me as such, but...

A few years ago, when White Arrow became Reality Group (just a dodgy name-change, it still belonged to Littlewoods), they decided to 'assess' all the agency drivers. But not offer any pay. Bad enough if it was a run round the block, and a bit of a chat (cheers Somerfield!), but the plan was to have me do the Aberdeen run I'd been doing the previous week, with the assessor in the passenger seat. For nowt. Aye right! I refused, as did everybody else, fully backed by the agency (Driver Hire); they dropped the idea after a couple of weeks of struggling away without enough drivers, but it goes to show what some will try.

 

I agree with this. Driving lorries is still a relatively stress free job, if you have the right mindset. Especially if you work nights, as I do: my start time is supposed to be 7pm but no one seems to care much if I'm anywhere up to half an hour late. I'm paid 50 hours a week and I'm usually all done in about 45.

As for assessments ... I turned up to Wincanton's near Gloucester to drive milk tankers last year. I did a night shift no bother, then went home. Upon being sent in the next night, they informed me that I couldn't drive for them until I'd done three days of assessment, all unpaid. Three days? I don't mind a couple of hours, but three days? Especially given that I'd already done a night's work for them, and that I have a licence stating I'm qualified to drive artics. In the end, I never did do an assessment for them, but they let me drive for them anyway because there was no one else there to do it. Go figure ...

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Probably everywhere there's work there's a bully. It's hard when you first start as you're sort of on probation and don't want to upset the apple cart too much, though as a rule most places seem to leave you alone a bit for the fisrt few months in the hope you'll stay.

I find to start off with polite questioning of why they're asking you to do something you don't think is right is the initial way to deal with it, that way they'll hopefully know you're not an idiot.

Then as they turn the screws a b it later on in your career it's time to make a stand. Seen umpteen workplace bullies over the years and I'm telling you if you don't stand up to them things are going to get much worse much quicker. I honestly believe these twats do it to see how far they can push you and if you don't stand up for yourself pretty sharpish you're knackered.

Lost count of how many times I've been pushed to near breaking point then snapped and given it to them back: prefer the polite approach ('don't talke to me like that please' or 'I didn't swear at you so please don't to me' etc) but when that doesn't work then going a bit nuclear on them often does.

 

You'd be amazed how many of these twits all of a sudden become your bezzy mate at work, especially if they think you might twat them in the carpark after hours or something. You don't have to threaten them (I'd advise NOT to do that to be honest) but if they know or think you're not to be fucked with they usually back off. Ok, every now and then a very quiet word when no-one else is about and the implied threat of an after hours toe to toe in the carpark/pub/street can sometimes work.

 

Fight fire with fire I say: if someone speaks to you like a piece of shit ask them once politely to stop it 'please' then give it them back with both barrels and a couple of canons.

It doesn't matter what job you do or who you work for, no-one deserves to be spoken to like a sack of crap by anyone, no matter what their respective positions within the company are.

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Yeah I agree, alot of companies have some sort of employers handbook usually stating that agressive or intimidating behaviour will not be tolerated, throw that shit back at some lairy jobs-worth and they might think twice.

 

That's the way to go. Cavette's advice is sensible, but IMHO risks making things a bit too personal. I find that a quick word with the bully's manager, preferably in e-mail form so that there's trace of what has been said, works best.

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Yeah I agree, alot of companies have some sort of employers handbook usually stating that agressive or intimidating behaviour will not be tolerated, throw that shit back at some lairy jobs-worth and they might think twice.

 

That's the way to go. Cavette's advice is sensible, but IMHO risks making things a bit too personal. I find that a quick word with the bully's manager, preferably in e-mail form so that there's trace of what has been said, works best.

 

Don't get me wrong that always a good thing to do but if you're new or you're not 'in the clique' then often amanagers will side with the office bumlicker who started the trouble in the first place.

It sometimes appears that only big national/international companies are remotely interested in their own code of conduct and that's quite possibly because they're shit scared of a bad name. This (of course) also can lead to spurious claims by trouble makers who stir things up and when they get the response they were fishing for go crying to the gaffers.

These type of shit houses are about the worse kind of people you could ever be unlucky enough to work with and are prime candidates for the carpark fist and boot routine.

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I'm with Cavette to a point. I've never done anything that could be construed as misconduct but one of my greatest joys was shopping a union member at a certain gas-related company to his boss. He was a skivving twat who liked keeping his fingers in all the pies without actually having to do any work. I was a temp who ended up doing everything. A quiet word with his boss resulted in one very surprised union rep and I managed to keep my job as well. Bonus. I just won't tolerate people abusing their jobs like that while others work their arses off.

 

If there seems no avenue to go higher and complain about someone's conduct, I leave. Sadly, I end up leaving a lot of jobs, which tells you a lot about management at some companies...

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Union reps are the fucking worst. I used to work for a certain bank that was neither from the North, nor the South ;) and the Union reps there were workshy bastards to a man (and woman). One of them was also discovered to be 'something' to do with a certain football club's 'firm'. They were also worse bullies than any management.

 

Problem was management took these muppets seriously because they were shit scared of going toe-to-toe with the union and knew that to tackle their lack of ACTUAL work would result in claims of discrimination, bullying, you name it.

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Thankfully, I've not had any more experience of union arseholes since that job. It is a rather perfect demonstration that power all too often corrupts. To be fair, there was another (female) rep who was completely sound and DID do a hard day's work, and only got involved with stuff when she was asked to be included rather than trying to muscle in to everything.

 

I know it's easy for me to kick off at management. It's part of the process where I decide whether I want to work somewhere. Either the management appreciate my forthrightness, or they make it very clear that they don't - at which point I start looking for a way out. It's one reason I appreciate not having any kids - the less dependants you have, the easier it is to take a potentially career-suicidal approach at work!

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My camera broke today, took one photo and then just started making grinding noises from behind the lense, and then sounded the obstruction to lense tone, and won't stop doing it. Good....

Take the batteries out for a few minutes. No guarantee but it has been known to work.

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Cav is right about making a stand. I'm a fairly placid, easy-going sort and have on two occasions in the past been dealt with "unreasonably" at work, both immediate bosses. I hesitate to say bullied, as I didn't feel a victim but got pretty hacked off at the respective attitutes of these two people. I don't think they even expected me to protest or answer back, so when I lost it in the office on both occasions they were dumbstruck and I was treated with MUCH RESPEKT thereafter ... Only trouble was I certainly didn't want to be their Bezzie Mate!

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As long as you remember not all union rep's are twats :wink::D

 

Not applicable to my current job but I have discovered if you flare up just enough to make people take notice and warn others it's enough. It's not big or clever but when you hear whsipers of 'there goes such-and-such, don't piss him him about' at least you know you're less likely to cop shit off people. The flip side of that is you feel like a cocky, arrogant twit at times.

 

Anyhow back to other grumpiness, and it's shopping again. Daughter wants to go shopping and unfortunately for me it was a trip to Primevil. All shopping is shite, clothes shopping especially so, a mingebag shop for cheapskate basket cases extra especially so.

I just wish all those stupid, dithering swines and their stupid, annoying, screeching, dithering flaming offspring would get lost.

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Letter from DVLA about the logbook I sent off the day I sold the Rover to Bren.

 

"You're in court, because we didn't get it and we don't believe you sent it".

 

Wankers. Hey ho.

 

 

My case is currently "under consideration by their legal department". Debt collectors fucked off very quickly after I mentioned the regulatory body though

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On the way to work this morning, a closed road with a wall of emergency services - must have been 6 traffic cars, two fire engines and two ambulances that I could see. Took the diversion, thought no more - it's a bit of a nasty stretch of road.

 

Gets to work and there's a few rumours about a lad who hasn't turned in. Drives a white Corsa and before the police closed the road a couple of colleagues who had to squeeze past the scene saw a small white car mangled by a truck.... we tried to put a lid on the rumours just in case it was a coincidence but Nottinghamshire Police just confirmed through the press that the driver of the car was killed at the scene, and this chap's family have been in touch with work to inform them that it was indeed him.

 

It's bloody horrible. Spent 3 years sat opposite him taking the piss out of his stupid laugh. Poor bloke.

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Oh shit Chris, I'm really sort to hear that, It's a horrible feeling when that happens. :cry:

 

I past a rolled BMW E36 on the way home from work this morning on the A14, They had shut of the Felixstowe bound side to clear it up, It later turns out that the owner was killed and that he had his 18 month old baby in the back who's now in intensive care.

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Still trying to sell my Gemini wheels at a knockdown price. The model number is KNS 112. Wanna guess how many gump Dubbers I've had asking 'wil they fit my camper m8'?

 

No, not when the PCD is 5 x 120 which is what I've stated very clearly in the bloody advert! Got some adaptors handy? Cos I ain't taking 'em back if you haven't.............

 

Amazon. Where's my bloody pre ordered Being Human DVD boxset, eh? You know, the one I pre ordered in January? How long have you had my money for now?

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

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Sorry to hear that Pillock, it really does put things into perspective. I remember a few years back leaving work at 6am to find we couldnt get out of the main entrence/exit to the industrial estate due to a wall of police. It turned out an old fella who was driving to the shops had been crashed into by a couple of boy racers racing each other, the old fella and one racer was killed in the smash.

 

Many workplaces are really starting an overwork/bullying assault on staff. The mood really has changed for the worse

STARTING????? Where have you been for the last 20 years or more? You've just described most of my so-called career, and probably most of the rest of us. And very likely our parents' and grandparents' careers too. Will anything ever be done about it? No, because we are dealing with human nature here.

 

Yes 'starting'

 

I'm stating a personal observation based on experience in the current situation, I am not stating fact. I know many people have seen/experienced worse since time began. I've had a fair few jobs myself where I felt the atmosphere was more friendly and less stressful. However, as a result of the recession/cuts/less money and so on, from what I've seen, these same companies who might have been once bearable places to work at have changed thier attitudes towards staff for the worse in a very short space of time, and its something certainly felt by the staff. Now, you may have seen this 20/30 years ago, but as in my late 20s so its pretty new to me and certainly an eye-opener.

 

I worked at place that made seat bases for Land-Rovers twice in the last 4 years. When I worked there the first time around 4 years ago the place was Ok to work at, everyone seemed pretty laid back and friendly, there wasnt any pressure put upon you as long as you kept at your job, the targets were pretty realistic then too. I quite enjoyed working there but as it was only a temporary contract that soon came to an end. Last year whilst looking for work again I was sent back the same factory temporarily to cover someone who, I was told had walked out. The place really had changed for the worse, there were less people doing more jobs, targets were almost doubled, everyone seemed on edge, stressed, angry and clearly overworked. We were having to do twice the work with half the people and expected to finish the job professionally and hit targets within a day of being shown the ropes, if we didnt, our 'team' was given a wash down by some right angry sod of a manager. Thankfully it was only a temporary job.

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Bought a camera yesterday, and it is is awful. Whether I haven't toyed around with it enough or not, it is seriously below expectations and I am returning it today! Got my eye on a better spec camera with MUCH better reviews for the same price however, lets hope Argos don't mess me around, I have everything needed for a return....

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Guest Leonard Hatred

What did you buy brammy?

Used cameras are a bit of a gamble but you'll get something a lot better for your money.

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