Job woes/wins

[MindFreak]

Ugh. Haven't got enough tasks to work on while my colleagues are on vacation - mine is starting next week. So time goes by slowly and I feel bad for not doing much work but I've raised my voice several times and asked for more tasks. Still nothing. 

At least I'm working from home with both kids and my wife home as well so can do some other stuff while waiting for my task manager to return to me. Also taking some shorter days.

Next week I'll work half-time so only 6-9.30 and take the rest of the day off. That's going to be almost like a vacation!

[Raining_again]

I've been offered a redeployment post thats amazing.  A smaller dept, within the mental health sector.  All different kinds of duties within the post, some telephone calls but not the extent of my current post's would be.  Its a bit more of a drive, but not hugely so (15 miles with no school traffic as opposed to 5 with 3 schools, which doesnt really cost me more time, just more miles on the car). A lot of their overarching protocols and processes are very similar to my current posts (which is the hardest part to grasp) and the fact i demonstrated that really set her mind at ease.  Think we both came to that meeting super anxious, and came away feeling much better!  redeployments can be awful for both the employee and manager if its a bad fit, but it seems like ive got so so lucky.  On friday the 13th of all days lol

I'm not starting til Sept because both my current and future line managers are now off on leave til then... but im so excited

[nightwolf]

30 minutes ago, Raining_again said:

I've been offered a redeployment post thats amazing.  A smaller dept, within the mental health sector.  All different kinds of duties within the post, some telephone calls but not the extent of my current post's would be.  Its a bit more of a drive, but not hugely so (15 miles with no school traffic as opposed to 5 with 3 schools, which doesnt really cost me more time, just more miles on the car). A lot of their overarching protocols and processes are very similar to my current posts (which is the hardest part to grasp) and the fact i demonstrated that really set her mind at ease.  Think we both came to that meeting super anxious, and came away feeling much better!  redeployments can be awful for both the employee and manager if its a bad fit, but it seems like ive got so so lucky.  On friday the 13th of all days lol

I'm not starting til Sept because both my current and future line managers are now off on leave til then... but im so excited

Oh my god! I'm so happy for you! You deserve something much much better. 

[Will]

Should hear back on Monday on whether I’ll be offered a position back in the UK. It’s something far more aligned with what I want to be doing that what I am now, and with a lot of scope to build a team and strategy as I see fit. Not totally sure if coming back is what I want to be doing but they have said they are embracing flexibility and if I want to work remotely for a few months a year it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Really not sure what I’ll do if they offer it to me.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Consultant mass remix, I've lost all mine and given new ones to work in a team with a colleague. they've merged all the Nottingham Trust consultant sec staff into one unit, so none of us know what's going on. AH'MAZIN.

Over 3 months of my agency colleague has finally reached his peak, with me and another doing his typing, and him doing 2 things which would take a total of five hours max, his ONLY aim for the past 2-3 weeks was to sort out his inbox, as he had 3-4 month old stuff from consultants which needed to be actioned and hadn't been for bullshit like "I hadn't had time" - bitch pah-leese. You have nothing but time. He's the only chap I know who starts the day with 50 emails, actions some and ends the day with over 60, with no logical reason behind it. I've brought this to the attention of my seniors several times and they've done fuck all. There have been loads of vacancies go out for similar positions and he went for one. Didn't get an offer and was apparently surprised, I know during the interview the seniors pretend they don't know you, so only go on what happens in the interview, but I wonder if he thinks he would be able to do the job he's doing now all on his own. Answer is simply no.

I've been on leave last week to attend Mummy's wedding, and warned him that from Monday it wouldn't be me crawling up his ass trying to get him to sort his shit. It's going to be three others, and they won't be as patient as I am. He exploded a bit at my colleague who was asking if they could talk outside, which many saw and was most out of character. Gutted I wasn't there. But... if you cannae do the job, you need to go.

 

On Monday he was given his interview bad news he was told he was going to be moved somewhere else, he also signed up to Sky week before last, during a lengthy lunch break call. And has arranged to have his Sky box delivered to work. A thought which only occurred to him yesterday.

[MindFreak]

I have to pick a new computer for work for the next three years. I currently have a top-end MacBook Pro 15" from late 2018 with 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD HDD and an Intel i7 core @ 2.2 GHz. A fine machine but battery is dying and keyboard is a bit weird (repeating key syndrome).

Now, I can choose between three MacBook Pro 16"s: A Basic, a Premium and a Premium+. Basic is well, almost identical to my current machine except a better graphics cars (Radeon 5300M, 4 GB) and 1 TB SSD HHD. Fine machine but not much of an upgrade.

Then Premium is the Basic but with 32 GB RAM instead of 16 GB, and Premium+ has an Intel i9 processor and an even better graphics card (Radeon 5500M, 8 GB). The catch is that while Basic is free for me, Premium costs about £10 a month for 36 months and Premium+ is £15 a month, 36 months. If I choose to end my employment, the money is wasted. If I go through another three years, I can buy the machines for almost nothing - but they have also cost me some money.

I don't quite know what to choose. My current setup is just fine but I could do with more RAM. I just don't want to pay extra for those RAM - especially since I'm uncertain that I'll stay there for three more years.

If I hadn't just bought a house, I would just pick the Premium+ as the money wouldn't matter but I do feel that I should try to save some money now that we are moving. So I'm at a bit of a loss.

[Will]

That sounds like such a weird IT policy to me. I assume you’re allowed to do whatever you want with it given that you’re sharing in the cost of it? Can you stick with your current machine and they’ll pay you more?

[Sméagol]

6 hours ago, MindFreak said:

I have to pick a new computer for work for the next three years. I currently have a top-end MacBook Pro 15" from late 2018 with 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD HDD and an Intel i7 core @ 2.2 GHz. A fine machine but battery is dying and keyboard is a bit weird (repeating key syndrome).

Now, I can choose between three MacBook Pro 16"s: A Basic, a Premium and a Premium+. Basic is well, almost identical to my current machine except a better graphics cars (Radeon 5300M, 4 GB) and 1 TB SSD HHD. Fine machine but not much of an upgrade.

Then Premium is the Basic but with 32 GB RAM instead of 16 GB, and Premium+ has an Intel i9 processor and an even better graphics card (Radeon 5500M, 8 GB). The catch is that while Basic is free for me, Premium costs about £10 a month for 36 months and Premium+ is £15 a month, 36 months. If I choose to end my employment, the money is wasted. If I go through another three years, I can buy the machines for almost nothing - but they have also cost me some money.

I don't quite know what to choose. My current setup is just fine but I could do with more RAM. I just don't want to pay extra for those RAM - especially since I'm uncertain that I'll stay there for three more years.

If I hadn't just bought a house, I would just pick the Premium+ as the money wouldn't matter but I do feel that I should try to save some money now that we are moving. So I'm at a bit of a loss.

That's a very simple problem. Personally, I'd go for basic, because I wouldn't ever want to buy an old computer from work. It's almost 2nd hand. You're buying an old computer. Plus like you said, you don't know if you're still working there. But yeah, weird policy. Can you opt for the premium computer for no extra cost, but without the option to buy it afterwards?

If you decided those aren't problems, then it's simple maths. Is "buying" this computer in 3 years, cheaper than buying a 2nd hand computer through regular means? You'd have to look at current 3 year old equivalents to compare. If it's cheaper, do it, otherwise don't. One caveat are current marketprices, which may inflate 2nd hand prices as well. It may be hard to compare.

[MindFreak]

I'm leaning towards the basic as well. It'll most likely meet my requirements.

3 hours ago, Sméagol said:

Can you opt for the premium computer for no extra cost, but without the option to buy it afterwards?

It wouldn't change anything. You get to buy the computer anyways (it's like £80 for a three years old MacBook Pro - that's basically giving it away). Of courrse, you can always say no to buying it but due to the market values of MacBooks I figure that would be stupid. I'll certainly buy the one I currently have as we have no spare computer in the house and we just sometimes need one for both of us.

[Raining_again]

im very mischevious lol

So.  theres a thing in the nhs.  if you are redeployed (through no fault of your own) and they send you somewhere further from your home than your current post they have to pay your mileage for three or four years.  I have known people go through this from departments being closed (and them being given a new post), or moved.  So really they cant discriminate when your redeployment is due to disability...... so assume that the same applies.

I emailed my current posts manager and asked her who to enquire with regarding mileage payment, and she is playing ignorance "what do you mean has (new manager) advised you have travel with your new post?" and im like. oh. you.  Its like you think i am stupid.

I havent replied, i shot off an email to my union rep for support.  One last little stab before I leave that bitch that made my life hell for 16 years.  Hope it comes out of her budget.

 

@EEVILMURRAY I hope your stupid colleague gets a kick up the ass, thats unreal, but not surprising (theres more than one of them in my current dept!) and its the most frustrating thing.  When you literally have to do twice your job to catch up their slack.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Raining_again

[Will]

On 8/21/2021 at 5:19 PM, Will said:

Should hear back on Monday on whether I’ll be offered a position back in the UK. It’s something far more aligned with what I want to be doing that what I am now, and with a lot of scope to build a team and strategy as I see fit. Not totally sure if coming back is what I want to be doing but they have said they are embracing flexibility and if I want to work remotely for a few months a year it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Really not sure what I’ll do if they offer it to me.

It took a bit longer than I expected but I got the job! They offered me everything I asked for with a crazy good bonus scheme. Trying to figure out if we really want to be based in the UK now. Not at all sure what we will do but definitely leaning towards coming home.

[EEVILMURRAY]

On 01/09/2021 at 9:06 PM, Raining_again said:

 

@EEVILMURRAY I hope your stupid colleague gets a kick up the ass, thats unreal, but not surprising (theres more than one of them in my current dept!) and its the most frustrating thing.  When you literally have to do twice your job to catch up their slack.

Well it's a been a couple of weeks since he's gone, and the shit keeps coming out of the woodwork of stuff that has been sent to the wrong place*, not sent at all or just ignored. So when someone calls in saying that when they last spoke to *name*, you just go urrrrghh... because you know what's coming. The team that I'm on is the only properly manned one, so now with another struggling team we got pulled into a Teams meeting, originally suggesting that we merge with the other team, which the PA I work under said that wouldn't be fair, to then the suggestion of giving help and guidance because of (insert reasons here)

"Oh EEVIL, what do you think of this idea?"

"Well, it sounds more like you're not asking us to help, you're telling us we're going to help"

"Yeah but she needs help because of (insert reasons here: X-Factor audition edition)"

Naturally they have lots of meetings so can't help us themselves.

 

Coupled with some dubious "sickness" of someone who just came off leave back for one day, then went off claiming COVID symptoms yet appeared fine on Tuesday but messaged our WhatsApp group 7.55am Wednesday morning saying she hadn't been feeling well so had a lateral flow test which had come back positive so has requested a PCR test. When it was suggested she could go over to a test centre, excuse was how they didn't want to infect people and would have to take a bus. This coming from someone who uses taxi's quite a bit and who's boyfriend drives - his lateral flow test was negative so he's free to go wherever he likes and not able to take his missus to get a covid swab... It's just the laziness which is annoying us.

 

 

*He asked me if he should send a request to radiology to give a consultant access to a system, I said it couldn't hurt and I assumed he was going to send it to the radiology department in the building we worked at. No... he sent patient details to the radiology address book of the whole NUH Trust, 400+ people...

Edited September 3, 2021 by EEVILMURRAY

[Raining_again]

17 hours ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

*He asked me if he should send a request to radiology to give a consultant access to a system, I said it couldn't hurt and I assumed he was going to send it to the radiology department in the building we worked at. No... he sent patient details to the radiology address book of the whole NUH Trust, 400+ people...

That's an SAI right there and hopefully is being treated as such

[EEVILMURRAY]

3 hours ago, Raining_again said:

That's an SAI right there and hopefully is being treated as such

I don't think he is sadly. As he left our dept my colleague linked to his account so got all emails auto forwarded to her, one reply from that request was someone asking him to recall the email, which she forwarded back to the chap making sure does. 

Cue three days of inbox being flooded with email recall success/failure notifications

[Happenstance]

Had some online training booked in at work from 12.30-3.30 but we managed to finish after an hour so I'm leaving the Do Not Disturb sign up on my door and sitting here with my earbuds still in so it looks like I'm still on the call 

....anything to avoid having to sort people's IT problems!

[Happenstance]

Lost all chance of hiding out this week at work as the main IT guy has covid so I'm doing a lot of covering. So many complaints that things aren't working already!

[Raining_again]

my boss has covid, so im pretty much doing sweet FA at the moment... cant say im enjoying it though lol. i like being busy the day goes in so much faster.

[Will]

On 9/3/2021 at 6:14 PM, Will said:

It took a bit longer than I expected but I got the job! They offered me everything I asked for with a crazy good bonus scheme. Trying to figure out if we really want to be based in the UK now. Not at all sure what we will do but definitely leaning towards coming home.

After a lot of back and forth (mostly from my side) I finally accepted the offer. Still really not sure about being in the UK given everything we see on the news, but the job seems so much better than what I’m currently doing I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t at least give it a try. Will be starting remotely from Singapore while we figure out our move back. Will use it as a bit of a trial run and if things don’t work out at least we haven’t moved back for nothing.

Excited but very nervous is probably how I’d describe things right now.

[bob]

After a lot of back and forth (mostly from my side) I finally accepted the offer. Still really not sure about being in the UK given everything we see on the news, but the job seems so much better than what I’m currently doing I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t at least give it a try. Will be starting remotely from Singapore while we figure out our move back. Will use it as a bit of a trial run and if things don’t work out at least we haven’t moved back for nothing.
Excited but very nervous is probably how I’d describe things right now.

I don't suppose your new job is a HGV driver is it?

[MindFreak]

Ugghhhh. We have converted into full-blown Scrum at work. Meaning that every second Monday we have two meetings of two hours (10-12am and 1-3pm) and then Tuesdays 9am-1pm. This week I have spent four hours on "refinement meetings" which means that we try to talk about some of the tasks that lie ahead.

I hope it doesn't become as much a waste of time as I fear. 

[Raining_again]

my old workplace is in crisis, and theres been adverse incident reports logged because of people continually fucking up the job i used to do.

 

*cackles*

[Will]

4 hours ago, MindFreak said:

Ugghhhh. We have converted into full-blown Scrum at work. Meaning that every second Monday we have two meetings of two hours (10-12am and 1-3pm) and then Tuesdays 9am-1pm. This week I have spent four hours on "refinement meetings" which means that we try to talk about some of the tasks that lie ahead.

I hope it doesn't become as much a waste of time as I fear. 

If you’re having a set meeting with the whole team for backlog refinement then it almost certainly will become a total waste of time, just as you fear. It really shouldn’t be something you need to do if you have a decent product owner imo. 

[MindFreak]

4 hours ago, Will said:

If you’re having a set meeting with the whole team for backlog refinement then it almost certainly will become a total waste of time, just as you fear. It really shouldn’t be something you need to do if you have a decent product owner imo. 

It's going completely by the book now. I hope things change after we get more accustomed to it but at the moment, it really feels like they are taking a lot of time where I actually do some work. Up to now, I've had about 2-3 hours of meetings a week, with scrum they have made that 4 hours on average and that's not including the meetings I would normally have (for clearing out stuff with the business side of things). 

[Will]

What framework were you using before? I feel like the whole point of scrum is to cut down things like that so not great if it’s adding more time you’re not being productive.

[Ashley]

This is why I hate project managers and their methodology nonsense. I get the idea, I have just never seen it implemented well.