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We're going through the arguments in work today with if we have to take annual leave or if they'll accept special leave, after the office was closed Thursday/Friday last week due to the snow.  Most people are not happy with being told you have to use 2 days annual leave, seeing as they were out of the office because of a management decision to close.

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We're part of a helpdesk and one of the weird quirks people do when submitting a problem is to say "I need to do this as part of my job so please can it be looked at urgently" because a) why would you be reporting problems that aren't part of your job as you wouldn't know about them and b) do you think if you don't say this we'll just ignore it?

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8 minutes ago, Ashley said:

We're part of a helpdesk and one of the weird quirks people do when submitting a problem is to say "I need to do this as part of my job so please can it be looked at urgently" because a) why would you be reporting problems that aren't part of your job as you wouldn't know about them and b) do you think if you don't say this we'll just ignore it?

To be fair I recently submitted a request to our support team and pretty much said the same thing.

Some requests are genuinely urgent - the one I put in was actually completely stopping progress of a project, whereas I've put others in before that don't need to be done urgently as there are workarounds that may take longer but still mean I can do what I need to do.

We also have to put a justification whenever we submit a request so something like "I need this as part of my role" is just easy and quick to enter.

 

I'm off sick at the moment and will probably be off all week so that means someone else is having to take over some work I'm doing that is coming up to deadline, I have this horrible feeling that I'm just going to come back in to work in a worse position than if the project had just been put on hold for a week :heh:

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Getting the impression from management that literally anyone else could be doing my job and that they wouldn't notice: My Year 1 colleague demanded to go part-time next year or she would leave. Request granted. This means that I'm now the only experienced EYFS teacher in Year 1, which you would think make them more motivated to keep me... well, motivated. But no.

"Where's my career going here?"

 

"Wherever we say it is and we're not interested in discussing it."

 

"Look at the improvements in teaching and curriculum content delivery I have made over the past few years. Is that perhaps something I can do more of across the department?"

 

"No."

 

"I've led workshops before and have everything prepared, I hear that someone has dropped out of the cross-campus development seminar. Would you like me to present?"

 

"No, we don't want you to do it, we'd prefer to cancel the time slot."

 

"Oh, so I'm essentially nothing and nobody here?"

 

"We didn't say that. We did imply it, but we didn't say it. Stop presuming to speak for us."

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You may or may not remember my previous post about going for two jobs - one in the same company I've been at for 11 years and one for the police on a bit of a whim? 

Well as I posted a few weeks back, I was offered the police one and had to do a load of medical and reference forms for them. In the interim, I had an interview for anotjer team leader position back on my old department. New team they were putting in. 

I had my interview for that like two weeks after the police offering me the job. I was interviewed by people I knew but had moved out of the dept for progression at anotjer site which sadly never happened. 

Anyway, I got that job too! And that was the one I wanted as it is a permanent role (police was 12 months contract with no guarantee of permanent job at the end) so I'm chuffed to bits! It means I also don't have to mess about with my pension and holiday allowances and sick pay and shares etc. All good. 

Start date of 9th April. Can't wait! :D

 

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On 3/5/2018 at 10:23 AM, MindFreak said:

Had an interview Friday. It went really well, I think, and it seems like a good place to work. However, I have a couple of things holding me back:

1. It's a consultancy which means that there is no limit to how much they work. On paper, they are flexible and try to average the working hours out (in Denmark, we have 37 hours a week in general) but in reality, this is often like "You work till you're done" which is far more than the normal working hours. This is not so nice when you have a family, I think.

2. I don't think the work will be much different from what I do now. The main difference is that it's much newer and more modern. Their idea is that I will go work at a place who has bought the product (SaaS) and has to customize it to fit the needs at that place. This is a place which is very similar to my current workplace so yeah, I will probably just do the same kind of work. I'm not sure if that is what I want... but the newer tools, practices and platforms do tempt me.

I think the problem is that I don't know exactly what I want and thus I don't know if I can get it at the place I'm currently working.

Decided to go to a second interview. Working hours don't sound too bad from those that work there and they are very pragmatic about it - many of their employees have children that they need to pick up from kindergarten and such so it's not much of a problem, it seems.

They gave me a small coding challenge. It sounds easy-peasy, will do it over the weekend. I'm still not sure if I want to change job but going to the second interview can't hurt anything.

Also, and this might pursuade me to change, another group of employees just quit their job at my current place. We are now about 100 employees there and we are about 6 left under 40 years old. 

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On 05/03/2018 at 11:28 AM, Jimbob said:

We're going through the arguments in work today with if we have to take annual leave or if they'll accept special leave, after the office was closed Thursday/Friday last week due to the snow.  Most people are not happy with being told you have to use 2 days annual leave, seeing as they were out of the office because of a management decision to close.

No way! That's so bad! If nobody else is happy with that decision, why not take it higher and ask why it's happening? This isn't your doing, it's an Act of God so why you would have to take that out of an earned holiday (2 days as well), I wouldn't be happy at all.

 

====

 

I got the job at the game shop. I'll be working there once a week to cover the manager's days off. I'll be working 6 days a week, which is fine because I'm happy I have two jobs again. However, here within lies a small problem. I've gone for another job but this was before the game shop accepted me, It's to be an assistant manager and this time, the pay matches way more. Near minimum wage to be a 'supervisor' (I'm basically an assistant manager without the pay or title) with the tasks they expect you to do in the timeframe is ridiculous. It's the only reason why I want out. Other than that, everything's okay. Anyway, back to what I was saying, I was told the other day that I might hear from the actual Assistant Manager job in two weeks' time. I already know what I want to do but it's a matter of if I can have the same days off as I can now at the new job because I don't want to give the gaming shop up.

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I done my first day at the game shop yesterday and I absolutely loved it. He was very impressed with me, which was nice. As cliche as this sounds, I was so happy to work in a shop again. I was actively selling and I loved it. People cared about my opinion and I enjoyed the challenge of upselling. I missed it so much. My first hour there, he asked me to sort out the DVDs and I ended up categorising all of them. We went through a lot of the basics of the job, which was easy. I'm looking forward to my next shift.

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First day of work was today. Was fine, although I have no idea what we're actually going to be doing (we're currently focusing on delivery notes, which will be someone else's job when the store opens).

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Another issue, again it's with the Swansea office.  Clearly they don't appreciate me and keep passing on work they don't want to do (aka the crud), and there is this one person in the office who clearly doesn't like how i do work and sends consistent feedback to my manager.  It's got to the point now where i am actually scared to do any work at all, just in case this person sends feedback (by the way, all the feedback is purely nitpicking).  I'm actually being bought up in an official meeting next week to discuss the situation.  And i just can't be bothered with it, in fact i just can't be bothered with coming into the office anymore.

My manager is aware of the entire situation, but has to do things officially on record.  I'm borderline about to have a breakdown and no-one seems to give a crap.  I reported the person in who is blatantly targeting me (i'm told this person checks everyone elses work, but it's obvious they don't based on the errors even i see (heck Stevie Wonder could see the errors on some of these cases)).  I just got off the warning system, just looking for new work as i'm now able to do so.  And this comes my way again.

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30 minutes ago, Jimbob said:

My manager is aware of the entire situation, but has to do things officially on record.  I'm borderline about to have a breakdown and no-one seems to give a crap.  I reported the person in who is blatantly targeting me (i'm told this person checks everyone elses work, but it's obvious they don't based on the errors even i see (heck Stevie Wonder could see the errors on some of these cases)).  I just got off the warning system, just looking for new work as i'm now able to do so.  And this comes my way again.

Quote of the day. :D

In all seriousness though, regarding how you're feeling about work or rather... how work is making you feel, that sounds like a terrible situation. :(

At least your manager is aware of the situation and of course I can understand that everything has to be done "on the record" but I really hope that something changes soon for you. :peace:

I mean, you're doing your job... by the sounds of it better than the person who's complaining about you as well, so things should start to improve soon I'd have hoped.

It's not nice being targeted, I've had it happen to me before many years ago when I was doing my job perfectly fine, yet "fine" wasn't good enough apparently. :rolleyes:

TL:DR - Keep doing your job, it sounds like you do it well, your manager should sort the situation out soon with any luck, all the best. :smile:

 

I'm coming up to the end of my nearly two-weeks holiday (I usually only take a week but I had some extra days to use up) but it has been good to have a break.

I've had time to get a lot of stuff done, both at home and on the site, I've still got loads to do before I go back but at least I should go back feeling a bit rested.

Going back will be tough for various reasons but I've got to do my bit for the place and my colleagues, plus start earning some cash again.

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Had my second interview today with the new job. It went very well, and it still sounds good but I'm really in doubt whether I should change job or not.

I just got a raise at my current job and the new place can't or won't match that. They can only match my current salary. It is a 4 % raise so it's noticeable. It's really unusual that you don't get a higher salary when changing job in the IT business. They do give raises, though most.likely not as significant as 4 %. In my current place, I believe I'll get yearly raises for a few more years to come.

Then there is the issue that I won't be having as many vacation days the new place. Currently I have 35 vacation days a year and 5 days less in the new job. We have a 25 days minimum in Denmark so still better than that at least. 

Then I will spend more time commuting every day. And probably won't be biking every day anymore because 13-15 km each way is a bit much. 

Overall, I'll be losing some welfare by changing.

However, the work is in a far more modern, young and challenging area. I'm not being challenged anymore in my current position and my manager doesn't know what to do. It sounds like a good place to work when they talk about it and what I hear from the ones I know there. 

So, yeah, I don't really know what to do. I'll probably have to give an answer just before or just after Easter next week.

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23 hours ago, MindFreak said:

Had my second interview today with the new job. It went very well, and it still sounds good but I'm really in doubt whether I should change job or not.

I just got a raise at my current job and the new place can't or won't match that. They can only match my current salary. It is a 4 % raise so it's noticeable. It's really unusual that you don't get a higher salary when changing job in the IT business. They do give raises, though most.likely not as significant as 4 %. In my current place, I believe I'll get yearly raises for a few more years to come.

Then there is the issue that I won't be having as many vacation days the new place. Currently I have 35 vacation days a year and 5 days less in the new job. We have a 25 days minimum in Denmark so still better than that at least. 

Then I will spend more time commuting every day. And probably won't be biking every day anymore because 13-15 km each way is a bit much. 

Overall, I'll be losing some welfare by changing.

However, the work is in a far more modern, young and challenging area. I'm not being challenged anymore in my current position and my manager doesn't know what to do. It sounds like a good place to work when they talk about it and what I hear from the ones I know there. 

So, yeah, I don't really know what to do. I'll probably have to give an answer just before or just after Easter next week.

If it were me I'd stay where you were. The positives of the new job (more challenging and engaging work) seem to me to be outweighed by the negatives (lower pay - slightly, and far fewer holidays).

I'd continue looking while staying where you are.

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On ‎23‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 8:36 PM, MindFreak said:

Had my second interview today with the new job. It went very well, and it still sounds good but I'm really in doubt whether I should change job or not.

I just got a raise at my current job and the new place can't or won't match that. They can only match my current salary. It is a 4 % raise so it's noticeable. It's really unusual that you don't get a higher salary when changing job in the IT business. They do give raises, though most.likely not as significant as 4 %. In my current place, I believe I'll get yearly raises for a few more years to come.

Then there is the issue that I won't be having as many vacation days the new place. Currently I have 35 vacation days a year and 5 days less in the new job. We have a 25 days minimum in Denmark so still better than that at least. 

Then I will spend more time commuting every day. And probably won't be biking every day anymore because 13-15 km each way is a bit much. 

Overall, I'll be losing some welfare by changing.

However, the work is in a far more modern, young and challenging area. I'm not being challenged anymore in my current position and my manager doesn't know what to do. It sounds like a good place to work when they talk about it and what I hear from the ones I know there. 

So, yeah, I don't really know what to do. I'll probably have to give an answer just before or just after Easter next week.

Will your quality of life be better or worse in the new place? 

From the sounds of it, you'll be poorer due to the loss of welfare, won't be earning as much as your current place and will be having to travel a lot further. If you're not completely sold on the idea of switching, I'd stick with it and find a better/more appealing job later. 

From the way your post was written, I think you already know that the new job isn't the right one. Better to stick with what you've got for now.

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15 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

Will your quality of life be better or worse in the new place? 

From the sounds of it, you'll be poorer due to the loss of welfare, won't be earning as much as your current place and will be having to travel a lot further. If you're not completely sold on the idea of switching, I'd stick with it and find a better/more appealing job later. 

From the way your post was written, I think you already know that the new job isn't the right one. Better to stick with what you've got for now.

Wow. That's a good question - albeit hard to ever answer yes to, isn't it? But no, I probably won't get better quality of life by changing.

I don't think I had already decided when I wrote the above post but I am trying to be all pros and cons about it. And yes, the cons may outweigh the pros on this one. It's a high trade off for learning something that I want and need to learn (software development in a modern environment). The problem is that I think the new company is a great match for me, that's what makes this really hard for me. I think I'm about 60-40 on staying where I am.

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Having a bit of a weird time at work.

I work for a tech start up based in Nottingham that has clients not only in the U.K but also over in the U.S. When I started I had a few trips over there and it was one of the main reasons that I joined.

One of our clients in the U.S recently ended their contract with us (not because we weren't doing a good job but because their business was a bit slow). This, combined with the fact that we have recently hired a few more staff for our newly incorporated U.S business has massively reduced my workload. I'm all for having a relaxed day here and there but we're basically at a point now where it's unclear what I'm going to be working on in a few weeks time. 

We have our yearly meeting next month where we discuss the next 12 months so I'll be raising it then, as I know that a few of us are getting a bit unmotivated with how things are at the moment. I love the people at the company and I love the work, there just needs to be more of it.

 

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5 hours ago, Goron_3 said:

Having a bit of a weird time at work.

I work for a tech start up based in Nottingham that has clients not only in the U.K but also over in the U.S. When I started I had a few trips over there and it was one of the main reasons that I joined.

One of our clients in the U.S recently ended their contract with us (not because we weren't doing a good job but because their business was a bit slow). This, combined with the fact that we have recently hired a few more staff for our newly incorporated U.S business has massively reduced my workload. I'm all for having a relaxed day here and there but we're basically at a point now where it's unclear what I'm going to be working on in a few weeks time. 

We have our yearly meeting next month where we discuss the next 12 months so I'll be raising it then, as I know that a few of us are getting a bit unmotivated with how things are at the moment. I love the people at the company and I love the work, there just needs to be more of it.

 

You know what you can do in your free time....

 

Kind of hectic day.  In the sense I was working for company a but had lots of emails coming in regarding company c which I was trying to field where possible (some required remote accessing in which I couldn't do) and then some testing results from company b (only 2 weeks late) and I answered a few 'questions' (contextless ponderings that made no sense) without looking at the spreadsheet they sent.  Just looked at that and its full of crap.

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I've tried having too little to do. It was terrible. I just sat there, waiting for the time to have passed 7 hours and 24 minutes every day so that I could leave without using up my time bank. It was so demotivating that I started doing much else during work hours and didn't care for my job at all. Of course, it didn't help that I had a son and wife at home that I wanted to go home to but still...

 

On another note. Just finished talking with someone I know who worked at the place I'm perhaps switching to. The decrease in salary is not so much and the company actually divides a part of it's earnings to the employees which is exactly the money I will miss by switching. Also, it is perhaps a stretch to assume that someone will pay me what I'm currently getting when taking up a position where I need some training in order to give something back to the company. 

Then I will get less vacation days, 5 days less a year. That's a bummer but I can take up to 3 days off without pay if I really need it, and they are flexible enough that I could perhaps say that I won't be coming in for two days and then work overtime for a small period afterwards. 

Furthermore, I am told from the one who worked there that they are actually very good at not working too much overtime, so no overtime pay is not that much of a problem. It's a nice thing, though, and I think that it is one thing that the employers should really consider because of the signals it sends. I don't want to work extra if I get nothing back from doing so - except that I perhaps get my work done a day or two before. Of course I'm all for working overtime when it's necessary. I just think it's a shame that employees are not directly rewarded for doing so.

Last, the increase in commute. I can bike a couple of times a week - that's 15 km each way opposed to the 8 I have now so it'll take a bit longer than now doing so, but I can also just take my car for the days that I really need to make it home faster than biking (if the traffic is not too bad at least). 

I'm still undecided but this talk made me realise that it's probably not so bad as it may sound on paper.

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@MindFreak

It doesn't sound good at all. Lots of negatives. Also the fact that you are still undecided suggests to me that you do wish to leave but the new job is perhaps not the right one.

I have just been through the same process myself and decided to stay at my current place.

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1 hour ago, Blade said:

@MindFreak

It doesn't sound good at all. Lots of negatives. Also the fact that you are still undecided suggests to me that you do wish to leave but the new job is perhaps not the right one.

I have just been through the same process myself and decided to stay at my current place.

It's not bad. Not at all. Just not quite as good as where I am now - and that's probably top of the top. I'm unlikely to ever find anything that good.

I have the next interview (just a short one according to them to clear out formalities) on April 12th, will have to have an answer at that time. 

My wife is mostly concerned about the working hours but they guarantee that they work normal hours most of the time and are flexible.

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Grand opening was today, seemed to be going well by the time my shift finished, only a few minor issues like the safe breaking.

I wasn't expecting to do much cash stuff but today was mainly doing stuff in the cash office, learning how to cash up and sorting out change and stuff when tills needed it. 

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Well I saw it coming but didn't think it would be cut short. I failed my probation and as such am once again without employment. Too much fuck ups basically.

Gonna get 4 weeks pay in lieu of notice which isn't bad I guess. Got enough to hold off dem bills for a coupla months whilst I try to get on the job bandwagon again.

 

 

At least it wasn't the Tesco dismissal which foiled me. I held that one off nicely.

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Despite what everyone say I will take the new job. It's a good choice for my career, they have agreed to match my current salary so won't be going down, and I really like the place. People I've talked to about it that know the place have said that they didn't really work overtime and thus missing out on overtime pay is not much of a deal. Sometimes they even offer it anyway if there is a critical deadline. Also, the place I'm working now is a dead end. I'm the only software engineer left under the age of 40, maybe even 45, and people are leaving. 

So yeah, will start at the new place September 1st.

Now the question is if I quit my job now, before going on 3 months paternity leave or wait till I'm halfway through it. Either way I will have one month after the leave to "clean up" and transfer my knowledge because I don't have the time to do so before my leave, I think.

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(When I clicked reply it had remembered the last abandoned post which was just "URGH" and it seems like that's happening again...)

Been doing work for one client company for two different teams.  The lead of one is intense but responsive, the other clearly doesn't give a fuck.  Supposed to be doing a training session for the latter tomorrow (with the former and some of their team attending).  The date was put in the calendar about a month ago and I emailed earlier asking where the room is and now they're both saying they thought the other side was arranging it.  I've asked them to let me know if its going to be cancelled as I've booked leave tomorrow afternoon to deal with this nonsense.

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Just found out that we finally got rid an useless colleague out of our department into other department. Apparently she asked our manager for a lighter duties instead of doing the newspapers and magazines. My manager replied that the newspapers and magazines is a lighter duties and that she won't giving her anything else to do. So she requested to be moved to a different department which my manager said no chance since there are no available positions in that department. So that useless colleague just did a stupid petty thing by faking two weeks of sick leave which made the manager angry with her and don't want her in our department anymore when she returned.

What a good riddance! 😂

Edited by DriftKaiser

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