Happenstance Posted February 19, 2018 Posted February 19, 2018 Working from home today and feel like I'm getting so much more done. Kind of wish I could do this every day. 1
Happenstance Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 Having a nightmare at work this morning. The school's emergency contact system has managed to lose multiple families from their list and of course with all this snow its the worst possible time and this is all after they messed up the database so phone numbers and email addresses weren't associated with the correct parent. No way we will be staying with them after this.
Fierce_LiNk Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 4 minutes ago, Happenstance said: Having a nightmare at work this morning. The school's emergency contact system has managed to lose multiple families from their list and of course with all this snow its the worst possible time and this is all after they messed up the database so phone numbers and email addresses weren't associated with the correct parent. No way we will be staying with them after this. That's mega-stressful. Ditch them as soon as you can. Schools are stressful enough without problems like that, which just make it harder.
Happenstance Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 Just now, Fierce_LiNk said: That's mega-stressful. Ditch them as soon as you can. Schools are stressful enough without problems like that, which just make it harder. Yep, I've already got another company coming in to demo us their service. The school is handling this entire day pretty badly though to be honest. I was just in the school office and multiple kids were coming down to ring home to be picked up early because supposedly their teachers had said it was ok despite no official word one way or the other having been said.
Fierce_LiNk Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 Just now, Happenstance said: Yep, I've already got another company coming in to demo us their service. The school is handling this entire day pretty badly though to be honest. I was just in the school office and multiple kids were coming down to ring home to be picked up early because supposedly their teachers had said it was ok despite no official word one way or the other having been said. Did the school not just cancel it to all pupils in advance? Our school and virtually every surrounding school has handled it in the same way. Prior message and letter sent out a few days ago to warn parents of the upcoming weather and to keep monitoring the website, facebook page and emails for further information. Then, a message sent out this morning about 2 and a half hours before the start of the school day via the school website, facebook page and through email. School is closed to day pupils, keep checking for further information with regards to tomorrow. The site is empty except for the boarding school kids, which makes sense as they live there, and a few other members of the office and kitchen staff.
Happenstance Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 1 minute ago, Fierce_LiNk said: Did the school not just cancel it to all pupils in advance? Our school and virtually every surrounding school has handled it in the same way. Prior message and letter sent out a few days ago to warn parents of the upcoming weather and to keep monitoring the website, facebook page and emails for further information. Then, a message sent out this morning about 2 and a half hours before the start of the school day via the school website, facebook page and through email. School is closed to day pupils, keep checking for further information with regards to tomorrow. The site is empty except for the boarding school kids, which makes sense as they live there, and a few other members of the office and kitchen staff. Thats basically what we do but the school is still open today. The problem is that yesterday a message was sent out saying that as the forecast was turning bad that afternoon, they would have the option to pick the kids up early if they felt they needed to so they are all expecting the same thing today but no decision has been made.
Fierce_LiNk Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 1 minute ago, Happenstance said: Thats basically what we do but the school is still open today. The problem is that yesterday a message was sent out saying that as the forecast was turning bad that afternoon, they would have the option to pick the kids up early if they felt they needed to so they are all expecting the same thing today but no decision has been made. Hmm. So the place is still open to the pupils? I was worried that we were going to open today, especially as the snow was meant to get worse at around 10am onwards. It would have made it very difficult for parents to get in and pick up, and there's also the safety aspect. Sometimes it's just easier and logistically better to close the place full stop.
Happenstance Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 2 minutes ago, Fierce_LiNk said: Hmm. So the place is still open to the pupils? I was worried that we were going to open today, especially as the snow was meant to get worse at around 10am onwards. It would have made it very difficult for parents to get in and pick up, and there's also the safety aspect. Sometimes it's just easier and logistically better to close the place full stop. Yeah, we're quite central so its not been as bad here as everywhere else. The problem I had with the decision was that I think all but one of the senior leadership team that made the decision either live on-site or within walking distance of the school so while it might be passable here, that doesn't take into account the parents/staff journeys in. I couldn't believe it today when it was announced that we wouldn't be running a minibus service to some music exams because they didn't feel comfortable on the roads but they still expected everyone else to drive on the same roads to get in.
Fierce_LiNk Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 1 minute ago, Happenstance said: Yeah, we're quite central so its not been as bad here as everywhere else. The problem I had with the decision was that I think all but one of the senior leadership team that made the decision either live on-site or within walking distance of the school so while it might be passable here, that doesn't take into account the parents/staff journeys in. I couldn't believe it today when it was announced that we wouldn't be running a minibus service to some music exams because they didn't feel comfortable on the roads but they still expected everyone else to drive on the same roads to get in. That's crazy. Have you got many pupils in at all? What happens to those who don't turn up? Is it considered an acceptable absence? Just bizarre. The sensible thing is to look at what nearby schools are doing. There would have been uproar today had we opened and I can list all of the parents who would have complained at our place had we tried that! Have you had any complaints yet from parents?
Happenstance Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 Just now, Fierce_LiNk said: That's crazy. Have you got many pupils in at all? What happens to those who don't turn up? Is it considered an acceptable absence? Just bizarre. The sensible thing is to look at what nearby schools are doing. There would have been uproar today had we opened and I can list all of the parents who would have complained at our place had we tried that! Have you had any complaints yet from parents? No complaints, just a lot of phone calls asking if we will be allowing them to leave early again. We have roughly 300 pupils and I'd say maybe 35 are off today. I don't know what will happen with those that didn't turn up but I doubt they'll be any issues. All the other schools in the town are open so the issue isn't really that we opened, more that the planning on what to do next should have been already in place and not letting teachers whatever they feel like when its the school office that has to deal with the flood of emails/phone calls and then kids coming in at break to ring home.
Eenuh Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 Job win for me! We are currently waiting on clients to give us feedback on our projects, so I am a bit low on work I can do... so my boss has said I can take a snow day tomorrow (even though I work from home)! Might go out and make a snowman tomorrow if the snow is still there!
Jimbob Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 Yesterday, it showed all the trains to and from Cardiff to where i live were cancelled. So i called up and explained this, however i noticed 1 was going around 12pm. Called the emergency works number and they advised the building is closed and is likely to be closed tomorrow, but i have to call up to check.
drahkon Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 All of you talking about snow... It's -12°C over here and no sign of precipitation. Sunny during the day with pretty strong gusts of wind...feels like -20°C.
bob Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 It is not great. I've never been so cold on my commute in. Genuinely thought I had frostbite in my fingertips yesterday.
Ashley Posted March 1, 2018 Posted March 1, 2018 2 hours ago, Eenuh said: Job win for me! We are currently waiting on clients to give us feedback on our projects, so I am a bit low on work I can do... so my boss has said I can take a snow day tomorrow (even though I work from home)! Might go out and make a snowman tomorrow if the snow is still there! No, you take pictures of the cats for the rest of us! I've got to go in for a 2 hour meeting at 3pm tomorrow after it was delayed from last week. I don't wanna! 1
bob Posted March 2, 2018 Posted March 2, 2018 Only three of us at work today, and it's blimmin' freezing in the office. I literally had to walk through foot high snow drifts to get in.
Happenstance Posted March 2, 2018 Posted March 2, 2018 My school has decided to close today and tomorrow. I don’t work either day anyway 1
Ashley Posted March 2, 2018 Posted March 2, 2018 18 hours ago, Ashley said: No, you take pictures of the cats for the rest of us! I've got to go in for a 2 hour meeting at 3pm tomorrow after it was delayed from last week. I don't wanna! Well it was postponed again. As much as I don't want to go, I do want it over with. To move a file in the change management system I'm having to use you need to wait ~10 seconds and then double click on something. I'm having to do that 200 times.
MindFreak Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 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.
Cube Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 I've just found out that the manager at my new job is the brother of my old boss. Which is crazy, as they hired the manager at the same time as the rest of the staff. 1
Ashley Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 43 minutes ago, MindFreak said: 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. Have you spoken to them about this and the possibility for training/an initial 'getting settled' period so you don't feel that you're starting from behind?
MindFreak Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 4 minutes ago, Ashley said: Have you spoken to them about this and the possibility for training/an initial 'getting settled' period so you don't feel that you're starting from behind? Yes, they will give me the training I need to learn the new tools and languages (Java is not new to me but I haven't used it in such a setting before).
bob Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 (in Denmark, we have 37 hours a week in general) You work 5 x 7hr 24min days? That seems oddly specific.
Ashley Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 22 minutes ago, MindFreak said: Yes, they will give me the training I need to learn the new tools and languages (Java is not new to me but I haven't used it in such a setting before). Ah well that's good. Just try not to let it worry you too much then if they're supporting you. I know naturally you'll not want to feel like you don't know what you're doing, but by the sounds of it they're happy to help. Good luck! 2 minutes ago, bob said: You work 5 x 7hr 24min days? That seems oddly specific. Or four days 7.5 hours and one day 7 hours.
MindFreak Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 25 minutes ago, bob said: You work 5 x 7hr 24min days? That seems oddly specific. Actually, yes. That is exactly what is coded into my time registration program. 24 minutes ago, Ashley said: Ah well that's good. Just try not to let it worry you too much then if they're supporting you. I know naturally you'll not want to feel like you don't know what you're doing, but by the sounds of it they're happy to help. Good luck! If I take the position that is. Problem is, I don't know if I want to when the sole difference is a question of tools and languages. 1
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