The Work Thread

I'm out of work at the moment ("taking a career break!" ... ) and I worked for my previous company for about 22 years. Moved around quite a few jobs in that time and I think I'd broadly break it down as the first sixteen years being generally decent whilst the final six rotated between being okay and bloody awful.

No idea what I am going to do next; I've been out of the market for a while and so I may be taking virtually anything that I can get. I've been avoiding the issue for a while now and I'm very apprehensive about it... I need to sort it out soon.

Work is good at the moment, although the news of facilities (that's Porters, Estates etc), being handed over to a subsidiary company within the NHS next April has had a few go into meltdown mode. No real details beyond that news have been brought to light, (although changes to weekend/bank holiday pay, annual leave, pensions etc will very likely change for the worse), but for me I'm just going to soldier on and keep my head down until we have a clearer picture.

Even today (looking after my son) was only a 2/3, the colleagues and work were great but the money was terrible.

Cuttooth wrote:I very much subscribe to the three pillars view of job satisfaction, where you need two of the following to be happy in a job:

Money
Fulfilling Work
Good Colleagues

Supposedly once you're down to just one you start to hate it. If you're at zero then you want to immediately leave I guess! I've never had all three in one role at once, I doubt many people can say they have.

2/3.

Money for an NHS Porter isn't great, but it's not terrible either when you factor in job satisfaction and colleagues. That said, I'm still earning more than when I was a high street retail manager and I get paid weekly so money management is easier.

Gemini73 wrote:

Cuttooth wrote:I very much subscribe to the three pillars view of job satisfaction, where you need two of the following to be happy in a job:

Money
Fulfilling Work
Good Colleagues

Supposedly once you're down to just one you start to hate it. If you're at zero then you want to immediately leave I guess! I've never had all three in one role at once, I doubt many people can say they have.

2/3.

Money for an NHS Porter isn't great, but it's not terrible either when you factor in job satisfaction and colleagues. That said, I'm still earning more than when I was a high street retail manager and I get paid weekly so money management is easier.

My stepdad has just been offered an NHS porter job, less money but he's really looking forward to it. It's going to be far more satisfying than the crap he puts up with now!

Moggy wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:

Cuttooth wrote:I very much subscribe to the three pillars view of job satisfaction, where you need two of the following to be happy in a job:

Money
Fulfilling Work
Good Colleagues

Supposedly once you're down to just one you start to hate it. If you're at zero then you want to immediately leave I guess! I've never had all three in one role at once, I doubt many people can say they have.

2/3.

Money for an NHS Porter isn't great, but it's not terrible either when you factor in job satisfaction and colleagues. That said, I'm still earning more than when I was a high street retail manager and I get paid weekly so money management is easier.

My stepdad has just been offered an NHS porter job, less money but he's really looking forward to it. It's going to be far more satisfying than the crap he puts up with now!

Good on him! I love it, mate. 3 years in and I still enjoy my job. Never could claim that during my 15 years of retail.

I've also discovered that I'm far thicker skinned and have a stronger stomach than I gave myself credit for.

Gemini73 wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:

Cuttooth wrote:I very much subscribe to the three pillars view of job satisfaction, where you need two of the following to be happy in a job:

Money
Fulfilling Work
Good Colleagues

Supposedly once you're down to just one you start to hate it. If you're at zero then you want to immediately leave I guess! I've never had all three in one role at once, I doubt many people can say they have.

2/3.

Money for an NHS Porter isn't great, but it's not terrible either when you factor in job satisfaction and colleagues. That said, I'm still earning more than when I was a high street retail manager and I get paid weekly so money management is easier.

My stepdad has just been offered an NHS porter job, less money but he's really looking forward to it. It's going to be far more satisfying than the crap he puts up with now!

Good on him! I love it, mate. 3 years in and I still enjoy my job. Never could claim that during my 15 years of retail.

I've also discovered that I'm far thicker skinned and have a stronger stomach than I gave myself credit for.

Yeah I'm not sure I could handle the gross/sad stuff.

My stepdad will love it though, he'll chat to anybody and he's been in and out of that hospital so often that he ought to know everyone by name anyway.

Moggy wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:

Cuttooth wrote:I very much subscribe to the three pillars view of job satisfaction, where you need two of the following to be happy in a job:

Money
Fulfilling Work
Good Colleagues

Supposedly once you're down to just one you start to hate it. If you're at zero then you want to immediately leave I guess! I've never had all three in one role at once, I doubt many people can say they have.

2/3.

Money for an NHS Porter isn't great, but it's not terrible either when you factor in job satisfaction and colleagues. That said, I'm still earning more than when I was a high street retail manager and I get paid weekly so money management is easier.

My stepdad has just been offered an NHS porter job, less money but he's really looking forward to it. It's going to be far more satisfying than the crap he puts up with now!

Good on him! I love it, mate. 3 years in and I still enjoy my job. Never could claim that during my 15 years of retail.

I've also discovered that I'm far thicker skinned and have a stronger stomach than I gave myself credit for.

Yeah I'm not sure I could handle the gross/sad stuff.

My stepdad will love it though, he'll chat to anybody and he's been in and out of that hospital so often that he ought to know everyone by name anyway.

Some days are hard, no question. Particularly down on Oncology, but you learn to deal with. Not become desensitised, just thicker skinned. Everyone has their own way of dealing with the harsh/sad stuff.

Encourage your step-dad to take the V&A course (Violence & Aggression). It's handy to have under his belt, as long as he doesn't mind putting up with some physical and verbal abuse.

hmm

Money 1/10 - I make hardly any money but what I get I earnt 100% myself and if I want more I just sell harder
Fulfilling Work - 10/10 I only do what I want to do
Good Colleagues - 7/10 My customers are generally great but I have no help at all

Total 18/30 would self-employ again and can be 30/30 if you're willing to spend 10 years getting every single strawberry floating thing right and do it all wrong in the process

You give a man 3 points and he makes it into 30

This is why I'm always more of a Mafro main.

I believe it's spelt mayne.

He means he uses Mafro for serious tournament play.

I want to speak to your manager!!!!!
And could I just ask what you want to speak to him about?
I don't know!!!!!!! I want to speak to your manager!!!!!



He'd buggered off by the time I found someone. Result.

I'm on 1.3-1.5. Work colleagues are great, money is NOT (i'm 31 and with an almost-PhD on £20k while my gf earns almost literally double that and all our friends are lecturers, IT guys, pilots, ecologists etc with kids/nice houses they actually own) and the actual work is pretty numbing after a while. I've had a smattering of interviews but nothing has gone anywhere. Luckily i'm slowly losing all ambition and dreams of doing something interesting or well-paid so i'll eventually accept my mediocrity and everything will be "fine"

I like the people I work with, Ph.D. pay isn't fantastic but fits my lifestyle (I'm happy living like a student for now), and my work is often quite interesting (though I'm currently a bit tired and looking forward to putting the current project behind me, the next one will be fresh and is happening soon).

I guess it feels like a 2/3. Could go up to 3/3 over the next couple of years, I think.

I would say I'm at a 3/3 so I guess for now I'm lucky.

Squinty wrote:I want to speak to your manager!!!!!
And could I just ask what you want to speak to him about?
I don't know!!!!!!! I want to speak to your manager!!!!!



He'd buggered off by the time I found someone. Result.

Honestly most people just want to be heard, and we have learned that speaking to someone higher, with the title is the way to do this, sometimes it's nothing personal to you being in the middle. I agree finding out why is needed, because the first thing I used to ask when requested for, was what was it about - not because I couldn't be arsed to see the person, but that having an idea of why they need to see me helps me come up with solutions/think about the issue before I speak to the person.

Saying that I've had these scenarios before where they've actually needed to speak about something completely unrelated or complimentary but the person they spoke to has already decided in their head it was a negative "speak to the manager" comment, and pissed them off more

I had an interview today for a company I would love to go work for; a bit more money, more holiday, shorter hours and with real opportunity for progression and growth, everything my current job isn't. I think it went well, but of course I have to assume I won't get it to avoid working myself up about it...

Had an interview for the NHS today. Went well, but turns out it colorectal surgical ward which I have zero interest in. However, they offered me a post in a gastric surgical ward instead. I'm really undecided whether to take the post. I want out of my current work before it goes wild again, and I want into the NHS (better wages, good pension, more room to move specialities) However, the post offered is a lower band than I'm on, which with unsocial hours payments would work out the same if not more wages.

Being a lower band means less responsibility and clinical skills. They said I wouldn't be expected to take blood pressures, yet I've qualified in blue light ambulance care. It could be a good 'in' to work up the payscale and move into an area I'm interested in, but I'm not sure if it's worth holding out for a better role to come up which unfortunately would be more sought after too. This is my first interview off 50+ applications to general wards, which doesn't give me much hope. I've got the weekend to think about it, but I think I'm gunna patch it. Hospital is an absolute hole too.