The Work Thread 2 - Get back to work!

[gaminglegend]

That’s an issue we had at work where a girl in my team would keep messaging on me on WhatsApp when she was off sick rather than the official process and she ended up getting fired for her absences. I had to spend ages screenshotting conversations for her disciplinaries to get the evidence of me telling her the process etc. Absolute nightmare.

This is it really. I find the workplace policy of calling in is a rarely followed and when it’s not certain people get away with it and others don’t which becomes unequal and unfair. Which then becomes one rule for one one for another until someone decides someone has a sickness problem and needs to deal with it. Then HR straight away start asking why the policy wasn’t followed.

I used to be quite laid back because I agree with others it
seems dickish, but I get sick of me perhaps being more approachable than others so I end up being messaged when I’m off and then having to relay the message. If I’m then sleeping in the message never gets delivered till late.

[Zilnad]

Homophobic director is now omitting me from all group emails

[Victor Mildew]

On a conference call just now the overall boss of my division namechecked everyone on my team for their hard work apart from me. There are three people on my team.

This is the same guy who was supposed to arrange a 1 to 1 meeting with me a few weeks ago and never did.

So out of the blue this guy has just sent me an invite for a catchup call in two weeks. Two months after he was supposed to.



Hmm.

You've got mail - the 2020 reboot

[Jenuall]

Looks like I might be getting lined up for a potential promotion at work.

On the one had this is obviously great (although doesn't really get associated with any kind of monetary increase at our place unfortunately ) but on the other hand it means I need to go through a whole drawn out process involving all manner of things from updating an internal CV, ensuring I've got an up to date career development plan, gathering evidence to support my promotion and providing a presentation in front of a "promotion panel".

Currently trying to get my internal CV up to date and I think I have lost the ability to convey information without dropping into bullshit corporate speak. Had to stop myself just now writing about how I'm "inspirational"

[Dual]

Inspirationally boring am I right lads?

[Victor Mildew]

Looks like I might be getting lined up for a potential promotion at work.

On the one had this is obviously great (although doesn't really get associated with any kind of monetary increase at our place unfortunately ) but on the other hand it means I need to go through a whole drawn out process involving all manner of things from updating an internal CV, ensuring I've got an up to date career development plan, gathering evidence to support my promotion and providing a presentation in front of a "promotion panel".

Currently trying to get my internal CV up to date and I think I have lost the ability to convey information without dropping into bullshit corporate speak. Had to stop myself just now writing about how I'm "inspirational"

[Jenuall]

Looks like I might be getting lined up for a potential promotion at work.

On the one had this is obviously great (although doesn't really get associated with any kind of monetary increase at our place unfortunately ) but on the other hand it means I need to go through a whole drawn out process involving all manner of things from updating an internal CV, ensuring I've got an up to date career development plan, gathering evidence to support my promotion and providing a presentation in front of a "promotion panel".

Currently trying to get my internal CV up to date and I think I have lost the ability to convey information without dropping into bullshit corporate speak. Had to stop myself just now writing about how I'm "inspirational"

I mean I could just wing it and rely on my natural charm like Jez

[poshrule_uk]

My condensed request at work has been approved!

It's on an initial 2 month trial with every Wednesday off
Working 07:30 - 16:45 with a 30 minute lunch

I really think this will suit me and every 2 days I get at least a day off which is a massive win

I just need to make sure I don't say I'm tired ever as it could be taken wrong (ie tired from bad night sleep not because of the hours)

[Drumstick]

My condensed request at work has been approved!

It's on an initial 2 month trial with every Wednesday off
Working 07:30 - 16:45 with a 30 minute lunch

I really think this will suit me and every 2 days I get at least a day off which is a massive win

I just need to make sure I don't say I'm tired ever as it could be taken wrong (ie tired from bad night sleep not because of the hours)

Nice one mate, it's great.

[Rocsteady]

Looks like I might be getting lined up for a potential promotion at work.

On the one had this is obviously great (although doesn't really get associated with any kind of monetary increase at our place unfortunately ) but on the other hand it means I need to go through a whole drawn out process involving all manner of things from updating an internal CV, ensuring I've got an up to date career development plan, gathering evidence to support my promotion and providing a presentation in front of a "promotion panel".

Currently trying to get my internal CV up to date and I think I have lost the ability to convey information without dropping into bullshit corporate speak. Had to stop myself just now writing about how I'm "inspirational"

I'm being promoted again from Wednesday, feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth since it comes with absolutely 0 benefits though.

[That's not a growth]

Is it really in your best interest to accept then? Or are you hoping to use the experience to move onto somewhere else?

[Moggy]

My condensed request at work has been approved!

It's on an initial 2 month trial with every Wednesday off
Working 07:30 - 16:45 with a 30 minute lunch

I really think this will suit me and every 2 days I get at least a day off which is a massive win

I just need to make sure I don't say I'm tired ever as it could be taken wrong (ie tired from bad night sleep not because of the hours)

That's good news. I hope you get it permanently approved after the trial.

[Rocsteady]

Is it really in your best interest to accept then? Or are you hoping to use the experience to move onto somewhere else?

Will help on my cv at least. Tbh I have a pretty comfortable job for now so not desperately looking for another role, keeping one eye on the market though.

[Zilnad]

Seen a couple of emails from the external HR advisor today that suggest a covid-19 risk assessment is under way.

I fully expect work to contact me with something along the lines of, "Here are the risk assessment reports. Now you have no reason not to come into the office".

I'll continue fighting them though. Absolutely.

[That's not a growth]

But government guidelines are for offices to work from home where possible? A risk assessment doesn't trump that.

[Tomous]

Why are they so desperate for you to be back in the office?

[Lagamorph]

Why are they so desperate for you to be back in the office?

A lot of office managers/HR managers are massively old fashioned and just can't accept that people Working from Home aren't just taking the piss and dodging actual work, so are just massively against Working From Home in general.
Another part of it is office/facility managers desperate to justify their own existence and don't care who they throw under the bus to do it.

[Zilnad]

Why are they so desperate for you to be back in the office?

A lot of office managers/HR managers are massively old fashioned and just can't accept that people Working from Home aren't just taking the piss and dodging actual work, so are just massively against Working From Home in general.
Another part of it is office/facility managers desperate to justify their own existence and don't care who they throw under the bus to do it.

Pretty much this.

[Zilnad]

But government guidelines are for offices to work from home where possible? A risk assessment doesn't trump that.

Exactly. That's the next argument I have lined up, should they push again.

[Jenuall]

I can understand and appreciate that there are lots of jobs and roles that cannot be done (or done to the required level) from home and in those cases it makes sense for employers to be more keen to see a return to standard working environments. My current working situation is exactly that, we can't do our work elsewhere so need to be in the office so we've been in this whole time with lots of precautions in place to make that as safe as possible.

But where there's demonstrably no or little difference in what an individual or team can achieve working remotely then it just makes so much sense to carry on with that setup and where possible for it to become the new normal. It offers so many benefits to both the employee and the employer that I cannot believe so many are being short sighted about it!