The Forgotten Employee
Discussion
irocfan said:
j80jpw said:
Another example from the Xerox days was the bumper time of year that council departments had to make sure they met their use it or loose it budgets. Selling kit that ranged from £500 up to £500k made us a popular choice to help use up budgets.
This does my nut in tbh.Council is prudent and saves money sooooo for the next year their lack of profligacy is recognised by cutting their grant AND (IIRC) clawing back the amount saved.
What sort of f
king lunacy is that? No wonder those idiots splurge like a drunken sailor towards year end. 
king come march as I still had a few £k left, I asked the lads what new kit they needed so everyone got new safety kit and extras, one lad went on a needed training course,in the 90 the council had a "time and motion" study (wasnt called that but...) they went through finance saying about 1/3rd of the staff were not needed, and what did some of them do all day? came to us and said we needed 2 more staff.
I think the employer has forgotten about her but still pays the wages (big government department). I had something similar happen, although it was with full knowledge of my management.
I worked on a telephone helpdesk for a variety of companies and we were contractually obliged to answer 80% of the calls inside 30 seconds, or face a significant financial penalty. This was measured monthly.
However, 1 of these companies would only ring 3-4 times a month, so a single missed call would end up being very costly. Things weren't helped by the fact that they seemed to ring when the desk was busiest.
After a few months of penalties, it was decided that I would only answer calls from this 1 company. So for 6 months, I sat in the midst of the busiest people in the office taking around 4 calls a month. Most people were taking twice that an hour.
I found a few odd jobs to do but mostly sat online.
I worked on a telephone helpdesk for a variety of companies and we were contractually obliged to answer 80% of the calls inside 30 seconds, or face a significant financial penalty. This was measured monthly.
However, 1 of these companies would only ring 3-4 times a month, so a single missed call would end up being very costly. Things weren't helped by the fact that they seemed to ring when the desk was busiest.
After a few months of penalties, it was decided that I would only answer calls from this 1 company. So for 6 months, I sat in the midst of the busiest people in the office taking around 4 calls a month. Most people were taking twice that an hour.
I found a few odd jobs to do but mostly sat online.
In the very late 90s I took a job as an Application Support Manager for a train manufacturing company, the only problem being that the application I was to look after hadn't been bought or even spec'd when they recruited.
I was there for 8 months and it drove me absolutely mad, no work to do for the entire time and no opportunities to pick up any work from any other departments as the rest of the IT was managed from somewhere in Europe.
I spent a lot of time "working" from home, or going into the office and then going for walks around town, or watching trains being built.
I was there for 8 months and it drove me absolutely mad, no work to do for the entire time and no opportunities to pick up any work from any other departments as the rest of the IT was managed from somewhere in Europe.
I spent a lot of time "working" from home, or going into the office and then going for walks around town, or watching trains being built.
The closest i have ever got to this was when i was a student as well (seems to be a common thread on a lot of these tales!)
The local that i and about 15-20 odd mates had been drinking in for a few years was due to be sold as a going concern. Make no bones, this was 'our' bar in that we would be in there but never out numbered by any other drop ins. The usual manager was given his P45, as were all but two staff, and a temporary manager dropped in place for the 3 or 4 months to the closing date.
The two staff retained were part of our circle of friends and it quickly became apparent that the temporary manager was a solid seen it all, done it all, type whose only interest was that there be no trouble, no hard work (for him at least) and that he got his pay packet for the next few years to retirement. After a few weeks a couple of us also got taken on (it was the summer and some weekends would get a little busy). For 3 months i learnt how a bar runs, how to change barrels and so on and generally had a bloody brilliant time talking st and pulling pints.
Of course it had to come to an end and one day we were told it was all shutting up for good the following Sunday night. That Sunday was one of the most epic piss ups I can ever remember being part of! Made even better by the girls agreeing to mixed doubles strip pool, but that is another story.
Anyway I was still getting paid 2 months after the place shut down for my few 'shifts'. I did call them a couple of times to tell them but it took another couple of months for them to actually do anything. Simpler times. I was verbally told that they would be asking for the money back in due course and so put it on one side awaiting the dreaded letter informing me that i would have to send them a cheque for about £250ish.
Letter never arrived and I only remembered the money when i was going through my bank accounts to notify them of my new address when moving years later. Can't remember what it went on but if you happen to be the FD of a very large pud chain that owned a place called Saywers Wine Bar in the late 1990's - your accounts staff are/were pants.
The local that i and about 15-20 odd mates had been drinking in for a few years was due to be sold as a going concern. Make no bones, this was 'our' bar in that we would be in there but never out numbered by any other drop ins. The usual manager was given his P45, as were all but two staff, and a temporary manager dropped in place for the 3 or 4 months to the closing date.
The two staff retained were part of our circle of friends and it quickly became apparent that the temporary manager was a solid seen it all, done it all, type whose only interest was that there be no trouble, no hard work (for him at least) and that he got his pay packet for the next few years to retirement. After a few weeks a couple of us also got taken on (it was the summer and some weekends would get a little busy). For 3 months i learnt how a bar runs, how to change barrels and so on and generally had a bloody brilliant time talking s
t and pulling pints.Of course it had to come to an end and one day we were told it was all shutting up for good the following Sunday night. That Sunday was one of the most epic piss ups I can ever remember being part of! Made even better by the girls agreeing to mixed doubles strip pool, but that is another story.
Anyway I was still getting paid 2 months after the place shut down for my few 'shifts'. I did call them a couple of times to tell them but it took another couple of months for them to actually do anything. Simpler times. I was verbally told that they would be asking for the money back in due course and so put it on one side awaiting the dreaded letter informing me that i would have to send them a cheque for about £250ish.
Letter never arrived and I only remembered the money when i was going through my bank accounts to notify them of my new address when moving years later. Can't remember what it went on but if you happen to be the FD of a very large pud chain that owned a place called Saywers Wine Bar in the late 1990's - your accounts staff are/were pants.
I have worked in the city for around 20 years with the last 8 in the projects area focusing on regulatory change, new rules, efficiency and accuracy drives etc.
Without fail when you look into a process and try an define a problem statement the business say its system x y z or unreasonable demands from other areas and or regators. However analysis tells us in reality its staff being inefficient or frankly down right useless. There are I would suggest 20% of staff could be removed if you up skilled existing staff in most cases this is much cheaper an effective than a new system it would also mean you would no longer need folk like me.....Guess what banks always opt for....
So its not just the public sector that has people getting busy doing f all but really its senior mangers who want a large team etc won't vote fornhead count reduction as its loss of status.
So we end up with £5m solutuons to £50k problem and lost of people basically doing f all.
Without fail when you look into a process and try an define a problem statement the business say its system x y z or unreasonable demands from other areas and or regators. However analysis tells us in reality its staff being inefficient or frankly down right useless. There are I would suggest 20% of staff could be removed if you up skilled existing staff in most cases this is much cheaper an effective than a new system it would also mean you would no longer need folk like me.....Guess what banks always opt for....
So its not just the public sector that has people getting busy doing f all but really its senior mangers who want a large team etc won't vote fornhead count reduction as its loss of status.
So we end up with £5m solutuons to £50k problem and lost of people basically doing f all.
Knew of a maintenance guy (painter) who got 'lost' as maintenance departments were merged/reorganised. There was a painters shed/store on the flat room of the building. He lived in it day time for about 20yrs, only discovered when they wanted to put a large dish aerial where his hut was. Didn't get the sack though, just given him a pot of paint and a few brushes to paint the outside of the building, an ever lasting job actually
I thought it was him.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35557725
Spanish civil servant off work unnoticed for six years
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35557725
Spanish civil servant off work unnoticed for six years
Gecko1978 said:
So its not just the public sector that has people getting busy doing f all but really its senior mangers who want a large team etc won't vote fornhead count reduction as its loss of status.
So we end up with £5m solutuons to £50k problem and lost of people basically doing f all.
+1So we end up with £5m solutuons to £50k problem and lost of people basically doing f all.
I used to work with a project manager who every time a new project was discussed would say 'can I have some more resources?'. It became a standing joke after a while, especially when she started looking for ways to complicate every function.
CubanPete said:
Friends Dad works in telecoms. Lots of big projects across different sites, and people have extended (well) paid home leave in between projects. There are reports of these being up to two years before they remember someone isn't working on anything at the moment.
I have a friend who is similar. Telecoms, well paid, works from home and in London. Has had very long periods of "light duties" in the past whilst working from home -His house is well decorated. I've never quite worked out what his role is... Most people on here have heard of Polycell DIY/decorating products.
Many years ago they had a site in Welwyn Garden City (just along the road from Tim Birkins' blower Bentley factory) and right next door was a company by the name of PolyPenco, a plastics manufacturer.
One day a chap was given instructions by the job centre to attend an interview at Polycell, he walked into the wrong factory and spent umpteen years working for PolyPenco
Many years ago they had a site in Welwyn Garden City (just along the road from Tim Birkins' blower Bentley factory) and right next door was a company by the name of PolyPenco, a plastics manufacturer.
One day a chap was given instructions by the job centre to attend an interview at Polycell, he walked into the wrong factory and spent umpteen years working for PolyPenco
At some government funded establishments, I've seen some fairly well-compensated jobs that appear to have very little value (often man-to-man marking the sub-contractors who are doing the work) and numerous "resources" that are always available for a very well attended meeting -often meetings of debatable value and no conclusions- at which they make no contribution.
The work itself taking forever as no decisions are ever made (or are changed back and forth numerous times) and the endless series of reviews by committee ensure that the jobs last for years and years, and sometimes canned before completion.
It must be very unsatisfying, but some people seem happy to go along with it.
The work itself taking forever as no decisions are ever made (or are changed back and forth numerous times) and the endless series of reviews by committee ensure that the jobs last for years and years, and sometimes canned before completion.
It must be very unsatisfying, but some people seem happy to go along with it.
austinsmirk said:
wasn't there a bloke recently who should have been a software developer (say in the USA at a higher rate) but actually sub'd everything out a 3rd world country instead (India ?), paying them to do his work. actually very clever really.
.
In the BBC but company not named. Not sure if I believe it:.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21043693
Not quite the same magnitude but having worked in consulting (management consulting for one of the big 4 or similar) if you don't own any client relationships or are relatively new/below the radar it's not unfeasible to just end up on the bench for a month or so, it's actually relatively standard practice to try and get your projects to end around December or August when new projects are less likely to start so you can get a few weeks or a month 'working on business development' e.g. generally not coming into the office and chilling out.
Unfortunately the more well known you are and if you're good at your job it's more likely people will notice you're missing and ask you to help on something so can only last so long and if you don't hit around 80% chargeable hours questions start being asked.
Unfortunately the more well known you are and if you're good at your job it's more likely people will notice you're missing and ask you to help on something so can only last so long and if you don't hit around 80% chargeable hours questions start being asked.
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