Comments for Still Spinning

Comment on Don’t shoot the messenger by anotherblogger

anotherblogger — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:05:32 +0000

yeah, I think the person behind the name badge does often get overlooked. I know I would not relish doing what you and your colleague had to do. I guess everyone is too busy reeling from the news to consider the person who’s had to psych themselves up to tell it. It also means the skill of doing it well and properly gets lost. Hope it gets better where you work and you can be the bearer of better news soon.

As to the it being the lazy ones who seem most scared. I’m not sure that’s true but then again, maybe lazy have an instinct for knowing when they’ve got it good and are the least happy when the gravy train is kicking them off for fare dodging. Plus, being lazy, the prospect of job hunting sounds like too much hard-work. They’d much rather just tread water and hope no one notices.

My partner and I are now in the weird position of being nervous that they DON’T make his team redundant. We’re rather looking forward to cycling round the world on his redundancy pay. Have you ever had someone punch the air at being told they’re being made redundant? I imagine HR have seen it all.

Comment on Don’t shoot the messenger by drunkenspaniel

drunkenspaniel — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:01:39 +0000

Hi Another. Thanks for your post.
The important thing is – I do have a heart. Losing your job is a horrible thing, and what I wanted to try and get across in my post (and obviously failed miserably!) is that the people who have worked hard and do a great job are the ones who get hit the hardest. The people who have contributed hugely to the situation they now find themselves in because they haven’t been pulling their weight are the ones who don’t seem to have noticed it coming, have very little concept of how the others might feel about it, and are just out for what they can get.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t expect people to thank me. That’s not my job – but to have someone sensible delivering the news in the right way is so much better than the alternative.

I wanted people to know that I’m only a person too. I feel too.
But it seems that since I deliver bad news for a living, I must be a cold evil husk of a person. It makes people feel better to believe that.

And I’m so not.

Comment on Don’t shoot the messenger by anotherblogger

anotherblogger — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:05:51 +0000

no one thanked you as you left after telling them their jobs are gone and you’re calling THEM selfish?

I realise the job you had to do must be very hard. I really do. It’s not the sort of thing I would like to do by any means. I knew I wouldn’t like your angle, though after the first paragraph:

“No-one likes the news that they may not have a job in 6 weeks time. But…”

that first sentence, only ONE sentence in fact, immediately followed by a ‘but’ made my heart sink because it’s such an understatement and to put a but in after only 15 words was unkind.

Maybe I’m a little sensitive because my partner has been told by HR that they will formally announce redundancies at the end of August. 6 weeks is not a lot of time, so that they gave the team a heads-up about it early was kinda nice. The team sort of expected it as soon as they heard HR was coming down from Manchester for an announcement but they were thinking of all the OTHER things it could be because it’s damn scary to know the plug is being pulled on you – even worse when you know it’s happening all over so finding a new job quickly isn’t that likely. Redundancy might not look so bad from where you’re sitting but that’s because it’s not happening to YOU.

In my partner’s case, he hated his job already so doesn’t really mind. He was going to early next year anyway, so it works out well for him but when he talks of how it’s affected the team in his office: the fears, the shake of confidence and the concern about their and their familys’ futures, it’s kinda heart-breaking. People are afraid.

So have a heart. Losing your job is more than just something ‘no one likes’, it feels shitty, really scary, too. If people start acting selfishly, it’s because the company has said: you’re on your own now. Being made redundant affects one very personally and team dissolves, so selfishness is probably the most appropriate reaction.

Comment on Wedding! by drunkenspaniel

drunkenspaniel — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:42:54 +0000

Thanks!
Liz – My mum made and iced the cake. We were very lucky!
Had a great day.

xxxxxxxx

Comment on Wedding! by Liz

Liz — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:19:10 +0000

omg, congrats!!!!!! you guys look amazing. and so does your cake.

Comment on Wedding! by hoverfrog

hoverfrog — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:24:28 +0000

Watch out, one of them’s got a knife.

Comment on Wedding! by blue soup

blue soup — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:11:26 +0000

Congratulations!

Comment on Think you know someone? by fraggle

fraggle — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:06:07 +0000

It does shock me sometimes especially when someone you know well is accused of something and even though you know it can’t possibly be true you start to think hmmm perhaps I don’t know them as well as I thought.

Comment on Passport Rant by drunkenspaniel

drunkenspaniel — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:31:45 +0000

My ranting paid off.
I had a letter from them today asking me to confirm in writing that I’m keeping my signature.
I’m still going to complain.

Comment on Passport Rant by hoverfrog

hoverfrog — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:43:35 +0000

Many moons ago I used to work for the DVLA and I had to sign every letter that went out. My signature went from “The Wondrous and Illustrious Magnificent Mr Frog” to “J” after a week and has remained a illegible squiggle ever since.

Isn’t it bad enough that you lose the name you were born to without having to change your signature too? The rules state that you should use your normal signature. There is nothing else about form or format other than the space it take up.

Kick the officious little snot up the rear for being such a jobsworth.