We’ve listened to the accusations today by politicians, that all unemployed people are work shy, but what about the “dead wood” that impedes and weighs down almost every business in the land?

You know, the person who only switches their office voicemail on at their desk when they are sitting by the phone.

The people who insist on all verbal requests being backed up by lengthy emails, but then don’t repsond to these.

People who spend half their day browsing the internet.

People who pop out for a fag several times a day

People who seem to be busy and never actually deliver anything, who always offload work onto someone else.

One guy I knew used to grab a printout and then go off round the office asking people some plausible question relating to it, then spend the following 15-10 mins talking about football. He’d be gone for hours!

How about the clock watchers who get to work an hour early so they look like deicated workers, then sit in the canteen until quarter past nine. Then they toddle off for about twenty minutes to look busy, then shuffle back to the canteen for another hour or so of time wasting. This then goes on all day.

What about the person who’s phone goes to voicemail the second clock strikes 5pm, or the shop workers who pack up and close their employer’s shop 5-10 minutes early, just so they can guarantee to be locked up and away by 5:30pm?

Or people who involve themselves in meeting after meeting after meeting and never actually get to execute any of the actions arising and just spend their lives making excuses as to why they haven’t done something.

Or the guy who signs himself out up to several hours after the time he actually leaves so he can claim the overtime.

The people who “have the flu” when in fact they have nothing wrong with them at all, they just fancied a day off.

The stupidest ones are those who expend an inordinate amount of energy doing things “half baked”, then get creative in covering their incompetence, like framing someone else. Must take twice as much effort as it does if they just did things right in the first place!

Or the person who craftily undermines everyone, making him/herself seem like everyones’ loyal friend. The sort of person who’ll tell everbody else about the good things he/she is doing, which are infact things that colleagues should be getting the credit for.

I have many memories of having to carry people, getting dumped on , stitched up and in the end, just getting on and doing stuff myself. It was easier that way!

Tell me your stories?

People spending net work weeks posting on STW. Costing the country millions!
Ban it I say !

smokers, in general, they seem to moan about people having breaks without seeming to notice that they disappear for ten minutes every hour.

The OP outlines why I’ll never employ anyone and never want a normal ‘job’

Most of the people I know who have businesses are continually moaning about their staff – their ’employees’ are their biggest headache

Enjoy working where you do Spongebob?

😀

“People who pop out for a fag several times a day”

Since the alternative’s dealing with an addict in withdrawal I’d sooner they just go and have a fag.

Personally I know I’ll do more quality work in an 8 hour day if I spend a bit of time goofing off- the short unofficial breaks/skives clear the head I find. Occasionally people have complained about me not being, ahem, strictly working all the time but nobody’s ever had any complaint about the work or quality of work I do so…

“the shop workers who pack up and close their employer’s shop 5-10 minutes early, just so they can guarantee to be locked up and away by 5:30pm?”

Hmm. Well, this one depends on when they actually get paid til. When I was working in a shop I got paid til 5.30, even though it took 15 minutes to cash up and lock up, so I closed at 5.15. Employer refused to pay overtime. Can’t see any problem with that myself, it was in their hands to fix.

Enjoy working where you do Spongebob?

I’ve worked in some 250 different locations, perhaps more.

You do get to see what people are like.

“People who pop out for a fag several times a day”

It was a nice day and my missus was walking across site and spotted a girl sitting on the grass. She asked her what she was doing. Girl pointed at a group of smokers and said that she was having a fresh air break. Good on her!!

I’ve worked in some 250 different locations, perhaps more

WOW 😯

Only ever had 2 jobs

Seriously! I couln’t believe it myself until in engaged in an exercise for a CV writer. They wanted to know what i’d done so I buried them in information. 😈 I’ve only been employed by 8 proper companies in 25 years.

smokers, in general, they seem to moan about people having breaks without seeming to notice that they disappear for ten minutes every hour.

Had a Production Manager at work. Gave me a real grilling over the fact I’d pop up to make a drink at lunchtime, when I actually worked through my lunchhour to finish an hour early. He, on the other hand, would easily use up an hour a day standing around outside smoking. Thankfully not working for us now. Life is so much more relaxed.

Pretty much all the op’s examples sound like problems that good management should prevent…

I think I agree with most of the OP, though I’d take issue with the “problem” that finishing work at 5 an issue; people are expected to work for free now?

cougar +1

as much as i agree with the OP, people who dont work and leave it to tohers to fill the gaps are beyong frustrating… but if i only get paid to work until 5pm, thats when i leave work.

(i always leave my mobile on anyway as if something kicks off at work i’d like to be kept updated, and of course if there’s an emergency with a patient then i’d rush straight back in)

having a life outside of work is important, if companies expect their staff to work from home in the evenings and on weekends etc then it should be included in the contract… i know of one very big gaming company that specifies this in the contracts and even stops all staff from taking annual leave anywhere near the christmas period.

Pretty much all the op’s examples sound like problems that good management should prevent…

what is this ‘good management’ of which you speak?

Another +1 for Cougar.

Working in healthcare it is smokers that really piss me off, they go to the lab or pharmacy and a 5 minute walk talks 20 minutes. I’ve noticed that now pharmacy is in the main building smokers are less keen to do that job, as they can’t get a genuine fag break on the way, but they’re practicaly falling over themselves to do the lab run as that is still housed in a different building.

I don’t have a problem with people finishing on time, I spent many years working in a culture of long hours until I became unwell, and subsequently have become an hours nazi – I suppose working to rules/contract in a small way, avoiding 10 hour days in an “on call” capacity at the end of a telephone that would regularly mean 50 hour weeks if my colleague was on leave, which would be often as she works term time only. I’m still open to being contacted by colleagues if there is a problem but not the semi open access that had previously been allowed to clients.

Skive skive skive as much as you can, its more efficient to get paid as much as possible for the barest minimum work, anybody who thinks otherwise is plainly an idiot.
A company employing me buys my time and my skills.

People who point out almost daily that they do more work than someone else, usually a completely false claim and only do it to try to make themselves look more productive.

What really gets on my pod though are people who think they are such fantastic employees who do absolutely nothing wrong and enjoy pointing out what other people do or don’t do

The deputy team leader at a lab I used to work at had a genius system going.
Team & Deputy Team Leaders worked normal 9-5, we worked shift hours, 8am – 8.30pm. So Mr Deputy would start his chemistry at exactly the right time to guarantee that it would be ready to work up at about 5.15pm. He’d get it all going, add all the ingredients etc then at 5pm he’d come over and say “OK, that’s got about 30 mins left then can you cool it down, filter it, wash the solid through, get it in the drying trays overnight and clean up all the equipment – thanks, bye”

It’s called: managing your creativity, not your time. 😉

I often walk out for a coffee in the afternoon as my ‘ciggie break’. However, I find it clears my head and helps me think, which I see as a positive thing.

I also do try and leave vaguely on time and often arrive late, but when the sh!t hits the fan I do (and have) work for as long as it takes to get a project finished.

All swings in roundabout.

I have many memories of having to carry people, getting dumped on , stitched up and in the end, just getting on and doing stuff myself. It was easier that way!

Doormat! The clever people are the one’s getting you to do their work and still claiming the credit.

Maybe you should go on a Stakeholder Management course?

“what is this ‘good management’ of which you speak?”

What is this ‘management’ of which you speak?

Not sure I agree with the half a day browsing the Internet one being a problem…

The hours thing irks me a bit, I’m contracted for 37.5 hours but recognise there’s the odd tight deadline/additional workload that needs to get done so happy to work 45-50 hour weeks occasionally and as standard work around 40 hours. The problem comes though when this seems to be recognised as the norm by managers so firstly it’s expected (and no longer seen as the employee contributing more than they should) and then you get raised eyebrows/subtle digs on the occasions you do leave on time. I’ve been close to losing it a couple of times when someone’s made a remark (like “ah not busy then?”) about me leaving at 5pm on a Friday (normal time).

There’s an argument that the occasional break is actually beneficial. Going to make a brew or going for a smoking / not-smoking break can clear your head and help you focus. Doing the same task for several hours non-stop, I’d doubt that anyone’s concentration and productivity isn’t going to wander.

Granted, some people take the piss. I’ve worked with people who take 20 minutes for a cigarette break every hour, or sit on the Internet all day. But a couple of minutes here and there is probably helpful.

For me, the nature of my work means that I spend an amount of time waiting for things. If I reboot a server, it takes a couple of minutes to restart. Upgrading software can take a minute or two whilst installers run. Often I can multi-task and tick off a couple of other things whilst this is working, but sometimes I’ll use the time to post on here or make coffee or some such. Ultimately, it’s not a problem (for me at least) so long as at the end of the day the work gets done.

The hours thing irks me a bit, I’m contracted for 37.5 hours but recognise there’s the odd tight deadline/additional workload that needs to get done so happy to work 45-50 hour weeks occasionally and as standard work around 40 hours. The problem comes though when this seems to be recognised as the norm by managers so firstly it’s expected (and no longer seen as the employee contributing more than they should) and then you get raised eyebrows/subtle digs on the occasions you do leave on time. I’ve been close to losing it a couple of times when someone’s made a remark (like “ah not busy then?”) about me leaving at 5pm on a Friday (normal time).

I think that’s half the problem though. We’ve adopted an almost America culture where we have contracted hours, but are expected to work beyond them.

just so they can guarantee to be locked up and away by 5:30pm?

Ever worked in a shop? Somehow my bos always used to expect me to arrive 20minutes before the shop opened and leave 20min affter despite not being paid for that time. I told her to shove it as the shop made more money than I did so if it didn’t want to pay for my time I wasn’t going to stay there.

Ever worked in a shop? Somehow my bos always used to expect me to arrive 20minutes before the shop opened and leave 20min affter despite not being paid for that time. I told her to shove it as the shop made more money than I did so if it didn’t want to pay for my time I wasn’t going to stay there.

Depends on the shop in my experience. In large, town centre shops it’s part and parcel of the deal – you need to get everything tidy at the end of the day and have time in the morning so you’re ready and the shop floor is ready when the doors open.

In my experience retail is also a hard-work, low-paid trade that I have no wish to ever work in again. 😉

1. The irony of all these full time people on here complaining about skivers on a Monday morning…..
Oh bugger, that includes me as well!
As for long hours culture, it’s simple. If you want a job work to the clock. If you want a career, do the extra. You might not like it but it’s the way the world works. Personally, I work evenings / weekends when I don’t have anything to do (i.e. it raining and there’s no rugby on!) and disappear at 3:00pm on a sunny Tuesday afternoon to go for ride instead. It’s all about balance and getting yourself into a position where you can – which I did by working long hours in the first place!

It depends what you’re contracted to do, surely?

If I’m employed to work 9 till 5 in a shop that opens 9 till 5 and requires an hour of prep and hour to close, my working hours are wrong.

How about taking a stance where you don’t allow yourself to be s*it on in the first place?

Work to live yadda yadda.

+1 to what Wes said.

The way I look at it is, it has to swing both ways. I’m sometimes required to work outside of my set hours, offset by the fact that work are fairly easy-going should I decide I’m having a POETS day on Friday.

I don’t work for free, I’m not paid well enough for that sort of insanity and I’ve better things to do with my time. However, I’ve no issues with dialing into a customer’s network from home at 9pm to check on it because I know that a week later when I want to take an extra half hour out at lunchtime to run a couple of errands work will be cool with that. It makes things easier for me and for them. The alternative is I can work to rule and they can pay me overtime.

Some take the pee, but majority here dont. Last week I was out at a customers for the day. That meant on the road at 5:30am, back home at 9pm. Long day, but if I need a few hours off here & there my boss knows that I more than make up for it. What pees me off is those that are in & out on the dot questioning why I seemingly get a bit of leniency.
I often wish I could get a laptop & do a bit late at night, & get the time in lieu. Not about being a workaholic, but about making use of some time that would normally be spent idle. Difficult when your pretty much office bound I guess.

I have a great boss. I asked him for some time off and I said yes.

lolz

Depends on the shop in my experience. In large, town centre shops it’s part and parcel of the deal

That was my gripe, if they wanted to pay me barely above minimum wage then expect an hours unpaid work every day I told them I’d just go work somwhere that paid minimum wage as well but paid me for those ‘free’ hours.

Ever worked in a shop? Somehow my bos always used to expect me to arrive 20minutes before the shop opened and leave 20min affter despite not being paid for that time. I told her to shove it as the shop made more money than I did so if it didn’t want to pay for my time I wasn’t going to stay there.

I worked in a famous high street bakers, they expected me to be there from 6am to 6pm – I got paid for 7 hours a day

5 days a week, 6am – 6pm minus an hours lunch = 55 Hours a week. I got paid for 35 hours

Needless to say I didn’t stick that very long.

And the reason shops start closing 10 minutes early is to stop the bumbling gonks strolling in at 5:29 for a half hour window shop

From reading the comments here, it’s evident that employees are expected to put in extra hours for no pay. We are on the subject of work ethic here, but as some point out, should you have more of a work ethic the better you get paid, or is it just that being paid well means that giving up extra time is not such a sacrifice? Some people find a culture where they are expected to sacrifice a lunchbreak, or if a situation develops, to work the extra time to complete the matter in hand. Should they work to rule if the employer will pay them O/T?

Many years ago I was working in central London and was so busy I sometimes didn’t get to eat until 3pm. I never had a lunch hour and my pager used to go off, requiring an immediate response, while i was eating my sandwich. The timing was uncanny! I got so pissed off with it that I put in an hour’s overtime for each day, not expecting to get paid, but just to make a point. It was met with derision and no I wasn’t well paid in that job. Does objecting to never getting the lunchbreak detailed in my contract mean I had a bad work ethic? Or were the company taking the pesh?

Yeah, it’s all swings and roundabouts, but how many managers appreciate a dedicated team? How long will they remember all the good things you did? My experience is that you are only as good as your last **** up.

The key to a happy work place aside from a viable business is good man management. If you were working out in the field, the chances of things playing out fairly were remote at best. It only took one bad apple to wreck the morale of the team seeing as we were salaried, but contracted to respond to calls that went outside the bounds of a normal working day, it quickly became strained if people didn’t pull their weight.

I think i’ve had one or two good man managers in all my career, the rest of the time was a bit of a nightmare. The problem is that senior management teams don’t really aim to pick the best man managers, they pick people like themselves. Fairness has nothing to do with it, it seems to be all about competition, stick wealding and hitting targets – sod the morale of the team!

If you are the sort of person that rails against a bullying style of management and who has a sense of fair play, this scenario is a recipe for conflict.

On the whole I like my workplace. My boss is based in the US but we have a genuinely good relationship, I can work from home occasionally and, as long as everything gets done, my boss is happy. There are fire drills, but similarly there are easy times.

My personal issue is that this job is not my career. I will do what I need to, but I won’t go above and beyond because I have other things I’d rather be doing and I intend to do a lot more, vastly different things in my working life yet.

I think when I find something that I believe in and genuinely want to succeed, *then* I will be giving it the all. The motivation for me is not there otherwise.

As a former (good) boss once said to me: “no-one in a company works as hard as the owner”

Not always true, but it was where he was concerned.