Mrs yunki wasn’t up to the job after her maternity leave finished, due to post-natal depression..

game over – she apologised and left her position

Shame for her she didn’t work for me then!

but that they can’t take it right now and to take the holiday over the next couple of months when it is quieter and you can cope with being short-handed for a bit

Think about it Joe. We are talking about a couple of months on top of what she is entitled to for next year, In essence that means I will be without this employee for in excess of a quarter of 2013 whenever she flipping takes it!

Yep: The issue for me is I’ve pared down her tasks to just the most critical for her skills and farmed out what I can elsewhere to accomodate her needs. Suddenly, having done that I’ve found myself without her for 8.75 weeks, (she actually wants to take the time off, not be paid in lieu). Either way is a total embuggerance, and on balance taking the time is probably the bigger problem, as what slack there was has just been taken up by the reallocation of tasks. Took me flipping ages to sort it out and right now there a smoking hole in my boot and my gun is lying by my side! 🙁

BTW, under what circumstances does she get 40 days

140 hours @ 16 hours per week = 8.75 weeks leave. Thats the point, and the bit I missed. The penny didn’t drop that there would be leave entitlement and that it would be calculated solely on the previous scheme of work. Daft I know, but my last involvement with maternity leave was when I was refused time off to attend the birth of my daughter or to look after my wife 24 years ago,(I had the last laugh though, as she was delivered at home by me :-). Which is what in fact propelled me to work for myself. Its also what is firmly in my mind in my dealings with my staff now. So generally I undertand what its all about, its just that the burden both of administration and cost is disproportionate at the small end of the business scale.

Trust me its not difficult to overlook things when you are trying to keep afloat.

Think : 55 weeks off mostly on paid maternity leave, for which they have now accrued holiday entitlement as well. Seems to me that statutory maternity leave (the clue is in the name), should include annual leave entitlement even if its extended by 4 or 5 weeks to accomodate that, but why would you give someone maternity leave with annual leave on top? Remember even though the maternity leave is state funded, I am also paying for maternity cover and the covers leave at the same time. So the leave element is a double whammy.

Sound’s to me the OP has good business reasons to refuse.

Well actually, no I didn’t, clearly, becuase I was able to resturcture to facilitate it, that apart I have a moral obligation to a person who has worked for me for many years. I have no problem with that and I would always try to accomodate what I can where I can, as opposed to being the facist which you are trying hard to imply that I am.

You must have agreed she could come back 16hrs per week no? In which case no point bleating about it, you should have thought about that first.

Yes and as I said, I restructured the way we operate to facilitate it for her. Not becuase it was good for me, but becuase it was important for her. What I overlooked, and yes I did overlook it, is that after nearly 13months absence that I would also have to pay for or alternatively give her holiday based on her previous hours of work agaisnt this new scheme of work, thus 2 months off or cash in lieu that I simply haven’t got at the moment. Like I said it simply didn’t occur to me that could be possible, frankly I wouldn’t have dreamt it in my wildest dreams. For the record my last expereince of maternity issues was when my wife had our last child 24 years ago, so its not something I deal with every day.

go bankrupt, start a new business, don’t employ women of child bearing age.

Do you know what? I’ve always tried hard to be a caring employer, but to be honest I can now see why people might take that view. We’re not big enough to have specialist HR people, and honestly it never even occurred to me that this could happen. I really have tried to be as accomodating as I can, including agreeing to the 16 hour thing, even though its a total pain in the backside, and I’ve had to restructure the way we work to do it. Only after that was agreed and oput in place did the “oh and by the way” line appear…. so its either a lump sum I haven’t got or another two months without her or the cover for her. Won’t be bankrupt, but if the bank decides not to be nice about this it could mean administration, its that finely balanced right now.

Anyone got any idea how much travel hes got on that thing? It looks a lot like two fifths of sod all in the pic, but obviously that can be v. deceptive

PS: Pic 2 = Awesome IMHO

Tom: May I suggest that you sign SOAP up to your coaching team?

Obviously he has skills well beyond that of us normal mortals. Personally I reckon showing up with 6″ plus of full suspension would simplify the descents somewhat, but then that would properly mess you up on the climbing, (of which there is ample for those that don’t know it). Alternatively a nicely light and balanced hardtail with 100mm or less of travel would make the climbing easier, but frankly would scare the crap out of me descending wise, so to come across someone who seems to have both things so fully and well covered surely is an opportunity not to be missed.

Go for it.

(Thats assuming he not a complete prat or a troll… obviously)

What never fails to amaze me is the amount of money pissed away hiring and firing footy managers. I don’t know about anyone else, but in my line of work if I selected and recruited a key person into any of the organisations that I’ve run over the years and then routinely had to off them after a year or so, I’d be the one with the marching orders. What I also know without fear of contradiction is that takes time to properly facilitate change in any organisation. I would say 3 years minimum before real results become apparent.

Berm Bandit – Member

This and the fat twunt that got locked up for child abuse yesterday tell me everything that I need or want to know about organised religion.

The end.

Yes, because as we’ve learnt over the last number of weeks, sexual abuse is the special domain of organised religion.

When I was a kid, the perps were all involved in the scouting movement. And ice hockey. Tells me all I need or want to know about those two institutions.

The end.

Saxonrider: You seem to be quite exercised about all this, so for clarity I do appreciate that sodmising little boys or discriminating against large swathes of society, is not the exclusive province of organised religion. However, they do seem to also specialise in pontification and attempts to monopolise and manipulate the moral high ground while they are doing so. Thus my point that I really don’t need to know anymore about them. If the truth be known I have little time for the scouts, and even less for Ice hockey, if that helps.

This and the fat twunt that got locked up for child abuse yesterday tell me everything that I need or want to know about organised religion.

The end.

Before the inevitable flaming starts, I would start by saying that I lost my paternal Grandfather on the Somme, and my family is still dealing with the aftermath of that to this day. My wifes father was a Japanese Pow during WW2 and her side of the family are likewise still dealing with that.

Personally, and with very limited exceptions, I think the best way to honour our war dead is to turn upon any Government worldwide that rattles sabres and looks to resolve disputes through force with one voice and villify them, impose sanctions or whatever else we can do other than start a punch up. I think that is at the nub of the issue regarding militaristic celebrations of our war dead. There are those, myself included who do get a tad uptight about anything that seems to glorify, justify or nullify the horror of warfare, which fairly often these rememberance day things can do.

I would not however, choose that day or indeed some poor sods funeral to put that view forward.

EDF? What has a French energy company got to do with football nicknames

Ahem …English Defence Feckwits obviously 😳

and then nothing is done to deal with what is very rare and clearly no cause for concern……

Digging him up and flogging the corpse is on the same level as burning the flags of other nations. Simply pointless posturing. Much better to address the living issues IMHO.

…and thus the dangers of not representing our views in one voice are well demonstrated

Oh I see its that British trait of being a valiant loser and turning Dunkirk into a victory……

😕 I think the point is being missed here boys. The real issue is how come when everything else I do is gradually taking me longer and longer this is speeding up?? I mean is this some sort of celestial payback or something??? I’m depressed enough as it is about the fact that I can’t keep up with folk that weren’t born when I started riding, but this is just taking the michael….at least be consistent Lord….

We appear to be interestingly uninterested in todays big cycling story. Too common place to notice maybe?

Prediction: All things being equal and presuming the big man was not being a cock, the motorist will go unpunished. This despite the fact the driving close enough to a cyclist to clump them with your wing mirror as was apparently the case here, is self evidently at best driving without due care and attention and at worst dangerous driving.

(I am thinking about starting a stage act entitled Cyclo the Predictor, as I have notcied that I have an unerring talent for being able to forsee the outcomes of such things!)

wwaswas: I beleive you are not taking this seriously and have deliberately misunderstood my problem to deliver a cheap joke at my expense. Coming first is precisely the problem…. not the solution! 🙄

Defo takes me longer to do everythign else bar nookie….its a conspiracy I tell ee

I mean look at the Vets and Grand Vets field at races….

Don’t be absurd

Please explain.

Really?? 😯

I’ll try.

If 50,000,000 people vote for one candidate, and 50,000,001 vote for the other, it is not the odd one that makes the difference. Its all 50,000,001. If the balance of 50,000,000 didn’t vote then that candidate would obviously only have one vote and would therefore clearly lose.

Therefore to suggest that only the voters in a few swing states have any say is a construct of the media for the sake of headlines and is fundamentally flawed as a concept for the reason given.

…and another election decided by a minority of “swing” voters in just a few states

I think you’ll find that the way the majority of non swing state voters voted was what was decisive, but if you wish to ignore them knock yourself out.

Will Romney joined Nadine Dorris in the jungle?

I believe hes already booked as the comedy politician for Dances with the Stars.

Pop into your local Autoglass/Windscreens R Us et al, do your best puppy dog lost impression and 9 times out of ten they’ll do it for you buckshee.

Camerons ordering an inquiry into the original inquiry that mentioned a “shadowy figure of high public standing”, being involved in a paedophile ring in North Wales. Unless I miss my guess by miles that means that there is fire to the smoke of a tory grandee being more than the usual level of complete and utter shit.

Re the OP : I was listening to some radio show or other yesterday where one of the presenters was going on about a game called murderer or mathamatician. the premise being to download google images of both and then see if people can guess which is which. Obviously most of the time it works out 50: 50 because you simply can’t tell what people are from appearance.

Same applies here. Frankly if folk are so flipping good at spotting paedos, perhaps they should be asking themselves searching questions about their own lack of action in stopping the feckers before the law caught up, with all its bothersome evidence issues.

Don’t know about anywhere else, but its the norm round here to routinely set up check points around Xmas time. Bascially, they pull every vehicle over and a copper sticks his head in your face and asks if you are aware of their drink drive campaign. It is toally 100% obvious that they are doing a 100% check for drink driving, and it is equally obvious that they are using the “campaign” to enable them to do so.

Is it a bad thing? Not sure personally.

Can’t be arsed to read the whole thread, so has anyone yet managed to draw a link betweens Cav’s exit and the policy yet?

……..& going back to page one which is where my eyes started to glaze over

those responsible for setting up Team GB (and subsequently Sky) in its present incarnation, said the whole reason they concentrated on the track, and left the road cycling well alone, was that they knew, full-well that all the major teams were systemically doping

Wherever that came from is utter arse. The reason that Team GB concentrated on track is that their funding is medal haul related. count up medals avaialble in all the Olympic, World and Commonwealth cycling disciplines, and then see if you can figure out why track gets No.1 priority

but his schtick is from 20 years ago.

I’m a child of 60’s / 70’s and I have to tell you he would have been a twunt then too. He’s just not got the persona that makes for being an attractive personality. His good fortune is to have been involved in a sport where his message has been of more interest than his persona….but barely and it now looks like the scales have tipped against him.

Any truth in the rumour the other alternative was this little chap?

Its not what he looks like, it how he behaves, and in fact the human animal has well developed instincts for spotting a wrongun that kick in immediately on first meeting. Self preservation don’t you know.

Any way its a cigar thing

I mean would you trust your foal with this man?

“what some bloke on the telly (that we could just ignore if we chose to) said”

I believe that is precisely what is happening… His employer is “ignoring” him on our collective behalves.

(By any chance did you think John Terry was hard done by too??)

Do you know Sib thats precisely what I was just thinking? ….. then I thought does his role put him in close proximity to kids ……

😯 Oh my God the poor foals

OP

Not sure if there are lcoal variations in Scotland, but….

1)In England 0 – 10 over the limit is discretionary, i.e. bollocking/fixed penalty ticket. 10-20 is mandatory Fixed penalty or can be referred to magistrates if appropriate, at which point its potantially serious, 20+ mandatory referral to magistrates. Depends how he got nicked to some extent. I presume it wasn’t by an officer of the law as you would already know, so generally the automated systems are just that and will probably issue a FP notice.

2) Pretty sure this only applies to over 10 cases, in which case its a possiblity.

3) Just tell them the truth.

This is weird, you are not!…….. unless 😯

Reality Check: The search for a competitive advantage has been going on forever. This is why the sports governing body introduces rules in respect of the sport. To control the boundaries and to adjudicate on acceptability. Often done to keep costs down for the masses of weekend riders who like to emulate their heroes.

The UCI has systematically failed to take control and deal with the doping situation in cycling. Frankly anyone who thinks the sport is a) clean now, or b) that Armstrong/US Postal were the exceptions are naive in the extreme. Every professional was at it, and in all likelihood still are, but just in more sophisticated ways.

What is currently happening is scape-goating. The absolute reality is that if what is happening to LA is the right route, then you might as well write off all professional results for the last 30 years or so, perhaps longer.

What is necessary is strong and clear leadership indicating that cheating is intolerable and will be sought out wherever and whenever it occurs and more importantly that samples will be kept and new technology will be applied retrospectively. What actually stops this sort of thing is the likelihood of being caught. If the LA example is to do anything for the sport, the retrospective element has to be the one.

it seems unbelievable now, like something out of a different century,

Without being sarcastic, the reality is that it was a different century, and things were very different then.