- Messages
- 11,255
At least it's better than having a client send you a certificate with your competitor's name on it. It was an accident. We haven't invoked a termination clause yet.
Adult Daycare: Dealing with Employees
- Thread starter doghouse
- Start date
Dropbear
Member in Good Standing
- Messages
- 6,531
My team has been running really well the last week or so. After a lot of snags, they are now running smoothly. We are vaccinating the shit out of everyone!
- Messages
- 11,255
If a person is hired in a corporation's subsidiary in country A performing function B, do you really need to ask for permission for them to get trained and re-tool their company provided computer to perform function B in country C?
It's the same company. You will still be paid by country A. It's the same function. If people refuse to work, isn't that grounds for termination? Besides - there is nothing to do in function B for country A because business is poor.
It's the same company. You will still be paid by country A. It's the same function. If people refuse to work, isn't that grounds for termination? Besides - there is nothing to do in function B for country A because business is poor.
- Messages
- 11,255
People asking in anonymous virtual town hall settings - "Why is it you have no women in your leadership team?"
"Why don't you have blacks, Asians, etc under you?"
"Why don't you have blacks, Asians, etc under you?"
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
You missed out LGBTQ, with specific reference to trans. Not enough to go around you see. Lots of gays, lesbians and queers, but trans...not nearly enough. So statistically unlikely to have access to employ and promote.
Sadly, my idyllic existence of dealing with everyone remotely and at arms length has been broken and now have to come up with some 20 minutes of presentation and join a panel with the client on a technical discipline that doesn't inspire me and doesn't have the issues to justify a day's remote conference. It will be the proverbial blood from a stone, at least I've 2 weeks to come up with the goods.
- Messages
- 11,255
You're presenting in person?
Someone else did ask that in the questions. I find these questions software (we use slido) tend to be someone asks a controversial question and other people just pile on not questions but statements, opinions and remarks so out of a list of 20 questions you might only have 7 or 8 and the rest are commentary.
Of course everyone asks anonymously.
Dropbear
Member in Good Standing
- Messages
- 6,531
We do an all staff virtual townhall over Teams once a quarter. You get the same three or four predictable questions (when will the pandemic end? How long will we be approved for overtime? Is it safe to work in the office? Etc). And you just know the bull shot is coming when you hear the preface “well it’s not so much a question as a statement but ....”
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
I'm working on a get-out-jail card right now i.e. sadly, your lack of business streams in this discipline make it impossible for me to participate with any meaningful trends, as there's insufficient data with you to be exploited or even extrapolated. Confidentiality clauses exclude me from being to use cases and data from other clients. Good night and good luck!
- Messages
- 7,598
Why are they asking that.
any decent person would say “ I notice we don’t have an effective policy to enable hiring of diverse people, LGQ etc, women, POC etc. XYZ company does , can’t we do better. I’m happy to work on a policy and blocks to implementation “
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
The answer to that should be: we hire on the basis of skill set, proven career to date (unless it's an entry level position), references and qualifications being them vocational, or to demonstrate capability to learn. We do not employ a quota system, or percentage target of certain groups, races, or nationalities as this is discriminatory. We employ on the basis of talent, regardless of class, race, sexual or gender identity.
See, I've fixed it there.
- Messages
- 11,255
Video calls.
With a high priced consultant paid per day. He desperately asks me for a same day meeting in my diary and gets a 1700 slot. 15 minutes into it, "Excuse me, my 4 year old is jumping around making a toilet face..."
It's 4. It still needs help with the toilet?
Video call with a big four doing some audit work for me.
She sends over an informal six figure quotation for the engagement and I ask whether this covers both engagements this year or only one. On the call she confesses it's one. We need this attestation every year but this year we need it twice because some account manager promised it earlier to one of our clients. So I said to Celia, I'm out two six figure charges fiscal 2021, and you want me to do a prep session next year due to updates to the scope of the audit and another six figure charge. My rough math says in 12 or so months I am out almost half a million to you. She says, "Yes..." - I replied, "Celia, I can see you're biting your nail when you say this BS to me."
With a high priced consultant paid per day. He desperately asks me for a same day meeting in my diary and gets a 1700 slot. 15 minutes into it, "Excuse me, my 4 year old is jumping around making a toilet face..."
It's 4. It still needs help with the toilet?
Video call with a big four doing some audit work for me.
She sends over an informal six figure quotation for the engagement and I ask whether this covers both engagements this year or only one. On the call she confesses it's one. We need this attestation every year but this year we need it twice because some account manager promised it earlier to one of our clients. So I said to Celia, I'm out two six figure charges fiscal 2021, and you want me to do a prep session next year due to updates to the scope of the audit and another six figure charge. My rough math says in 12 or so months I am out almost half a million to you. She says, "Yes..." - I replied, "Celia, I can see you're biting your nail when you say this BS to me."
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
Was she fit?
I'm convinced all of those organisations certainly at the consultancy level, run on bedazzling the weak and feeble minded with trinkets and babes.
The most sneakiest ones, and there are a few of them over here, are the management consultancies and accountants who proudly boast they only work for the public sector. They won't belittle themselves to work for the private sector. Hmm. Say's it all doesn't it?
- Messages
- 11,255
She is Brazilian. But I don’t quite remember her as terribly attractive the last time her and the senior partner came to visit me. She shows up on video without make up often or doesn’t know her camera is on regardless of which video conference software. This time she was in make up - perhaps not for me.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
Don't you hate it when you get friendly with a colleague and think you're getting an esprit de corps going then you have to terminate their position with extreme prejudice for total failure. At least this is internal and so they're not going to lose their job, just this particular paying gig.
- Messages
- 11,255
Don't become intimate with co-workers?
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
This wasn't intimacy, just friendly. But as they use to say, ''You can't run with the fox and hounds.''
Dropbear
Member in Good Standing
- Messages
- 6,531
I just had someone thank me for firing them. Not because I did a particularly skilful or sensitive job of it, this person is just so self-deluded they decided to see this as an accolade for a job well done, mission completed.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
There's some serious weirdos out there. Last person I had to sack, well it was redundancy, in a foreign country, tried to do it by Skype. Rather awkward, especially when they walked out. That turned out okay, as they sent a very nasty letter to their line manager slagging them off and so the country manager who hadn't been on board, came to the party 100%+ with extreme prejudice.
The last proper sacking was an unreformed alcoholic who went missing after we paid him for several days. I did it in the reception, a rather quaint way of doing it. Didn't fancy bringing him further.
Now I've got this internal problem with some Group resources not performing. I need to get to the bottom of it, I will likely escalate this with a handy Quality Observation - please investigate. Something's not quite right. Like someone was trying to set me up. Hmmm.
- Messages
- 11,255
Inclusive Communication - training designed to reassess the language we use in the workplace every day. Pronouns have evolved and salutations must be more thoughtful...
What this f@ck is this sh*t....online training.
What this f@ck is this sh*t....online training.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
One of the shareholders foisted an old mate of theirs onto me, to do some database work. For starters he's the wrong side of 70 and then he wanted cash in hand. Are these people for real? Seriously.
- Messages
- 11,255
Ask for an MSA and SOW reviewed by lawyers on both sides.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
I don't need that, the cash in hand kills it. Taking money from the bank and handing it out with no audit trial or receipt, you open yourself up to all kinds of accusations. No negotiation there.
Dropbear
Member in Good Standing
- Messages
- 6,531
Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home
The drive to get people back into offices is clashing with workers who’ve embraced remote work as the new normal.
www.bloomberg.com
- Messages
- 33,020
should be in the labor news thread. good for them.Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home
The drive to get people back into offices is clashing with workers who’ve embraced remote work as the new normal.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
Funnily enough, I broached with my staff today, whether a return to the office might be in order the end of August, seeing we will all be fully vaccined up. Which was met with a universal cry ''We can't be too careful now...''
I actually like it, everyone remote, drop boxes for actions and the odd Teams meeting. And you can put a bit Talk Radio on in the background.
- Messages
- 33,020
thats all you need. ok, maybe once a week or so everyone shows up for a pow-wow. this every day bullshit is just ridiculous.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
I notice in the building we're in now, that most businesses are running at meeting up once a week or bi-weekly. But there's others that are all in, no social distancing at all. You can't argue against Health & Safety, so I will keep everyone working from home where possible until the authorities say otherwise.
- Messages
- 33,020
Apple employees push back against returning to the office in internal letter
Tim Cook is asking employees to return three days a week
www.theverge.com
- Messages
- 11,255
Sack all of them. Plenty of entrepreneurial coloureds will crawl over broken glass and dead bodies to work for Apple.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
Left it to the shareholder to tell his mucca that we couldn't take him on cash in hand on his inflated rate. It turns out he was rather miffed and couldn't understand why we couldn't pay his €100 an hour cash in hand. This is a guy who had senior management positions in a global engineering company in the very good times and should have been aware of this, but I suppose when you've been mollycoddled all your life with PA's, secretaries and armies of people to do the work for you there's a price to paid in self-awareness and where you are in the market as a 71 year old.
I've noticed in some people there's a massive decline intellectually between mid 60s and early 70s. I have loads of issues with field staff continuing after 65/67 and suddenly they're 72 and you're in a Teams meeting with the client and they come across as week, feeble and very much not sure of themselves, if not decrepit.
Get it that retiring if you've got an interesting job and not working on the factory line, that work gives you a meaning and discipline and will likely keep you alive for longer than the average. But there must come a time when it is blatantly embarrassing that you're being kept in position by connections or by sheer luck that no one checks your extended work history dating by well over half-century.
When the time comes, I will not hang on and retire to a life of my own choosing.
I've noticed in some people there's a massive decline intellectually between mid 60s and early 70s. I have loads of issues with field staff continuing after 65/67 and suddenly they're 72 and you're in a Teams meeting with the client and they come across as week, feeble and very much not sure of themselves, if not decrepit.
Get it that retiring if you've got an interesting job and not working on the factory line, that work gives you a meaning and discipline and will likely keep you alive for longer than the average. But there must come a time when it is blatantly embarrassing that you're being kept in position by connections or by sheer luck that no one checks your extended work history dating by well over half-century.
When the time comes, I will not hang on and retire to a life of my own choosing.
- Messages
- 11,255
Shareholder? I thought when I said you need an MSA and SOW you said you denied him on the cash payment demands.
I thought you already semi-retired by cocooning yourself into your well defined role/box at your firm. A man doesn't usually take on the facilities responsibility.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
When you have small business units, you can't hide behind designated roles.
That's indeed what I did, I stopped it on cash in hand payments which cannot be audited properly. I let the shareholder tell him, as that's one of his mates. The shareholders as you know, shouldn't really be interfering with the nitty-gritty as they get me to manage that for them. Outside of the usual meetings they should be very quiet indeed.
- Messages
- 7,598
I do not get that anyone would contemplate asking for cash in hand other than for say lawn mowing or washing your car. What sort of world is that.
- Messages
- 11,255
A small business owner with migrant/refugee labour.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
It's pretty much the biggest stop-no-go you can do in advanced highly taxed welfare states.
The only time I withdrew cash for business was when I went to Tehran. Being no Swift system or could you use credit cards there, I had to take cash. So I withdrew on the company credit card €1,500. Then because of visa delay, it was cancelled, and then one of my associates in Rotterdam in marine law went over before me said I needed €2,500 for the days I was going. So I withdrew some more.
Next thing I know, the Accountants are ringing me up about the withdrawals, one of the accounts persons had seen the Mastercard bill and tried to set-me-up for a fall. After that I zero'd the petty-cash, no more of that, everything electronic through me.
It was all academic in the end, as our partner paid for everything, so I came back with the full amount which I duly paid back into the company bank account.
There's no way I would do any cash withdrawals or cash in hand with no receipts.
Dropbear
Member in Good Standing
- Messages
- 6,531
One of my staff is interviewing somewhere else tomorrow and thinks I don’t know. I really wish she would still around another six months, but I understand her reasons for wanting to move on and up.
A part of me wants to be a dick and wish her luck right before the interview to freak her out that I know. But I won’t.
A part of me wants to be a dick and wish her luck right before the interview to freak her out that I know. But I won’t.
Dropbear
Member in Good Standing
- Messages
- 6,531
Well that’s a first. I called references for someone I was about to hire. She listed her current employer, so I call them last and they proceeded to throw the person under the bus by listing all their faults and weaknesses. I am both surprised that the candidate would list them as a reference and that the employer would expose themselves to that sort of HR risk.
Pimpernel Smith
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 8,162
I've had one of those, still took the individual on, but maybe I shouldn't have. They had got themselves involved in some office politics and backed the losing side. I took it as youthful naivete.
As you say, most organisations are too aware of getting into litigation to give references out. The easiest way of digging the knife in with no exposure is to just give the employment dates with no comment.
We get from a couple of clients quarterly questionnaires where we have to rate the performance of those we interface with, so I just give them top marks for everything.
- Messages
- 4,092
I've just spent the past few days interviewing about twelve people, in the hope of filling a few contract positions for the next 6-12 months.
I've been both amazed and depressed by just how little preparation and research some people seem to do prior to an interview. Some of the candidates were excellent and had clearly done their research, thought about potential interview questions, pre-prepared various examples that they can slot into responses and so on. Others just seemed to have no idea, or were happy to just wing it.
Really, if you're going to go to the trouble of lobbing in an application for a $65,000/year job with a well-regarded employer, surely you'd also do some interview prep?
I've been both amazed and depressed by just how little preparation and research some people seem to do prior to an interview. Some of the candidates were excellent and had clearly done their research, thought about potential interview questions, pre-prepared various examples that they can slot into responses and so on. Others just seemed to have no idea, or were happy to just wing it.
Really, if you're going to go to the trouble of lobbing in an application for a $65,000/year job with a well-regarded employer, surely you'd also do some interview prep?