Page 19 | The working world has become ridiculous

Rothschild · 2025-12-04T16:00:19+00:00

Recently a manager at my company attended an online meeting in tears because of a minor issue regarding her child's school. She excused herself from the meeting and took a mental health day. I can barely get hold of anyone at 3pm in my (large) organisation because everyone is doing school pick up. I don't believe they're getting much work done once they've picked up because they become hard to contact, don't respond to messages and won't attend meetings, despite it being their normal working hours. It's ridiculous. When our children were small we paid for wrap around childcare or for someone to collect. We were available to work between 3 and 4pm and afterwards. I'm not talking about anyone who has negotiated flexibility or finishes at 3pm, I'm talking about others who are, frankly, taking the piss. And if I had taken a mental health day every time I'd had some difficulty in my life I'd have hardly worked.

venus7 · 04/12/2025 23:20

Squishedpassenger · 04/12/2025 16:26

When you say you have a conscience, who are you conscience of?

I mean I can understand a nurse having the attitude that they don't slack at work because of patient care etc, but if you work in corporate for some business where some big shots get loads of dividends or whatever if your company does well, I don't get killing yourself at work for them.

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You're mixing up conscience and concious.

Switcher · 04/12/2025 23:21

Springbaby2023 · 04/12/2025 23:14

That’s where it depends on your work though. In many industries if you want the experience and skills then you have to accept that you need to be flexible as an employer to get that because there are choices out there for people.

Completely get that many jobs can’t just allow you leave at 3pm. But the OP is talking about when employers allow it and she just doesn’t like it. One of the reasons employers allow it is because long term it ensures they have good people in the roles they need!

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Yeah maybe. But I guess I don't disagree with the OP that taken as a whole this isn't a very productive way of operating as a country and with this sort of work ethic on offer, I can't see many US firms (or others in regions that work crazy hours) expanding operations and creating jobs in the UK. Then again if we can actually create self sustaining industries and skills obviously we don't need to work for Americans. Or if we maybe spent all these bloody taxes on proper affordable childcare that doesn't shut well before you can get there. But it seems like all we produce is the circular economy of the public sector, or what is known in economic circles as financial repression. I want to quit working for Americans but where are the UK firms?

beAsensible1 · 04/12/2025 23:23

Happilyobtuse · 04/12/2025 21:09

As a manager the biggest struggle is dealing with people who can’t cope with day to day life due to mental health issues or neurodiversity. As a manager the onus is on us to then coach said employee and find ways to support them. This takes up a lot of my time for no extra pay. I feel a bit like a counsellor/ psychiatrist rather than a manager! Currently I have one person who takes up on average 6 hours of my time weekly due to the amount of support they need to work. This person is the least productive person in my team but there is no way this person can be sacked. I am sympathetic to their issues and want them to succeed but it is very hard as it takes up far too much of my time and I still have my own work to do!

This.

at some point the amount of scaffolding and hand holding and still no output means they can’t do the job

and then you end up doing their work and your own plus managing other and eventually over wrought and stressed. It’s a never ending cycle.

you can’t get rid, they don’t complete any work and it’s just like that until you or they leave.

Abcdefg22220 · 04/12/2025 23:24

JudgeBread · 04/12/2025 16:30

Oh no, people are prioritising their family and children over their workplace and workplaces are being flexible with this and making allowances for people with children? The workplace is evolving to adapt to the current financial climate and exorbitant childcare costs? Parents are being given leeway so that they can both work and raise their families as best they can? Whatever shall we do?!

Edited

This

AnneShirleyBlythe · 04/12/2025 23:25

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 04/12/2025 18:33

Agree

Perhaps we should all be suing hospitals and schools as their staff hours put people at risk

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NHS clinical staff here! If we all worked 3 or so
hours a day I can assure you our already struggling nhs would grind to a halt.

Original poster

Rothschild · 04/12/2025 23:25

I think a lot of the posts on this thread have completely proved my point!

OP posts:

Caterpillar1 · 04/12/2025 23:29

Work and family life has been more and more intertwined since Covid. I may pop out to collect kids from school, but all the work is still there to be done and is done on time, even if it means for me staying up till 2am at night.

Pearlyb · 04/12/2025 23:31

Tell me about it!!! I just feel resentful when my colleagues are lazy and I have to pick up all the slack, manager is unable to do anything about it. I'm overworked, they're having cushy time.

My closest peer disappears every day between 3 - 3.30pm to pick up her kid, and doesn't even do the time back in the morning/ afternoon. Her kid is 14. Really, FOURTEEN! The kid doesn't have special needs, the school can't be that far as the roundtrip is half an hour, and she lives in urban area with public transport. Just an absolute pisstake!

Boils my blood, YANBU.

Pearlyb · 04/12/2025 23:32

And yes - my colleague still takes the full hour for lunch.

OneGreySeal · 04/12/2025 23:36

Pearlyb · 04/12/2025 23:31

Tell me about it!!! I just feel resentful when my colleagues are lazy and I have to pick up all the slack, manager is unable to do anything about it. I'm overworked, they're having cushy time.

My closest peer disappears every day between 3 - 3.30pm to pick up her kid, and doesn't even do the time back in the morning/ afternoon. Her kid is 14. Really, FOURTEEN! The kid doesn't have special needs, the school can't be that far as the roundtrip is half an hour, and she lives in urban area with public transport. Just an absolute pisstake!

Boils my blood, YANBU.

If it’s such a cushy arrangement for her why don’t you do the same?

plsdontlookatme · 04/12/2025 23:37

beAsensible1 · 04/12/2025 23:23

This.

at some point the amount of scaffolding and hand holding and still no output means they can’t do the job

and then you end up doing their work and your own plus managing other and eventually over wrought and stressed. It’s a never ending cycle.

you can’t get rid, they don’t complete any work and it’s just like that until you or they leave.

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I genuinely believe that this is a huge problem both for those directly involved and also for productivity more widely. Refusing to pay out-of-work sickness and disability benefits to people who are genuinely not capable of functioning in the workplace is not a cost-effective move. It's cruel to force genuinely disabled people into unsuitable employment, it's unfair for workplaces to have to accommodate employees who are genuinely unable to be productive, and I really think it has a huge knock-on effect on morale, productivity, and pubilc funds (when seriously il/disabled people are forced into work their health becomes worse and they therefore require more medical appointments, for example). I can't imagine the figure for how much money the government wastes on contesting perfectly valid applications for sickness benefits.

OneGreySeal · 04/12/2025 23:37

Rothschild · 04/12/2025 23:25

I think a lot of the posts on this thread have completely proved my point!

Op no one wants to be corporate slave at the expense of their families well being. People prefer their kids over your meetings isn’t a bad thing. The work place needs to adjust to flexible working patterns so parents can parent and discharge their working duties too. It’s the way the world is moving since Covid.

CheeseIsMyIdol · 04/12/2025 23:39

OneGreySeal · 04/12/2025 23:36

If it’s such a cushy arrangement for her why don’t you do the same?

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You really think the solution is for every worker to become a piss-taking slacker?

Donttellempike · 04/12/2025 23:40

MidnightMeltdown · 04/12/2025 23:06

I think this is partly to do with the huge number of people on benefits with no requirement to work, as constantly reported by the press. People see the headlines telling them about people on benefits taking home as much, or more, than them, and they think, ‘why do I bother?’.

I think this is especially the case for young people who are on shit wages and can’t afford a house. They see other people their age getting paid to sit at home with anxiety Or depression, and it kills any motivation and work ethic.

Edited

The articles peddled by billionaire owners. Who are the ones taking everything. From everyone

But sure. Blame Sally from accounts picking her kids up at 3 pm from school 😵‍💫

BunnyLake · 04/12/2025 23:41

Rothschild · 04/12/2025 16:34

No. People are taking the piss. And I'm fed up of never being able to hold a meeting past 3pm because people who are supposed to be working aren't actually working.

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What sort of job do you do? Can you hold meetings in the morning? Are these very important meetings, can they be set (every Thursday at 3pm type thing).

plsdontlookatme · 04/12/2025 23:42

Most people are really quite good at pursuing their own interests. If people aren't working hard it's because harder work has become detached from the commensurate rewards. If pulling out all the stops doesn't win you a salary increase or an improvement in working conditions, why would you do it?

OneGreySeal · 04/12/2025 23:45

CheeseIsMyIdol · 04/12/2025 23:39

You really think the solution is for every worker to become a piss-taking slacker?

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I forgot reading between the lines was an outdated concept on here. I think the poster who I was responding to has embellished her account re her colleague, who is simply picking up their child from school which can be stressful when your managing your work hours too. If the poster thinks it’s such a great arrangement they should do it too but they won’t because it isn’t.

AmberRose86 · 04/12/2025 23:47

BunnyLake · 04/12/2025 23:41

What sort of job do you do? Can you hold meetings in the morning? Are these very important meetings, can they be set (every Thursday at 3pm type thing).

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These posts are a joke. “Can’t you hold meetings earlier?” is so far away from the point of this thread. It’s painful.

CheeseIsMyIdol · 04/12/2025 23:48

BrownTroutBluesAgain · 04/12/2025 22:59

The attitude will put people off employing people with kids.
I remember those days
We don’t want to go back to that, we want women to climb the ladder and be the best they can. Not fall at the first hurdle because they can’t get a job based on the bad attitudes of others

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Where I work, we no longer employ people with kids. It’s all very subtle and wink-wink, nothing anyone could prove. But after numerous shitty experiences, it just so happens that the most qualified applicants are always middle aged….

VapeVamp12 · 04/12/2025 23:49

Just wondering if the examples the OP and the other posters have been giving are for private companies or civil service / public work?

Someone wrote that their colleague didn't return to work at the office after COVID and is now off sick for 6 months with stress... I have always worked for private companies and even a big one who had an above average sick pay policy wouldn't be paying someone for that long who wouldn't even interact or turn up to phased return meetings. I was signed off for 1 month back in February this year and the company I work for put me on SSP after 3 days, which was about £130 a week or so.

Sorry went off topic a bit but I think private versus gov funded firms have very different policies

Original poster

Rothschild · 04/12/2025 23:49

plsdontlookatme · 04/12/2025 23:42

Most people are really quite good at pursuing their own interests. If people aren't working hard it's because harder work has become detached from the commensurate rewards. If pulling out all the stops doesn't win you a salary increase or an improvement in working conditions, why would you do it?

Few reasons

high integrity
work ethic
contractual obligation

OP posts:

VapeVamp12 · 04/12/2025 23:50

CheeseIsMyIdol · 04/12/2025 23:48

Where I work, we no longer employ people with kids. It’s all very subtle and wink-wink, nothing anyone could prove. But after numerous shitty experiences, it just so happens that the most qualified applicants are always middle aged….

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Do they tend to know the candidates don't have kids before they interview or do they actually ask /look for clues? Surely thats against the law?

OonaStubbs · 04/12/2025 23:51

It's no wonder other countries like China etc are pulling ahead. Having days off to grieve over dead dogs is ridiculous, as is leaving work to do the school run.

AmberRose86 · 04/12/2025 23:52

VapeVamp12 · 04/12/2025 23:50

Do they tend to know the candidates don't have kids before they interview or do they actually ask /look for clues? Surely thats against the law?

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Having kids isn’t a protected characteristic in and of itself. Sec discrimination perhaps, unless you’re also treating dads the same way..?

Mydadsbirthday · 04/12/2025 23:53

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 04/12/2025 16:41

On one hand yes...I agree

On the other....

trying to find wraparound childcare is ....challenging
The cost is also challenging...

I give a hollow laugh when I hear my mum / aunts etc say "well it wasnt cheap in our day - the childcare cost me ALMOST the same as the mortgage!"
Mine currently costs over 2 x my mortgage which is 2.5k pm... and the fees are going up by £200 in jan....

It's crippling...

The government are failing society by not addressing this.

Edited

Can I just ask - your childcare bill is over £5k a month? Where is this and how many children?