The working world has become ridiculous

[Rothschild]

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.

This has little to do with HR and a great deal to do with bad management. Have difficult conversations and manage your staff, and stop blaming everything on HR.

It’s about taking a bit of pride though isn’t it. I worked hard at Uni, got a good degree and did all my training and I’m working my way up. I enjoy my career. It’s important to me. It’s mine and I’m teaching my daughters about commitment and work ethic and financial independence.

I could be like some of my (public sector) colleagues and simply not give a fuck. Go off sick on six months full pay at the drop of a hat. Go and get my nails done when I’m meant to be at work. But I can’t do that. I have standards and pride and a work ethic.

So you can call me an “HR bore” or whatever you like but I’d rather be like me than be a lazy skiving fucker (with a reputation to match)

@Puzzledandpissedoff Im in public sector now, but people can’t just go off sick forever in my workplace.

Can you see why maybe it’s high time Ai comes for some people careers though? Musk talks about a universal wage where you just pay people to do nothing in the future. I can see why he thinks it’s the way forward.

This is why we have such a productivity crisis in this country. You can't blame governments.

I find this really difficult to believe, the employee probably took annual leave and the rest of the story grew an arm and a leg.

Also - GPs will write whatever the fuck you want them to on a sick note. I was out having an operation last year. GP gave me sick line over the phone without even speaking to them - I simply requested it from the receptionist.

The productivity stats in the UK are really poor: this isn’t just anecdotal.

Is it post-covid? The “silent quitting” phenomenon? Many people just don’t care anymore and want to do the bare minimum. I feel like that sometimes, to be honest.

We had 2 teachers get days off recently - one to get a smart meter installed and the other to have furniture delivered. So that was 2 days supply that had to be paid for.

Back in the 80s my mother wasn't allowed the day off before my gran's funeral. It was on the Saturday but she wanted the Friday off because there were loads of relatives coming and my dad was disabled and couldn't deal with it himself.

How times have changed. Back then you'd have been told not to be ridiculous if you asked for time off because an animal had died.

Because the alternative is that people stop having children, particularly, intelligent people, skilled people, people with a work ethic... stop having children.

Its already happened, look at birth rates.

To refer to the school pick up, aside from it being expensive for wrap around care, jot all areas have after school club or child minders available, and some parents want to have their kids home before 5 as its a long day for them otherwise. It comes down to what's more important for society, parents being there for their children, or the daily grind?

Obviously parents shouldn't be trying to juggle being online AND caring for young children, the presumption is they log back in later and make up the hours like many of my friends do.

Yes 9 to 5 is good efficiency for a company and flexibility is harder to manage, but is all of life to revolve around and be at the mercy of a job?

I do agree parents should pay for wrap around care. You sound quite nasty the way you spoke about the manager who took a mental health day though. Usually all you see is the tip of the iceberg. There is probably a lot going on that you don't know about that has left her feeling that she needs to take a day.

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast I don’t think AI is the answer simply because some people can’t manage & are bad employees.

Because the alternative is that people stop having children, particularly, intelligent people, skilled people, people with a work ethic... stop having children.

This is already happening.

DH does school pick up 3 - 3.30 everyday, a lot of people at the company do school pick up. He does work once he's home though. This is how it's become since both parents need to work🤷‍♀️

I work part time, 4 days across 5, taking a pay cut so that I can pick up DD 2 days a week and can leave on time to collect her from wraparound for the rest of them. A load of my colleagues unofficially (ie not an agreed flexible working schedule) dick off at 3pm to do the school run while I’m sitting there getting 20% less pay for essentially the same benefit, wondering how much of a mug I really am.

Also, if it’s 3pm and I need something done or information provided today, I can’t always wait for the person to be making up their hours in the evening, particularly if it’s a short notice request for a board meeting starting at 9am the next day, when they’re supposed to be contracted to be around & available between the same working hours as the rest of us.

No, no qualifications needed. Often you have somebody who is a good (random example) project manager being promoted to being Director of Project Services, and then being responsible for managing 20 project managers with no further training whatsoever.

Have you ever read AskAManager? Terrible management in the US as well (probably worse than here, because a lot of the stories on there would be illegal here).

No because productivity has been low for years.

How do so many not grasp this!!!

Isn’t that called annual leave?

Counter argument: ‘people today’ have realised that work is not the be all and end all, and that 99% of employers will not give one shiny shit if you work yourself into an early grave for them.

Please tell me you are joking. When you have a job you do it.

Absolutely! But low productivity = Low investment.

Would you be happy to take the risk?

And the UK does not invest in infrastructure,
in skills training, or anything else (correct me if I am wrong), and we end up with a sick and demoralised, workforce as PPs are saying.

Child care is a real problem.

And some PPs do seem to be highlighting the problem of middle management on morale and therefore productivity.

Did you miss the part where she points out that she works for a charity?

@MNLurker1345 I already mentioned up thread about the lack of investment by gov & business. That feeds into low productivity. High housing costs impact it too.

Happy to take the risk on what?

Hi Sandra, didn’t know you were on here.

Can you please chase up my last holiday request, I submitted it before Robert and he’s been granted his.