To ask for the scandalous secrets of your industry?

[Iwasjustabouttosaythat]

Or just dirt?

Mine isn't very interesting, more just sad. My background is in immigration and I have never worked with so many racist (and stupid) people.

A boat of refugees when down and the guy who told us the news was laughing about it.

Endless racial stereotypes and visas refused because "as if a French person would go out with a Japanese person" etc.

Then there was the chap who said amnesty are evil because they provide money for abortions to rape victims in the Congo. He's the same guy who refuses to assess any applications from homosexuals because he thinks they should all be denied visas. He doesn't get fired for this.

There are probably more but they are the stand outs.

What's your industry gossip? I'd especially love to hear from nannies and cleaners but I'm interested in all dirt!

Many years ago when I was interning at a (now defunct) women's lifestyle magazine 99% of the reader letters, agony aunt pages and funny stories were written by the interns. The same magazine I've had several dealings with externally and they broke numerous PCC code of conduct practices and libel laws by manufacturing quotes. One female lifestyle magazine (still going) promises payment for quite op instead pieces, assures copy approval and then not only prints manufactured (and potentially defamatory!) quotes but then blocks all attempts of promised payment and even ignores legal letters chasing payment. This isn't proper journalism though.

Military setting.
One of my seniors was married to a civilian admin clerk on camp. Over the course of 10 years, she stole approximately £200,000 from the mess accounts. He claims he "knew nothing of it" Even though he was driving around in a flash car that everyone knows full well is massively above his pay grade and her's for that matter!

@floraeasy I know what you mean. Someone I know is quite high up in MH and has worked for the NHS and academia. She's a horrendous bully and acts like a total and utter snake 99% of the time.

Used to work in a large hotel/conference centre.
The ( usually married) male delegates were largely sex pests. My male gay friend used to "score" most evenings - always with " straight " men

I also used to work as a Medical Rep - think we corrupt Doctors to prescribe our drugs? Nope, I used to fend off requests for bribes and requests for blow jobs with disturbing regularity!!!

I was once a waitress. The coffee machine was one of those ones where you'd press a button and coffee and milk would go into a cup. It got slower and slower until one day the liquid was just trickling out.

Eventually someone came to fix it. It was backed up with cockroaches! The technician said this is relatively common. Never drunk coffee from a vending machine since.

I was once a sub editor. I had to edit the horoscopes down to make them fit. I used to change them, write coded messages for friends etc. Always made me smile when people quoted that day's horoscope!

Having worked in call centres and pubs, I would say the amount of cocaine left on the cisterns by its staff and the pub punters is about equal. This is sales in everything from advertising to IT and more.

I worked in the immigration department for many years, and although the system was by no means perfect , one thing I never came across was the stereotyping and racism that the op seems to have encountered. You can't decline to consider an application because of your own prejudices. That's simply ridiculous. And if you refuse an application, it would have to be referred up, with more of a justification than 'I don't like homosexuals'. What rubbish.

Eventually someone came to fix it. It was backed up with cockroaches! The technician said this is relatively common. Never drunk coffee from a vending machine since

not envy

BoffinMum I think it's getting better, at least in some places, but so much of what happens is hard to prove because junior female colleagues, particularly those on fixed term contracts or still on probation, are frightened to say anything in case it damages their career. For the same reason, it's even harder to prove when students are victims.

I can think of one current case (not in my dept, thank god) where senior management really want to do something about a notorious creep but none of the subjects of his attention are prepared to make a complaint and management have been advised by HR that they can't go round soliciting information to get him booted out.

Local government. Requiring elected Councillors to vote for or against desired actions for a project to proceed, therefore significantly editing/spinning information reported to them to create faits accomplis.

I'm a SAHM but my best friend is a cardiac nurse.

She works alongside a surgeon who clearly has the early stages of some degenerative disease, the nurses all suspect Parkinson's. He's in total denial and working as normal but his patients nearly all die. Her colleague (and mate) blew the whistle as she knew she'd be planning to be a SAHM soon anyway and couldn't bear seeing people die when many of them might otherwise have lived.

Nurse got moved on and horrendously bullied and had to resign for mental health reasons halfway through her pregnancy.

Complaint got 'lost' or at least not followed up. Surgeon still operating

I'm a journalist (not the DM) but on big regional paper.

You can be sure we know pretty much everything that is going on in our communities. About 90 percent of it never sees the light of day. If it's not been published it's because we can't be arsed chasing it, it's delayed because of ongoing legal proceedings or because we like you. If youre being a twat, or you're robbing public money, we'll probably go after you. We won't make stuff up but we will actively chase stories about you because we don't like twats. So be nice.

Also, it's really, really not about the money. Most journalists get paid utterly shit wages and they are in it because they believe that they can do some good in their communities by highlighting the positive and uncovering the negative.

There are thousands of journalists in this country. Only about ten hacked phones. We're mostly good guys.

My children often sometimes have left over cake for breakfast.............

@JaniceBattersby don't forget stories getting squashed because the firm in question takes the front page at rate card every other week 👌🏼

It's not dirt really but when I was nursing in the 90s, extra morphine would be given to those patients at the end of life who were in terrible pain.
They died more quickly but peacefully, family all were aware.
You couldn't do that now.

Yes, you could.

Lots of Councillors really are not that intelligent. And yet they get asked to vote for or against proposals that will change major policies, or where a lot of money will be spent. So no surprise that lots of Council Officers present reports in such a way as to guide Councillors to a decision.
And Councillors do not become MPs on the basis of ability. They have to have the approval of the Councillors with the most power. Some brilliant individual Councillors leave after being basically forced out.

batteriesallgone

I used to work for a high street bank. Family friend/colleague was a member of said bank's inspection team. Friend/colleague got a promotion and became my branch manager thus leaving the inspection team. One day another member of the inspection team phones up to pick his brains about a procedure. Friend /colleague admits to the caller that it's not possible to do everything by the book and he's taking shortcuts on a daily basis.

I work for the LA - I can't even begin.....

yy Brasty
Very obvious which Councillors had absolutely zero interest in the issues they were required to evaluate, nor in some cases the intellectual ability. And the good ones - ie those who brought with them a high level of education and professional experience - were frequently seen as 'having ideas above their station' by bullies in their own parties.

mugglebum, that's the impression I was under when my mum was dying in a hospice a few years ago. Not that an increased dose of morphine was given with the explicit purpose of hastening death; but that they did increase her dose (because she was still showing signs of being in pain) which did bring about her death sooner than would have happened otherwise. There were no complaints from us- she had endured more than enough suffering by then.

Thank you. I'm feeling much better about your hcp stories

Crowd - oh yes you can

This has to be a Mail reporter I'd agree Piglet, and clearly one who has never worked for UKVI.

Disgusted but not really surprised to hear of racism in immigration Please don't believe this.

I worked in the immigration department for many years, and although the system was by no means perfect , one thing I never came across was the stereotyping and racism that the op seems to have encountered. You can't decline to consider an application because of your own prejudices. That's simply ridiculous. And if you refuse an application, it would have to be referred up, with more of a justification than 'I don't like homosexuals'. What rubbish. Exactly!