To wonder if some posters realise some people lie on threads?

[jennymanara]

So when people say how much they earn, how much they spend on a holiday, how handsome their DH is, do you realise that some people will not be truthful?
I ask because I see comments all the time about how well-off most MN are. I have been to meet ups, and most MN are pretty ordinary women. Lovely, funny and kind, but not super wealthy with amazing homes and husbands, just ordinary. Of course there will be some women on MN who are very well-off but they are not the norm here.

There was a thread not long ago where the op found a tube of lube in her dd's suitcase complete with photo, which appeared on The Sun.

There was a shitload of gullible on that thread

MN has made me realise how gullible a lot of people are.

I'm also on MN a lot during the day....mainly on my commutes (long), during me stuffing my face at lunch at my desk or when I'm having a break while working at home.

And yes...it's pretty frequent to be on conference calls where only one or two parts of the agenda are relevant.

The worst ever example I had of this was spending 6 hours(!) on a conference call with the US which I was asked to attend by management and I think about 30 mins of it was relevant to me. I worked with someone at the time who used to put her iPhone on speaker/mute at home in the bathroom and take a shower during bits of the agenda that weren't relevant

I keep meaning to get one of those Britney-esque headsets so I can wander around doing chores while prattling on or maybe get some gardening done.

Sorry that was mainly to @ShirleyPhallus and @LaMarschallin

MN has made me realise how gullible a lot of people are.

It's made me realise how gullible I used to be

I'm a lot more cynical now.

The lube thread contributed to my awareness of some of the lies posters tell.

@wheresmymojo

Ah. Sorry. Posted my thing about gullibility before I read your post.

I'm envious of both you and Shirley.

I realise I should have got a job that only needed 30 mins of the 6 hours (!) I was paid for.

More fool me.

@wheresmymojo

I actually don't lie - I earn a fair amount - six figures.

BTW, so did I.

I thought I gave value for money though.

@LaMarschallin it’s swings and roundabouts though. I’ll dick around online sometimes and have it pretty easy (to me at least), but I’ll still also have to answer emails at weekends, be available in the evenings etc. And I have previously worked 100hr weeks which were pretty awful but allowed me to move up the ladder to a much more relaxed role.

I’m also very very efficient in short bursts so can get stuff done really quickly but not consistently. Which is why I always do my work and deliver to the level my boss expects of me

@wheresmymojo sounds like we have very similar roles

@LaMarschallin

My role sounds similar to Shirleys - I manage large programmes of work which tend to have peaks and troughs.

I can go weeks or months working crazy hours (7am - 1am for example) because we have specific deadlines or some kind of crisis.

Other times I can go weeks where we are waiting for funding to be approved for the next stage or for the Board to make a decision which means we're in a bit of a holding pattern and there isn't a full week's work.

Also TBF these conference calls are often important but might have 30 people on them from all over the world. I give my update on EMEA or the UK but most of what another region is saying isn't impacting me specifically. I keep half an ear on the conversation in case anything comes up which I can do while tapping away on MN.

The company I work for is very relaxed about how, when and where you do you work but not on quality or deadlines. I'm a very fast worker and I try to do reasonably long hours four days a week and then take most of the other day off (agreed with my manager). As it happens I always get top performance scores, so that being the case I have no guilt conscience. If it takes other people 8 hours to do less quality work than I do in 5 🤷🏻‍♀️

The company I work for is very relaxed about how, when and where you do you work but not on quality or deadlines.

^ Also IMO this is the correct way to manage a team - someone working 8 hours a day consistently is neither here nor there in terms of 'adding value'. People can consistently do 8 hours of slow, poor quality work. The delivery/outcome/success is what matters.

Managing by hours input (presenteeism) is not very effective and contributes to a lack of flexibility around working hours that could otherwise help people like working mothers. Whether they be posting for advice on MN, selling something on Ebay or just having an hour to themselves with a cup of tea and no kids.

Last post on this from me as it's a bit of a derail from the original topic...

@ShirleyPhallus

And I have previously worked 100hr weeks

So have I. And I have also moved up the ladder. And still work quite a lot of hours. Because some of my skills are non-transferable.

It still wouldn't be safe for me to "dick around" though.

I wish it was. But, if you met me in a professional capacity and expected me to do my best for you (which of course I would try to do), I would put folding money on the fact that you might be peeved if I dicked around while on the job.

I'm obviously jealous of you and wheresmymojo.

I suspect we all have equalish (real word?) levels of seniority, income and managerial responsibilities.

But you two can play on the internet at work and I can't.

I made the wrong choice of career, obviously.

Last post on this from me as it's a bit of a derail from the original topic...

Good point, wheresmymojo.

I'll stop my whinging in the same spirit of not derailing.

And in the spirit of MNHQ's "peace and love" thing.

Sorry.

Agreed with @wheresmymojo that this is now a derail from the original topic but @LaMarschallin, I started another new job at the end last year and was lucky enough to receive a few job offers. One of them was crazy money, much more than I’m on now, but the standard contracted hours were 8-6 with it being made clear at interview that they had a “bums on seats” culture with it being a mentality that the first person to leave in the evening would be judged, it was almost a competitive thing of people starting longer hours than others just to prove their worth. For me, that was an absolute deal breaker cos I am about an easier life now having worked for a firm like that before. I much prefer being able to deliver work as needed but not being micromanaged and being able to manage my own diary.

Jobs like these do exist and sounds like you’ve got great experience and seniority, perhaps it would be worth it to have a look around for employers with a much more relaxed culture if that’s what you’re after now.

I've been on MN for over 10 years. I really never have understood all the doctors, top lawyers and head teachers etc that find time to respond to threads multiple times during the day.
I'm a freelance creative who works from home and I can barely find the time to sit and follow a medium sized thread.

Maybe I've been going wrong somewhere all these years?

Makes me laugh. It’s ridiculous.

“I’m a solicitor and earn a six figure sum”
“Well I’m a Barrister and earn half a million”

Amazing how much free time all these high rollers have to post on MN!

Over the years, I've also been shocked by the amount of MN's who have dcs who go to private schools.
I'm relatively comfortable financially but I only know of one person who have had dcs private (and that was at an international private school).

Also, on MN all the exceptionally bright dcs....really? It also sits uneasily with me that the MN vibe is that any GCSE grade under a 9 is not really good enough. Surely not every MN child is a pure genius?

I can play around on the internet when I am in the office alone. But I am not well paid.
I believe the poster about Elton John's jet though.

@ShirleyPhallus

Jobs like these do exist and sounds like you’ve got great experience and seniority, perhaps it would be worth it to have a look around for employers with a much more relaxed culture if that’s what you’re after now.

Oh dear. I did say I'd shut up.

And, bearing in mind the thread title, I could easily be lying about my "great experience and seniority". Makes me sound jolly important though. I could get used to that!

The job I do doesn't really allow me to shop around for employers unless I abandoned a lot of my principles.

I do work very part time now though. Hence the chance to dick around on MN.

But (and now I sound like a right prig) I'd feel bad if I did it at work.

Fair enough @LaMarschallin, best wishes with whatever you end up doing

@ShirleyPhallus

Fair enough @LaMarschallin, best wishes with whatever you end up doing

Thank you!

It's so nice when a difference of opinion on MN doesn't end up in a horrible fight full of swearing.

to you too.

And , , , (take your pick; you're allowed more than one) also.

There's 10m unique users a month on MN and at most a couple of hundred people will post on a thread, so it stands to reason that the extremes will post on the threads about weight, salary, etc.

Likewise some topics are niche and will only attract those to whom it's relevant. E.g. fee paying schools. At most you might have 30 fee paying parents on a thread. There's tens of thousands countrywide.

Yes, I was going to say it was nice to have a respectful debate but thought it might sound snarky! But agreed

Pregnant atm so no for me but enjoy one for me!

Pegasus I thought the last security foul up a mod gave stats which showed MN had far less users than that logged in? If you are talking about page views maybe, but not those actually commenting.