to wonder why people are such jobsworths?

[Achildlessperson]

For people that don’t have a genuine stake in the game (ie partners of an LLP, business owners), why do they care SO much about things to the point it doesn’t genuinely advantage them?

Partly fuelled by another thread I’ve seen about catching out someone with a doctor’s note, I have to ask - why do you care? I understand if it puts more workload on to you, then FINE. But again, that’s a top management problem. Workers are paid in exchange for their labour. I completely get high earning jobs where you know what you’re going into before. However, sometimes I really do wonder why people go out their way to be such jobsworths when the advantage to them is 0.

For example, there’s a pub where we live that also has its own takeaway style bar - fish and chips, ice cream etc. One day DH and I bought fish and chips (£14) and then sat in the outside bit (not the height of summer and not busy) and ordered two drinks from the bar. A waitress told us we couldn’t eat THEIR OWN FOOD in their beer garden. We had already paid for our drinks so got given two plastic cups to put them in and go 1 meter away, behind the wall to eat. What was the point? Why would you care? The young girl didn’t own the pub, is paid under 21 wage.

I feel employers, the ones making the 0.1%, really take advantage of this. They’re fine breaking moral and ethical conduct rules, avoiding tax to the highest, but expecting their employees on minimum wage to go above their pay / job role. If everyone just said no, compensate me fairly for this, then the labour market may actually improve.

Everyone refers to high earning tech jobs and how they’re overpaid etc but these companies just get it right. They pay highly, improve morale, in exchange workers are happy to go above and beyond. The company improves, profits increase, efficiency and productivity improves = win win.

so, why do people care SO much? Especially as by “caring” isn’t actually always the most ethical/moral action?

I worked for HMRC for over 30 years. I was often asked how I slept at night!
As I saw it I was upholding a level "playing field". I applied the law. I sympathised, commiserated, explained, but was even-handed.

I didn't personally agree with all the tax laws, but I upheld them.

Sometimes I wrote off debts that could never be repaid, but I saw that as saving the Public Purse from Court Costs that would have been written off at the end anyway. Pragmatism is key.

I have worked in companies based in different countries, 6 of them in the UK. What on earth are you talking about?

You clearly haven't.

The rigid thinking, and the tunnel-visioned view of asking for permission for every little thing is very much an English thing.

Completely unable to think outside the box.

Your problem is with (what seem to you to be) stupid rules, not with employees merely enforcing those rules. Why blame them for doing as they're paid to do?

Maybe they know why the rules are in place. Maybe they agree with the rules. Maybe they simply don't want the trouble of dealing with an unhappy boss, if they don't do as told.

Disagree. Lower level staff maybe, but I assume that is the world over. I like the fact that the UK is rules based and not laissez faire. Employees cheating their employers by not following rules or not doing their jobs is a recipe for inefficiency. Why should staff question their roles? How is that a good thing other than for them? You are thinking like a low level employee.

Brits are some of the most creative, subtle and cleverest minds (maybe in management). I did not grow up in UK so just an observation.

My last as to @TheThinkingGoblin . Or not, as the case may be.

It used to be called having a good work ethic.
So many people these days don't give a toss and it shows.
Re: the thread about the doctors note. Everyone jumping on the But She's Pregnant aspect, completely ignoring the fact that she does the bare minimum usually.

There are lots of lazy people about. The waitress was doing her job OP, why do you think you should be allowed to break the rules? You aren't that special that they don't apply to you, and it's her job to tell people.

Ironic that you talk about not being able to think outside the box while equating the UK with ‘Englishness’.

Grow up

Yes, hence why I said I don’t see the problem with them asking OP not to eat them at their table.

But they weren't from the local take away, she bought them from the pub itself.

Are you seriously arguing that supermarket workers in Germany, or hotel housekeepers in France or waiting staff in Italy or fast food workers in the US have significantly more discretion & autonomy than their minimum wage counterparts in the U.K?
If you are, you’re deluded.

They don't. They couldn't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck about most of the rules I enforce.

However I like my life quiet and free of stress and not enforcing the rules results in managers looking over my shoulder wanting to know why I'm not enforcing them.

Yeah I could argue the toss about why it doesn't matter and is better customer service but then that takes us back to how many fucks I don't give. I just don't care that much. I care about a decent payslip and a quiet life and this is best achieved by just doing what they want.

So they don't get the sack. Its really that simple.

I agree @Achildlessperson, I never understand why people give a bugger about work stuff that isn’t anything to do with them. Someone was 10 minutes late… did you have to do their work, no, so why do you care? Someone has done a rubbish job of a task… do you have to re do it? No, so why do you care?!

The waitress was a bad example though- if she didn’t tell you to move she would have been in trouble, so that’s why she cared. Not because she actually cares about the rule.

Seems like you are making multiple points and eliding them into one. To me a jobsworth is someone enforcing rules intended for one situation and applying them indiscriminately purely because they like telling customers what to do, and being a bit rude about it in the process. Particularly common if it comes with a health and safety angle.
A waitress ensuring their employer makes enough money on food service to keep them employed is merely trying to keep their job.
You then seem to be saying only high earning employees in specialised roles should care, and that this is a reason to pay them more? Salaries are based on supply and demand. If 250 people applied to every developer vacancy and they were all top programmers, you could probably cut their salaries in half and take whoever accepted it. It's not right, but neither is depriving a pub of the opportunity to serve customers food at a table rather than you snaffling your takeaway. NB it's not a VAT issue, all hot food attracts VAT whether or not it's takeaway.

But it could well be a regulation issue and an insurance issue. Food eaten on the premise is a different food business category to food taken off the premises for consumption and is different insurance. Planning and licensing could be another reason. It doesn't really matter, she was doing her job which was to ensure food sold as take away was taken off the premises. That's part of what she gets paid for so it's caring enough to do what you are collecting money to do, which is a good thing.
Good on her.
Of course she might have just been making your life difficult after taking a dislike to you, which would be understandable too.

I went to the local supermarket pharmacy and asked for nurofen plus. New pharmacist asked what for. I said that I was getting tattooed the next day and... he immediately interrupted me - "Oh I don't think people should get tattooed if they can't stand the pain of getting it done".
Me: "I don’t need it for during, I’m getting my elbows done and I'd like to be able to move them a little during the healing period. My back took nine hours and I didn’t need anything for that. Do you have any tattoos?"
Pharmacist: "Oh. No. I don't."
He then served someone else and fucked up the transaction so badly that he had to call for assistance with the till. He was beetroot and very quiet when he served me next.
Did wonder if karma was my friend that day.

Not really. OP clearly describes the takeaway element as separate. She was well aware the food was to take away.

Seriously, OP? You don't understand why people do their jobs?

Good point.

And then there's the "the weather's nice so I'll call in sick" and the "I hate my job" threads where posters advise the OP to go off on sick leave for weeks and months.

You just sound like a dick with your ‘omg why do you care so much??’

This sums it up perfectly in one sentence.

It's one of the teen phrases used now to shut people up alongside "be kind".

It's used by teens who want to do whatever they want and don't give a toss about the effect on others when pulled up for said behaviour.

No good deed goes unpunished

Almost everytime at work that I've bent the rules, or gone the extra mile it's been more hassle than it's worth. In general I've found that people can't understand a one special exception and come to expect it everytime.

In this example, I can guarantee that someone would see you in the garden, and ask to do it to then get shirty when told no. Or you'll come back next week and ask to sit there and tell us "Trinity let us last time". Or you or the people that wanted to because they saw you leave some kind of big mess that meant she'd regret it

Sometimes it's easier to just say no at the start. If you also start trying to justify it eg. It's because of the mess, we don't have the staff etc then people will start arguing it.

When I used to work in an ice cream place, I used to do things like give away like ice cream for dropped ones, but it became a pain because people became really entitled and rude

I think you’re making a ridiculous point basically you are saying that people shouldn’t care about doing their job well . If that’s your attitude don’t be surprised that you don’t get a pay rise / bonus/ if cuts are made first out the door because well you don’t care .
it’s in your benefit if the company you work for does well if someone is letting people in the garden to eat food brought in rather than food bought in the premises it looses money . If they don’t sell food I’d understand the point about bringing food in but maybe they don’t want mess attract rodents . It’s their business to do as they please they employ people to do a job and if it’s to tell people not to eat food brought on the premises then that’s what it is , you can’t pick and choose what to do .

Fairness as a concept is something most people value.