Quick Question Thread

[Rizzo]

2 hours ago, hk blues said:

There isn't  a way to keep both happy unless he has a twin.  Either he burns his bridges with his current employer (maybe no big deal given how he seems to have been treated by them) or potentially gets off on the wrong foot with the new one (but if they hold it against him then that's a red flag before he's started).  

Lose-Lose situation.  

The new employers have been kept fully in the loop with regard to the situation, and were happy enough to have a reference from a previous employer as a result so I suppose he doesn't need anything from them in any case.

Spoke to him briefly yesterday, and he says he's offered to work over the Christmas holidays to help finish projects that are in need of finishing for the old employer. There's nothing much more he can do I don't think. 

[hk blues]

Just now, Rizzo said:

The new employers have been kept fully in the loop with regard to the situation, and were happy enough to have a reference from a previous employer as a result so I suppose he doesn't need anything from them in any case.

Spoke to him briefly yesterday, and he says he's offered to work over the Christmas holidays to help finish projects that are in need of finishing for the old employer. There's nothing much more he can do I don't think. 

Yep...and it's more important to look forward than backwards so, within reason, the new employer should be the bigger priority.  

[Fullerene]

12 minutes ago, Rizzo said:

The new employers have been kept fully in the loop with regard to the situation, and were happy enough to have a reference from a previous employer as a result so I suppose he doesn't need anything from them in any case.

Spoke to him briefly yesterday, and he says he's offered to work over the Christmas holidays to help finish projects that are in need of finishing for the old employer. There's nothing much more he can do I don't think. 

What is the concern anyway?  That the old employee might take legal action?  If they were prepared to do that - they would have paid a decent amount in the first place.  Maybe they would give a bad reference?  Again who cares.  It is the new employer that will be asked for a reference when he goes on to the next stage in his career.

Most importantly don't be overly helpful to people who don't deserve your help or respect you for providing it.  I have made that mistake myself before.

[hk blues]

Just now, Fullerene said:

What is the concern anyway?  That the old employee might take legal action?  If they were prepared to do that - they would have paid a decent amount in the first place.  Maybe they would give a bad reference?  Again who cares.  It is the new employer that will be asked for a reference when he goes on to the next stage in his career.

Most importantly don't be overly helpful to people who don't deserve your help or respect you for providing it.  I have made that mistake myself before.

All fair points but if there is no reason to piss off the old employer then why do it?  You never know when it might come back and bite your arse - not least because some employers ask for last 2 or 3 employer references and not just latest.  

[Sergeant Wilson]

29 minutes ago, Rizzo said:

The new employers have been kept fully in the loop with regard to the situation, and were happy enough to have a reference from a previous employer as a result so I suppose he doesn't need anything from them in any case.

Spoke to him briefly yesterday, and he says he's offered to work over the Christmas holidays to help finish projects that are in need of finishing for the old employer. There's nothing much more he can do I don't think. 

NYFP.

[Rizzo]

25 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

What is the concern anyway?  That the old employee might take legal action?  If they were prepared to do that - they would have paid a decent amount in the first place.  Maybe they would give a bad reference?  Again who cares.  It is the new employer that will be asked for a reference when he goes on to the next stage in his career.

Aye essentially he's worried he gets hauled to court for breach of contract or something I think. He was told by CA that although it would be possible for them to do so, it would be highly unlikely as the whole ordeal would likely result in an overall loss for them. 

They are only losing him 3 weeks early once you add on holidays due. They've put all their eggs in the cheapest basket possible and now it's come back to bite them on the arse.

[Fullerene]

37 minutes ago, hk blues said:

All fair points but if there is no reason to piss off the old employer then why do it?  You never know when it might come back and bite your arse - not least because some employers ask for last 2 or 3 employer references and not just latest.  

I am not suggesting he piss off the old employer.  Simply recognise it as a contract and nothing more. 

The old employer have only themselves to blame not paying what they are willing to pay.

[Fullerene]

45 minutes ago, hk blues said:

All fair points but if there is no reason to piss off the old employer then why do it?  You never know when it might come back and bite your arse - not least because some employers ask for last 2 or 3 employer references and not just latest.  

BTW My current employer didn't seek any references at all.  He knew I was brilliant.  One of the benefits of being self-employed.

[hk blues]

19 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

I am not suggesting he piss off the old employer.  Simply recognise it as a contract and nothing more. 

The old employer have only themselves to blame not paying what they are willing to pay.

Yep...and part of the contract is the notice period.  

I agree the old employer don't have much to complain about but it seems that your mate is committed to doing right by them.

[Hedgecutter]

Q: Can you get outdoor (motion sensor) lights that are unable to be powered by a wire through a switch?

That's what our electrician told me I have when I asked him why he took the decision to bypass the pre-existing switch when wiring it up.  When I phoned him up, his reaction was along the lines of 'why would you want it through a switch; it won't work if the switch is off'.  Well, for situations just like this when a switch would be very f***ing handy I suppose.

Now I'm stuck with what seems to be a water-damaged garden light (a month that's lasted FFS) which won't turn off automatically that I can't override manually because the switch was bypassed.

I suppose what I'm really asking here is: is my electrician making up a story to cover up a presumptive balls-up on his part, or could it be a genuine reason.  

Edited December 18, 2023 by Hedgecutter

[jimbaxters]

Watching an advert for donations to RNLI at the weekend where they were saying they are a charity. 

As an island with a fishing industry, search and rescue at sea should be funded by the government surely. Is it the case that they believe the coast guard is enough provision for this type of rescue?

Edited December 18, 2023 by jimbaxters

[Cyclizine]

34 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Q: Can you get outdoor (motion sensor) lights that are unable to be powered by a wire through a switch?

That's what our electrician told me I have when I asked him why he took the decision to bypass the pre-existing switch when wiring it up.  When I phoned him up, his reaction was along the lines of 'why would you want it through a switch; it won't work if the switch is off'.  Well, for situations just like this when a switch would be very f***ing handy I suppose.

Now I'm stuck with what seems to be a water-damaged garden light (a month that's lasted FFS) which won't turn off automatically that I can't override manually because the switch was bypassed.

I suppose what I'm really asking here is: is my electrician making up a story to cover up a presumptive balls-up on his part, or could it be a genuine reason.  

Can't see why you would need to bypass the switch. I installed my own outdoor PIR lights. Old lights were controlled by a switch inside. I just replaced the old lights with new fittings and keep the switch turned on. Still works to turn the lights off. I imagine the electrician hasn't done anything to the actual wiring if he's just replaced a light. He'll probably have rewired in the switch backbox, so you might be able to add the switch back into the circuit.

[Hedgecutter]

4 minutes ago, Cyclizine said:

I imagine the electrician hasn't done anything to the actual wiring if he's just replaced a light. He'll probably have rewired in the switch backbox, so you might be able to add the switch back into the circuit.

He did actually rewire the lot as it was an old extension cord cable, apparently. 

[hk blues]

35 minutes ago, jimbaxters said:

Watching an advert for donations to RNLI at the weekend where they were saying they are a charity. 

As an island with a fishing industry, search and rescue at sea should be funded by the government surely. Is it the case that they believe the coast guard is enough provision for this type of rescue?

A couple of thoughts come to mind -

Perhaps (probably) they are better funded than they would be if they were a government function and probably they prefer to be able to do as they think fit without having some minister overseeing their activities.

 

[jimbaxters]

26 minutes ago, hk blues said:

A couple of thoughts come to mind -

Perhaps (probably) they are better funded than they would be if they were a government function and probably they prefer to be able to do as they think fit without having some minister overseeing their activities.

 

A risky strategy though as you're relying on donations like squillions of other charities. Also, if the government deem it to be a necessary service (which presumably they do) then why don't they fund it better. I say better because the RNLI website suggests they pay 1% of costs.

[tamthebam]

Like many things in Britain the RNLI's status is likely as a result of historical accident. There wasn't really an organisation dedicated to saving people from the waves and, indeed, some places became notorious haunts of Wreckers who would lure ships onto rocks by shining lanterns from beaches and they would plunder the cargoes from the wrecked ships. 

In around 1830 Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper's daughter, became famous for rowing out into the North Sea and saving sailors from a ship wrecked off the Northumberland coast. The RNLI was set up as a charity shortly after that IIRC. Victorian laissez-faire thinking meant many charities stepped in to provide services where Government did not. 

Some Tories criticised the RNLI for picking up migrants in the Channel I recall. I think the answer was along the lines of "F*ck off, we save lives whoever they are".  Being a charity at least keeps them from Government interference. 

 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:54, Shandon Par said:

Is Lewis Ferguson definitely related to Derek Ferguson? Saw him conduct a post-match interview in Italian. Maybe his mum is really clever?

Did he say "ti dico io cosa" a lot? 

[Fullerene]

34 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

Some Tories criticised the RNLI for picking up migrants in the Channel I recall. I think the answer was along the lines of "F*ck off, we save lives whoever they are".  Being a charity at least keeps them from Government interference. 

Not just some Tories.  Farage accused them of being a taxi service for migrants.

Net result: their donations shot up.

[TxRover]

3 hours ago, Hedgecutter said:

He did actually rewire the lot as it was an old extension cord cable, apparently. 

Then he’s likely lying to cover his arse. Most, if not all, outdoor, motion sensor lights have a couple of default modes controlled by switches on the unit and/or the use of a wall switch. For instance, when a sensor light is wired up and the circuit energized, it starts in motion sensing mode. If the power is interrupted (such as switched off at the switch) and then returned, it restarts in always on mode, repeat to return to normal sensing mode (although some require a 30 second shutdown to discharge a capacitor that controls the always on function memory). Find the manual for the light, or check its specs sheet and I bet it‘ll mention such a mode, completely demolishing the sparky’s argument.

[Shandon Par]

1 hour ago, Melanius Mullarkay said:

Did he say "ti dico io cosa" a lot? 

“The boysio done fantastico so they didio”