Work colleagues

[thistledo]

1 hour ago, Fullerene said:

I have been self employed for 20 years and it's great. 

Naturally I have a wonderful boss who let's me work whatever hours I like as long as the work gets done.  The work often requires me to travel about, stay in nice hotels if I want to, go to whatever restaurants I please.  I can schedule the trips myself and I seldom have to travel for so long that I get homesick.  I have been all over the world often with somebody else paying for it.

Drug trafficking? 

[Boghead ranter]

2 hours ago, thistledo said:

 

Does anyone actually enjoy what they do, if so what do you do please? No bullshit either, genuinely look forward to going to work, nothing less. 

I do.

Self employed dog walker, so like a lot of you, I work with puddle drinkers all day. I work hours that suit me, and now that my business is built up, I have the ability to turn down work I don't fancy doing.

[Derry Alli]

1 hour ago, Boghead ranter said:

I do.

Self employed dog walker, so like a lot of you, I work with puddle drinkers all day. I work hours that suit me, and now that my business is built up, I have the ability to turn down work I don't fancy doing.

Did you just wake up one morning and go "right, I'm walking dogs for a living". 

It's something I've thought about but no idea where to start. 

[Left Back]

33 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

Did you just wake up one morning and go "right, I'm walking dogs for a living". 

It's something I've thought about but no idea where to start. 

There’s another boy on the show us your dogs thread that does this for a job.  Pair of spawny b*****ds.  Genuinely the only job I think I’d look forward to in the morning.  That or being a dog trainer.

ETA there’s more to it than just buying a few leads and declaring yourself ready to walk.

A trainer I used to know in Edinburgh put together a list of things for Edinburgh council a client should ask a potential dog walker.  Covered all sorts from insurance, to breaking up dog fights, to dog first aid.  Was all part of a regulation scheme they were thinking about introducing.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Left Back

[Jacksgranda]

38 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

Did you just wake up one morning and go "right, I'm walking dogs for a living". 

It's something I've thought about but no idea where to start. 

With a dog...

[Boghead ranter]

31 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

Did you just wake up one morning and go "right, I'm walking dogs for a living". 

It's something I've thought about but no idea where to start. 

Kinda - few factors - I was at the same employer for nearly 20 years, despite job being 'ok', I'm now in my 50s, and I knew thaty employer wasn't doing well (they went bust altogether a couple of years back. I went to a gig in Glasgow with an old schoolmate who is an established dogwalker, and after listening to him talk about his job pre-gig, I was sitting on the train home, a bit jaked, saying "I'm gonna do that". I woke up next morning an decided that, rather than say "I was half gassed, what was I thinking", I was going to make it happen, and I did. 

Relatively easy to set up, if you want to know more, DM me, rather than me boring everyone (any more than I normally do anyway)

2 minutes ago, Left Back said:

There’s another boy on the show us your dogs thread that does this for a job.  Pair of spawny b*****ds.  Genuinely the only job I think I’d look forward to in the morning.  That or being a dog trainer.

StevieKTID, I'd imagine.

It's not all grand, picking up a lot of shit ain't great, and walking in the winter rain being blown sideways at high speed sucks. But you're right, it's my best ever job.

[Sergeant Wilson]

3 hours ago, Boghead ranter said:

I do.

Self employed dog walker, so like a lot of you, I work with puddle drinkers all day. I work hours that suit me, and now that my business is built up, I have the ability to turn down work I don't fancy doing.

What else do they ask you to  do?

[Boghead ranter]

Just now, Sergeant Wilson said:

What else do they ask you to  do?

Walk their dog at times I don't want to work on, walk their dog on weekends which, for the first time in my working life, I don't have to work. I basically now work 10.30 to 2.30, Monday to Friday, and it's fucking magic.

Or, if I get a dog that's an absolute untrained nightmare, and the owners don't do anything to train it, I can decide that I don't want to walk it any more (which I've only had to do once, to be fair).

[Sergeant Wilson]

Just now, Boghead ranter said:

Walk their dog at times I don't want to work on, walk their dog on weekends which, for the first time in my working life, I don't have to work. I basically now work 10.30 to 2.30, Monday to Friday, and it's fucking magic.

Or, if I get a dog that's an absolute untrained nightmare, and the owners don't do anything to train it, I can decide that I don't want to walk it any more (which I've only had to do once, to be fair).

I see, that's a relief. 

[Theroadlesstravelled]

7 hours ago, Boghead ranter said:

Walk their dog at times I don't want to work on, walk their dog on weekends which, for the first time in my working life, I don't have to work. I basically now work 10.30 to 2.30, Monday to Friday, and it's fucking magic.

Or, if I get a dog that's an absolute untrained nightmare, and the owners don't do anything to train it, I can decide that I don't want to walk it any more (which I've only had to do once, to be fair).

It’s constantly pishing with rain man.

 

[Silvio Tattiescone]

Worked for a financial services company for a year and hated every minute (payday loans kind of thing). Based in Dewsbury, they had a Xmas do where partners were invited. As I was a salesman and based in Scotland and only having been with the company for a couple of months, I had no idea of the office politics though I'd noticed the office staff were from a very diverse background. In fact, the office was in the same building as the lawyers who handled the case of the teacher in Dewsbury that refused to take off her Burka mask whilst teaching and there were always about a dozen of these women in Burkas hanging around the front door. 

When I reached the hotel for the do with my wife, I discovered that none of the salesmen had turned up and I only knew one of the middle managers there. To say there was an "atmosphere" would be putting it mildly. I got the full story from the guy during a fairly short evening.

The company were very traditional and hosted a Xmas dinner each year with turkey, trifle etc. Then one of the directors, noticing how diverse the workplace was becoming, suggested they have a curry night instead of turkey. The first one went fine, but after the second and third ones, some of the older staff started not coming citing "spicy food" not agreeing with them. So it was agreed to alternate between a curry night and traditional turkey. At the first Xmas when they returned to a traditional turkey dinner, NONE of the Muslim staff turned up and complaints were made about their cultural needs not being met. So the company reverted to a curry night and this was me experiencing it - only a couple of middle managers, the directors and me were there from the white staff as all the rest boycotted it. 

Was really glad to leave that company as the atmosphere was poisonous. 

 

[Fullerene]

"Sorry I missed the Christmas Party but it really is not the sort of food that I would ever eat".

"I don't blame you.  Whose stupid idea was it to make it a Sushi night?"

"Actually it was mine."

[Aufc]

Not sure what you expected from a payday loan company. Only someone stupid enough to be in charge of a company like that would be stupid enough not to think of perhaps having two options for food considering their diverse workforce.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

16 hours ago, scottsdad said:

When I was a PhD student (seem to have started a few posts like this today) I spent a lot of time computer programming. Anyone who has done this knows that after a while it can be hard to look at the screen. Come 2ish in the afternoon it just became impossible to see it properly. do, enddo, if, endif, and, or...all of these things bled into one. 

There was a 9 hole pitch and putt course nearby, and a mate of mine and I would go there for an hour. Come back, having been away from the screen, and it was fine. I could go for a few more hours. 

 

15 hours ago, scottsdad said:

I had a great summer job for two summers when I was a student. I was employed as a roads surveyor for Stirling council earning a massive £150 per week. The first year was me and one friend of mine, along with half a dozen other students. Show up at 8, into the vans, stop for coffee/newspapers/bacon rolls and then a nice drive up north. We surveyed the trunk roads and motorways in Stirling and Perth & Kinross. Great scenery, a few nice folk, a couple of bell ends. The second year a few more of my mates joined the group, and the bell ends never came back. 

Our boss, Neil (a middle aged guy heavily into Acid Croft music) was a great guy. Early on in the summer though he had some sort of blow-out with his boss and he was removed from being in charge of us. We were in charge of ourselves. It was a fantastic summer. Me and my mates going all over, having lunch in places like Strathyre and Crianlarich. The work was easy and we couldn't work in the rain. SO on rainy days we would drive up north and sit in the van reading the paper and listening to the radio. 

I remained friends with a lot of these people for a long time afterwards. Probably the best time and work colleagues I ever had. 

Fast becoming the academic equivalent of Gunther. 

[sugna]

18 hours ago, scottsdad said:

When I was a PhD student (seem to have started a few posts like this today) I spent a lot of time computer programming. Anyone who has done this knows that after a while it can be hard to look at the screen. Come 2ish in the afternoon it just became impossible to see it properly. do, enddo, if, endif, and, or...all of these things bled into one. 

There was a 9 hole pitch and putt course nearby, and a mate of mine and I would go there for an hour. Come back, having been away from the screen, and it was fine. I could go for a few more hours. 

Sounds like the campus at Stirling, a very picturesque wee track.

My equivalent was a full-time MSc that I did in 1996-97, where I'd resigned my job and gone all-in with a (nominally not too radical) change of direction. I was routinely developing software coursework well after midnight, and my reset after that - switching off for sleep straight afterwards was impossible - was to go the squash club and hit a ball for 20 minutes.

In contrast, my weekly golf game with my old flatmate now ends in his complaining that working at a screen all day scuppers his eyesight for evening golf. Except, of course, when he wins. Then he's a triumphalist Dundonian git who apparently has 20:20 vision.

[DiegoDiego]

A few years ago I worked in a small company. The were about six of us core staff and two management (mother and daughter).

We usually went out for Christmas but they noting the lack of morale they realised spending time with us outwith work might not be for the best. Instead they bought us each a box containing a panettone and a bottle of prosecco. Two staff couldn't eat the panettone due to allergies and three didn't drink alcohol.

[V.Aye.R]

A few years ago I worked in a small company. The were about six of us core staff and two management (mother and daughter).

We usually went out for Christmas but they noting the lack of morale they realised spending time with us outwith work might not be for the best. Instead they bought us each a box containing a panettone and a bottle of prosecco. Two staff couldn't eat the panettone due to allergies and three didn't drink alcohol.

You could do anything and someone would still moan though.

Could give everyone a £100 amazon voucher and someone would 100% pipe up about Amazon/Tax/support local businesses.

My old work did similar during lockdown, posted out hampers to every member of staff at great expense. Was ok but soured by all the hourly paid getting an extra days holiday. Way to promote the us/them divide.

Just give everyone a £100 bonus instead.

[scottsdad]

35 minutes ago, sugna said:

Sounds like the campus at Stirling, a very picturesque wee track.

My equivalent was a full-time MSc that I did in 1996-97, where I'd resigned my job and gone all-in with a (nominally not too radical) change of direction. I was routinely developing software coursework well after midnight, and my reset after that - switching off for sleep straight afterwards was impossible - was to go the squash club and hit a ball for 20 minutes.

In contrast, my weekly golf game with my old flatmate now ends in his complaining that working at a screen all day scuppers his eyesight for evening golf. Except, of course, when he wins. Then he's a triumphalist Dundonian git who apparently has 20:20 vision.

Spot on. I did the first half of my PhD at Stirling before our group moved to Cardiff.

[Silvio Tattiescone]

Worked for a company that banned partners after an incident at the Xmas do.

 

We had two women in the office who were huge, I mean, really huge. The floor shook when they walked past. Nice girls, they were best pals and got on well. Both of them were married to wee guys - seriously wee, think if @Bairnardo had stunted wee brothers. It was quite funny at the meal because all 4 of them got wired into the booze - and that's where the trouble started. They were dancing, which was quite funny because they looked like pot bellied pigs dancing with hamsters. Anyway, one of the wee guys started getting upset because he was convinced the other wee guy was eyeing up his wife and they started giving it verbals. This continued until it all kicked off on the coach going back up the M6. The two wee guys started knocking lumps out of each other and their big wives joined in. The bus driver thought they were going to tip the bus so he pulled onto the hard shoulder and called the cops. Somehow the message to the cops got confused and the full anti-terrorist squad rolled up in riot vans toting machine guns.

 

Boss got told all this the next morning and instantly banned partners from future events.

[Thorongil]

24 minutes ago, V.Aye.R said:

You could do anything and someone would still moan though.

Could give everyone a £100 amazon voucher and someone would 100% pipe up about Amazon/Tax/support local businesses.

My old work did similar during lockdown, posted out hampers to every member of staff at great expense. Was ok but soured by all the hourly paid getting an extra days holiday. Way to promote the us/them divide.

Just give everyone a £100 bonus instead.

At my last work we used to all get a bottle of champagne at Christmas. Then staff who didn’t drink alcohol complained and it got changed to a box of chocolates. 
 

The entitlement was off the scale. The chocolates would get delivered to our part of the building and we would invite teams down at a time to collect their chocolates. From the moment the deliveries appeared we would be getting people from all over the place turning up demanding their chocolates or emailing or messaging asking when they would be getting theirs. One woman, two years in a row, turned up at our desks making a big fuss because HER team hadn’t been called down yet and she needed HER chocolates pronto because she was finishing up and didn’t we understand that this was her mother in law’s Christmas present?!?!

Then people started complaining because there was liqueur in some of the chocolates. The company rightly then just knocked it on the head. 
 

People are awful.