Work

[NeverYield]

Plenty of free time this week, too cold to lay bricks.

[FLips]

9 minutes ago, NeverYield said:

Plenty of free time this week, too cold to lay bricks.

Speak yourself. I work from home and I’m laying bricks most of the day.

[Duke]

Just started a new speechwriting job back in the civil service after finishing up at Ucas and it's been quite the start. Expecting a simple, dull brief to work through but have ended up writing about stuff in the headlines, which is nuts. Good team so far so I'm hoping this will be a good fit for me

[SuperBacon]

Thought this might be useful for some here. (Obviously this is a provision from the current government and to be honest am not trying to make it political, as I need to keep it neutral so feel free to make wider points in the other threads)

The government are pushing out a new initiative called Skills For Life. https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life

This incorporates a whole range of training, qualifications, career change advice etc and two of the projects that I'm working on, are focusing on Multiply and  Skills Bootcamps (yes I hate that term as much as you, don't worry)

Multiply is a free Maths qualification for those aged 19 and over, who don't have at least a grade 4 (C in old old money) and courses are run at varying levels. 

There is a pre assessment to gauge your level (some courses are intensive in a week with an exam the following week, and others are more spread out) and you also have classes with the tutor online before the course starts. 

Open to businesses as well, who want to upskill their staff if they so wish. https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/training-choice/multiply

Skills Bootcamps are to develop skills in sectors/areas that have been identified as being in shortage and to develop skills employers are looking for.

https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/training-choice/skills-

They are designed WITH an employer in mind, so that at the end of it, there is at the very least a guaranteed interview, and hopefully a job (a power station down near me that we are working with are so lacking in entry level engineers that all who complete will be offered a job if they so wish)

They're open to people who are unemployed and employed (might be a small contribution from employer if you are) and most have no requirements (think heat pumps is the only way that does)

Wide range of sectors are already running (we are running two in digital; data analytics and marketing and three in green skills; retrofit, EV and heat pumps) and there are more to roll out as this is funded for quite a bit.

Every region will differ, but ones I've seen coming are construction, early years, education, health and social care, project management, hospitality and tourism and others I can't think of, and I'll be honest, I haven't seen a campaign so heavily employer led, which is great. In an ideal theory, someone takes the course, gets the qualification and gets a job with that employer. Most courses are designed to give at least a Level 3 qualification. 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-skills-bootcamp

I hope this is helpful, and if anyone wants any more info, please feel free to message me. Obviously I'll know a lot more about where I live and work, but I'm always happy to try and help in other areas, and sure I can.

I just wish they didn't use that name, as it sounds like a punishment.

Oh and for those on UC/benefits, we are just getting guidance from the DWP, but this shouldn't affect it.

In the past JCPs have been a bit wary about courses over a certain time period as while you're training you're not "fulfilling your work search requirements" but because this is very job/employment focused, it looks like it will be fine, but like I say, just waiting on clear guidance.

 

 

Edited January 18 by SuperBacon
Grammar was shit

[Carbomb]

Just submitted my tax return. Fucking hell, it never gets any less stressful. It's not actually a difficult process in itself, but they keep changing the odd question or stage every year, so I can't just keep referring back to previous returns I've saved for guidance.

Anyway, it's done now, and it's a massive weight off my mind. Whew.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Got the call today to say I'm off to Las Vegas to do some filming at an event later this month! 

It'll be my first time and I don't have a massive amount of dosh (can't wait to claim some expenses back though). What are folks' recommendations for a first timer visiting the fabled city. Anything less than a Hangover style escapade will be disappointing. 

[Sergio Mendacious]

I've never been, but Sunshine Acid seems like a good shout.

Had a horrendous experience at work today — I've been suggesting for ages that we make a book series that we do more templated, ie laid out like a blank comic book, so that illustrators can draw to the space, and authors can to. Mentioned it to several people, had it parroted back today as someone elses' idea. Fummin'.

[SuperBacon]

Manager has just logged out for THREE weeks leave and has delegated zero work to us while she's off.

 

[Joe Blog]

6 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Manager has just logged out for THREE weeks leave and has delegated zero work to us while she's off.

 

It’s a trap, she is going to see who is proactive during this unstructured time and then fire the rest of you. 

[gmoney]

I've just been promoted at work. I did the job I'm going into before, covering for maternity leave just before lockdown started in 2020 and I stood down voluntarily because it was a bit of a fucking nightmare for various reasons, and also I worked out I could get paid more in my old role doing all the overtime I possibly could. After 4 years of working 80+ hours a week, I am officially tired of that, and having spoken with my management team, I've had enough assurances that I'm not going to chucked into the deep end this time, and personally I'm a lot more ready for the challenge.

Edited March 1 by gmoney
Sorry Bacon, I repeated "this time"

[SuperBacon]

Cracking day at work yesterday. 

In the morning was at a construction college to speak to their groundworker apprentices about how our project helps support them during their employment/apprenticeship. 

Got to mess about on the simulator diggers for an hour as well, and play table tennis with them ("You're shit bruv") while they had their face masks fitted (looked like they were being tortured at Guantanamo. Terrifying)

Then went to the library in that town to meet some young people on a Princes Trust course about the same project.

Then off to another college in Portsmouth (not great is it?) in the evening to meet 4x Ukrainians who we have helped fund and support through a CELTA course, as they finish the course and now look to utilise that qualification in a teaching/tutoring capacity.

All the admin today is crap, but days like that remind me of why I love what I do.

Also as my car is dead and the last bus home left 3 hours prior to me finishing, I had an amazing Polish cab driver home who honestly made my night. A gem called Prem!

I didn't get to go in the Sklep or the generically named World Food Market in Pompey that I'd scoped out beforehand, but minor quibbles.

[Daddymagic]

This is just a vent, but I actually feel like I am at breaking point with my job which I've done for 15 years. 
 

I have a specialist role - you could train someone to do it but that would take a couple of months. There is two of us who do this job with over a thousand people relying on info and support. 
 

3 weeks ago I got an email from my manager saying the other person was off sick. He didn't return the following week so I asked if there was a strategy in place as I was starting to get a lot of questions from his area. 
 

No reply. I suggested that someone supports me and I delegate some aspects of the job that wouldn't really need training and that I look after the big picture things. Said they would come back to me. 
 

i then got an email not from my manager but from a peer saying that I needed to do everything and that they could count on me for the foreseeable. 
 

Issue is, this is sending me to breaking point. There is far too much work for one person and I feel like I am fire fighting or not able to give proper attention to what I am doing. I'm exhausted after just a week.

I asked to speak to my manager and instead got a message back from the same peer saying that resources are stretched. 
 

So. Should I keep battling on and trying my best?

Say fuck it and join my colleague on the sick?

 

I do also have a job interview coming up for a high paid position elsewhere - so need to keep my energy and spirits up for that.

[Chest Rockwell]

What you should do next depends entirely on how reasonable the people you're working for are. Doesn't sound like your confidence should be too high in that respect but you should still cover yourself by being very transparent about your capacity, saying what you think is a reasonable expectation of what you can achieve, and if that's more than the work that's there then prioritise the work and give them the opportunity to challenge your prioritisation.

If the answer is jfdi then yeah maybe go off on the sick whilst you look for a new job. 

Edited March 13 by Chest Rockwell

[SuperBacon]

If my manager kept ducking a simple request to even speak to me, I'd be going above their head to their manager.

Good luck with your interview @Daddymagic

[Chest Rockwell]

Oh yeah one more thing. You might feel bad because you feel like you are letting down the colleagues that rely on that data / support. Don't. You can feel bad for the situation they're in but don't feel like it's your fault.; you're not letting them down, your management is.