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M

millwall ken

Hi all,
Now for those of you who follow my posts, you will know that I'm currently working as a Maintenance Electrician for a medium-sized shopping centre. Now the job has been swell to date, and I've enjoyed working there. Now the problem - and maybe, just maybe its me being paranoid.
Anyway, I got asked to replace some floor tiles that had been broken. Okay, no big deal you say.
And I done it, and done a damn good job of it if I do say so myself.
Now the problem, my female boss asked me whether I had finished it (yesterday evening)when I bumped into her on my way home.
'Yes, it's done, and I don't think that I've done too bad a job of it, for a sparkie' I proudly boasted to her.
She then turned around to me and said that; that was my job, as a handyman!!!!!!!!!!!
'F****** Handyman', I thought to myself. I then said to her that if 'I'm just a Handyman, then she must be just a small little shop keeper'...
Now I may be wrong here, but to me a handyman is someone who is semi-retired/retired and good at DIY. Not someone who is a qualified sparkie - or ANY tradesman come to think of it. She couldn't understand why I took her comments as patronising and belittling. Or am I just being hyper-sensitive fellas?
 
i can understand mate why you was peeved.
nothing wrong with being proud of your trade and what you have worked hard to become.
 
are you a handsome man.
NO, even my missus would be hard pressed to describe me as a handsome lad. Think of a shorter Mike Tindell but with less teeth and an eye patch; and you're get the picture.
 
It was being called a 'handyman', that got my back up mate.

it can come across as them say "jack of all master of none"
i know where you are coming from. we are electricians by trade and happen to be able to do other bits that you pick up alongside the job.
was her face a picture when you calle her a "shop keeper"? :D
 
it can come across as them say "jack of all master of none"
i know where you are coming from. we are electricians by trade and happen to be able to do other bits that you pick up alongside the job.
was her face a picture when you calle her a "shop keeper"? :D

To be honest mate, it was more one of total lack of understanding at the insult to be honest. But I still thought that she was just being super patronizing.
 
funny phil... but some people do crack me up thinking its a 2min job ,when they watching over you.. they think just fix it
 
funny phil... but some people do crack me up thinking its a 2min job ,when they watching over you.. they think just fix it

:) and they are even worse with electrics when they can`t actually see what you have done when the cables are hidden. maybe we should clip them direct from now on so the can see what they are getting for their money :D
 
unless you'v got rich customers who change fittings and interior by the quater,or good contracts you do need to be dabbling at other trades a little... what other trades or jobs do you guys dabble at.. ?? myself powerwashing , window cleaning , bit of joinery landscaping tiling
 
not as much electrics as i want to be doing but ive only shown interest last two years couldnt change a plug 3 years ago[)
 
I felt the same when I was working in an office a while ago and overheard one of the female administrators refer to me as a 'workman'. I thought "workman? Stupid woman, what does she know?" although obviously I didn't say it out loud.
I reckon she would have taken offense if I had referred to her as an 'administrator' rather than a 'legal secretary'.
Over-sensitive or misogynistic?
Now there's a fancy word after a night in the pub :D
 
As Al Murray says working woman .........nurses or secretarys....so a managing director ..secretary.

As someone that as been in both situations, from an hands on guy to office bound now, you will be suprised at the lack of understanding most office workers have regarding tradesmen, as novus say the collective noun for sparks, plumbers, brickies, fitters is "workmen", and to be honest it didn't worry me as long as my bill was payed.

We are the same to be honest, we also use a collective noun for anyone that don't carry tools, "officeworker",

Just grin and bear in Ken, your "manager", who most likely as got a degree in modern art and the influence of Banksy on the urban jungle in respect of post modern culterism and it's dependce of having a totally worthless piece of paper, as no idea of what you have done or the quals you have got, as your a "workman"/ "Handyman" to her.

What use to really get me was some attitude, as if being a workman was a badge of being inferior, ohhh look at the man in dirty clothes.
 
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shes just prepping you up for a bit of overtime in her office so you can show her how "handy" you are

Dont rise to it just head down n get on YOU know your a sparky and the other stuff is childs play
 
I was working a few weeks ago in a center n the companys own maintenance spark was passing I said hows it going he replied with some smart --- comment along the lines of "Im glad we got your lot in to do these crappy lights!" (Job was pure hastle 500x500 floury mobs worst designed fitting Iv seen) Anyways I just smiled n replied that Id HAVE to fix them as they obviously couldnt On the back of this wee cruddy job we have now got a fair size relighting LEDS ect job and loads of outof hours at the center and a few other workshops ect He on the otherhand is getting his Tied house option rempoved his van is to be left at the yard and overtime is what WE get

Lesson KEN nomatter what others think , saay so long as YOU can do the job and YOU know what you are They will get their cummupance when ther time comes and YOU can stand tall n think to yourself "Im better than that"
 
next time she asks you to do a " handyman" job, ask her if she would get a tiler to wire up the electrics.
 

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