Most ridiculous request from your employer?

[nannoo]

I've been at my current job for about 7 months and it started off well. Went to change a DB,which was a Crabtree C50. The new DB was never going to fit into the space the existing board occupied. Contacted the management and got the reply "fit din rail to accommodate 60898 MCB's to the existing board"

I don't even know where to start with what's wrong with that statement. Notice handed in,leaving in 2 weeks.

Have you had any ludicrous requests. Did you stand ground,comply,leave or option D?

 

[Guest77]

Yes can I work nights for flat rate pay, and will I work away for flat rate pay with no incentives.

 

[nannoo]

Yes can I work nights for flat rate pay, and will I work away for flat rate pay with no incentives.

Do we work for the same company?

Weekends= Flat rate. Overtime= Flat rate. I stayed as it was a good company initially,and the weeks stopped on a Friday,paid travelling was nice too. Recently the work is out of hours (flat rate) and the expectation for the amount to be done has become unrealistic.

 

[Guest77]

Yes appalling at times really, some employers are decent enough, but most will expect this and their attitude is you are lucky to have a job, You can earn more working in Maccy Ds and Tescos than some firms are paying at the moment, I have seen adverts for Sparks working away and the rate is 10 quid an hour, take away petrol costs and you may as well work in a supermarket, for those earning good money, I am aware this rate of 10 is not country wide, but the odd employer will try to take the pist.

 

[shanky887614]

Yes appalling at times really, some employers are decent enough, but most will expect this and their attitude is you are lucky to have a job, You can earn more working in Maccy Ds and Tescos than some firms are paying at the moment, I have seen adverts for Sparks working away and the rate is 10 quid an hour, take away petrol costs and you may as well work in a supermarket, for those earning good money, I am aware this rate of 10 is not country wide, but the odd employer will try to take the pist.

Do we work for the same company?

Weekends= Flat rate. Overtime= Flat rate. I stayed as it was a good company initially,and the weeks stopped on a Friday,paid travelling was nice too. Recently the work is out of hours (flat rate) and the expectation for the amount to be done has become unrealistic.

Yes can I work nights for flat rate pay, and will I work away for flat rate pay with no incentives.

sounds like you both work for a similar company to me, when i have done ny am2 at the end of the month i know he will offer me a **** wage and wants me to go self employed, ill do that and then **** off unless things improve

 

[Guest77]

I don't work for that company now, but have experienced this in the past, I do know of a mate who is treated this way though and have seen the advert I mentioned on line lol.

 

[nannoo]

Absolutely agree. I spent a while living abroad and came back to work in the UK last year. Re-did my 17th to the 2011 amendment. Looking through the jobs there is a lot of low pay on offer and I was surprised to see that the majority are now advertised through agencies.

Ah well, I'm going to take a couple of months off and see some friends abroad and start again around July.

 

[Guest77]

My advice if you can afford to take risks is to go sub contracting, you only pay 20% tax, can get 2-3k back a year if you have an accountant sorting out your reciepts etc and you can earn a decent rate whilst working. Now if you have a family and need to ensure you are paid every week without doubt then maybe it isn't for you, that said when you get in with a company and they like you the work will be regular and the money good and usually paid fortnightly, so Sub contracting the best way at the moment.

when companies start to grow again and work is more gettable then a secure job with holiday pay the better option, the country is in a bad place at the moment, we have lost a lot of our respect and achnowlegement throughout the industry and rates have fallen, sub contracting then became very big in the late eightees and apprenticeships vertually stopped, we are now short on skilled men so short courses have been created. With short courses the rates have stalled, I was earning nearly as much 15 years ago as I am today, weird but very true.

The industry has been broken up into sections instead of all rounder sparks which was the norn pre late eightees, so the rates are lower generally. Unless the rates improve sub contracting may be the only option short term at the moment, unless you do not need to earn much money then regular payments may be more suitible.

 

[nannoo]

Some very good points you've raised around the division of the industry. I did my apprenticeship from 1990 and had some great old school guys teaching me that really understood the trade as well as college which I learned the technical side from. Now it seems to be "Part P spark","2391 tester" even 17th edition tester advertised.

The testing companies have practically done away with testing now and make do with a Zs reading for each circuit,Zs at DB, calculating the R1+R2 and limiting the rest of the cert.

 

[Knobhead]

Trying to get me to work any overtime when I’m paid a salary.

 

[Geordie Spark]

The most ridiculous thing I was ever asked to do was get into work on time after playing a gig in a Working Men's Club followed straight after by another in a Night Club and not getting home until 6:00 am.

No chuckin' fance!!

 

[nannoo]

Good God! The nerve

 

[Geordie Spark]

Good God! The nerve

I know!

And it got even worse than that

Picked up by the van at the factory gates at chucking out time on a Friday to drive through the night to London.

Rest up a bit in a sleeping bag on a floor somewhere then set up on Saturday afternoon, play the gig on the night, then play another at a night club followed by another gig Sunday lunchtime and another on Sunday night and then drive back north through the night & be dropped-off back at the factory gate Monday morning (ish) and work an 8 hour shift.

 

[Diddy]

Ridiculous request - As above will you work for flat rate - in general electrically it must run into the thousands the number of downright stupid requests.
The most stupid question I was asked by an employer was away back when I had just officially come out of my time - Had been doing little jobs for firm for 6 months +.....you know "easy" stuff take an apprentice with you and "get on with it". Then I actually run a couple of tidy little jobs which were in on a friday 4.30pm and out for 8.00am on the monday morning. I had about 6 of these under my belt when it was time for my pre booked officially approved holiday.
Boss "Sorry Dave you will need to cancel the holiday as Mr X can't take over these Friday evening jobs he has a young family ect ect"....we are talking about a firm with 50+ sparks on the books here -
So anyway
Him - You need to cancel holiday
Me - Are you going to pay fee's and difference in ticket price
Him - No
Me - Well im not loosing £700 and this is my 1st holiday abroad and it is to celebrate coming out my time...so therefor im sorry I can't cancel but can show anyone the ropes in half a shift
Him - Look young man there is a recession on just now you are lucky to have job
Me - Im still going on holiday - this is a JIB company and I have followed all the rules
Him - Look Dave it comes down to this What is more important your holiday or the company
Me - Well from this friday - My holiday
Him - Here is a cheque for what you are due - F-Off
Me - thanks bye

I already had a nice job lined up down the channel tunnel lol. But I always remember that question (in bold) Im afraid even as I got older and supposedly wiser I could never answer that question any other way lol.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Ridiculous request - As above will you work for flat rate - in general electrically it must run into the thousands the number of downright stupid requests.
The most stupid question I was asked by an employer was away back when I had just officially come out of my time - Had been doing little jobs for firm for 6 months +.....you know "easy" stuff take an apprentice with you and "get on with it". Then I actually run a couple of tidy little jobs which were in on a friday 4.30pm and out for 8.00am on the monday morning. I had about 6 of these under my belt when it was time for my pre booked officially approved holiday.
Boss "Sorry Dave you will need to cancel the holiday as Mr X can't take over these Friday evening jobs he has a young family ect ect"....we are talking about a firm with 50+ sparks on the books here -
So anyway
Him - You need to cancel holiday
Me - Are you going to pay fee's and difference in ticket price
Him - No
Me - Well im not loosing £700 and this is my 1st holiday abroad and it is to celebrate coming out my time...so therefor im sorry I can't cancel but can show anyone the ropes in half a shift
Him - Look young man there is a recession on just now you are lucky to have job
Me - Im still going on holiday - this is a JIB company and I have followed all the rules
Him - Look Dave it comes down to this What is more important your holiday or the company
Me - Well from this friday - My holiday
Him - Here is a cheque for what you are due - F-Off
Me - thanks bye

I already had a nice job lined up down the channel tunnel lol. But I always remember that question (in bold) Im afraid even as I got older and supposedly wiser I could never answer that question any other way lol.

Aye, they just don't "get it" do they?

 

[nannoo]

Him - Look Dave it comes down to this What is more important your holiday or the company
Me - Well from this friday - My holiday
.

From the JIB handbook "Well from this Friday - My holiday" is the correct answer to that question...Good on ya.

 

[nannoo]

That's a busy weekend. Still playing gigs?

 

[Geordie Spark]

That's a busy weekend. Still playing gigs?

No not since '79 when I "retired" on Doctor's orders.

I had a layoff for about a year and reappeared as a sound engineer for a gigging band. Then I bought my own rig and the PA Hire company was born.

 

[Diddy]

Aye, they just don't "get it" do they?

The bloke im on about (owner of said firm) was famed for his cheque writing skills whenever anybody either disagreed with him or stood up to him. He was a five foot bully lol. I knew it was on the cards for me as my nose was never brown enough.
I have come across a few like him in my years though and as said some guys just do not get it...I work to live, I do not live to work. Standard stuff.

 

[Jonspark]

Ridiculous request - As above will you work for flat rate - in general electrically it must run into the thousands the number of downright stupid requests.
The most stupid question I was asked by an employer was away back when I had just officially come out of my time - Had been doing little jobs for firm for 6 months +.....you know "easy" stuff take an apprentice with you and "get on with it". Then I actually run a couple of tidy little jobs which were in on a friday 4.30pm and out for 8.00am on the monday morning. I had about 6 of these under my belt when it was time for my pre booked officially approved holiday.
Boss "Sorry Dave you will need to cancel the holiday as Mr X can't take over these Friday evening jobs he has a young family ect ect"....we are talking about a firm with 50+ sparks on the books here -
So anyway
Him - You need to cancel holiday
Me - Are you going to pay fee's and difference in ticket price
Him - No
Me - Well im not loosing £700 and this is my 1st holiday abroad and it is to celebrate coming out my time...so therefor im sorry I can't cancel but can show anyone the ropes in half a shift
Him - Look young man there is a recession on just now you are lucky to have job
Me - Im still going on holiday - this is a JIB company and I have followed all the rules
Him - Look Dave it comes down to this What is more important your holiday or the company
Me - Well from this friday - My holiday
Him - Here is a cheque for what you are due - F-Off
Me - thanks bye

I already had a nice job lined up down the channel tunnel lol. But I always remember that question (in bold) Im afraid even as I got older and supposedly wiser I could never answer that question any other way lol.

Reminds me of the old saying "He who works hard and does his best goes down the road like all the rest"