The Mock Turtle

Yep, you should definitely get holidays back for that, i do condensed Tuesday-Friday (9998) and my leave is broken down into hours instead, so I benefit from every bank holiday Monday (+7 hours) and for any bank holidays that aren’t a Monday (Eg good Friday) I owe +1 or +2 but it generally works out at around a 3/4 day gain in holidays.

My understanding of hols is that if you get the basic 28 days which include bank hols, that's your pot of holiday days so you don't get more days for the Mondays, you just get to take them at a different time.

So I had my contract through in the week, and it’s 203 hours annual hol (29 days using the standard 7 hour day) plus 56 hours (8 days) bank hols. If I have a day off based on my compressed hours, it will use 8.75 hours from the total allowance. That makes much more sense that whatever muddled logic I had in my head, For me I still think Tues-Fri is a better pattern for me because my working pattern would be affected by bank hols less frequently thank if I work Mon-Thurs, but it’s swings and roundabouts.

Anyway! The main reason I came back to the thread was to report that I’ve had a strangely satisfying afternoon dismantling my old relatively unsatisfactory and quite cluttered home computer set up from my dining table, moving all the furniture round and having a dust and polish, installing a gas-assisted monitor amount which was the princely sum of £24, affixing my little TV/monitor and setting up my laptop again. I’m quite happy with the result, which is surprisingly sturdy considering how little table edge that the clamp is managing to cling to. It means I can push the TV back on its swivel when I’m done with work and free up all the table space again, without having to dismantle everything. Also it means I can get the monitor much closer, which my eyes will appreciate.

Now I just need to sort out the rest of that junk (paperwork and stationery) then I’ll be able to have a breather.

I'm slowly learning more about this internal role I was approached about. I was told J would schedule a chat with the recruiting manager (C) this week, then she put in an appointment titled 'WJ - interview', which bemused me. How can I be interviewed for a job with no JD or no real understanding of what the actual role is?

My current LM is aware and had some vague ideas about what the role might be based on historic conversations and knowing that a colleague (S) who worked for C had moved into a different role. I was very much approaching it still as a 'chat' as I think it will be just as much about fit and as I haven't actually put myself forward, I'm not too fussed whether I fit or not! He spoke quite highly of C and said he would have no qualms working for him, which is a positive.

Anyway, C sent me an email today with a JD which does appeal apart from the line about potential evening/weekend work. It's a bid/proposals management role, so obviously very deadline driven but there's a difference between 2-3 times a year and every month! I've asked my LM if it's the role S had and if it is, I'm going to give her a call and sound her out a bit.

I've started applying for jobs.

Work is trickling in and I do have enough funds to keep me going for a while, but a lot of my clients aren't hiring freelance writers at the moment, plus many magazines are making redundancies. Unfortunately I'm not sure I'm top of the pile for agency or in-house copywriting jobs given my unusual CV, but I'm giving it a go. I might need to take a full- or part-time role for a couple of years while the world sorts itself out.

Good luck nine!

Good luck nine!

I hope the role turns out to be something you want, WJ.

Good luck, Nine!

How do you feel about the longer term contract, H1ppy? Might be good to have some security at the moment?

it turns out to be a goer, Wendy. Is it a step up?

Good luck Nince.

Have you had the chat yet WJ?

So, I have a new job

It’s an internal move but where I work it’s such a huge place I might as well be moving employment as it’s all new people and a whole new programme to learn.

It’s quite a big jump and it’s the 4th time I’ve interviewed for this grade so I’m so pleased I finally got there.

Since I came back I’ve been pushed right to the bottom of the pile and written off by new manager who has shown no interest in me at all, we have had two meetings and she spent a lot of time talking about herself but hadn’t ever asked me anything about my experience in the team (longest standing member on this programme with most experience) or my development plans, just a bit of small talk about WFH. Since I left and she has joined she has rejigged the team hierarchy to put me right at the bottom, even underneath the people I line managed last year and has introduced bullshit initiatives like “star of the month” which seems to have no transparency and people who I think are cocks :kind: keep getting rewarded for what I can only see as doing their actual job?

So hopefully I’ll move in 3/4 weeks. My new manager is my lovely old manager who has pulled strings to create a role for me within her new team. The work sounds really interesting as it’s all about AI/machine led intelligence etc. It’ll probably be horrible and I’ll hate it, but y’know.

That's brilliant Pov, well done you! Your current manager sounds like a twat, "star of the month" indeed I hate stuff like that, its so subjective

That sounds good, Pov! Well done!

Well done, Pov. AI/machine learning is so fascinating I hope your current manager struggles without you :alsokind:

That's brilliant, POV.

Congratulations, Pov! Your current fucking manager sounds awful.

That sounds good Pov!

I think some environments can find that stuff works but when our contact centre manager asked if we wanted to extend her similar initiative into the wider team, I nicely said that it would be seen as patronising bollocks amongst the ‘professionals’ ie the qualified surveyors, accountants, etc. Also, we do use the official recognition programme and have made awards.

My chat is today. The official JD grading sounds more junior tbh, but that’s not how it was sold when I was first approached. JDs seem irrelevant here though - I still couldn’t do my official one if pushed.

I’ll see what comes out of today! There’s no LM responsibilities which I know is making it seem appealing, but I can’t let that blind me to other concerns.

Good luck, wendy.

Well done, Pov. Shred everything before you leave.

Good luck, Wendy!

Congratulations Pov!

Fingers crossed Wendy!

Well done Pov!

Congratulations Pov!