#114

I used to freelance at a company that did both of the final two on editorial floors. But not in other departments.

#115

Sheeldz’s poetry collection “Man in the Machine” is published on Tuesday.

#116

Do an admin job that involves a bit of making and receiving calls in addition to admin work, so have a pretty ordinary phone next to my desk to log in to, with handset and ringer and all that, naturally.

They’re changing it soon to call centre-esque technology so it’s done through the computer, meaning having to wear a headset, and just hearing a beep while you’re in the middle of doing something and a caller being there immediately, rather than it ringing and giving you a second to prepare before answering, or letting it pass to someone else’s phone if you’re a bit busy.

quite grim and already giving me flashbacks to old call centre jobs. will also mean they can record and listen back to calls, and also monitor more closely what you’re doing (admittedly it’s currently really easy to skive off calls by being logged out or in do not disturb mode and i’m mostly upset about losing this)

#117

it’s for rich twats

#118

Hello

#119

Nah it was that app that already exists Bumble, but they’ve made a social network for businesses/freelancers now. From a dating app. Not worrying at all. Nope.

#120

This might would be enough to make me quit a job tbf

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#121

The shared drive.

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#122

When you help someone as a favour and then have to maintain it for the next 5 years

#123

I don’t think this really constitutes the modern workplace but I appreciate a good vent.

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#124

This is my experience of the modern work place

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#125

Open-plan offices with highly chatty colleagues who have shouted conversations with each other, over my desk.

The fact that I do all the work (while they are either chatting or Skype-texting each other).

Hotdesking about to become a thing.

People calling me instead of emailing (I end up furiously writing down everything they say, most of which is actually irrelevant to what they want me to do, and it breaks my workflow completely).

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#126

Got a feeling that we work very similar jobs but in different countries.

We’ve got a bit of that call centre feel going on as well. Very easy to doss off when it’s quiet but when it’s busy it is very busy. Have been assured that no-one spends longer than two years in this department before being transferred out as no-one can hack the calls coming in.

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#127

The worst thing is some people actually criticise performance sending emails when ‘you sit right next to them’, prefer to not make people drop everything to speak to me, give a clear request they can refer back to, and a record of what has been discussed

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#129

Just rotate one person to answer it each day?

#130

“Agile with a small a”

So not Agile at all then. Cool.

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#132

Gotta say I’m pretty jealous of you lot all having loads of gossip knocking about. I can’t help it but I fucking love a bit of gossip and find how certain people carry on/what they’re doing quite fascinating. So yeah could do with more of it round here. I’m not gonna be the one starting it though, I am about as straight arrow as they come.

#133

the job is otherwise fine and fairly relaxed, much moreso than any other i’ve had, and i guess thankfully we don’t usually get anywhere near enough phonecalls in for it to start turning into a proper call centre or anything. also the phonelines close halfway through my shift cos i’m stuck on lates. but still pretty grim that it’s getting closer to that vibe.

maybe it’s also telling though that they’ve just replaced my manager, who was temporarily promoted from doing our job, with an outside applicant who’s just come from call centre management…

#134

Frankly if I had that setup then every single caller to me would hear a startled “Fuck!” as the opening to every conversation. Sounds really grim.

2 Likes
#135

i’m used to it from call centre work in the past, though then you were doing nothing but taking calls so were constantly awaiting the beep, and in fact most of the time it came through as soon as you put yourself in for one. having a beep suddenly go off while you’re in the middle of typing up a casebook will be a pain in the arse, it’s bad enough having the phone ring.

my manager is aware of the unworkable-ness of the setup though and thinks the best idea would be to take turns having a couple of people doing just calls for an hour or and then swapping over. though she won’t be my manager anymore in a couple of weeks.

it’s a few months away anyway at least, a couple of other teams (thankfully not us) are starting to trial it in the next few weeks, the poor bastards.