#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

1 Like
#121

The shared drive.

1 Like
#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.

1 Like
#124

This is my experience of the modern work place

2 Likes
#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).

1 Like
#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.

1 Like
#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

2 Likes
#129

Just rotate one person to answer it each day?

#130

“Agile with a small a”

So not Agile at all then. Cool.

1 Like
#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.

#136

Yeah, dead on what we’re doing here. We’re dedicated to calls but doing other work at the same time. The call volumes aren’t too bad but it was very hectic around Christmas.

One good thing is that they only let people stay here for two years as they’re aware of how much of a grind it is. Already have an eye on moving laterally within the organisation to get out of it.

#137

for us the other work is the main thing and the calls just really get in the way tbh, but i probably skive off them a bit too much. we have to make outbound call attempts on every case as well although more often than not they don’t answer.

aye there’s usually other civil service jobs coming up that we can apply for but i haven’t bothered yet as i currently don’t mind this one and i like the people i work with. might start applying for stuff if it goes down the shitter.

#138

ie. basically our main job is to open cases, send out letters requesting info, read what comes back and close the cases, and have a daily target for getting that work done. but the people we’re writing to will also want to call us up to ask questions about the letter and stuff, which makes sense but slows down your ability to do the former. also i hate talking on the phone.