Work colleagues

[Spring Onion]

26 minutes ago, MixuFruit said:

Work: Hey just to let you know its great if you want to just phone up your colleagues and have a chat.

Me: OK. *Doesn't phone anyone for a chat*

Work: Heyyyy.... so we've been asking around - haha not in a creepy way! - and noticed you've not had any social phone conversations with any of your colleagues we asked.

Me: Uhuh?

Work: So we were thinking maybe it would be helpful for you to do that?

Me: No not really thanks.

Work: OK, well we'll leave it for now, we don't feel like we need to make this compulsory ha ha ha.

This'll be interesting.

Have any of your colleagues called you for a chat?

[NotThePars]

I’ve had my first full week in the office and the person showing me the ropes has did a bang up job of showing me almost nothing that can be done from home so roll on the next fortnight. [emoji574]️

[The Moonster]

1 hour ago, MixuFruit said:

Work: Hey just to let you know its great if you want to just phone up your colleagues and have a chat.

Me: OK. *Doesn't phone anyone for a chat*

Work: Heyyyy.... so we've been asking around - haha not in a creepy way! - and noticed you've not had any social phone conversations with any of your colleagues we asked.

Me: Uhuh?

Work: So we were thinking maybe it would be helpful for you to do that?

Me: No not really thanks.

Work: OK, well we'll leave it for now, we don't feel like we need to make this compulsory ha ha ha.

This'll be interesting.

When this all kicked off my boss said we'd have a conference call on Teams every Friday "just so people weren't feeling alone in lockdown". We had 1 meeting on the first Friday and we've not had any more. I know folk mean well with this stuff, but surely managers realise that the majority of people in work places aren't actually close to each other and are simply friendly in the work to be nice?

[D.A.F.C]

When this all kicked off my boss said we'd have a conference call on Teams every Friday "just so people weren't feeling alone in lockdown". We had 1 meeting on the first Friday and we've not had any more. I know folk mean well with this stuff, but surely managers realise that the majority of people in work places aren't actually close to each other and are simply friendly in the work to be nice?

We had hr telling us to make sure we take lots of breaks if we work from home and get exercise.
Same time setting targets and objectives that they know isn't really possible.
Maybe just stop doing that please.

[trainspotter]

46 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

When this all kicked off my boss said we'd have a conference call on Teams every Friday "just so people weren't feeling alone in lockdown". We had 1 meeting on the first Friday and we've not had any more. I know folk mean well with this stuff, but surely managers realise that the majority of people in work places aren't actually close to each other and are simply friendly in the work to be nice?

I reluctantly joined a work WhatsApp group set up by a senior manager who used almost exactly those words. After less than a week of lockdown, someone was posting Janey Godley videos to the group, which was my cue to leave.

[Wardy]

We have a quiz every week and the odd call here and there updating when things get opening again. I’m happy with that. It is strange going to speaking to these folk 5 times a week to just the once though (for like an hour) 

[Sergeant Wilson]

55 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

When this all kicked off my boss said we'd have a conference call on Teams every Friday "just so people weren't feeling alone in lockdown". We had 1 meeting on the first Friday and we've not had any more. I know folk mean well with this stuff, but surely managers realise that the majority of people in work places aren't actually close to each other and are simply friendly in the work to be nice?

We have them 10.30 every morning. We are bombarded with messages about staying connected, one to one meetings, blogs from the engaged about their life in lockdown, regular local all staff updates on Teams, Departmental briefings.

Every one shaves a layer from my soul and drains a little of my joie de vivre.

[Gordon EF]

Looks like my work's started with the redundancies. Don't know the full story but it looks like they're not even waiting til the end of furlough which seems brutal. I'm not on the chopping block for the moment thankfully.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

1 hour ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

updates on Teams,

A question for everyone.

I had my first Teams meeting today and could only see other participants when they spoke (on at a time).

Is there a way to see everyone at the same time during chat?

[DA Baracus]

We have a meeting in Teams every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We also have to submit a weekly work plan. In addition we have to send an email in the morning to say we've signed in and an email at night to give an update on the inboxes we are responsible for.

I've been submitting the same work plan since the start and send the same sign in and end of day emails each day.

The meetings are a huge waste of time but me and a friend usually just send each other GIFs during it taking the piss out of folk.

The day I hand in my notice will be glorious and I will make mention of all of this shite.

Edited June 4, 2020 by DA Baracus

[Dee Man]

7 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

We have a meeting in Teams every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We also have to submit a weekly work plan. In addition we have to send an email in the morning to say we've signed in and an email at night to give an update on the inboxes we are responsible for.

I've been submitting the same work plan since the start and send the same sign in and end of day emails each day.

The meetings are a huge waste of time but me and a friend usually just send each other GIFs during it taking the piss out of folk.

The day I hand in my notice will be glorious and I will make mention of all of this shite.

@Melanius Mullarkey ought to know better and be more professional. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

29 minutes ago, Dee Man said:

@Melanius Mullarkey ought to know better and be more professional. 

That’s how I spend most of my Teams meeting tbf.  The lockdown has not and will not change me.

Have you been demoted to the Nazi dept @DA Baracus?

[DA Baracus]

1 minute ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

That’s how I spend most of my Teams meeting tbf.  The lockdown has not and will not change me.

Have you been demoted to the Nazi dept @DA Baracus?

Same department. Not sure I can be demoted as I don't think there are any jobs under my grade in the office.

[Hillonearth]

In my place it seems that most people while obviously not enjoying the lockdown aspect have adapted pretty well to working from home, and apart from the first couple of weeks before everyone had a laptop delivered the work's getting done albeit in some new and in some cases quite innovative ways. We're looking at some folk coming back in an ad hoc fashion by the end of this month, but only for stuff that literally can't be done remotely with a maximum of maybe 15-20% of people in on any given day.

The only ones that seem to be having real issues are the ones that seem to have pretty bleak home lives...the "I come into work to get a break" types...and the ones that have constructed an entire social life around work. My missus was telling me one of the latter category had organised a weekly groupchat thing on Skype, and in the first one was trying to almost bully people into saying they were desperate to get back to the office with hardly any takers - most were quite happy with working from home in the short to medium term anyway. Guess this wifie's going to have to go into a virtually empty office a few days before she actually understands things have irrevocably changed for the foreseeable.

All in, I'd reckon it's maybe an 80/20 split in favour of not returning to coming in five days a week which has quite surprised me - a lot of people have twigged that if they make this work well they have a good chance of changing the paradigm of the remainder of their working lives.

 

[Thistle_do_nicely]

We got told we could take holiday pay on top of our furlough money and gently encouraged to do this (I think it was explained as being encouraged to avoid problems with the whole department using all their leave over a 5 month period since almost no-one has taken any holidays abroad etc. this year); great, I booked a full week off to get some extra cash.

Then got a call advising that this was incorrect and that if we do take any leave while on furlough, we basically get 100% of our normal wage for that week instead of 80% but using 100% of the holiday entitlement... so basically 100% of holiday accrual would be used for an extra 20% of pay which then gets tax, NI etc. deducted from it. A fairly shite deal all round.

Was able to cancel the week's holiday promptly at least but it was a bit frustrating, although at least it was sorted out quickly and before it got paid out. Means I've still got a decent chunk of leave payable to soften the blow if they decide to punt me over the next couple of months too.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Thistle_do_nicely

[CountyFan]

4 hours ago, The Moonster said:

When this all kicked off my boss said we'd have a conference call on Teams every Friday "just so people weren't feeling alone in lockdown". We had 1 meeting on the first Friday and we've not had any more. I know folk mean well with this stuff, but surely managers realise that the majority of people in work places aren't actually close to each other and are simply friendly in the work to be nice?

You can't win with this stuff to be fair. Most managers pay lip service to it but if they didn't there would be just as many folk saying "isn't it shocking that nobodys asked how we are, they don't care about us" 

[D.A.F.C]

2 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

We have a meeting in Teams every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We also have to submit a weekly work plan. In addition we have to send an email in the morning to say we've signed in and an email at night to give an update on the inboxes we are responsible for.

I've been submitting the same work plan since the start and send the same sign in and end of day emails each day.

The meetings are a huge waste of time but me and a friend usually just send each other GIFs during it taking the piss out of folk.

The day I hand in my notice will be glorious and I will make mention of all of this shite.

 

[mathematics]

3 hours ago, Zen Archer Esq. said:

A question for everyone.

I had my first Teams meeting today and could only see other participants when they spoke (on at a time).

Is there a way to see everyone at the same time during chat?

Is there not a gallery view button?

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

1 minute ago, mathematics said:

Is there not a gallery view button?

I'll have a look for one tomorrow, cheers.

[die hard doonhamer]

The team I work in are based across 2 offices, I have a half hour meeting every day with the team in the same office, and another with the wider team. I also have a weekly hour long chat with a group of mates within the team, who I'd usually socialise with out of work. I don't mind all of the meetings at all.