Making the news today....

[onetruth]

2 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

(I must be in an uncharacteristicly cheery mood....? Could it be the planned visit to “Gnome world” today?  Don’t panic, it’s not a gnome fetish, it’s just that that is the venue for a demo day??) 

You lucky, lucky bastard.

 

By amazing coincidence my local pub is called "The Village Idiot", and you can hear a band called "Perpetually Offended Faggots" play there every Tuesday (folk night).  And I've hardly made this up much at all.

[sandspider]

14 hours ago, WesD said:

But there isn’t it’s a misconception 4% of managers in the 5th largest employer in the world is hardly over managed. 

Do you have a source for 4% management? As it sounds like more to me.

 

A friend of mine used to work for the NHS in IT / admin. There were 4 or so people in her team who did actual work (two good, two useless - but couldn't be fired), an immediate manager who was on permanent sick leave, his manager who left early every day, had an affair with his secretary and promoted her but was actually good at his job, and his manager - who I didn't hear much about so s/he was probably OK. Three managers (at least) in a total of 8 or 10 people? (I will double check these figures when I have a minute).

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

2 hours ago, Gary Prentice said:

Maybe a little too late, but we'll let you off 

I don't think I grew out of baby rage, which was compounded by the terrible 2's and the fiesty 4's, overlaid with puberty, turbo charged with adolescent alcohol exposure and is all now wrapped up in early onset Alzheimer's.....  Looking forward to dribbling in a rocking chair on the veranda.....

 

Gnome world was (not entirely unexpectedly) underwhelming - but there was some awesome kit on offer and an Arbtak 150 in satin black was ordered (specifically WITHOUT the EU flag decal!) 

 

20minutes travel each way, free entry, plenty of demo's, cheesey burger & tea from the catering outlet - not a tenner, but COMPLIMENTARY....  Back home in time for Daily Politics.  Trade Shows, that's the way to do it!  

[Darrin Turnbull]

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-43488373/anger-over-sheffield-s-plan-to-fell-healthy-trees

City at war over its trees.

Clear fell or what

[WesD]

1 hour ago, sandspider said:

Do you have a source for 4% management? As it sounds like more to me.

 

A friend of mine used to work for the NHS in IT / admin. There were 4 or so people in her team who did actual work (two good, two useless - but couldn't be fired), an immediate manager who was on permanent sick leave, his manager who left early every day, had an affair with his secretary and promoted her but was actually good at his job, and his manager - who I didn't hear much about so s/he was probably OK. Three managers (at least) in a total of 8 or 10 people? (I will double check these figures when I have a minute).

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/health-and-social-care-bill/mythbusters/nhs-managers

 

Thats from a quick 5 minute search I’m due I could find more sources if I could be bothered. 

 

Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Foundation Trust has less than 4%. 

 

Its a common misconception. 

 

As @eggsarascal has previously said swap over for badly. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by WesD

[sandspider]

Hmm. That figure seems to be from 2009 and doesn't include "many clinical managers" apparently, so not sure how accurate it is. A quick Google finds a more recent article (30/10/17) here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/30/number-nhs-managers-recruited-soars-shortage-nurses-grows/

 

I checked with my friend, and there were 15 managers in a total department of 150 - 10%. However, she did say that a bigger problem was useless employees and people extracting the Michael with long term sick leave. (Though she can't speak for clinical staff). Also she thinks that wastage in support services is the worst.

[the village idiot]

6 minutes ago, sandspider said:

However, she did say that a bigger problem was useless employees and people extracting the Michael with long term sick leave. (Though she can't speak for clinical staff).

My sister is an eye clinician in the NHS. The amount of sick leave taken in her department is staggering, as is the level of staff turnover. This is all at the 'low stress' end of the system.

 

I don't know whether this is people taking the michael or a symptom of a poisonous working environment, but something is clearly wrong.

[eggsarascal]

When I worked for a big private company 10% was the norm. Most front line managers had a ten man gang to manage. I don't know if that is the optimum number of chiefs to Indians.

[sandspider]

59 minutes ago, the village idiot said:

My sister is an eye clinician in the NHS. The amount of sick leave taken in her department is staggering, as is the level of staff turnover. This is all at the 'low stress' end of the system.

 

I don't know whether this is people taking the michael or a symptom of a poisonous working environment, but something is clearly wrong.

 

From what I hear, one chap is definitely leaving with the urine. I can't speak for the rest, but it does look like hard and stressful work on the front lines.

[the village idiot]

23 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

You’ve called that one wrong fella...

 

TVI IS a barrel of laughs, clever, funny, sometimes silly and sometimes serious but never offensive nor overly sensitive, although sometimes exasperated and frustrated by others opinions. All that and still up for a banter. 

 

An all round good  and a big part of the rich tapestry of AT - IMHO

 

 

Thanks for all the back up guys. Very much appreciated!