Since my last post things have settled down a bit more at work - thanks mainly to the fact that I am leaving. Yes, it is now official. My notice has been accepted (in writing), and my last day of work will be Tuesday 25th February. My last day of employment will be Friday 28th, but as I am owed three days holiday I thought I might as well take it as part of my notice. I could have just taken the money, but to be honest, even though I have just had a week off, I decided I would rather have time off again. No one wants to go straight from one job to the next one.
The Managers then are tearing out their hair, as they realise that there will very soon be just two Housekeepers left - and even that is doubtful as from what I gather the two that remain (brother and sister who share a house) have requested a Council house swap to move out of Surrey altogether. If that happens - and if it does it will relatively fast - maybe within six weeks, then they may find themselves in the position of having no Housekeepers at all. After the way they have treated us, this is nothing less in my opinion that what they deserve.
The carers are beginning to fight back as well. The proposed date for the start of the new shift times and rotas has been changed from the last week of March to the second week of April, due to problems with the consultation process. It seems though that more problems are brewing, as just 3 out of 50 of the staff who work in my particular home have signed to say that they agree to the changes! I think that this is absolutely brilliant. There was a letter from the Home Manager on the Reception desk the other morning asking staff to see her to make an appointment with HR to discuss any issues that they had, but to the best of my knowledge only a handful of staff have even bothered to do that. This shows the utter contempt with which the Management team at this home, and indeed the company in general, for what I have heard their other homes are no better, are held. Those chickens are well and truly coming home to roost.
Not surprisingly now that my time is coming to an end, I am feeling considerably happier and more upbeat about my future. I have to of course continue to do my job while I am still here, but the other Housekeepers with whom I work are not happy at all about the fact that I am going, for they know that this means more work and more stress for them. My Line Manager in typical two faced towing the company line stance wrote to me accepting my letter of resignation and wished me well in my new job. Ten days prior to that she was screaming at me in front of other staff members and saying that she would be glad to leave there and never see me again! She is walking around now all smiley and happy as if nothing had happened. I have not though forgotten her words and how I felt, and neither have I forgotten the other string of incidents that have taken place during my 13 months here, the first of which was just three days after I started.
This being my weekend off I plan to sit down and write that letter to the Regional Manager detailing all of it in excruciating detail and letting him know in no uncertain terms that things at that home need to change. If they do not, then I would not be a bit surprised to learn that 12-18 months from now it has been forced to close and the residents all moved to other homes. No one wants to see that, but it really is that bad. Every day I hear about more complaints from families and the results of the recent residents satisfaction survey were not good reading either.
I am not sure at this stage then whether it needs to be an official grievance (they have certainly done enough to warrant this), or more of a whistle blowing letter. I am in two minds to be honest, as on the one hand I need closure and on the other, I do not want the grief and the stress that may come from making this official. I suspect though whether this may be the only way to make myself truly heard, as I have tried talking to them in the past but to no avail. The trouble is they make everything seem to reasonable and you find yourself almost agreeing with them, but then afterwards you stop and think "what was all that about". I know though that no matter what I do and how I do deal with this, they will try and twist my words and try to make it look like my fault. This is what the Managers there do - abdicate responsibility and blame others for their misdemeanours - anyone it seems except themselves. This is what creates such a toxic environment in the first place.
In the midst of all of this I have been making plans for a visit to Iceland in the summer. I am going on 12th June for 17 nights. The flight and my accommodation are now booked, so I have just a few domestic flights and some bus tickets to arrange. I am starting off of course in Reykjavik before flying up to Isafjordur in the northwest and then going to the deserted village of Hesteyri for 2 nights. I am really excited about this, as Hesteyri is located in one of the few remaining wilderness areas of Europe, where even in the short summer season, very few people visit.
After two nights I sail back to Isafjordur and then back to Reykjavik again, and then I fly (or bus) to Akureyi in the north before going to Myvatn in the northeast for five nights and then back to Reykjavik again for the end of the trip. There is plenty to see and explore around the Myvatn area - bird life, mud pools and waterfalls galore, not to mention of course the Askja caldera which I hope to visit too. It is then going to be an exciting summer.
Saturday, 8 February 2014
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Major clearing coming up!
What a year it is turning out to be already, and we are less than one month in. When psychic friends told me that this would a year of major clearing for all, they were clearly not joking!
Back in October last year, I was offered a new job. It was only after I got my CRB that they informed me I would need to undertake what amounted to induction training prior to handing in my notice at my existing job - something that was clearly not possible. After several weeks of going backwards and forwards, trying to speak to various people on this (including my Union, who backed me up), the new company said that the training would be put back to January. I wasn't for obvious reasons happy with this, so I wrote to both the home itself and their Head Office expressing my concerns and asking them to come up with a solution. Neither of them responded.
Early in January, I received a message from them on my mobile phone, asking me if I could do the training on 3 separate days in January not one was suitable. I rang the home and predictably no one was there, so I emailed them again telling them where to go, and of course asking for a read receipt. I was sorry that it came to this, but I clearly could not work for a company that did this, and continually mucked me without having the courtesy to even respond to my emails. It may not have been perfect where I am, but I was and am not about to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. I get the feeling that with this lot, it would have more like a furnace.
After a day or so, I received an email from the woman at the Head Office of this company that I was going to work for, acknowledging receipt of the one I sent to her. It stated that she had forwarded a copy of my emails to their Operations Manager, who she said, would be in touch with the home concerned to investigate their procedures with regard to mandatory training. It is obviously too late for me, and it is clear that I have made the right choice. If this means that things there change and it stops this from happening to even one more person, then I will consider that all that time and aggravation was not such a waste after all. The interesting thing is, I have since heard from a friend who was also to go there, that the Home Manager is leaving. I can't help wondering if this has anything to do with my correspondence.
Given the stress of this situation and other things that have since happened, it is just as well that I now have a week off. Coran and I have booked a few nights near Amesbury in Wiltshire, not far from Stonehenge. I had the idea to ring them to arrange a private access visit to go into the Stones themselves at sunrise. It has been a good ten years since the last time we did this, and it will be very different in the middle of winter.
I have come to the conclusion though, if I did not already know this, that my boss has questionable parentage after shouting at me in front of 2 of my colleagues and stating that I am the most antagonistic person she has ever met, and that she will be grateful when she leaves to be made redundant in 12 weeks time as she will no longer have to see me. My crime was to ask her for a second handwritten copy of the notes from a meeting the previous day, as the first copy that I had been given could not be read as half the words were on the edge of the page and had not been copied correctly. The only reason I asked for this in the first place as because during that meeting the previous day I believe that she may have been indicating that she had asked another member of staff to "test me" by asking me to undertake certain tasks and then report back to her as to whether or not I done them. Of course when challenged she disputed this, which is why I asked for those notes - not a typewritten copy, as this can be altered, but a photocopy of the handwritten original.
Needless to say, I contacted the Union and am awaiting a call back on Monday, when my Rep returns from holiday. I do not feel at this moment in time that I want to let the matter rest, as it is not the first time she has shouted at me like this, and enough is enough. It is time for me to take more positive action, whether she is going or not, as I know if I do not this will only happen again. The reason I felt forced to leave my last job was because of similar behaviour from the Director there, and I am very much aware that from a universal standpoint, this is the reason it is happening here - because I did not deal with the situation properly when it happened, choosing instead to walk away. I will of course act on any advice that the Union offer me, but it seems that it may be time for a formal grievance. No one likes to do this, and it will take much courage and strength, but I feel I been left with very little choice.
The Head Housekeeper, whom I have discovered this week is almost as bad (I have a pretty good idea hat she has been relaying information that I told her in confidence on to the boss), is also to be made redundant. She had an interview for another job today on Thursday. What neither of them realise is that I also had an interview at the same place on Friday, for the same job. You could say that she led me to it, as she and the Receptionist (who is almost as bad as she has also passed things on and had a go at me for not coming to work due to the floods over Christmas), were sitting in the Managers office a few weeks ago while I did the hoovering looking at jobs online. I asked them what site they were looking at and went home and looked it up myself where I found this job.
Initially I felt a bit guilty about this, as I knew that she had also applied, and that this job would be ideal for her requirements, being so close to home, but after this I do not feel guilty at all, as she has proven beyond doubt that she is more than capable of stabbing me in the back. I have a friend who used to work there, so know a bit about the place already, but I consider what I think was a very good interview, so it's fingers crossed.
In the meantime, I have spent much of this weekend, which was supposed to be time off work, bringing my work diary up to date, detailing all that has gone on there since I started just over a year ago. They do not know that I have been doing this, and will have the shock of their lives if and when they find out, for it goes into considerable detail about who said what and when, and perhaps more to the point, how it made me feel. If I am to prove that this does indeed constitute bullying, then this is every bit as important as the other details.
It seems to me though, that the sooner I can get out of here the better. At least I have another seven days off to mull things over. There is nothing like a change of scenery to clear your mind.
Back in October last year, I was offered a new job. It was only after I got my CRB that they informed me I would need to undertake what amounted to induction training prior to handing in my notice at my existing job - something that was clearly not possible. After several weeks of going backwards and forwards, trying to speak to various people on this (including my Union, who backed me up), the new company said that the training would be put back to January. I wasn't for obvious reasons happy with this, so I wrote to both the home itself and their Head Office expressing my concerns and asking them to come up with a solution. Neither of them responded.
Early in January, I received a message from them on my mobile phone, asking me if I could do the training on 3 separate days in January not one was suitable. I rang the home and predictably no one was there, so I emailed them again telling them where to go, and of course asking for a read receipt. I was sorry that it came to this, but I clearly could not work for a company that did this, and continually mucked me without having the courtesy to even respond to my emails. It may not have been perfect where I am, but I was and am not about to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. I get the feeling that with this lot, it would have more like a furnace.
After a day or so, I received an email from the woman at the Head Office of this company that I was going to work for, acknowledging receipt of the one I sent to her. It stated that she had forwarded a copy of my emails to their Operations Manager, who she said, would be in touch with the home concerned to investigate their procedures with regard to mandatory training. It is obviously too late for me, and it is clear that I have made the right choice. If this means that things there change and it stops this from happening to even one more person, then I will consider that all that time and aggravation was not such a waste after all. The interesting thing is, I have since heard from a friend who was also to go there, that the Home Manager is leaving. I can't help wondering if this has anything to do with my correspondence.
Given the stress of this situation and other things that have since happened, it is just as well that I now have a week off. Coran and I have booked a few nights near Amesbury in Wiltshire, not far from Stonehenge. I had the idea to ring them to arrange a private access visit to go into the Stones themselves at sunrise. It has been a good ten years since the last time we did this, and it will be very different in the middle of winter.
I have come to the conclusion though, if I did not already know this, that my boss has questionable parentage after shouting at me in front of 2 of my colleagues and stating that I am the most antagonistic person she has ever met, and that she will be grateful when she leaves to be made redundant in 12 weeks time as she will no longer have to see me. My crime was to ask her for a second handwritten copy of the notes from a meeting the previous day, as the first copy that I had been given could not be read as half the words were on the edge of the page and had not been copied correctly. The only reason I asked for this in the first place as because during that meeting the previous day I believe that she may have been indicating that she had asked another member of staff to "test me" by asking me to undertake certain tasks and then report back to her as to whether or not I done them. Of course when challenged she disputed this, which is why I asked for those notes - not a typewritten copy, as this can be altered, but a photocopy of the handwritten original.
Needless to say, I contacted the Union and am awaiting a call back on Monday, when my Rep returns from holiday. I do not feel at this moment in time that I want to let the matter rest, as it is not the first time she has shouted at me like this, and enough is enough. It is time for me to take more positive action, whether she is going or not, as I know if I do not this will only happen again. The reason I felt forced to leave my last job was because of similar behaviour from the Director there, and I am very much aware that from a universal standpoint, this is the reason it is happening here - because I did not deal with the situation properly when it happened, choosing instead to walk away. I will of course act on any advice that the Union offer me, but it seems that it may be time for a formal grievance. No one likes to do this, and it will take much courage and strength, but I feel I been left with very little choice.
The Head Housekeeper, whom I have discovered this week is almost as bad (I have a pretty good idea hat she has been relaying information that I told her in confidence on to the boss), is also to be made redundant. She had an interview for another job today on Thursday. What neither of them realise is that I also had an interview at the same place on Friday, for the same job. You could say that she led me to it, as she and the Receptionist (who is almost as bad as she has also passed things on and had a go at me for not coming to work due to the floods over Christmas), were sitting in the Managers office a few weeks ago while I did the hoovering looking at jobs online. I asked them what site they were looking at and went home and looked it up myself where I found this job.
Initially I felt a bit guilty about this, as I knew that she had also applied, and that this job would be ideal for her requirements, being so close to home, but after this I do not feel guilty at all, as she has proven beyond doubt that she is more than capable of stabbing me in the back. I have a friend who used to work there, so know a bit about the place already, but I consider what I think was a very good interview, so it's fingers crossed.
In the meantime, I have spent much of this weekend, which was supposed to be time off work, bringing my work diary up to date, detailing all that has gone on there since I started just over a year ago. They do not know that I have been doing this, and will have the shock of their lives if and when they find out, for it goes into considerable detail about who said what and when, and perhaps more to the point, how it made me feel. If I am to prove that this does indeed constitute bullying, then this is every bit as important as the other details.
It seems to me though, that the sooner I can get out of here the better. At least I have another seven days off to mull things over. There is nothing like a change of scenery to clear your mind.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Things can only get better - A look back on 2013
It was a strange Christmas this year, and as it turned out, the first in five years when I did not go to work. It wasn't planned that way, but the weather had other ideas.
We knew a storm was brewing several days in advance, but had little idea as to just how bad it would be. I was at work as normal on 23rd December, the eve of the holidays, when the wind started to pick up. It was at that point that I began to grow concerned, and I must admit that I was glad to be leaving before it got dark. That evening after we went to bed, the wind began to howl and prance about the village of Box Hill where I live, which luckily as it turned out given its proximity to the River Mole, is the second highest point in Surrey. I had very little sleep that night and awoke expecting half of our fence to be down. Amazingly it was not.
I got up for work on Christmas Eve then as normal, and immediately switched on BBC Radio Surrey. The news was not good with many roads closed, including the A24 which skirts the bottom of the hill, between the 2 towns of Dorking and Leatherhead. This was not disastrous though, as there are other ways off the Hill. I set out then as normal, but before I got out of the car park, I was stopped by another resident coming the other way who informed me that roads in and out of the village were blocked by fallen trees at both ends. I accordingly went straight home and rang work to inform them that I would be unable to come in.
A bit later on after it became light Coran and I drove through the village to see what the damage had been done. We were stopped about halfway along the road by two men removing a fallen tree. Managing to squeeze past, we proceeded a bit further up the road where we were greeted by a procession of tail lights and two feet of flood water. We immediately turned round and went back the other way! I continued on through the village to the top of the ZigZag where the road becomes National Trust, only to be greeted by a parade of cones blocking the road. I was forced then to return home.
A little later on after listening to BBC Surrey some more, we ventured out some more to find that the fallen trees which had been blocking the ZigZag had now ben cleared. We managed to get to the bottom of the road, and parked in Mickleham near Rykas Café, which we were surprised to find was also under several feet of flood water. Worst of all though was the Burford Bridge Hotel which was completely flooded, with water halfway up the door. Several fire engines were in evidence with fire fighters helping marooned staff and their guests into boats. I have never seen anything like this in my life, but worse was to come.
When the announcement was made late on Christmas Eve that the Mole was on a severe flood warning we began to get really concerned. Not for our safety, for we are too high up here to get flooded here, but for the safety of others, with as it turned out, good reason. The previous day we had managed to drive through Mickleham to the junction with the A24, where we scrambled across the road to the bridge at Norbury Park - the water at that point was beyond the height of the footbridge and flooding across the road. I knew then from this that on Christmas Day worse was to come, as indeed it was, with half of nearby Leatherhead town centre under water, and many homes and businesses evacuated.
All is well though that ends well, for on Christmas Day the Fire Service came and pumped the water out, restoring access for villagers enabling them to get off the Hill. Sadly it was too late for me to return to work until Boxing Day, and I lost a considerable amount of money, but as I said to Coran, at least we had electricity, Internet and each other. There were many who did not.
Everything is back to normal then now, as we await the next lashing. Hopefully this time it will be confined to other parts of the country.
And so a New Year tomorrow will dawn. 2013 has not been a bad one all told. We said goodbye to several influential world leaders in the form of Margaret Thatcher and of course Nelson Mandella, and welcomed several more to the fray in countries far removed. There has of course been much unrest - in Africa and the Middle East mainly, in particular Syria with the use of chemical weapons, and of course Egypt. Closer to home we saw the murder of Lee Rigby, the solider stationed at Woolwich Barracks. This was the one event that I shall remember from this year, plus of course Andy Murray winning Wimbledon. It is good to remember both the good and the bad - or as I prefer to say, the light and dark, knowing that the dark ultimately serves the light. It is hard sometimes to see this when in the midst of all of this angst, but it is true as we shall no doubt see in time.
On a personal note I started the year off with a new job which has of course not been without its challenges. I had hoped to start 2014 with another job still, but this has proved not to be for reasons
best known to those who would have been my new employers. They never did give me a satisfactory explanation, and almost one month after writing to them asking for one, I am no closer to a resolution. Many changes are afoot at work which will hopefully improve the way in which I work, so for the moment at least, I shall sit these out and see what happens.
My twin passions of reading and travel were both indulged with a passion during 2013 - in the case of books to the tune of 90 titles - a record for me. I also enjoyed several holidays, some for a few nights, others for much longer, including two trips to Lundy and a visit to Iceland in October to see the Northern Lights and experience the lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower.
Perhaps though my greatest joy has been the reconciliation with my sister. It remains early days, but I am hopeful that our relationship has turned the corner, and we have finally, with the aid of her wonderful social worker and Doctor, found some common ground.
Coran as always has remained my constant companion and support through all the trials and adversity, holding both my hand and my spirit with her love and gentleness, which she exudes in such copious amounts. I am grateful for every single day that I wake up by her side, despite the challenges of our relationship, which have also been many, and look forward to many more by her side. 2014 can now only get better.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Ringing the changes
A lot has happened as usual in the past few weeks, and sadly it looks as if I may be in my current job for a while yet.
Three weeks ago my CRB arrived. I immediately rang the new company to let them know, and it was then that they dropped the bombshell - do not resign until we have arranged your training. I thought this was slightly strange and alarm bells began to ring, but I held tight, waiting to hear back. A few days later I did - could I do my training the following week on Monday and Wednesday. The answer was, I very much doubt it, as I will be at work, and I cannot see my current employer giving me time off. Sure enough, they said no, so it was back to the drawing board once again, where I have remained ever since, growing more frustrated by the day.
In the meantime, the change machine in my current job continues to rumble on. I must admit that I am in two minds about these changes. On the one hand, having help at the weekends will be beneficial and greatly lessen my stress levels, but on the other, the way that certain of my colleagues have been treated is truly appalling and shocks me to the core. I can see why they are trying to do what they are doing, but there seems to be no compassion and no leeway for those who either can't or do not wish to go along with these changes. Not everyone after all can work weekends - one of my colleagues has custody arrangements to see her grandchildren at those times which have been awarded by the courts and cannot be changed, so she at least will be forced to leave.
With the consultation process due to end on December 18th, time is of the essence, yet the company seem hell bent on steam rolling these changes through. They have offered everyone who wants one, a one to one meeting with the Home Manager in order to discuss their concerns, so as it looks increasingly likely that I will be staying, I have arranged mine for Thursday afternoon. I have a list of questions which seems to be increasing by the day, the most pertinent of which is why are the Managers not being asked to work weekends when everyone else is, and who, after our own Line Manager has been made redundant will take her place, as no one else there understands the issues that us housekeepers face.
I am sure that it will all eventually come out in the wash, as things are rarely as bad as they seem, but no one seems comfortable or happy with this transition. Given the circumstances, I felt it best to seek advice from my Union on both issues, the new company and the existing one. They said what I already suspected, that the training should form part of my induction, and as such, take place after I begin work there and not before. I have then written the basis of an email which will be sent in due course. As for the restructuring that is going on, sadly my employer is not Unionised, and so they will be unable to offer direct representation, all they can do is offer advice, which was basically to be honest about my concerns and make sure that everything is written down and signed. It goes without saying that I intend to also make my own notes.
I am a little nervous about the meeting, as my experience of this particular Manager has been chequered to say the least - sometimes she seems okay, sometimes less so. I have to then hope that on Thursday she will have a good day. She might change her mind though after what I have to say. Such is life.
In the meantime, just over a week ago (was it really that long ago), we went to see my favourite rock group in the whole wide world - Sigur Ros. For those who are not in the know (what planet have you been living on), Sigur Ros are an experimental rock band from Iceland, who formed in 1994, and are best known for their ethereal music which in their own words, "plays the Icelandic landscape". Their trademark are the breathy falsetto vocals of their frontman Jon Pal Brigasson, otherwise known as Jonsi, and his use of the cello bow to play his guitar. It is hard to describe their music to someone who is not familiar with it, or indeed, is not familiar with their homeland, but it definitely has a spiritual resonance which is experienced differently for each person that hears it. This is heightened by the fact that many of their songs are sung in a made up language which is a mixture of Icelandic and nonsense, whereby Jonsi's voice is used as an instrument in its own right - you can hear and see in their music anything that it means to you, and for each person that is different.
As you can imagine, both Coran and I were hugely excited by this opportunity to see them live. As the big night approached, we booked a room at the Premier Inn near Wembley Park tube, knowing that it was a 2 to 2 1/2 journey from home, and that we had no wish to leave early in order to get back safely. I also booked a few days off from work, in order to relax both before and after the show. I am so glad that I did.
To say that the show was spectacular was an understatement of one of the grandest proportions. One of the things that impressed me the most was how their music which although live, sounded so much like the recorded songs I am so familiar with - it is rare to find musicians who have this ability. The play list was a mix of older and more recent material with as expected, several songs from their most recent offering, and three encores. The drums on that last song could be felt right through my body - by the end of that piece every single cell was vibrating and it did not stop for at least 24 hours. I have never experienced anything like that in my entire life and cannot wait to see them again - preferably in Iceland, although I am not fussy - London will do just as well.
I am hoping go to Iceland yet again next summer - another reason why the situation with this new job is peeing me off, for the longer this goes on, the more difficult it becomes to make plans, especially when you are part of a small department and others also want their time off. We cannot after all have more than one of us off at the same time. Iceland has a short summer, and so opportunities are limited for me to get to the places that I wish to get to - namely, some of the wilderness areas in the northwest. This is challenging territory and isolated in the extreme, being well off the beaten track, but I have always loved a challenge and this is one that I would relish.
It seems then that once again I am finishing this year as the last one also came to an end - looking into the future with reticence and uncertainty. I hope that by the time Thursday comes to a close, things will be at least a little clearer, but matters are really out of my hands. The only thing I can control is my own reaction to it all.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Reconstructive surgery
If I had any doubts as to whether I was doing the right thing in leaving my current job, then they have most definitely been swept aside by the revelations of the past few days.
On Wednesday of last week, I began to hear rumours of other staff receiving letters from the Home Manager about a series of meetings to be held this week regarding staff rotas and shift times. These letters I was told, informed practically all staff apart from the domestic and catering teams that they were invited to attend one of three meetings to be held at different times. I thought little of it at the time, assuming that since all roles other than mine were invited, whatever it was that was to be discussed did not relate to me. On Thursday though when I got home from work, I found such a letter waiting for me. I immediately rang the home back to query whether I needed to attend, and was told that the domestic team had been left off the list of roles due to an "oversight", in other words, we were deemed too unimportant to even remember.
When I looked at the letter in more detail it said that both the District Manager and a representative from Employee Relations were to be present. These are the people who act as a liaison between staff and management when important changes are in the offing, taking the place of the Unions in companies that do not have Union representation, so I knew that it would not be good news, and how right I was.
The first of these meetings took place on Monday (yesterday) at 10am, with the second which was the one that I attended, at 2.30pm and a third later one at 6pm, primarily for those who work nights. I was happy in some ways to be attending the second one, as I knew that I could pump those who attended the first meeting, which included most of my housekeeping colleagues, for information. This is what I and the majority of other staff did, and we were shocked to the core with what we were told.
What they are proposing are a range of wide sweeping changes that will affect as usual everyone it seems except the Managers. Us Housekeepers will predictably be among the worst affected. My Line Manager, who has been with the company for 26 years was told 10 minutes before the meeting that her role is to be "removed", in other words, she is facing redundancy. My immediate Manager, the Head Housekeeper was not even given this courtesy, as she was told during the meeting, in front of all her colleagues that her own role is to be incorporated into the role of General Housekeeper. In addition to this, laundry duties will also be incorporated into the role of Housekeeper, meaning that we will no longer have separate Laundry Assistants. They have been trying to get rid of the lady who currently does this role for a variety of different reasons, and I suspect that this is the latest in their long line of rouses to achieve these ends, as they know full well that she will unwilling to undertake a more general housekeeping role. What they don't as yet know is that she has already secured a position at the same home that I am going to work at. It was her in fact that told me about this home in the first place.
As if all of this were not bad enough, they have also proposed to cut the hours of the Housekeepers who are currently on 40 hour contracts to 37.5, and those on 22.5 hour contracts, of which my friend the Laundry Assistant is one, to 20 hours. The duties of the Head Housekeeper will not though disappear, as someone still needs to check that standards are being maintained, show prospective new clients around the home and order the stores, so what this means in practise is that the person who is currently doing this job will still be doing it, but for less money and less hours.
In addition to all of this, they have also proposed that everyone work alternate weekends and varied shifts, covering the hours of between 8am and 6pm. At the moment we work either 8-3.30 or 4.30pm, so this will be a major change, especially for those without cars.
While I can see that the change to weekend working is very much needed, and needs to take place, the fact remains that for many, weekend working is just not viable, due to family commitments, and the logistics of non existing public transport.
The ironic thing is that if I were to stay here, these changes would probably, barring the introduction of these late shifts, be quite a positive thing, as I would no longer be working alone at the weekends, but I am leaving, and despite this change, the way in which these other changes have been proposed has made me even more determined than ever to leave. To treat people in the way they have treated my two Managers, not to mention my friend the Laundry Assistant who was unable to attend either meeting due to car trouble, in the way that they have, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. They think that she does not know about any of these proposed changes, but she had in fact been pre-warned of at least some of them by her Union, and the remainder by myself when I telephoned her last night. When she returns to work tomorrow, she is under strict instructions to feign ignorance.
Because though there is no Union recognition in this company, they need to set up a panel of employees to represent each of the job roles that is affected. In many ways I would be ideal for this,
given my experience in representing myself through both a grievance and disciplinary hearing with a former employer, but the fact remains that I am leaving, and these changes, which are due to be implemented at the end of March next year, will not directly affect me. The preliminary meeting for this panel will also be held on a day that I have booked off from work in order to attend a concert at Wembley Arena. Quite apart from this, it is not for me to fight other peoples battles, they have to do this for themselves. I can though offer my support and guidance, and this I have already begun to do during lengthy discussions today.
All of this though has been pressing my buttons like mad, as it represents all those uncleared and undealt with issues from my own past - issues to do with fairness, victimisation and bullying among others, but most of all issues to do with communication and respect. Helping my colleagues will then I hope enable me to clear and deal with much of this before I move on. Time is of the essence as the first of these meetings is a mere three weeks from now, and there are elections to be held, deciding who is to represent each of the relevant job roles first.
I get the feeling though that by the time all of this is over, I will not be the only one to have left, and that this company may very soon be waking up to realise that more than a few of their chickens are coming home to roost.
On Wednesday of last week, I began to hear rumours of other staff receiving letters from the Home Manager about a series of meetings to be held this week regarding staff rotas and shift times. These letters I was told, informed practically all staff apart from the domestic and catering teams that they were invited to attend one of three meetings to be held at different times. I thought little of it at the time, assuming that since all roles other than mine were invited, whatever it was that was to be discussed did not relate to me. On Thursday though when I got home from work, I found such a letter waiting for me. I immediately rang the home back to query whether I needed to attend, and was told that the domestic team had been left off the list of roles due to an "oversight", in other words, we were deemed too unimportant to even remember.
When I looked at the letter in more detail it said that both the District Manager and a representative from Employee Relations were to be present. These are the people who act as a liaison between staff and management when important changes are in the offing, taking the place of the Unions in companies that do not have Union representation, so I knew that it would not be good news, and how right I was.
The first of these meetings took place on Monday (yesterday) at 10am, with the second which was the one that I attended, at 2.30pm and a third later one at 6pm, primarily for those who work nights. I was happy in some ways to be attending the second one, as I knew that I could pump those who attended the first meeting, which included most of my housekeeping colleagues, for information. This is what I and the majority of other staff did, and we were shocked to the core with what we were told.
What they are proposing are a range of wide sweeping changes that will affect as usual everyone it seems except the Managers. Us Housekeepers will predictably be among the worst affected. My Line Manager, who has been with the company for 26 years was told 10 minutes before the meeting that her role is to be "removed", in other words, she is facing redundancy. My immediate Manager, the Head Housekeeper was not even given this courtesy, as she was told during the meeting, in front of all her colleagues that her own role is to be incorporated into the role of General Housekeeper. In addition to this, laundry duties will also be incorporated into the role of Housekeeper, meaning that we will no longer have separate Laundry Assistants. They have been trying to get rid of the lady who currently does this role for a variety of different reasons, and I suspect that this is the latest in their long line of rouses to achieve these ends, as they know full well that she will unwilling to undertake a more general housekeeping role. What they don't as yet know is that she has already secured a position at the same home that I am going to work at. It was her in fact that told me about this home in the first place.
As if all of this were not bad enough, they have also proposed to cut the hours of the Housekeepers who are currently on 40 hour contracts to 37.5, and those on 22.5 hour contracts, of which my friend the Laundry Assistant is one, to 20 hours. The duties of the Head Housekeeper will not though disappear, as someone still needs to check that standards are being maintained, show prospective new clients around the home and order the stores, so what this means in practise is that the person who is currently doing this job will still be doing it, but for less money and less hours.
In addition to all of this, they have also proposed that everyone work alternate weekends and varied shifts, covering the hours of between 8am and 6pm. At the moment we work either 8-3.30 or 4.30pm, so this will be a major change, especially for those without cars.
While I can see that the change to weekend working is very much needed, and needs to take place, the fact remains that for many, weekend working is just not viable, due to family commitments, and the logistics of non existing public transport.
The ironic thing is that if I were to stay here, these changes would probably, barring the introduction of these late shifts, be quite a positive thing, as I would no longer be working alone at the weekends, but I am leaving, and despite this change, the way in which these other changes have been proposed has made me even more determined than ever to leave. To treat people in the way they have treated my two Managers, not to mention my friend the Laundry Assistant who was unable to attend either meeting due to car trouble, in the way that they have, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. They think that she does not know about any of these proposed changes, but she had in fact been pre-warned of at least some of them by her Union, and the remainder by myself when I telephoned her last night. When she returns to work tomorrow, she is under strict instructions to feign ignorance.
Because though there is no Union recognition in this company, they need to set up a panel of employees to represent each of the job roles that is affected. In many ways I would be ideal for this,
given my experience in representing myself through both a grievance and disciplinary hearing with a former employer, but the fact remains that I am leaving, and these changes, which are due to be implemented at the end of March next year, will not directly affect me. The preliminary meeting for this panel will also be held on a day that I have booked off from work in order to attend a concert at Wembley Arena. Quite apart from this, it is not for me to fight other peoples battles, they have to do this for themselves. I can though offer my support and guidance, and this I have already begun to do during lengthy discussions today.
All of this though has been pressing my buttons like mad, as it represents all those uncleared and undealt with issues from my own past - issues to do with fairness, victimisation and bullying among others, but most of all issues to do with communication and respect. Helping my colleagues will then I hope enable me to clear and deal with much of this before I move on. Time is of the essence as the first of these meetings is a mere three weeks from now, and there are elections to be held, deciding who is to represent each of the relevant job roles first.
I get the feeling though that by the time all of this is over, I will not be the only one to have left, and that this company may very soon be waking up to realise that more than a few of their chickens are coming home to roost.
Friday, 18 October 2013
An extraordinary week of change
As the date for my October holiday approached I wondered where I could go - back to the West Country perhaps, or to the Channel Islands, but then I hit upon the idea of Iceland, and once the idea had entered into my thoughts I found I could not let it go. All of my previous visits have been during the short summer season, so for me this was a little bit different, yet familiar at the same time. The main reason of course for travelling at this time of year is the Northern Lights, which are said to be at their peak of activity during this year. The trip though also coincided with the annual lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower.
I landed then at Keflavik airport on a chilly Monday afternoon, stepping out of the terminus into temperatures of 4 degrees, a sharp contrast to the 16 or so degrees I had left behind at home. Once I had found the bus that was to transfer me to the hotel were I was booked to stay (really more of a hostel - for £8 a night you can't complain), I was whisked away to Reykjavik city centre. The first thing I did after bagging a bed in the shared dorm that was to be my home for the next four nights was to find the nearest supermarket, where I shopped for essentials for the next four days.
That same evening, a mere five hours after landing, I was due to go on the Northern Lights tour, but sadly the conditions were considered unfavourable, and it was cancelled for that night, so I went for a walk around the city instead, with my trusty tripod, taking pictures of the Viking Ship sculpture down at the shoreline and the lake, among other things.
I awoke to a blanket of snow - the first snow of this winter, which was a surprise and so I set off with a spring in my step, wrapped in all the warm clothing I possessed to explore the city. I found a lovely raw food vegetarian restaurant in which to have lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the city's excellent outdoor swimming pool, moving backwards and forwards between the various hot pots and the steam room.
The Northern Lights I was informed was very much on for that night, and so it was that I was picked up from outside of my hotel, filled with anticipation. Once the bus was full and we drove off, the guide informed us that the forecast was indeed looking very good, and they were to take us down to the south coast. As we drove along, a message came through from a different bus some 200 kms away to say that at 8.30pm they were already seeing Lights, which is most unusual, so I was hopeful indeed. Then as we got closer to our destination still, we started to see signs of flickerings through the window from the right hand side of the bus.
We ended up at a café down at the seafront near a small town called Selfoss in the south. It was completely pitch black but my eyes soon adjusted to the dark. Tripod and camera at the ready, I and about 200 other people emerged from a convoy of 4 buses to be greeted by the most eerie yet spectacular sight which was truly awe inspiring. It certainly helps you put your own place in the universe into perspective. The lights continued to glow with all their different colours for a whole 2 hours, which is very rare indeed. I really did then feel extremely privileged to be out on this particular night. It was cold but so very worth it.
When it got to around 11.30 it was though time to get back on the bus. We were still seeing more Lights as we drove back with various private cars in laybys watching the spectacle. I was back at my hotel by around 12.30am for a very good nights sleep.
On Wednesday it was a visit to the Blue Lagoon followed by lunch at one of my favourite restaurants - Icelandic Fish and Chips in downtown Reykjavik. Since this was close to the harbour I decided to walk the coastal path around the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula and I was so glad that I did. It was a perfect afternoon to be out, sunny with a slight chill in the air, with excellent views of Videy island out to the east, and the Imagine Peace Tower which was to be lit that night.
After a quick sandwich back at the hostel, I made my way to Hlemmur bus station intending to catch the first of the free buses which was laid on by Yoko Ono for those wishing to attend the ceremony. I was accompanied by Thomas, a German man who was staying in the same dorm as myself, with whom I shared many interesting philosophical conversations. When the bus came it was packed to capacity with people speaking in many different languages. When we got to the quayside for the equally free ferries we were dismayed to find that the queue was already round the block, but with convoys of ferries brought into service for this very special evening, the queue moved quickly and we were soon on our way.
While Thomas opted to sit inside the tent, I made my way to the monument itself to find a space in which to sit and watch the proceedings. I had taken the tripod with me once again, but found it too cumbersome and soon gave up, opting instead to use the night time photography mode, which worked reasonably well.
The weather may have been chilly, but there was real warmth in the hearts of all those who attended, including the wonderful team of stewards and other staff, not forgetting the bus and ferry operators. To see those beams shooting up into the night sky and again the following evening back in the city was an experience I am not likely to forget. The crowds, the choir and of course Yoko Ono herself all made for a most memorable evening. It took over an hour to wait in line and get back on the boat for the return journey, and I was chilled to the bone after several hours in what felt like sub zero temperatures, but the hotel was just a short walk from the bus station and I was very soon tucked back up in bed. It was for me then a very special evening and something that I am not likely to forget. It was made all the more special by the knowledge that Coran was sitting at home watching the proceedings via a live webcam.
Thursday then was the last day, and time for the almost obligatory Golden Circle tour - I chose Netbus for all of my excursions this time around, being a smaller operator with a much smaller fleet of mini buses, which made for a more personal experience with much more time at the sights of importance. I don't think though that any amount of time at Thingvellir would be enough for me. By the time we got to this, my favourite place in Iceland, it was drizzling with rain and dull and overcast, a real shame as I had hoped to see the autumn colours in all their glory. I guess though this provides me with another excuse to go back at this time of year, as if I needed one.
Thursday evening was then a brief stroll around the city to see the lights of the Peace Tower shooting up into the sky, followed by one last visit to the swimming pool on Friday morning, before being collected and whisked back once again to Keflavik for a delicious vegetarian pizza.
The flight was on time, and went very quickly, and as I stated at the beginning of this post, by 8.30pm I was back in the arms of my beloved.
I had the following day off work, but it was back to work on Sunday and straight back into the fray. Some things had evidently not changed, as it took me a full 45 minutes in the laundry before I was able to sort out the heaps of mess - red bags thrown untied all over the place their stinking contents pervading the air, with piles of damp sheets screwed up and thrown on the ironing board. As a result, it was 8.45am before I even started to clean any rooms, but my boss decided that she wanted me to do both cleaning and laundry, so she has to live with the consequences of that, and one of those consequences is that I was and will be for every weekend that this continues, be unable to clean the house properly. That is their choice to make.
Since then things have continued pretty much along that vein - I will not be there for much longer now anyway, as on Tuesday I had an interview for another job, as housekeeper in a new, much more modern home, a little further from home, and I am delighted to say that they offered me the job. The salary is just 15 pence per hour short of a proper living wage and so represents a significant increase on what I get here, with I sincerely hope, a significant decrease on stress levels. My friend from work, who works in the laundry and has an ongoing grievance to do with health and safety is also to go and work there - initially only at the weekends, as the Union feel they have a better chance of winning her case if she remains working there, at least for the time being. She was told off again this week for supposedly recruiting people into the Union, but if our employer had not acted with such heavy handedness in the first place, this would not have been necessary.
It is upsetting to see her being treated in this way, and it offers much sustenance for my pain body, which feeds off both hers and my own negativity, so I am hoping that this will be a new start for both of us, where we can finally be seen as the people that we are and be treated with the dignity and respect that they say the residents deserve, but does not seem to transfer itself to the treatment of their own staff. This is nothing less than both of us deserve. I can but hope, but the signs are very good..
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Imagine Peace
I have nine days off from work now with my usual three day long weekend followed by a week's annual leave. I will have a lot to think about during this time and plenty of time in which to do it. for on Monday, I am off to Iceland for five whole days. It will be the first time I have visited outside the summer season, after six previous visits, so this be a little different for me. I normally visit the West Country at this time of year, but felt like a drastic change instead, so knowing that this is the peak time for the Northern Lights and that there were at the moment some very good deals, decided to go here instead.
With a little help from my friends at Trivago, I have managed to find a very cheap room for £8 a night, which can't be bad. It is only a sleeping bag place, but this will do me just fine. I will have to take checked baggage anyway as you are no longer allowed to carry a tripod on board a plane - something about them deemed an offensive weapon - ridiculous I know. A tripod will however be a necessity for photographing those lights.
The Lights are the main reason for this visit, but by happy coincidence, the Imagine Peace Tower is also being activated during my trip. This is a marble monument located on Videy Island out in Reykjavik Bay which serves as a beacon of light and testament to John Lennon, inaugurated by his widow Yoko Ono some years previously. The words "Imagine Peace" are inscribed around the base of the monument in many different languages, and beneath it, hidden within are prisms of light which when activated light up the Reykjavik skyline for many miles around. The tower is activated each year on John's birthday of October 9th where it remains lighting up the sky until his death date two months later. Yoko Ono normally travels to Iceland for the ceremony which is a highlight of the Reykjavik calendar at this time of year - free buses and ferries are laid on for this very special event.
My trip then is perfectly timed to coincide with both this and the New Moon - generally considered to be the best time for Northern Lights, since this is when the sky is darkest. A lot of course depends on the weather and the amount of cloud cover, but the forecast is good for most of the week, so I am hopeful that I will be able to see something.
No trip to Iceland would be complete with a visit to the Blue Lagoon, and of course the Golden Circle - Thingvellir is beautiful at this time of year with the autumn colours, and so both of these have also been booked. All in all then it should be a good week.
With a little help from my friends at Trivago, I have managed to find a very cheap room for £8 a night, which can't be bad. It is only a sleeping bag place, but this will do me just fine. I will have to take checked baggage anyway as you are no longer allowed to carry a tripod on board a plane - something about them deemed an offensive weapon - ridiculous I know. A tripod will however be a necessity for photographing those lights.
The Lights are the main reason for this visit, but by happy coincidence, the Imagine Peace Tower is also being activated during my trip. This is a marble monument located on Videy Island out in Reykjavik Bay which serves as a beacon of light and testament to John Lennon, inaugurated by his widow Yoko Ono some years previously. The words "Imagine Peace" are inscribed around the base of the monument in many different languages, and beneath it, hidden within are prisms of light which when activated light up the Reykjavik skyline for many miles around. The tower is activated each year on John's birthday of October 9th where it remains lighting up the sky until his death date two months later. Yoko Ono normally travels to Iceland for the ceremony which is a highlight of the Reykjavik calendar at this time of year - free buses and ferries are laid on for this very special event.
My trip then is perfectly timed to coincide with both this and the New Moon - generally considered to be the best time for Northern Lights, since this is when the sky is darkest. A lot of course depends on the weather and the amount of cloud cover, but the forecast is good for most of the week, so I am hopeful that I will be able to see something.
No trip to Iceland would be complete with a visit to the Blue Lagoon, and of course the Golden Circle - Thingvellir is beautiful at this time of year with the autumn colours, and so both of these have also been booked. All in all then it should be a good week.
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