ClazUK Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 I've had a few days off work and am now full of dread at the prospect of going back tomorrow. The company I work for provides Call/Contact Centre services and the product I work on is Energywatch, the Govt gas/electricity industry watchdog. The job and product are okay, but the attitude of the company to its staff stinks. We are on £6.67 an hour, our toilet breaks etc are not only logged but PUBLISHED to the whole group; ditto lunch breaks and logging in/off times. We get no sick pay. If we arrive one minute late we are docked 15 minutes pay, yet if we get stuck on a tricky call and stay over our shift end, we get nothing. Holiday pay is accrued monthly, so if you join in January wanting a weeks holiday in March, tough. We cannot have mobiles on, we get bolloxed using them even outside the Call Centre; we can't give out contact numbers to family/friends - what if someones kid/dog gets ill? We have to prove we have Doc/Dentist/Hospital appointments before they give them, even though we don't get paid for them. Last week I went on an induction course and the money spent on HQ was staggering, yet we've been working in 90+ degrees these last few weeks because they can't be arsed to fix the air con. I have enough savings to exist for a couple of months if I walk today, but I'd get no benefits as I'd have made myself unemployed. Do I take the risk? Alternately I could let a couple of rooms in my house, lose my privacy but not need to worry. Eeeeeeeeeep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosboss Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Claz, it's not a career! It's not great money! You didn't want call centre work! You're not happy there! Your work ethic is good! Walk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 (edited) Sounds awful But, for me, I'd rather work than have lodgers. Am considering working at Aldi for £9.00 an hour if they take Saturday workers rather than have another lodger. Edited June 16, 2008 by Rudi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heva Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 if you can walk and know you can fund it then i would.......that is awful conditions even for call centre!!!! got friends at call centres and they dont mind it........sounds like its not a very fair company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Claz, it's not a career! It's not great money! You didn't want call centre work! You're not happy there! Your work ethic is good! Walk! Wot Joe says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnS Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Sounds like a prison. How about letting just one room, then you'd have only 1 new person to get along with/ live with. And look for a part-time job/agency work, at this time of the year with holidays there should be quite a lot of options. AnnS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClazUK Posted June 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Joe, I love you (more than ever, of course) Aldi pay £9 an hour?? Kind of puts our wage into perspective then. I'd use the next couple of months trying to find something more *me* if I walked, this was one of two jobs offered and I took it simply because it was more local. I'd be able to focus on stuff I'm more experienced at if I had the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Claz, it's not a career! It's not great money! You didn't want call centre work! You're not happy there! Your work ethic is good! Walk! Yep - me too. Sounds outrageous terms and conditions. You will find something else, though think carefully about the lodger thing and whether it will be right for your life. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heva Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 (edited) Aldi, lidl (sp) and netto are the best paid shop work you can get......plus you dont have to rmb all the prices anymore!!! Also see threa don here.........female wrestlers needed ;) Edited June 16, 2008 by heva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosboss Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Also see thread on here.........female wrestlers needed ;) See, No need to be out of work at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Walk. Nobody needs that kind of crap in their lives and it drags you down and makes it hard to be positive and find better things. You have proved you can do the job well, you know that it's badly managed and you know how you would do it differently. Either get hired as a consultant to stop their appalling staff turnover problems, go work for a competitor, or try something new. (Plus, there's always the mud-wrestling option... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 With your experience of dogs I should think it wouldn't be too hard to have a complete career change. I am sure you will be a much better trainer/behaviourist than many that are out there now. Only last week I heard of someone with 2 Staffies that got a behaviourist out and their loving dogs have turned into mini monsters. You could start by doing it when not working but as it develops, you could go full time. There are also quite a few decent courses now for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reds Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Whilst you are there I don't suppose you have a health and safety rep. who could sort out the internal working temp? Sounds very draconian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safneo Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Claire, I would not work in those conditions, especially for that money. I thought my company were bad when I started here (they have improved), but that is horrendous. I would think you could get the same rate working in a supermarket or something and get treated a damned site better than that! Even if you have to do a few more hours but have more flexibility? I would try over the next couple of weeks or so to find something else, even if its not ideal, as long as you are treated as a human being not a slave/robot, thats got to count for a lot. What about working evenings or the like then you could have daytime with the dogs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKYSIAN Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Talking as someone who has employeed people in the past, I certainly wouldn't recommend walking, it doesn't look good on you (no matter what tw*t's you are working for). BUT I'd most definately be taking a couple of days off sick and hit the job center and employment agencies hard!!! Personally I absolutely detest my job but I don't have any of those hassles you have!! I think if I did me being me I'd of walked long before now!!! Netto I know are terrible employeers, Lidl not that good but my mate works for Aldi and says they are excellent!! She really enjoys her job (and she's very highly trained in another industry but wanted time out and a job with no responsibility!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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