UK Recession And How We Are Reacting

Phew I have had 9 readings. More than I expected. I haven't advertised this, just kept an honest diary of events which maybe will become relevant to someones life one day. My email is uk.recession@hotmail.co.uk if you want to comment directly. The saga continues at work and more resignations have been realised. The latest is at the bottom labelled 15 May 2009.

Introduction.

Recent events in my life have prompted me to write this blog. My intention is to charter my personal events as they unfold in a British company who is feeling the pinch in these bleak times in the United Kingdom. Will the company that I work for brave this recession and become stronger, or will they bail out and fold?

In brief I have worked and lived in a number of different countries, and have observed the weak and strong points. These countries have been in first, second and third world economies and because of these differences have different ways of dealing with a crisis.

The company I work for represents a major brand and it is my job to visit our customers personally and make sure they are happy with our products.

This last week was make or break for me. I have been frustrated at work because I really love what I am doing but am hindered by Accountant Management. This style of management is the norm in the United Kingdom, and it bewilders me. Who would you rather run your company, Bill Gates, George Bush, Richard Branson, Gordon Brown? I know who I would.

The Friday before the last, I got my payslip. I realised the princely sum of £57 for the whole week (64 hours). This was because I injured my back at work and had to take a day off work. I was then booked off work by management for the week even though I reported to work every day. On the Thursday and Friday they had too much work for the other staff and so I did work 2 of the 5 day week. My wage was then removed for the 3 days off and I was relieved of a £50 bonus which is magically hidden somewhere in my salary. Obviously this is well below the minimum wage.

On Tuesday I was lectured by the regional and local management in a personal meeting that times were tough and I had been put on a short list for dismissal.

I resigned on the spot and had a week of notice to serve. Both the regional and local managers asked me to reconsider but I stuck with my resignation. I had had enough.

On Wednesday I found my wife doing laundry at 4 in the morning. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she was worried about our future. Later that day I was phoned by my local manager who asked me to reconsider my position and said that he would not accept my resignation. I had to go to the capital for another personal meeting on the Thursday. To many emotions now..

On Thursday I was grabbed by the regional manager and pushed into a meeting room with some corporate "gun man" who I had never met. He looked for my name, then said "you were a few points from being fired". I was then dismissed. I asked is there any way I could improve. Get "get your statistics higher".

I disagree with this, keep the customer happy is what believe is the answer if we are going to survive.

Get more products out faster is what he wants, get more business out of customer satisfaction is surely the answer.

On Friday and Saturday my work load was doubled. New questionnaires were given to us for the customer to sign. This sort of bull shit marketing is a major turn off to the customer and you tend to lose their confidence.

As a product placement specialist, I am able to get a personal relationship with the client. Often I have been in a situation where I can sell additional products to the client and they would be happy with this. Unfortunately there is no process for this, and so we are missing not only sales and revenue, but also we are negatively affecting our customer relationship.

As a private company we should be able to deliver without "red tape" issues, but as baffling as it sounds, I have never seen more red tape in my 30 years plus work experience.

Obviously I am not going to mention the company I work for, or the brand it represents. I will do this however if I get laid off, or if it folds. Then you will be amazed, I promise.

Today is Sunday 15 March 2009, it is a stunning day here in the United Kingdom. My spirits are really up. Tomorrow I am going back to work and I promise to work hard and will focus only on the client and their satisfaction. I will ignore statistics and negativity.

Let the bean counters count, I am going to enjoy my work.

Have a good day. I will write again soon.

Week ending 22 March 2009

I have to say that at no time can I predict the future with the company I am working for. There is literally no day or even hour when I can say that in one days/hours time I will be doing...

At any moment someone can come up with a massive brain fart and I find myself hurtling across the UK to somewhere to do something, quite often scratching my head in disbelief.

This week did not disappoint me. At the start of the week I reported to work only to be told I was delivering vehicles to head office. Again there was not enough work for the amount of staff. And so for the first two days of the week I was all over the place. At least I had work. Some of the staff were sent home, having their vacation leave ripped from under their feet and the others were given double the work load. "You figger"?

In the middle of the week I was sent to work for the mother brand. It would appear that some Management sector had an idea revolution which finds the staff doing all change.

Most of the staff are doing other peoples tasks. I drew the long match stick on this occasion because my task was something I really like, but some of the guys will soon run out of leave and then I think the next cut backs are going to happen, and this time it has to be me.

So lets see what happens next week. I must say though, that visiting head office was informative. For a company that is in financial difficulties and are cutting back jobs at the rate of 1 a day, I don't get it when I see a disproportionate amount of management vehicles in the yard. Me, a mere human, observes "what the hell do these guys do"?

Obviously when times were good, jobs were created for the boys. To add to the confusion, I am not talking about suitable company vehicles, I am talking about BMW, and then I saw the Jaguars.

Regardless of what deals are made, this sends out negative messages to the people that are earning your salary. To me this looks like an organisation going into liquidation.

We'll see.

Still, the sun shines in the UK and still I am upbeat. I love my family and that what matters.

Corporate shenanigans are unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

02 April 2009.

I had meant to update this diary on a weekly basis, but this weekend my spirits were low and I didn't want them to be portrayed in my words.

Again a Management brain fart ensued and I was put on routine admin duties. I don't have a problem with this as it is essential for a business to run efficiently you have to have good admin practises. If your admin is lacking you will lose money. I get the feeling that random decisions are being made by people in Management just so they look like they are doing something.

In the interim, the work pressure on the guys has been increased from ludicrous to absolute manic. This pressure will see resignations in the short term and maybe that is the intention.

Unfortunately this is doing irreparable damage to the "Brand".

Negativity from your front people will always steer your customers to your competitors. This is happening. So on Tuesday I was doing Admin on the new Management quest. Then Wednesday I was told I was back on the job and was given two days work to complete in one day. Consequently I could only cut corners and not give my clients my full attention and I felt that although I had completed my tasks, I had done damage to the brand.

This annoys me, because I love my job and bonding with my clients is probably the the best part of my job. One of my clients said to me "You really enjoy your job don't you"?

That's the sad thing yes I do, and I do it well, and when you do something well with a good heart you will shine.

At 2100 hours plus last night, I was given a call from my Line Manager, and she left a message saying I wasn't needed in today because there wasn't enough work for the guys...

So its my turn to give a days vacation leave to keep my company in business while the other guys do two days work in one day.

Again it is shining in the UK and Gordon and the other 19 merry thieves are meeting to decide how big a Trillion Dollars is and which Bankers will get it.

What does it mean to me, absolutely nothing.

I'm voting the "Any One Else" party next election.

Have a good week and don't get down hearted. Always forward, never backwards. Take care.

13 April 2009

Yes its Easter Monday, Happy Easter to you all. A time when we recognise the sacrifices made by an individual for the good of humankind.

I was thinking about a business operating in the time of a recession and thought it is like the approach of a turtle. If you retracted your head into your shell, you would eventually starve and die. If you kept your head outside your shell and viewed the world, you could survive, maybe even flourish. Hm.

I got a letter this week telling me that my company had increased my annual leave from 24 days to 28 days, that's nice. But they were going to deduct 3 of them to cover the Christmas period. Well it is an increase I guess.

But, if you never have any vacation leave because you are sent home when it suits your employers to manage work loads better, this correspondence has no value in your life, its just irony.

The work load is now at break point level and I was sent home 2 days of last week. So I only worked 2 calender days effectively, but the hours worked amounted to 26 hours. I wonder what the European Laws covering working hours say on this subject.

One of my fellow workers (the longest serving employee) is now feeling the pressure and we are having to bail him out every day now. He just cannot cope. Eventually however, we will be unable to do this because of our own pressures.

I don't know why but I cant help getting the feeling that something is going to give and I wouldn't be surprised if the word "liquidation" starts to enter into our vocabulary. I sometime ask myself why I am still here, and then I remember, it is fate. OK lets see where it takes me.

Yes the sun is shining, I have had not one but two barbeque's this Easter weekend. You cant knock this guy down.

Take care and have a good week.

15 My 2009.

Well its a month since I last wrote and as normal life has moved on with its twists and turns. I have been under supreme pressure in the first two weeks working 14 hour and longer days for 10 days in 11. Yes only one day in between to recuperate and in my job you need a break because its very physical.

Well the inevitable happened and my back went again and this time I couldn't even put on a pair of shoes. So it was off to casualties on the Sunday and I was told to report to a General Practitioner because I had done degenerative damage to my spine. I did and the GP insisted on me taking two weeks off. This means I will get a £50 fine for being off work ill and no pay. That will be seen in my next Friday's pay slip. I will report. This is the only country that I know of in the world where you get not only not paid when your ill off work but you get money taken off you. How will it work? Will I have to give my employers money?

I didn't however just lie around, I have been canvassing for work and have been asked to go for an interview on Sunday, again I will report back. In the interim my current employers called another general staff meeting this morning, I was not informed because I am off sick. Normally these meeting have an ominous cloud over them and herald the loss of jobs.

Not to worry in the post yesterday a letter arrived telling me that I have been promoted to the highest position that I can achieve. The means I have moved up 3 ranks in less than 1 year. I have arrived, I can not go higher.

Oh well been there done that then. My fingers, toes, arms legs etc. are crossed for the interview on Sunday.

Talk to you soon, go forward, don't look back, use the rear view mirror.