• Visitors can check out the Forum FAQ by clicking this link. You have to register before you can post: click the REGISTER link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. View our Forum Privacy Policy.
  • Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!

Public Sector

Collapse
X
  •  
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Public Sector

    I had a conversation with a group of Local Authority workers yesterday. Interesting chat. All could comment with authority on their importance. This committee, that policy achievement, blah, blah, blah.

    Once you scrape below the surface it was obvious to me they actually have no useful marketable skills whatsoever and would be close to unemployable in the real world.

    There is a whole parallel universe out there where your ability to add value is irrelevant. It left me depressed.

    I know from the Guardian that these people are on a good package with gold-plated pensions, comfortable working hours, no stress, jobs for life (unless you lower your trousers in the workplace and sing Rule Britannia)

    It left me thinking, who is the fool ?

    #2
    I did a contract a while ago working at a public sector site and have to agree that I would not employ one of them. We had one guy who literally had to take pills to maintain his mood. We had another there who did his job so badly because he wanted them to sack him - but nobody would, they simply employed others to rectify his mistakes. His wife also worked there and would openly say that her husband was cr@p at his job. This same guy went in a sulk because he wasn't on the invite for a meeting with some suppliers. He wasn't on the invite becuase he wasn't needed. In the end they rescheduled the meeting for later that day so that this guy could go home and get his suit on. While in the meeting he said nothing and proved that leaving him off the original invite was the correct thing to do. There were two 'women' who in the 9 months we were on site stayed late 2 times. Jesus, did we ever hear the end of that.

    The sad thing is that we are all paying for these muppets!
    Rule Number 1 - Assuming that you have a valid contract in place always try to get your poo onto your timesheet, provided that the timesheet is valid for your current contract and covers the period of time that you are billing for.

    I preferred version 1!

    Comment


      #3
      Where was that, Tony?

      Comment


        #4
        Back oop north for an agency of the NHS. Don't want to give too many details though - I've worked for th DoH before, the Home office and benefits agency and they are all the same. Most seem to be wrapped up in thier own self importance to realise that nobody really gives a toss about their ability to get a memo out on time
        Rule Number 1 - Assuming that you have a valid contract in place always try to get your poo onto your timesheet, provided that the timesheet is valid for your current contract and covers the period of time that you are billing for.

        I preferred version 1!

        Comment


          #5
          I was lucky when I worked in the public services - I came into little contact with permies.

          What I remember most about working with them is their holidays. You plan, get started, then suddenly and without warning they were on holiday for two weeks.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by the guy with the bowtie
            I had a conversation with a group of Local Authority workers yesterday. Interesting chat. All could comment with authority on their importance. This committee, that policy achievement, blah, blah, blah.

            Once you scrape below the surface it was obvious to me they actually have no useful marketable skills whatsoever and would be close to unemployable in the real world.

            There is a whole parallel universe out there where your ability to add value is irrelevant. It left me depressed.

            I know from the Guardian that these people are on a good package with gold-plated pensions, comfortable working hours, no stress, jobs for life (unless you lower your trousers in the workplace and sing Rule Britannia)

            It left me thinking, who is the fool ?
            I've worked both in central and local government as a contractor and I can confidently say that the public sector exists to keep vast numbers of otherwise totally unemployable people in a job; I haven't done the maths but it's probably cheaper to have them working and at least paying some taxes rather just having them on the dole. However the size of the public sector pensions liability is extremely worrying.

            Comment


              #7
              The only good thing about the public sector is that because the majority are so inept, it actually creates a huge market for us contractors to exploit.

              Place I'm in at the mo, the management board is made up of people who started "at the bottom" when they were 16, they know the old paper based business inside out but don't know what computers look like - they are totally incapable of making a decision and employ consultants to do this for them so they've got a scapegoat.

              There were loads of them today moaning that they would have to lose a couple of hours pay because of the snow and the Gvt Agency should credit them the hours !!!
              Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by the guy with the bowtie
                There is a whole parallel universe out there where your ability to add value is irrelevant. It left me depressed.

                I know from the Guardian that these people are on a good package with gold-plated pensions, comfortable working hours, no stress, jobs for life
                And you'd better get on with working to add value, because you'll need to save a lot, because when you're trying to retire. they will be retired and your mone will be taken in whatever increasing amounts may be needed to pay their pensions.

                Comfortable working hours? Could be worse, when the French government introduced the 35-hour week the civil servants went on strike. They had no intention of working that many hours.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Bluebird
                  There were loads of them today moaning that they would have to lose a couple of hours pay because of the snow and the Gvt Agency should credit them the hours !!!
                  Why?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by expat
                    Why?
                    exactly
                    Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X