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I learned a very important lesson about employment recently

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    #11
    Some of you are very quick to judge and assume based on my post.

    Actually so far in my 10+ years experience only this year I have experienced such issues. Maybe that says a lot about the companies I worked for where employees were happy and they had decent long careers that I never got to see such situations.

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      #12
      Originally posted by HealthyProtein View Post
      Some of you are very quick to judge and assume based on my post.

      Actually so far in my 10+ years experience only this year I have experienced such issues. Maybe that says a lot about the companies I worked for where employees were happy and they had decent long careers that I never got to see such situations.
      And maybe you make Father Dougal look like a professional cynic. I know where my money would be on. Big Co looks after itself and tulips on it's employees? Hold the front page......

      Comment


        #13
        Originally posted by HealthyProtein View Post
        Ultimately a company can kick employees to the curb when things are going tough.

        In a company I am working at redundancies are happening and I am seeing loyal employees go, and even those who returned back to the company only less than a year ago. The experienced ones left as soon as the company was bought out by a private equity firm.

        Listening to a colleague at a canteen table over coffee one of them revealed they turned down £13,000 less from another company to join this one so he could learn more meant nothing when they gave him the redundancy notice.

        How can there be such double standards? In interviews the companies question your loyalty and tenures in the past yet totally screw down employees when times are tough. I suppose they are the ones with cash and control.

        But it's just horrible to see what is happening at the moment. In the last 12 months more than ever I have experienced office politics and seeing redundancies and it's taught me that ultimately your career is a business and you have to separate work from personal things and not look at companies through rose tinted glasses as some entities that will have your back when times are tough.
        : Kerb

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          #14
          I guess I was naive, and in the back of my mind I knew ultimately this is how it is but having seen it recently it really hit home.

          Also thanks for continuing to share your experiences too, interesting (and sad) reading.

          Comment


            #15
            Feck me, how this forum has deteriorated from the days about a decade ago when we had successful contractors on here
            Hard Brexit now!
            #prayfornodeal

            Comment


              #16
              There are still a few companies out there who have the "Job for life" attitude; these are usually SMB's around the 100-200 user count in my experience - many have employees who have been there 10-20 years and absolutely don't plan on moving, and feel looked after.

              First company I ever worked for was like that - most people had been there many years. There were regular company trips abroad, regular bonuses and various other perks. 3 years ago they got bought out by a much larger corporate - all, and I mean all of the perks were immediately abolished and as such, the salaries they were paying all of a sudden looked (and were) very mediocre in comparison to market rate. A lot of people I stayed in touch with there were really irritated and upset with the changes, but at the end of the day the larger corporate just views the whole business entity including its employees as just that; a business. Profits and losses and a balance sheet, nothing more, nothing less.

              The real eye opener for me was actually in my consultancy job - i'd given them almost 5 years of loyal service doing professional services, during which time clients would often ask if I'd do work on the side for them and I always declined. I decided I had enough and 6 months before they terminated me myself and some friends thought we'd setup our own MSP. We hadn't any clients and would operate in a different territory to my original company. They found out and despite not even having registered a limited company yet, went ballistic, sacked me on the spot and refused for months to pay a very substantial amount of overtime they owed me.

              I will never, ever go back to permanent employment unless I am forced to and even then, I will treat it as a business engagement. No more free overtime, no more putting presentations together at weekends for meetings on Monday. At the end of the day loyalty is no longer rewarded.

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                #17
                There is a certain ISP in my area that is constantly recruiting. This is because they take in an influx of people, and by the end of the year 90% have been given the boot, often at the end of the week on the spot. It it very easy to pass their interview stage, but in fact it is the first few months that is the interview.

                How can they get away with this? Well the fact is that you really have no employment rights until after 2 years, so short of any form of discrimination, companies can do what they want. Combine this with the fact that people often change jobs every 3 years and you see there's very little point in being a permie any more. However, most people don't have the contractor option, so we are left with a workforce who in terms of employment rights are not much better off then the US.

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                  #18
                  Originally posted by pauldee View Post
                  How can they get away with this? Well the fact is that you really have no employment rights until after 2 years.
                  Is that right??
                  'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

                  Comment


                    #19
                    Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
                    Is that right??
                    https://www.gov.uk/dismiss-staff/eli...fair-dismissal

                    Comment


                      #20
                      Originally posted by HealthyProtein View Post
                      Ultimately a company can kick employees to the curb when things are going tough.

                      In a company I am working at redundancies are happening and I am seeing loyal employees go, and even those who returned back to the company only less than a year ago. The experienced ones left as soon as the company was bought out by a private equity firm.

                      Listening to a colleague at a canteen table over coffee one of them revealed they turned down £13,000 less from another company to join this one so he could learn more meant nothing when they gave him the redundancy notice.

                      How can there be such double standards? In interviews the companies question your loyalty and tenures in the past yet totally screw down employees when times are tough. I suppose they are the ones with cash and control.

                      But it's just horrible to see what is happening at the moment. In the last 12 months more than ever I have experienced office politics and seeing redundancies and it's taught me that ultimately your career is a business and you have to separate work from personal things and not look at companies through rose tinted glasses as some entities that will have your back when times are tough.
                      Always been that way, and loyalty and usually even competence makes absolutely no difference.

                      The bean counters have no idea who is who when decreeing who gets the chop. The employees are just numbers to them
                      Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

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