Workplaces and employer attitudes Megathread

titan18

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

We’ll probably all need to compromise there.

No point using AL just to sit in your house though tbf.

Achasanai

Canyon86 wrote: »

Things could get interesting if this drags onto the summer/ sept etc and companies are "asking" employees to use up their annual leave


Also you could have a scenario whereby numerous employees would be looking for the same time off immediately after the lockdown

This is already happening. Employees where I am are being asked to look at taking some time off when they are working from home. I'm surprised that many people are considering it (either due to having kids around the house or really hating working from home).

amadangomor

zom wrote: »

Builders on sites again (Dublin 2). They stand for two days but back in work (demolition from what I hear).
I thought €350 of covid unemployment payment will be enough to stop them but there id number of NI vans around the city and they not qualify for Leo's presents I would say..

They shouldn't be travelling that far!! I'd talk to the local guards if I were you.

SwordofLight

SwordofLight wrote: »

Or if you had an underlying condition?

If you're classed as an essential worker and they are pushing you to work despite your concerns, and their measures or lack of adequate measures to protect you scare the bejaysus out of you...

What would you do?

I work for an essential employer but luckily can work from home. I do know of one individual who cannot work from home who both himself and his wife have underlying health conditions. He got his GP to write a cert advising isolation for a month. The senior manager told his direct supervisor basically to tell him to return to work as he wasn't sick. The supervisor backed the employee and said he cant go against the cert and got the manager to back down.

Captain Flaps

ShyMets wrote: »

Looks like I'll need to head into the office on Monday for a few hours. There are a couple of things I cant do from home.

Its strange, but in a perverse way I'm looking forward to it. I've been more or less house bound the last three weeks so going further then the shops will be a bit of a treat. I never thought I'd say that about going to work.

I'm exactly the opposite. I've been driving quiet streets to go to work the last three weeks, I'd kill for some of this boredom that everyone else is complaining of.

Blueshoe

Captain Flaps wrote: »

I'm exactly the opposite. I've been driving quiet streets to go to work the last three weeks, I'd kill for some of this boredom that everyone else is complaining of.

I am in the middle. Reduced roster. 3 days one week, 2 the next.

Today is a day I am off. It's boring but such is life

Lundstram

Captain Flaps wrote: »

I'm exactly the opposite. I've been driving quiet streets to go to work the last three weeks, I'd kill for some of this boredom that everyone else is complaining of.

It’s a pleasure driving to work and home these days. A lot less traffic and useless drivers on the road. Having said that, more people out walking and cycling on main roads is very dangerous.

We’re working away as normal here but I expect big problems down the line when Covid19 dies down, everyone will have lots of holidays built up and will want to take a week or two straight away, myself included.

Strumms

Lundstram wrote: »

It’s a pleasure driving to work and home these days. A lot less traffic and useless drivers on the road. Having said that, more people out walking and cycling on main roads is very dangerous.

We’re working away as normal here but I expect big problems down the line when Covid19 dies down, everyone will have lots of holidays built up and will want to take a week or two straight away, myself included.

Good point. I’d say too the prices of flights won’t be favorable to the consumer. There will be very strong demand I’d say and airlines will be keen to limit losses as a result of covid.

arctictree

Not sure if this has been posted:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0401/1127910-dublin-bus-covid-19/

NBRU basically throwing a fit that drivers are being asked to take annual leave...

Ger Roe

Strumms wrote: »

Good point. I’d say too the prices of flights won’t be favorable to the consumer. There will be very strong demand I’d say and airlines will be keen to limit losses as a result of covid.

I'm not sure when this might apply - when we could consider flying off the island.
The old travel advertising phrase 'hit the hot spots', now has a vastly different meaning.

Badly Drunk Boy

titan18 wrote: »

No point using AL just to sit in your house though tbf.

I took annual leave for this week, even though I also got a letter yesterday from HR saying that my job is essential, and to keep the letter on me on the way to work. (It's not essential. It's very nice to have, but you'd survive without our products). My manager was happy for me to use the leave.

At least I'm getting a few things done around the house, and I've loads of days to use anyway.

marieholmfan

I've been given one and there are certain circumstances where I need to go to various sites (hospitals at the moment) and do work that can't be done from home.

Anecdotally I am hearing that they are being given out like snuff at a wake.

If the police decide that the information in the letter is false can is it the person who gave them the letter that is liable or the person who wrote it?

Masala

I don’t understand how Penney’s can state they availing of this new employer scheme to claim the €410 subsidy scheme per employee paid while off to bring up their wages to 80% of previous average pay ?

One on the rules of 5he scheme is a declaration the ‘the company can show an ‘inability to pay the wages and other overhead costs’. But surely Penney’s is a cash wealthy business. They can’t be working on overdrafts etc

Surely the scheme is not their to be milked by big companies....

Discuss !,

CIARAN_BOYLE

An employer that has been hit by a significant decline in business but has strong cash reserves, that are not required to fund debt, will still qualify for the Scheme but the Government would expect the employer to continue to pay a significant proportion of the employees’ wages.


Looking at the revenue guidelines the above would apply. Then it becomes a question of what the significant portion of employee wages is? I would feel that it should be more than 10%.

Badly Drunk Boy

marieholmfan wrote: »

I've been given one and there are certain circumstances where I need to go to various sites (hospitals at the moment) and do work that can't be done from home.

Anecdotally I am hearing that they are being given out like snuff at a wake.

If the police decide that the information in the letter is false can is it the person who gave them the letter that is liable or the person who wrote it?

I'd presume the person/employer that issued it. I've been sent one, but I haven't been to work since (I used holidays). I don't even need to go to hospitals, but my workplace is within the 2km distance (barely) so I'd be helping production.

titan18

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

I took annual leave for this week, even though I also got a letter yesterday from HR saying that my job is essential, and to keep the letter on me on the way to work. (It's not essential. It's very nice to have, but you'd survive without our products). My manager was happy for me to use the leave.

At least I'm getting a few things done around the house, and I've loads of days to use anyway.

Im probably ok for a few weeks as I just had a large project go live and in several weeks of hypercare for it. After that there's been a bit of build up of work cos of that project but if we're quiet in May and company is asking me to take AL, ill be doing my best not to. In a position we're I'm not needing money as much as most ATM, so I'd choose a cut in hours over forced annual leave. If we're ok and able to travel, I'll be looking forward to that time off.

Beasty

Threads merged

scary

farty90210 wrote: »

Hello.

Announced at a company yesterday a large bonus (over half a month's pay) was to be given to the permanent staff for working during the pandemic.

External contract workers who are doing the same jobs are getting nothing and working as normal throughout this whole pandemic.

They are quite a big company and it's created uproar.

I fully understand the difference between permanent workers and external. Just in this instance now everyone's pissed off.

Are they right to be pissed off?

A large Bio pharmaceutical company by any chance?

farty90210

i shan't name names 0.0

SCOOP 64

If the external workers are contracted to the same company, then yes i would be pissed off too.

PhilOssophy

Welcome to contracting OP! Suck it up!

OU812

They're contractors. They get paid more (sometimes a lot) & as a result don't get things like bonuses, holiday pay etc.

Nothing to see here.

farty90210

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Welcome to contracting OP! Suck it up!

I actually predicted the bonus on Wednesday after hearing about Aldi and Dunnes getting theirs.

But with such a large amount that are through a recruitment agency, I thought the company would have thought before announcing it.

It would have been better to announce it more quietly or not at all?

It's quite demoralizing in my opinion.

scary

farty90210 wrote: »

i shan't name names 0.0

well i do agree its not fair and in my experience of this in the past and in the future we would have a collection among the permanent members of the team for the contractors on said team.

farty90210

OU812 wrote: »

They're contractors. They get paid more (sometimes a lot) & as a result don't get things like bonuses, holiday pay etc.

Nothing to see here.

"They get paid more (sometime a lot)" this is incorrect as for a fact I know the person doing the same job as me is getting paid more.

Seve OB

I take it you are one of the contractors so?

namloc1980

External contractors are not employees of the company. Why would they expect to get a bonus? Sounds like a bizarre sense of entitlement.

farty90210

Pretty tone deaf from management to announce a bonus during a pandemic of which some of their permanent staff are permanently at home while the external contractors are onsite.

PhilOssophy

farty90210 wrote: »

"They get paid more (sometime a lot)" this is incorrect as for a fact I know the person doing the same job as me is getting paid more.

Yeah, we all work with people getting paid more/less for doing the same job! Sometimes it could be because they are there years, got a consistent pay rise, etc.
Sh1t happens dude!

all about the mane

farty90210 wrote: »

Hello.

Announced at a company yesterday a large bonus (over half a month's pay) was to be given to the permanent staff for working during the pandemic.

External contract workers who are doing the same jobs are getting nothing and working as normal throughout this whole pandemic.

They are quite a big company and it's created uproar.

I fully understand the difference between permanent workers and external. Just in this instance now everyone's pissed off.

Are they right to be pissed off?

They should have given the bonus across the board. Company I work for did that. Otherwise it’s counter productive. Better to not give it out at all otherwise.
As a side note, I don’t think the bonus is a good idea in the first place.

farty90210

namloc1980 wrote: »

External contractors are not employees of the company. Why would they expect to get a bonus? Sounds like a bizarre sense of entitlement.

As stated in the OP, the difference between permanent and external was stated. It's just making a big song and dance about the bonus during a pandemic is a bit heartless?

farty90210

all about the mane wrote: »

They should have given the bonus across the board. Company I work for did that. Otherwise it’s counter productive. Better to not give it out at all otherwise.
As a side note, I don’t think the bonus is a good idea in the first place.

Exactly!

It's had an extremely negative effect. The atmosphere in work yesterday was dreadful after the announcement.

PhilOssophy

farty90210 wrote: »

As stated in the OP, the difference between permanent and external was stated. It's just making a big song and dance about the bonus during a pandemic is a bit heartless?

Ahem, who is making a big song and dance about a bonus during a pandemic?

Seve OB

I think you are the one making the song and dance because someone else got something which you didn’t

farty90210

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Ahem, who is making a big song and dance about a bonus during a pandemic?

The company management were

namloc1980

farty90210 wrote: »

As stated in the OP, the difference between permanent and external was stated. It's just making a big song and dance about the bonus during a pandemic is a bit heartless?

Not really. We often hear of companies not looking after their employees and getting rightly called out on it. Here we have a company giving a bonus and recognition to its own employees and people are still moaning. If you're a contractor you're not an employee, is pretty straight forward.

farty90210

Seve OB wrote: »

I think you are the one making the song and dance because someone else got something which you didn’t

I don't mind. It's the fact that out of nowhere, its created a bad atmosphere.

namloc1980

farty90210 wrote: »

I don't mind. It's the fact that out of nowhere, its created a bad atmosphere.

Sounds like the contractors don't understand they are not employees and are not entitled to the benefits of being an employee.

Seve OB

farty90210 wrote: »

I don't mind. It's the fact that out of nowhere, its created a bad atmosphere.

Well you clearly do mind as you went to the trouble to set an account up on boards just so you could bitch and moan about it.

recyclebin

I agree with the OP. This is a bit heartless. We are in the middle of a pandemic so the optics look bad. Some employers don't seem to realise we are in the middle of a national emergency not seen in most of our lifetimes. Employees won't forget this if they are treated badly.

farty90210

Seve OB wrote: »

Well you clearly do mind as you went to the trouble to set an account up on boards just so you could bitch and moan about it.

It's ok Seve. Take your abuse elsewhere.

You come across way too aggressive. Go collect your €350

recyclebin

Is there a reason why the company is using contractors in the first place? or is it money saving exercise?

Tazzimus

Contractors don't get the same benefits as employees, as they're not employee's. I fail to see the issue here.

Macker1

I know for a fact that this decision was not one that was made in Ireland and it is is being viewed locally as being unfair. I would expect that there might be more to this in the future but unfortunately at present its a situation that people need to accept. I personally feel that anyone taking the additional risks of traveling from home into work to continue operational activities should be recognized whether they be a contractor or FTE.

un5byh7sqpd2x0

External contractors get their bonus in their daily rate, they’re paid vastly more than permanent staff in the first place.

namloc1980

recyclebin wrote: »

I agree with the OP. This is a bit heartless. We are in the middle of a pandemic so the optics look bad. Some employers don't seem to realise we are in the middle of a national emergency not seen in most of our lifetimes. Employees won't forget this if they are treated badly.

The employees haven't been treated badly. It's the external contractors who are demanding the same benefits as the employees.

farty90210

Tazzimus wrote: »

Contractors don't get the same benefits as employees, as they're not employee's. I fail to see the issue here.

It's backfired badly now on the company.

Out of everything in this pandemic, the last day has completely made us reevaluate our time there. And the fact some were due to be made permanent last month and the pandemic has delayed it.

farty90210

namloc1980 wrote: »

The employees haven't been treated badly. It's the external contractors who are demanding the same benefits as the employees.

No we are not.

farty90210

Dogg Munde wrote: »

External contractors get their bonus in their daily rate, they’re paid vastly more than permanent staff in the first place.

This is an odd myth.

Tazzimus

farty90210 wrote: »

It's backfired badly now on the company.

Out of everything in this pandemic, the last day has completely made us reevaluate our time there. And the fact some were due to be made permanent last month and the pandemic has delayed it.

Why, have the contractors ever been given a bonus when the employees got one?

It's a non issue, contractors are not employee's.