Working Week Challenge (The Working Week: Do We Work Too Many Hours?)

Member Name: krazykat2005

Product:	The Working Week: Do We Work Too Many Hours?
Date:	21/01/06 (126 review reads)
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Let’s tell each other about our job experience, it’s always good to learn something about different spheres of life; young members may find useful advice here.

I think the Q&A format (thought of by a member of a different opinion site) is ideal for this subject. Come on… join in!

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Hi all! I am joining in this questionnaire. I am currently on maternity leave looking after my gorgeous baby boy (who is much harder work than sixty hours a week in the office) but I do vaguely remember what it was like to work.

-- Where do you work? --

I work for an IT manufacturing company. I think that’s what you call it… they build servers and other boring computer stuff.

-- What is your job title? --

I am the Goods In Supervisor. I like to call myself ‘Boss of the Warehouse Crew’ but the lads don’t like that for some reason. Can’t think why!

-- What does you job entail? –

I think asking what my job doesn’t entail would be a better question.

Basically I am responsible for keeping the stock records up to date and for allocating stock to jobs. I record goods coming in and goods shipped out. I also do stock checks and various end of month reports for the financial people.

I do a ton of data entry because the boss is a cheapskate and refuses to spend the money to have a bespoke program designed which would make my job a lot easier and the stock records much more accurate. I told him I could get it on the cheap as the last company I worked for did exactly that sort of thing, but I think he must like watching me struggle because he completely ignored me.

Rant number one over!

-- How long have you been in your current job? --

Just under a year. Although I only worked the first six months as I actually got pregnant the day before I started the job. I don’t think they are particularly happy about this as one of the other ‘admin girls’ also got pregnant about three weeks before I did.

-- Are you happy at work? --

I enjoy the job, but I feel undervalued by the management.

When I started, it was not a proper admin position and the guy who did it before was not exactly the most organised of people. No one had a clue how the system worked! I started and within three months all the paperwork was filed, I had introduced controls to ensure that information was up to date and accurate and everything was running a lot better. This took a lot of hard work and extra unpaid hours and come review time I expected at the very least a thank you and at the very most a (much needed) pay rise.

Instead all I got was criticism because I had one half day off sick, which is fair enough although I think I did quite well – I was puking up every day from my second week for about eight weeks and only took one half day off. However, I found it hard to contain myself when I found out the office junior, who had started at the same time as me and had three weeks off sick (I know, I asked her) got a bloody pay rise. Figure that one out! The skiving office junior got a pay rise and I didn’t!

Rant number two over!

-- Is it the job for you? --

It pays the rent. I’d be much happier being a legal secretary again, that was much more interesting! Alas, most of my experience is in the IT industry, so it is there I work!

-- Who do you get on best with at your work? --

I get on with the girls in the office and the lads in the warehouse. Probably because those are the people I work with on a daily basis. And because they aren’t only out for themselves, they understand the concept of ‘teamwork’.

-- Anyone you don’t get on with? --

The Sales guys are an absolute pain in the behind. I am a very laid back person most of the time, but these guys can work me up into an absolute frenzy! Each one of them thinks their customers are the most important and let me know about it on a daily basis. Each one of them regularly sells things that we don’t even have in the warehouse and expect me to magic it up out of nowhere because they have told their customers, without checking with me first, that it would be with them by the next day. All they care about is their commission which is based on the number of sales they make, so they will say anything to make the sale and then blame everyone but themselves when the customer complains. Plus, no matter how many times I tell them that I am only responsible for systems (servers, PCs and laptops) they still phone me and ask about parts. I know nothing about parts! I tell them this repeatedly! And still they phone?

Rant number three over.

-- Do you like your boss? –

No. He didn’t give me a pay rise.

Plus it is hard to like a guy who has a different sports car for every day of the week. Especially when said guy did not give you a pay rise!

-- How many days of your holidays have you used? --

I am on maternity leave. I do not need to take any holidays, so still have the full twenty-one days left for this year.

-- How many sick days? --

Since I started the job just under a year ago I have taken five days sick due to pregnancy related illness. I feel bad about that, but I was in a lot of pain and ended up getting sent home each time I was off.

-- Genuine or faked? --

Genuine. Although in the past I used to take sick days to recover from nights out.

-- Do you get a yearly pay rise? --

Pay rises are performance related and I have been off since not long after my last appraisal, so I don’t know how that will work when it comes time for the next appraisal in June, when I will still be on maternity leave.

-- Do you socialise with your colleagues? --

No. I don’t really socialise much full stop, so when I do I prefer not to do it with ‘IT guys’ who are lovely but very one-track minded (all they talk about is computers).

-- Are you qualified for your job? --

I can type, am very organised and have a level of intelligence. That is all you need to do my job.

-- What age were you when you left school? --

I was 16 and regret it. I wish I had stayed on at school and gotten my A Levels. I was young and foolish.

-- What level are you educated to? --

Only GCSE level. And an NVQ in Administration, but nobody has been impressed with this yet.

-- Did you always want to do what your doing now? --

No. If I had my way I would be married to a rich man and spending my days doing the things I love. Reading, writing, spending money!

-- What was your dream job as a child? Have you always done what you do now? --

I have always wanted to write fiction books. I have never found the time as I have been too busy working.

I have never really stuck at any job for longer than a couple of years. I get bored very quickly if the job isn’t very challenging, which none of them have been until now.

-- What would be your ideal job now? --

I would like to be a legal secretary working in either employment or family law. My first admin job was as a legal secretary and I loved it, unfortunately I was learning on the job and my boss said I wasn’t learning quickly enough, so she gave me the boot. Just as I was getting the hang of it.

-- Are you the main earner in your household? --

Nope. The other half gets much more money than I do. I still spend most of it though!

-- Do others that you live with work? --

My partner works. He’s a… erm… a… he has explained what he does so many times, but I don’t understand… something to do with engineering.


-- Are you a member of a union? --

Nope. Should I be?

-- How often do you get paid? --

Monthly.

-- Are you content with your salary? --

No, no, no, no! I work forty-five hours a week (minimum) and my salary before tax is ten grand a year. Which works out at about £4.50 an hour. Rubbish!

-- How many hours do you work per week and what shifts? --

Forty-five hours a week. Office hours and the occasional Saturday.

Summary: I am so unappreciated at work. Good thing I'm on maternity leave for another nine months!