VivsMountain

ok, so here's me on my soap box . . . .

Some weeks ago the Kanharn family had our own interpretation of 'super Saturday' we had 'an ok Thursday' when 2 of our children managed to get job offers.  Youngest son (who had decided not to return to uni) got a job with a very good company here in Diss while only daughter (the coach) got a job with a local care home.  It was quite interesting to see the difference in how each company worked.  Whilst my son received, the next day, a huge envelope containing a contract, a booklet about the company procedures, forms for bank accounts and next of kin details, the coach received . . . a phone call asking her to call in to complete a CRB form, she was told it would only take a few days to be returned so she handed in her notice and left her other job.  It was some 3 weeks and a couple of trips backwards and forwards to the home later that the CRB check was completed and she was able to start.

Whilst our son on his first day knew exactly what his hours were, where and who he should report to and what he should take our daughter knew only the day and time she was starting.  'Son' went through a two week induction (the kind I remember from 'the olden days' when I joined a new company) it told him everything he needed to know from where the toilets were to booking holiday, from what to do if the fire alarm went off to how to do his job.  'Daughter' got straight to it, in at the deep end with only the moaning of the more senior staff to give her any idea about the company and how it was run - and there was a great deal of moaning!.  She has no idea from one week to the next what her rota is and, it appears, even when she finally gets it the chances are it can change at any point making arrangements or appointments completely impossible to arrange.  This weekend Andrew and my silver wedding anniversary celebrations have been jeopardised by the total incompetence of a 'Manager' at the home.  Sadly, a feigned illness and a quick phone call has put them back on course - not something I would usually endorse but with such poor leadership there seems no other way she can commit to any of her own or family occasions.  The home, it appears, is run mainly by people from India, who I can only assume either have no outside lives or are quite happy to let down friends and family at the drop of a hat.

What makes my blood boil is that in this country we have fought long and hard to gain decent working conditions.  I'm not big on unions but we had come to recognise that people should be entitled to a life outside of their jobs and this is all being eroded because some people from overseas are perhaps prepared to put up with it.  We see the odd farm manager popping up on TV every now and then, harping on about our youth and how they are not prepared to work hard well I'm sorry but my daughter actually (and surprisingly to me) quite enjoyed the job.  What she doesn't enjoy is being treated as though she shouldn't have a life outside of it.  Maybe our youngsters, won't accept the conditions, the hours, the poor pay and the complete lack of respect they are expected to endure, that's not being work shy, that's just trying to hang on to the values this country used to be so proud of.  I'm not for one moment suggesting that there aren't in this country, those people who would rather not work - I meet many of those in my job every day but before we start slatting all our youngsters lets invest in our Managers and make sure that every organisation have Managers who can organise, communicate, motivate and inspire but most of all understand that respect is a 2 way path.

Rant over!!!!!