WBC stress story, Genuine concern or taking the mick? Options

[Strafin]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2012/rise-in...rkshire-council

I have just read this story and a couple of things sprung to my mind. If you're stressed out about losing your job, is it wise to be taking time off? I accept stress can be difficult and cause genuine problems but we all suffer and some need a day off sometimes but that's what holiday time is for.

Do these employees get sick pay? It strikes me that it is one of those things that is difficult to disprove so if you get paid no matter what, an easy way to get some free time off. Does this set of figures only refer to the council itself or it's services as well, schools for example? Only we are all under pressure and it would be interesting to know if the stress was reflected across other council workers. If it is there may be something in this, but I wonder if it could also be a culture that has manifested through more people seeing easy time off as acceptable. And finally how are these absences covered and what is the cost?

[spartacus]

spot on (IMHO)

ditto... ......ermm IMHO



Interference by 'well meaning' but ultimately bumbling clueless Councillors, keen to point score over opposition in delivering 'waste of money schemes' - against the advice of people who are qualified in the field and who are meant to be the experts - can be quite exasperating....

[On the edge]

ditto... ......ermm IMHO



Interference by 'well meaning' but ultimately bumbling clueless Councillors, keen to point score over opposition in delivering 'waste of money schemes' - against the advice of people who are qualified in the field and who are meant to be the experts - can be quite exasperating....

I wonder then why we don't see such 'tear jerkers' in the private sector - where greedy boards and bankers are simply selling jobs and productive capacity to line their own nests. Those at the end of the line, who work in places like shops, factories and call centres generally earn far less and have far less opportunity to comment. Looked at like that, Local Government iseems a plumb option - haven't heard that the Councils are having recruitment difficulties!

Have never been convinced by 'experts' - in generqal people only get labeled as such when they aren't! After all, in many cases, it was 'experts' who got us into this mess. i.e. we believed the 'educational experts' in the 1960s, and the 'experts in Nursing' in the 1970s....

[Jayjay]

I wonder then why we don't see such 'tear jerkers' in the private sector - where greedy boards and bankers are simply selling jobs and productive capacity to line their own nests. Those at the end of the line, who work in places like shops, factories and call centres generally earn far less and have far less opportunity to comment. Looked at like that, Local Government iseems a plumb option - haven't heard that the Councils are having recruitment difficulties!

Have never been convinced by 'experts' - in generqal people only get labeled as such when they aren't! After all, in many cases, it was 'experts' who got us into this mess. i.e. we believed the 'educational experts' in the 1960s, and the 'experts in Nursing' in the 1970s....

There are probably as many 'tear jerkers' as you like to call them in the private sector. As a rule the private sector do not report figures the same way the public sector does.