Do You Enjoy Your Job?

I worked from home before coronavirus anyway and have done for a few years. I always make sure two or three times a month I call into one of our offices, just to be visible more than anything and go for a beer on a Friday.

Interestingly, everybody who was ordinarily home based is now keen for offices to reopen. Those who were office based before are keen to stay at home. The company have approached it well and largely told people to do what they want, with the caveat that you need to book a day in the office now so they can manage numbers going in. The whole thing has proven the concept of home working for most departments and I suspect we will end up closing two of our four UK offices.

 

The most useful think I was ever told in my working career (after a fairly "meh" assessment) was that gradings and promotions etc are not based on what you know and how good you are, they're based on what other people think you know and how good other people think you are. There's no point sitting quietly in the corner, working your socks off and hoping someone will notice. Make sure people see and know what you've done and talk bullsh1t confidently...

 

The public sector has generally been very flexible about this.

Most jobs were already moving to a hotdesking scenario where there were more desks than people, to reduce the cost of office space. Whilst I understand why they might want staff together in creative roles, as an analyst, I can do the same job at home as I can in the office, whilst avoiding an an hour + commute, huge costs and inevitable sickness.

I'm sure this scenario is replicated for many jobs across the country and it makes no sense for the business to interupt that. The only issue for us would be if the government decided to prop up businesses which no longer make sense, like coffee shops on every corner, and force us back in to work. Wont likely be until 2021 though.

Ideally I'd work 1-2 days a week in the office and the rest at home, with the flexibility to decide which days. But I appreciate it's more likely to end up as the reverse scenario.

 

My work basically said no one is allowed in the office unless absolutely necessary. At first I enjoyed working from home, but for me the benefits have worn off and for me part of working is wasting 15 minutes here and there talking to people. I find it very boring being sat at home all day and often go days without physically talking to anyone. I'd like to WFH maybe 2/3 days a week, but I do miss being around other people.

 

Chemistry is usually (wrongly) described as the physical science for people who don't like maths - it's (become) an extremely numerate discipline (something I only discovered during my PhD). Also when you start working with molecules you have to think in 4d (3 of space and 1 of time).

Professional routes are got picked-up in the milk round or go into the hard slog of academia, where you are shocked to discover what little worth is attached to your first degree. Then you're looking at an industrially sponsored PhD (EngD degrees have sadly gone out of fashion) because of pretty much guaranteed employment on a training scheme with your sponsor) else you are, pretty much, viewed as (by recruitment consultants who deal with the vast majority of vacancies) "...fitting a square peg into a round hole..."

To aim for academia you've get to get a number of post-docs (PDRAs/post-docs in the jargon) under your belt (all short term, max 3 year, contracts because at 4 years you qualify for "...identical conditions as permanent staff..."), but not too many as that makes you expensive to hire on university pay scales. This puts a lot of people off, as you normally work under pretty **** conditions all on the whim of a getting another contract or an extension or to get the nod from to head of department that you're in and they'll support your application for a fellowship or lectureship. Chemistry is the most 'feminine' of the physical sciences and, justifiably many women won't put up with all this uncertainty - I know that because the vast majority of PhD candidates are women (>65%) and I don't see 65% of female senior scientist is academia or industry. Other thing is publications - you've got to have a big list of publications they don't have to be any good just extensive.

 

Everyone has different preferences and requirements. You haven’t said whether your employer is in the private, public or charity sector but in future they should look to accommodate your preference, unless they are planning to completely close a physical place of work. For many the 2/3 days option would be difficult if they were having to commute by train, unless the rail companies come up with a cost effective fare structure to cope with that pattern.

 

When I was at University my Principal Lecturer was a Watford fan. And probably around that age too.

 

No and the last few weeks have been a nightmare

 

Yes.
I get to hit a little yellow ball ( or red,orange or green) around in pleasant surroundings apart from the odd Spurs fan.
I'm in charge and answer only to my own professional standards and customers.
I now have an excellent colleague to join me/the club who will bring in more players and members.

 

Same. I used to hate the commute, but having been stuck in the house, mostly in the same room since March, I’m more than stir crazy. I miss people and also just getting out. I live in a village so I can go out for a lovely walk, or pop to the shops, but my world is tiny now, when previously I’d commute into London and have regular meetings in all different parts of town.

 

I got made redundant earlier this week. The travel industry has taken a cataclysmic blow this year. I'm just surprised that it took so long for my old employers to make the decision.

Now I have to figure out what I want to do with my life.

 

You should do a podcast. Like everyone else.

Be really negative about Watford unlike all the other suck ups. Maybe like an hour long podcast of just booing from different guests.

 

Completely agree. My commute was 35-40 mins, but I actually miss it. Was a chance for me to read/listen to podcasts that I find hard to make time for when i'm not commuting. It was also probably the only time of the day that I got to myself with no one bothering me to do things.

 

Sorry to hear that. I'm back on furlough again. Threat of redundancy gone for the moment but in travel as I am too reckon redundancy threat will come around again before too long

 

Sorry to hear that. I have a family member in that business and he just shakes his head ruefully. He held out hopes for the summer to be rescued, but as you know it’s been a nightmare for operators and it will take several years to recover. Hope you can find something soon.

 

Thanks guys.

As if the Thomas Cook fallout last year wasn't bad enough! It's a tough time for the industry for the moment, for sure. @Guy I hope you keep your job and that things begin to recover. @Moose all the best to your relative. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Don't really miss working from the office but I do miss the convenience of being able to go for a few beers on the way back after work during the week. When the office does reopen I could probably do 1 or 2 days from the office, I'd probably be more relaxed about going in later and finishing later knowing the day after is WFH, whereas pre-lockdown I'd be up at 5.30 am and in the office for just before 8 and then leave around 3.45/4 to beat rush hour and actually have some of the evening left

 

Same. It was an hour a day to read or sleep - a bit of me time to catch up on reading about the collapse of Yugoslavia or the Armenian genocide. Loved living in the sticks but being in London in the day, plus the social side of work or meeting mates.

With only video calls, you do feel distant too. I'd like to go back in the office 2 days a week - best of both worlds.

Like @wfcmoog said, it makes your world very small and Leighton Buzzard is not going to win European City of Culture.

 

I haven’t worked with a single IT worker who knows Excel well. It’s not part of our area of concern, for the most part.

If you want help with Excel, head to the finance department. That’s where the true gurus are found.

 

And this is why I never admit to knowing about Excel.

 

You just need to work for a Japanese company and you'll know Excel inside and out in the first month.

 

So I was approached by a recruiter last week for a role within the travel industry. I was surprised but happy when I found out it's a non-sales roles (I am not interested in sales) and they are specifically looking for someone with my industry background. Again, quite niche. The interview went well and the final stage would be a zoom call with the CEO.

The thing is that whilst it's paying slightly more than my last job (the one I was made redundant from), it's still quite a bit less than I would like.

The pros though are that the company is only a few years old but has carved out an interesting niche within a competitive area of the market. So, it has a startup mentality which means I could gain extra experience through helping out with other areas of the business (something which is definitely appealing to me).

I was previously applying to PR/Marketing companies before this role popped up as I wanted to do something creative, but the former is difficult to break into and now I'm thinking that if the startup does well in 2021, I could potentially gain marketing experience at said company.

In conclusion, I'd be on less money that I think I deserve, but the opportunities for growth, promotion and making up that difference in time seem to be there. Still unsure what I might do, but jobs are so hard to come by at the minute that I think it would be silly of me to turn down this job.

Would welcome any opinions!

 

Anything in the travel industry is a bit difficult right now but if dong ok in the current climate that bodes well in the longer term

With opportunities for growth and advancement I would say go for it

 

I'd say go for it. I have quite a lot of marketing experience and i'm struggling to get a look in for marketing jobs at the moment just because of the sheer number of people who are unemployed and very experienced atm.

Probably the best time to start a job you're not 100% sure about. If you hate it after 6 months you can just leave and blame the pandemic to explain it.

 

Its easier to get a job from a position of employment. Unless the notice period is massive or the job is horrible it's a no brainer.

 

The key is that they are hiring in a pandemic/global meltdown which is fantastic. Obviously for some businesses the numbers are just unworkable (hospitality, events, etc) and they’ll fold/mothball/lay all of their staff off because they simply have no choice.

For others it can come down to a mindset. I know of at least two companies in my industry who have made redundancies, totally unnecessary as they’ve been totally unaffected by events. Now of course it could be opportunism and a way to get rid of unfavored employees, but in many cases it’s unnecessary caution and panic.

A lot of what contributes to an economic downturn can be a self fulfilling prophecy, with companies laying staff off and halting investment etc just because they think they should.

As far as my own business is concerned to my surprise I've actually gained two travel companies as clients recently. They’ve obviously been hit but they’ve taken the opportunity while they’re a bit quieter to review things they perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have time to. Whereas some similar companies have a completely closed mindset, ‘we’re in the middle of a pandemic, it’s not a good time’ ok, but why isn’t it exactly?

If this company are hiring now it shows a decent attitude, a strong business model, an acknowledgement this will pass and a desire to not let the situation get in the way of their plans. All overwhelmingly positive things.

 

Go for it.

I am about to change jobs, moving to a lower cost of living country and new company where the pay is "better" than my current job, but not what I could be on elsewhere in England (or what my company would pay for an external hire at my level)

There's been pay freezes for years and probably years more so if I stay there's no chance of better pay.

The new company is a way better opportunity and the way I see it, worst case, even if I only stayed there a year and then tried to come back to my current company I'd get paid more than waiting in the current role in this market.

 

Thank you all for the advice.

Unfortunately I didn't get through to the second and final round of interviews.

Whilst the recruiter said they really liked me and had skills that would no doubt be beneficial to them, I was 'pipped' by someone with more experience.

********.

If they were going down the experience route, why bother interviewing me in the first place?

It's another cop out excuse.

I'm feeling quite hopeless at the minute to be honest.

 

Sorry to hear, but if they're honest and know what they're doing they should have a prefered candidate and a few backups for final interview. It has happened a couple of times in my experience where the preferred candidate has gone on to be a nightmare demanding a far higher salary than was advertised, when the job was offered to them or they decide not to take up the offer. In those cases you have to fall back to 2nd and sometimes 3rd choice. If they're being honest it's fair, don;t be down heartened by it. No one wants to interview people they don't want to employ. It's a waste of time and resources.

 

Yes I suppose you're right. Thanks hornmeister.

 

No probs, chalk it up to experience. The more interviews I took or indeed hosted the better I got. In one case an interviewer got back to me 2 weeks later after original rejection to offer me another role, so sometimes if it's a company you really want to work for, it's worth saying this and asking if they'd keep your details on file should something else come up.



To be honest I'm glad I don't have to go through any of it any more. I'm in my last job and that may or may not have much longer to go.
I've decided to bin off working life and take early retirement.