The "My mate's lost his job" thread

[The Preacherman]

 

Other side of that, was stuck on a 6m notice in a job that changed to the point I hated it but couldn't secure another one before resigning. As who hires now for 6m time? 

Wasn't that fun to do so.. In the end thought f it and took a 3 month holiday at the end before coming back to job hunt 

As a cynical late fourty-something the game to play if you hate your job is to dial down the effort not leave. ⅔ of the time it won't be noticed. When it is noticed its difficult for businesses to dismiss using performance management and stressful for the manager. Eventually leads to a constructive dismissal situation and once HR get involved you'll be asked to leave under a settlement agreement usually with at least statutory redundancy and notice in lieu. 

An alternative if the sick pay is good is to be signed off for stress at work. Stress is a health and safety matter and the company will either resolve the problems or pay you off if they don't want to tackle the issues. 

[Pop321]

 

This is part of my rationale in volunteering for redundancy. Our house needs a lot of stuff doing to it which would probably cost £20k+ if I got people in. Now I will have the time I plan to do it all as far as possible myself, bearing in mind I would have to earn £30k to pay other people £20k. The government won't be getting that extra £10k or most of the £4k VAT that the tradespeople would have paid (yes, I know 😁)

I gave up work almost 2 years ago. I have probably saved around £20k in labour so far. That a very conservative estimate. And you are right to gross that up into what you would need to earn to get that net. I do that with all my spending but I have been very frugal as I saved for early retirement. I saw all expenses as a cost of time 😉

Just in our own home I have decorated throughout (ie stripping old paper and skimming walls), rejigging the kitchen to incorporate a range cooker, a new downstairs cloakroom and laying a new patio. We had an old small mdf electric cupboard but I stripped a second hand solid oak in frame shaker sideboard down, varnished the top  and painted it and put on new silver cup handles etc and it completely fills the under-stairs space and covers the meters and looks absolutely fab. I honestly think that saved me £1.5k alone  

I do own other houses (I know, I know) and I intend to sell them when they naturally fall empty. So I have completely decorated the huge 4 floored house (the quote was £5k from a decorator friend...the other quote was £7k). Decorating means stripping woodchip, making good walls, putting up picture rails, reinstating fires etc. 

I have another 12 months work ahead with a new bathroom at home, a drive (although I will only labour in that) and rebuilding a huge stone wall. 

I take much longer than a professional doing these jobs but it is saving me about £2k a month and keeping me fit. 

I am hugely lucky because I don’t need to earn now my outgoings are reduced. Also because I worked in an office for 33 years then these varied jobs are a novelty...ie I couldn’t be a plasterer (etc etc) all day long, too hard.

It will be interesting to know how it pans out for you.  I really enjoy pottering and learning whilst effectively reverse earning money...ie saving my spending. I know my limitations and I know I am definitely no expert...and I couldn’t earn a living because I would be too slow and I work to my standard which is high but I couldn’t cope with a fussy customer. A skill the self employed deal with brilliantly and I couldn’t  😆😆
 

Good luck. 

[wighty]

 

Gone are the days of bumper voluntary redundancy packages. (unless you're at the top). An extra month on top of statutory is typically offered. 

Another discrepancy is notice period. Management and technical grades are usually on at least 3 months and execs at least 6 months whereas everyone is stuck on 1 month.

I've got 3 months on my current contract and even at the moment I would not be too bothered if I lost my job as we can make 3 months plus money last 6 months. 

My brother has had a streem of 6 months notice jobs in hire and fire businesses. He's done quite well out of redundancy as he usually secures another job in a couple of months. 

Interviewer: "What salary do you expect?"

Interviewee: "Stuff the salary. What's the redundancy package?"

[Wise Old Elf]

 

I gave up work almost 2 years ago. I have probably saved around £20k in labour so far. That a very conservative estimate. And you are right to gross that up into what you would need to earn to get that net. I do that with all my spending but I have been very frugal as I saved for early retirement. I saw all expenses as a cost of time 😉

Just in our own home I have decorated throughout (ie stripping old paper and skimming walls), rejigging the kitchen to incorporate a range cooker, a new downstairs cloakroom and laying a new patio. We had an old small mdf electric cupboard but I stripped a second hand solid oak in frame shaker sideboard down, varnished the top  and painted it and put on new silver cup handles etc and it completely fills the under-stairs space and covers the meters and looks absolutely fab. I honestly think that saved me £1.5k alone  

I do own other houses (I know, I know) and I intend to sell them when they naturally fall empty. So I have completely decorated the huge 4 floored house (the quote was £5k from a decorator friend...the other quote was £7k). Decorating means stripping woodchip, making good walls, putting up picture rails, reinstating fires etc. 

I have another 12 months work ahead with a new bathroom at home, a drive (although I will only labour in that) and rebuilding a huge stone wall. 

I take much longer than a professional doing these jobs but it is saving me about £2k a month and keeping me fit. 

I am hugely lucky because I don’t need to earn now my outgoings are reduced. Also because I worked in an office for 33 years then these varied jobs are a novelty...ie I couldn’t be a plasterer (etc etc) all day long, too hard.

It will be interesting to know how it pans out for you.  I really enjoy pottering and learning whilst effectively reverse earning money...ie saving my spending. I know my limitations and I know I am definitely no expert...and I couldn’t earn a living because I would be too slow and I work to my standard which is high but I couldn’t cope with a fussy customer. A skill the self employed deal with brilliantly and I couldn’t  😆😆
 

Good luck. 

I am very similar, try & work to s good standard but would be too slow to make a living from it & couldn't be ars*d anyway. The other thing is, professional trade need to make max profit in min time so if say a tiler sees a wall that is a bit out & will be a pain to do he may say it needs re-plastering first. I will just spend days doing it but he can't do that as will be too expensive.

[monkeyman1974]

Property Industry - investment management and associated suppliers... (boo hiss etc) - mostly commercial / retail

Numerous friends are on reduced salaries 10-30% down. Slim chances of bonuses (always a large component), save for in more niche businesses. Plenty of large scale consultations (JLL, CBRE etc). One lost job and now on temp contract elsewhere. Leasing agents losing work all over the show. Take Up (sq.ft.) West End and City was 13.74m in 2018 and 11.48 in 2019. For the first 2 Qrts in 2020 it is... 2.95m....

I don't need to explain what is happening to retail space demand. Industrial (last mile logistics esp) is in fine form. 

Open ended funds still closed..

Slow moving bloodbath

[TheCountOfNowhere]

 

Slow moving bloodbath

Sounds like Britain since 2005

[jiltedjen]

I know someone who lost their job at Eden project.

I know of a manager who let various people go from a national trust location

I know someone in tourism who is on furlough, but probably 90% likely to still have a job afterwards

thats all I know.

I remain untouched by this, I refused a voluntary 10% wage/hour reduction, and things are no longer looking absolutely grim in manufacturing although orders still down about 15-20%

various colleagues are only just coming back from furlough, been on since March 

partner is NHS so has been busy

has been a year of manic DIY, installed my own central heating, a new bathroom, completely redecorated house, allotment looking good, all while working full time, I expected to be furloughed so I ordered all the central heating bits expecting to be time rich

now im feeling like various people’s I know on furlough have wasted the opportunity it afforded them, and I’m astonished how much you can get done while working full time also! 

[longgone]

 

I know someone who lost their job at Eden project.

I know of a manager who let various people go from a national trust location

I know someone in tourism who is on furlough, but probably 90% likely to still have a job afterwards

thats all I know.

I remain untouched by this, I refused a voluntary 10% wage/hour reduction, and things are no longer looking absolutely grim in manufacturing although orders still down about 15-20%

various colleagues are only just coming back from furlough, been on since March 

partner is NHS so has been busy

has been a year of manic DIY, installed my own central heating, a new bathroom, completely redecorated house, allotment looking good, all while working full time, I expected to be furloughed so I ordered all the central heating bits expecting to be time rich

now im feeling like various people’s I know on furlough have wasted the opportunity it afforded them, and I’m astonished how much you can get done while working full time also! 

The Joy's of push fit. I hope most was 22mm then down to 15mm to tail off at the rads And bleed vales on any drops.

[jiltedjen]

 

The Joy's of push fit. I hope most was 22mm then down to 15mm to tail off at the rads And bleed vales on any drops.

All solder, all copper. bleeds where they needed to be. 22 down to 15 but as it’s all very direct and a fresh install the runs are short or at least very direct, 15 radiators installed.

didn’t want to do it again in 10 years time so avoided push fits. 

No leaks either! not bad for a first go. 

I suppose others get fit in their spare time, or learn piano. I re-plumbed my whole house (re-ran domestic hot and cold also while I was at it).

electrics at some point soon. 

a I wouldn’t say any of it is complicated, but it’s hard graft. 

I wouldn’t fancy being a plumber. 

[longgone]

 

All solder, all copper. bleeds where they needed to be. 22 down to 15 but as it’s all very direct and a fresh install the runs are short or at least very direct, 15 radiators installed.

didn’t want to do it again in 10 years time so avoided push fits. 

No leaks either! not bad for a first go. 

I suppose others get fit in their spare time, or learn piano. I re-plumbed my whole house (re-ran domestic hot and cold also while I was at it).

electrics at some point soon. 

a I wouldn’t say any of it is complicated, but it’s hard graft. 

I wouldn’t fancy being a plumber. 

Soldering is probably the best certainly cheaper than quality pushfit fittings like john guest. 

I know its hard graft that's why I got a plumber to do it in my mums place. But that had awful warm air heating and asbestos lined ducting so 6k for a full install is a good price I thought considering the boiler was nearly 2k on it's own Worcester bosch high flow. Separate asbestos removal company  wanted 10k just for that.  plumber did it with the install for nothing.

[richmondtw]

 

Thatchers Legacy.  

I remember as a young lad my dad saying to me, we'll all end up in soup kitchens with those ****s in power.

LOL, it is all Maggies fault - she only left office 30 years ago and we had a Labour govt for between 197-2010 LOL 

 

It was Liam Byrne who left a  note that said "there is no momey left " 

[TheCountOfNowhere]

 

LOL, it is all Maggies fault - she only left office 30 years ago and we had a Labour govt for between 197-2010 LOL 

 

It was Liam Byrne who left a  note that said "there is no momey left " 

She set the unregulated bankers free, laid the foundations for the housing bubble and brought in the mantra "greed is good".

She was ether the biggest patsy in history and one old evil **** of a human.

[shlomo]

 

She set the unregulated bankers free, laid the foundations for the housing bubble and brought in the mantra "greed is good".

She was ether the biggest patsy in history and one old evil **** of a human.

Or she did things that would win her elections, not good or bad 

[iamnumerate]

1 minute ago, TheCountOfNowhere said:

She set the unregulated bankers free, laid the foundations for the housing bubble and brought in the mantra "greed is good".

She was ether the biggest patsy in history and one old evil **** of a human.

I think Thatcher did some harm - her lack of concern about HPI in the 80s was Blair like in its evil and the poll tax was stupid (worth reading about in the blunders of our Governments).

However I think setting the big bang in the stock market was partly due to legal claims - it was not something that could happen be prevented for ever.

Also the retail banking market was a lot more responsible under her than Blair - she did not have any bank runs under her.

 

[captainb]

 

I think Thatcher did some harm - her lack of concern about HPI in the 80s was Blair like in its evil and the poll tax was stupid (worth reading about in the blunders of our Governments).

However I think setting the big bang in the stock market was partly due to legal claims - it was not something that could happen be prevented for ever.

Also the retail banking market was a lot more responsible under her than Blair - she did not have any bank runs under her.

 

+1 Good if somewhat depressing book.

 

PPI on the London Underground - Metronet???

[Pop321]

 

I think Thatcher did some harm - her lack of concern about HPI in the 80s was Blair like in its evil and the poll tax was stupid (worth reading about in the blunders of our Governments).

However I think setting the big bang in the stock market was partly due to legal claims - it was not something that could happen be prevented for ever.

Also the retail banking market was a lot more responsible under her than Blair - she did not have any bank runs under her.

 

Thatcher, Blair etc . All a lifetime ago. 

Only politicians should be looking back for excuses. When we do it then we have fallen into their trap. 

Things take time to change but I don’t even see any attempt to start turning the oil tanker round. So I look at and hold accountable whoever is in power now.

Removal of HTB, SDLT holidays, buyer incentives with meetings starting tomorrow. Let’s make all homes affordable.😉

[Saving For a Space Ship]

 

Soldering is probably the best certainly cheaper than quality pushfit fittings like john guest. 

I know its hard graft that's why I got a plumber to do it in my mums place. But that had awful warm air heating and asbestos lined ducting so 6k for a full install is a good price I thought considering the boiler was nearly 2k on it's own Worcester bosch high flow. Separate asbestos removal company  wanted 10k just for that.  plumber did it with the install for nothing.

What did they do with it though ? 

[msi]

 

I think Thatcher did some harm - her lack of concern about HPI in the 80s was Blair like in its evil and the poll tax was stupid (worth reading about in the blunders of our Governments).

However I think setting the big bang in the stock market was partly due to legal claims - it was not something that could happen be prevented for ever.

Also the retail banking market was a lot more responsible under her than Blair - she did not have any bank runs under her.

 

BCCI springs to mind.  As to the wider 'honesty' of the financial system - you might have overlooked Del Monte, Equitable, and Guinness (featuring the only case where someone recovered from Alzheimer).

Thatcher was a low grade psychopath with a limited (if any) ability to empathise. I'll give her credit and say she started with a Germanic approach to financial control, but was blindingly stupid (I can't believe someone in her position would be so naive) in thinking the 'market' would naturally balance and regulate itself. 

She fell for the 'Iron Lady' spin from the Daily Fail brigade and the Rabid Right of the party; ironically to be stabbed in the back by the same parts.

[iamnumerate]

38 minutes ago, Pop321 said:

Thatcher, Blair etc . All a lifetime ago. 

Only politicians should be looking back for excuses. When we do it then we have fallen into their trap. 

Things take time to change but I don’t even see any attempt to start turning the oil tanker round. So I look at and hold accountable whoever is in power now.

Removal of HTB, SDLT holidays, buyer incentives with meetings starting tomorrow. Let’s make all homes affordable.😉

I agree - although I would get rid of stamp duty for ever to free up the market and reduce housing benefit - and time limit in some area.  However Blair did cause me to pay a lot more money than I should have done for my house - so I am not a great fan of his.

Sadly I would guess that a new book about the blunders of our Governments would show the same mistakes being made today as 30 years ago

34 minutes ago, msi said:

BCCI springs to mind.  As to the wider 'honesty' of the financial system - you might have overlooked Del Monte, Equitable, and Guinness (featuring the only case where someone recovered from Alzheimer).

Thatcher was a low grade psychopath with a limited (if any) ability to empathise. I'll give her credit and say she started with a Germanic approach to financial control, but was blindingly stupid (I can't believe someone in her position would be so naive) in thinking the 'market' would naturally balance and regulate itself. 

She fell for the 'Iron Lady' spin from the Daily Fail brigade and the Rabid Right of the party; ironically to be stabbed in the back by the same parts.

I agree all of these were wrong.

However the high streets banks were more responsible then than under Blair.  (I agree that the building societies converting to banks was a mistake).

Edited October 5, 2020 by iamnumerate

[GregBowman]

 

 

Thatcher was a low grade psychopath with a limited (if any) ability to empathise. I'll give her credit and say she started with a Germanic approach to financial control, but was blindingly stupid (I can't believe someone in her position would be so naive) in thinking the 'market' would naturally balance and regulate itself. 

 

How many times did you meet her ? I did 4 times in the course of my work as a systems engineer for IBM I was early twenties my patch was SW1 amongst other post codes included - Downing Street, Houses of Parliament ,Buck House

Free to wander around in those days when going about your business. On those 4 occasions she asked who was and what I was doing - once even stopping as she walked into the commons because she recognised me

One of the most intelligent and personable people I have ever met and even more so because of who she was.  I dealt with plenty of the others as did my team none of them and I mean none even asked your name 

She had something about her and as for your comment limited ability to empathise that is very wide of the mark in my personal experience 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by GregBowman

[Andy T]

I was supposed to be back in work today, but another 2 weeks of furlough. Aerospace manufacturing is really struggling. My firm is apparently not taking up the new job support scheme either, a decision that seems to be based on a bit of a sulk that it is far less generous than furlough, and that they spent weeks negotiating a change 7 day shifts to 4 day week with the unions before it was announced. I’m sure there will be workers with little to do even a short week, and if they don’t use the scheme to save on wage costs there will be more redundancies.

[msi]

 

How many times did you meet her ? I did 4 times in the course of my work as a systems engineer for IBM I was early twenties my patch was SW1 amongst other post codes included - Downing Street, Houses of Parliament ,Buck House

Free to wander around in those days when going about your business. On those 4 occasions she asked who was and what I was doing - once even stopping as she walked into the commons because she recognised me

One of the most intelligent and personable people I have ever met and even more so because of who she was.  I dealt with plenty of the others as did my team none of them and I mean none even asked your name 

She had something about her and as for your comment limited ability to empathise that is very wide of the mark in my personal experience 

 

 

Am surprised you have the time to post here given the number of FTSE Execs and Government meetings you claim to attend.  Fixing a broken tape drive as the Boss says 'oh hello...how do you do' doesn't give you any more valuable insight to a personality than my objective assessment of Thatchers performance.

Am sure Robert Maxwell, Ernest Saunders, Azil Nadir, Jonathan Aitken, and James Goldsmith said pleasantries to thier cleaners too.

[GregBowman]

 

Am surprised you have the time to post here given the number of FTSE Execs and Government meetings you claim to attend.  Fixing a broken tape drive as the Boss says 'oh hello...how do you do' doesn't give you any more valuable insight to a personality than my objective assessment of Thatchers performance.

Am sure Robert Maxwell, Ernest Saunders, Azil Nadir, Jonathan Aitken, and James Goldsmith said pleasantries to thier cleaners too.

Miaow - some of us have done a bit its all about a positive outlook - did I mention I have been a film extra as well ? Nice getting paid to be on a zoom call whilst laughing at your vitriol 

Funny little bitter fruit aren't you ?

[2buyornot2buy]

 

I was supposed to be back in work today, but another 2 weeks of furlough. Aerospace manufacturing is really struggling. My firm is apparently not taking up the new job support scheme either, a decision that seems to be based on a bit of a sulk that it is far less generous than furlough, and that they spent weeks negotiating a change 7 day shifts to 4 day week with the unions before it was announced. I’m sure there will be workers with little to do even a short week, and if they don’t use the scheme to save on wage costs there will be more redundancies.

Have a few friends in the aerospace sector. It's not looking good. Massive expansion up to January. Order books full and long term agreements signed. What struck me was how thin the margins were. A financial controller friend tells me they don't expect to make cash until year 8 or 9 of a 20 year commitment and the long term agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on. Materials used to be free issue now they expect their company to take over the supply chain from raw materials to finished product. It's not looking good at all. 

Edited October 5, 2020 by 2buyornot2buy

[msi]

 

Miaow - some of us have done a bit its all about a positive outlook - did I mention I have been a film extra as well ? Nice getting paid to be on a zoom call whilst laughing at your vitriol 

Funny little bitter fruit aren't you ?

Glad you can laugh Walter.  I'll let you know how the real world is getting on.