Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

A pack of idiots who are utterly incapable of managing and whom I would not bother to accompany if they were organising a party to consume alcohol in a brewery.

The person in my case was also a very senior member of staff, not quite a Principal. Matthew wants to study HR because he likes interviewing people. He would be very fussy about what sort of brewery he would frequent! (only 21, prematurely grumpy, likes real ales, craft beers...)

[Tony_S]

Tony,

 

I'm trying to read the runes.

 

Management want to cut numbers. I sense Aditi isn't on the "must keep" list, nor is she on the "must go" list. Hence the bully boy interview; if she can be bounced out on spurious grounds, then there is one less to get rid of.

 

But from previous posts, you imply that Aditi isn't ready to retire yet. In which case they will have to make a bl**dy good offer and I hardly think that 6 months pay is that good. Redundancy at this stage will effectively be retirement and if Aditi isn't psychologically ready to finish now, then she should accept the other job. When I took redundancy at the age of 58, it happened over a period of two months; the HR team managed the process very well but even so there was a psychological effect and only when I reached my expected retirement age of 62 did I consider myself to be "retired". So they would need to make a worthwhile offer.

 

But she owes that incompetent bunch of senior managers absolutely no loyalty whatsoever.

 

And, as Mike writes, a full set of contemporaneous notes.

 

Finally, the tax free allowance is £30,000. Aditi will need financial advice if the package exceeds that amount, eg putting money into her pension pot.

 

Bill

Bill. First thoughts, if you retired at 58 you  look much younger that age now (unless it was the lighting at All Pally!).

Aditi quite likes the idea of retirement but not yet! She would prefer to end her career on a more positive note (Students and colleagues sobbing, imploring her not to go sort of thing!)

The redundancy wouldn't reach £30000.

Redundancy won't be enhanced, it will only meet any legal obligations for pressing financial reasons (allegedly several million of them). Aditi is still on a final salary pension so is very wary of anything that would affect that.

The mixed messages are causing her some confusion at present. She copes really well with change but doesn't like uncertainty. We are in the fortunate position that we are financially prepared for a retired life as it will happen eventually anyway but Aditi is really concerned about some of her colleagues who could have quite realistically considered that an institution rated as outstanding until a year or so ago was a safe place to work. There aren't that many "safe" jobs now.

Tony

[Debs.]

Deb, unlike earlier versions of Windoze, Vista and later versions store the product key in an encrypted form. You can recover this by using something like Belarc Adviser. http://pcsupport.about.com/od/system-security/fr/belarc-advisor-review.htm

 

Get the key and write it down et voila, you will have the product key for when you reinstall. However....... the upgrade DVD will search for an existing operating system first. you can't use it as a clean first time installer. For that you need the full edition. You will probably have to do the install from the recovery disk first, even if that just puts down enough of a footprint for the upgrade disk to sense that it isn't going on to a naked machine.

 

Another big worry is the disk errors. If this is happening that frequently then I'd suggest that you very likely have a drive controller issue or the disk itself is in its death throws. A full rebuild will clean things up for a bit as will a full and slow reformatting of the disk. Again the dreaded however......... if its hardware related the problem will return fairly quickly and you will be back to square 1.

 

For what its worth my course of action would be:

1 get the product key for certain so you can rebuild regardless of hardware issues.

2 pave the laptop and do a full not fast format of the hdd. If it starts showing up masses of errors, then put the poor thing out of its misery. You may be able to get a replacement cheap but in my experience its probably safer just to bury it and get a new one.

3 if the format shows the disk as fairly intact then use the recovery disk first, then do a full repair install with the upgrade disk and product key.

 

Excellently detailed advice, thank you Andrew.

Belarc has been downloaded and has provided a print-off of the missing product key info.....and much more too!

 

I`m presently researching and hard-copy outputting step-by-step info. on formatting the HDD and clean-installing Vista.

I believe your use of the term 'Slow Formatting' refers to performing that as a separate process; that is, from within the existing Vista installation via "Computer Management" (drive: C) rather than simply reformatting that partition during any subsequent Windows installation from optical disc?

 

Yes, I realise that the HDD will likely be terminally-failing, but replacing the machine is not a fiscal option at this time, so (as ancient as this one is) I`ll have to try and nurse it along for as long as possible.

 

Thanks again, `very useful advice.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Debs.

[Tony_S]

Debs, when you have done (or before you do) all the HDD housekeeping it may be worth  checking that the vents and fans on the laptop are not fluff filled. Laptops can run hot and this can provoke early failure. 

[AndrewC]

Good luck Deb. Yes by slow I mean a full format and not just the quick one done during installation. Probably best to remove any partitions and do a full format then check before even bothering to install.

[Tony_S]

My brain was severely tested this morning/lunchtime. Matthew rang and said he had to pay for his accommodation in Melbourne. The organisation asked him to pay a sum in Australian Dollars into their UK bank account. Matthew deliberately doesn't take his electronic security device to university and asks me as a joint signatory on his account to set up payments when he is not at home. No problem but it seems the Australian HSBC (in London)  account can't accept electronic payments at present and I should proceed as for an international payment. Eventually sorted but  I think it is a pity they don't take PayPal. I know people sometimes don't like paying PayPal fees but once you get out of the "free" banking we get in the UK they aren't bad!

[Simon G]

That was the reason (long term) I was made redundant. I didn't object to the reason and fully understood why but the person doing the procedure seemed to revel in the process. What kind of an organisation puts someone who appeared to have the characteristics of a socialised psychopath in charge of HR?

Most large organisations in my experience!  Senior management seem to think that putting them into HR is getting them out of harm's way.  The same was often said about Health & Safety - perhaps that is why I have been in H&S for 15 years

[Simon G]

Debs, when you have done (or before you do) all the HDD housekeeping it may be worth  checking that the vents and fans on the laptop are not fluff filled. Laptops can run hot and this can provoke early failure. 

I agree entirely, but getting to them can often be very difficult without dismantling half the laptop.  If you do this, make sure that you have a service manual handy to show how to dismantle and re-assemble it.

[Barry O]

So .. as I am one of the new Type 2 Diabetics... which, for me is genetic related and this was never mentioned to me at all until too late... has anyone in the Academe considered that the number of cases are rising as we do more testing for diabetes now? And are there any  researchers looking to identify which are the genes which cause the Diabetes to be "passed on" rather than stuffing people with Metalforming and Satans???

 

I don't think some of  these Researchers can see beyond their miniature blinkered worlds......  but why not look at it all from a Holistic point of view as in ..

 

we test more... we detect more.. we find out what causes it... we sort that out .... rather than Oh my god everyone is eating too much ... we have a diabetes epidemic... oh well more cos to the NHS as we have to pay the drug companies for drugs to alleviate the symptoms... don't worry about fixing it....its all bad magic...

 

Apologies,,, rant over

[PhilJ W]

 

All sounds totally unprofessional to me and in consequence very disturbing for the people involved/affected.  If they want to save money perhaps they should start with their senior management who appear to be somewhat short of competence.

 

 

That was the reason (long term) I was made redundant. I didn't object to the reason and fully understood why but the person doing the procedure seemed to revel in the process. What kind of an organisation puts someone who appeared to have the characteristics of a socialised psychopath in charge of HR?

There are some HR people who are very good but they are few and far between. At one time I was a trade union rep. I was asked at very short notice to sit in on a disciplinary hearing, a female colleague with a longish period of sickness absences. When I entered the room there was the lady herself, the manager bringing the complaint, the union branch secretary, the HR person and myself, except for the lady herself it was all male. I immediately spotted that the incidence of absences suggested a 'women's problem' which only the HR person seemed to notice. After the interview, in which the lady hardly spoke it was decided that a note would be placed on her file, the mildest form of 'punishment'. Afterwards I had a word with the HR person and he took up and implemented my suggestion that female staff on disciplinary interviews should have the right to an 'all-female' interview. Unfortunately the HR chap was only there for a few more months before being 'head-hunted' by another organization. 

[Ian Abel]

I get these every so often. I'm a bit twisted so I have a self set goal to see how long I can string the b*stards along. I figure if I can waste 10 mins of their time that is one or 2 less potential suckers they can call. My personal record is 12 mins. Frequently I break out laughing at him part way through which tends to b*gger up the sport of it.

 

 

Sounds like the start of an interesting competition here Andrew I get many of the same calls, and love to play with these folks - I feel I can multi-task reasonably well, so while I continue to work, I generally engage these prats in a game of "who is the most whitless!!". Having several computers running in arms reach I usually start having them wander off as I mistakenly explain what I see when I follow (not correctly, if at all) the steps they suggest to find the details they want. I think I'm around 10-15 minutes with most of the Windoze-bozos. I also usually ask for employee IDs, and various usless tid-bits that have them rummaging for stuff to sound convincing, vary the Windows version I say I am using "oh I think I'm actually running 8 not 7 does that matter" and feign a general level of incompletence. Usually they hang up frustrated at such an "idiot" long before I'm ready to throw in the towel, more's the pity as I figure it's their phone bill and I'm working while they are 

 

Oh the hockey front - never played it, only soccer and cricket and "forced" to play rugby at grammar school!

I have a good friend who used to play hockey as a leisure activity and played Lacrosse "in anger", was on the England squad for a few years. Having watched him play both, all I can say is hockey is "dangerous" and Lacrosse is "really bloody dangerous!!!",at least in hockey stuff is only flying around in the air "some" of the time!!! Scared the hell out of me on the sidelines at both games!!!

 

Hope Aditi fares well in the days ahead, always such an unnerving thing to deal with. I've been through 3 "lay-offs" now (US term for redundancy) and they can vary from allarming/surprising to "well I'm part of the 400 that get to go!!". Seems to be that way in IT any more over here. Usually the first clue (no warning, unless there are general "signs" around the office) is when you're asked "have you got a few minutes" by your manager, and when you get to his/her office there's an HR rep. there too. Never a good sign!

 

Bit late checking in today - 20 and partly cloudy now, but not going much higher. Local opinion/complaint is that summer will pass us by, I'm happy the way it is though, never did like it too hot and with the added humidity we generally get. Decidedly cool, around 10-13, overnight for this time of the year and that suits me just fine.

 

Carpe diem everyone...

[Tony_S]

I agree entirely, but getting to them can often be very difficult without dismantling half the laptop.  If you do this, make sure that you have a service manual handy to show how to dismantle and re-assemble it.

YouTube videos proved useful for the Sony laptops I dismantled, especially the hidden screen bezel screws!

[Tony_S]

There are some HR people who are very good 

The professional HR people that provided advice to the college I worked in were very good. However the college manager responsible for implementing (or ignoring) their advice wasn't. I and my union rep returned alleged minutes saying they bore no resemblance to what had happened. The final meeting where I was made redundant was managed by the college principal and he was fine and seemed to appreciate my asking for the record to show what I thought about his vice-principal's principles. I even got in a dig about how he he had calculated my days of absence and produced a figure that was considerably longer than the college had existed. I've seen a recent photo of him and he looks really unwell.

[Shedman5]

Well better late than not all as they say! Busy morning followed by a very nice pub lunch in the Forest Of Bowland aided by a very nice bottle of Merlot ( not driving yippee) back home intending to post around 2.30 but fell asleep on the sofa to be awakened by machine gun fire outside.

Eh not really just large hailstones on the conservatory roof and accompanied by thunder and lightning and a terrific downpour. All quiet now thank goodness.

 

Just caught up with the posts, Human Resource depts like everything else good ones and  bad ones.

 

My eldest is Senior HR for one of the  UK business units within a global company, his objectives are aligned to that of the business not just staff retention and development but  £s turnover/profit ratio etc and sits in on all major business meetings, this is akin to the format my former employers use. Interesting both are American companies

My youngest is leaving a major British company where the HR dept and function/interaction is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, basically its an interview/manage sickness dept.

 

So like most things in life its a bit of pot luck I guess, the one tip I gave both my sons as they started work was to buy a large note book and write everything down with dates etc and keep safe. It proved very valuable  to me on more than one occasion to make a quote giving time date etc.

 

Enjoy whats left of today, going to inspect the garden to see the damage.

[New Haven Neil]

I'm not going to tear into Ian about his views of HR, but I will say that HR differs widely in different organisations.  In the NHS there is no money earning line management role of course - budget control, yes, but it is very different to his old roles.  Recruitment in particular varies so widely, I stared in recruitment looking for nursing assistants, three years later I was recruiting Consultants involving the CEO and Royal Colleges. This is not a simple task!

 

You also have to have deep knowledge of the relevant employment legislation to advise managers in disciplinary matters etc, and I don't mean a quick read before a hearing.  When you find yourself in an industrial tribunal, which is a Court, explaining your actions it pays to know your stuff.  Got the T shirt. Anyone that has had Court appearances will understand that particular stress, it is not nice.

 

Redundancy is a minefield too, I'm pleased to say I only was involved in a handful of such things and did not act like a sociopath.  Indeed I managed to re-deploy many people, which strangely is how I got into HR in the first instance myself. I went from HR into line management (still NHS) and I don't think either was easier than the other, just different stresses - (lots of stresses....) and same sh*t different day really.  All for crap salaries of course - NHS again!

[pH]

Pesky bruins! Between the garbage truck emptying the 'all other garbage' can at 8:15 and me looking out the window at 9:30, a bear went up the street, tipping over and raking through the 'kitchen and garden waste' cans. Most of the neighbours are still gainfully employed, while we are persons of leisure, so I've just shovelled everything back into three bins, and stood those and a couple of others up again, ready for emptying. This bear has definitely worked out the garbage schedule!

 

The most annoying part is that we missed seeing the bear.

[New Haven Neil]

I'd be quite happy to miss the bear......

[pH]

I'd be quite happy to miss the bear......

From 30 feet above, 50 feet away, and behind a window, they are quite magnificent animals.

[Ian Abel]

For those ERs who are interested - it's QUITE OK not to be, honest - I've just posted my latest entry into the Hornby Website revamp thread. Don't want to clutter ER with it, so a mention is all I'll put here...

 

It's a very positive one, and I'm pleased with the result, but I must confess I have goaded the bun-fighting folks so there may be some more "disagrees" in my future

[Tony_S]

Aditi rang home from the car (more secure!) before setting off. The interview tomorrow has been postponed until Monday due to union objections that one working day (the emails were sent yesterday after 5pm) is inadequate notice. I told her that there had been much support and advice from ERs. She was very grateful.

The reason for her inclusion on the redundancy list is "persistent short term absence due to illness January 13 to January 14". She had two days off in Jan 13 and 10 days off in Jan 14.  The 10 days was fully certificated, she didn't "claim back" holiday time, she was ill during her leave period too. As her GP wouldn't prescribe antibiotics until the site of her tonsillectomy was actually oozing pus it would be a shame to end ones career for that reason. I suggest that she tells HR they can't make use of the 10 days as she still hasn't had a formal return to work interview as required by HR.

Aditi said the HR person who will be at the interview is fine and a very competent person who has often attended interview panels with her. I would have thought persistent absence due to illness would have been people who always took the day they had horrible classes off or frequently were ill on Mondays or Fridays etc.

Aditi particularly liked the "Keep Calm and take notes" advice.

The other person who will be at her interview is her line manager. He wants voluntary redundancy and has been rejected!

 

Tony

[Ohmisterporter]

Crazy isn't it? Someone wants to leave and is rejected, while someone who wants to stay gets forced out. Not an unusual situation unfortunately, but if Aditi sticks to her guns and has union support the powers that be may back down. Fingers crossed for her. 

 

 

Edit to correct spelling of "the".

Edited June 10, 2014 by Ohmisterporter

[Shedman5]

Aditi rang home from the car (more secure!) before setting off. The interview tomorrow has been postponed until Monday due to union objections that one working day (the emails were sent yesterday after 5pm) is inadequate notice. I told her that there had been much support and advice from ERs. She was very grateful.

The reason for her inclusion on the redundancy list is "persistent short term absence due to illness January 13 to January 14". She had two days off in Jan 13 and 10 days off in Jan 14.  The 10 days was fully certificated, she didn't "claim back" holiday time, she was ill during her leave period too. As her GP wouldn't prescribe antibiotics until the site of her tonsillectomy was actually oozing pus it would be a shame to end ones career for that reason. I suggest that she tells HR they can't make use of the 10 days as she still hasn't had a formal return to work interview as required by HR.

Aditi said the HR person who will be at the interview is fine and a very competent person who has often attended interview panels with her. I would have thought persistent absence due to illness would have been people who always took the day they had horrible classes off or frequently were ill on Mondays or Fridays etc.

Aditi particularly liked the "Keep Calm and take notes" advice.

The other person who will be at her interview is her line manager. He wants voluntary redundancy and has been rejected!

 

Tony

 

Sounds to me that she is included due to a technicality ie all sick leave, we used what's called the Bedford scale ie counting the number of abcences rather than actual days. Being off once for two weeks is not the same as the individual who has had just five days off but over five separate days.

I'm sure it will be fine and the fact that she hasn't had a return to work interview I find amazing which a tribunal would to.

[Ohmisterporter]

There are some HR people who are very good but they are few and far between. At one time I was a trade union rep. I was asked at very short notice to sit in on a disciplinary hearing, a female colleague with a longish period of sickness absences. When I entered the room there was the lady herself, the manager bringing the complaint, the union branch secretary, the HR person and myself, except for the lady herself it was all male. I immediately spotted that the incidence of absences suggested a 'women's problem' which only the HR person seemed to notice. After the interview, in which the lady hardly spoke it was decided that a note would be placed on her file, the mildest form of 'punishment'. Afterwards I had a word with the HR person and he took up and implemented my suggestion that female staff on disciplinary interviews should have the right to an 'all-female' interview. Unfortunately the HR chap was only there for a few more months before being 'head-hunted' by another organization. 

 

Sounds like you took being union rep seriously Phil. I have also been the union rep in more than one employment and I took it seriously too. There are books pertaining to human resource procedures that I made a point of reading. After all, your opposition in a hearing will have read them so get yourself forearmed. It usually caused them to rethink if the rep can quote a previous case or recommended procedure. Some of my colleagues couldn't be bothered with it and adopted a policy of throwing themselves, or the poor s*d they were representing, on the mercy of the tribunal. Never known that to work either.

[Tony_S]

So .. as I am one of the new Type 2 Diabetics... which, for me is genetic related and this was never mentioned to me at all until too late... has anyone in the Academe considered that the number of cases are rising as we do more testing for diabetes now? And are there any  researchers looking to identify which are the genes which cause the Diabetes to be "passed on" rather than stuffing people with Metalforming and Satans???

 

I think there may be research into genetic causes. Some racial groups seem to be more prone to type 2 diabetes than others. Aditi is Punjabi and diabetes is for them considerably more common than amongst the general population.

However in the past a lot of people had diabetes without knowing it and routine testing has identified it so it can be managed better. My fasting blood sugar levels indicated I was "borderline" for diabetes but the glucose tolerance test seemed to demonstrate I was OK. 

[andyram]

Well I don't look at ER for almost 24 hours and there is so much to catch up on. Firstly congrats to the happy couple it is always nice to hear some happy news. I hope Aditi's meeting goes well - it does sound like she may have dropped into the criteria via a technicality as someone suggested, but fingers crossed things turn out well. I hope AndyP is ok. I have met him at many shows and he always seems a nice gentleman. I must send him a message.

 

 Here in the land of the damp infested bungalow things are fairly quiet. Sarah and Amber have defected to her mother's for the week so I am home alone with just the cat and hamster for company. The peace has allowed me to get stuck into this wretched photo book which is becoming a mill stone around my neck. I have now typed up the memories and added them and associated photos for three of the five classes. One is being done for me so just one more to tackle tomorrow before I embark on the ones from the staff. Hopefully I can get much of this done tomorrow as I should have a day free from teaching commitments. That depends on the student of course. She is battling through her cold, but I sent her home this afternoon as she was clearly not well. If she is no better tomorrow I will be teaching instead.

 The other potential fly in the ointment is this new "netbook" of mine. Bought only a few weeks ago it has started to develop a nasty habit of restarting itself, each time due to an error described as an "Unexpected Kernal Mode Trap". Now this is double dutch to me, but considering it did it four times last night, and twice this evening it seems there is a problem of some kind. Strangely it does not happen at school when it works completely offline. Whatever the issue is I can see a trip to Currys will be required shortly!

 

 The sun is shining now after another vicious thunderstorm. Perhaps now is the time to break off the computer and take the stroll around to the shops!

 

Enjoy the rest of the day.