Just a little more flesh on the Swanwick facilities.
There are plenty of facilities, especially during normal office hours, and you can't really fault that (other than the fact that the TV remote control broke 2 years ago and hasn't been replaced!!).
However, this bit interested me:
- standdown rooms for sleeping before or after shifts
Despite much lobbying by staff for improved rest facilities to allow the chance for private rest before or after a shift (or even during if the chance allows and you want to!), we are left with fold out sofa beds situated in offices which are used throughout the day. The doors cannot be locked at any time (so the cleaner can come in and empty the bin etc), and there is no possibility to control light or temperature, nor can you open a window. In fact, some of them do not have external windows at all. Thus it is impossible for someone to retire for a while to somewhere private after a night shift, should they wish to, prior to driving home or whatever. The Selby rail crash should be a lesson to employees and employers alike of the possible consequences (actual and legal) of driving with insufficient sleep.
