Originally Posted by
Wyler
First day as a civvy yesterday and all pay etc correct. No thanks to the shambles that is JPA. My final act in Admin on Thursday was to leave a bottle of Bolly for the Dep Chief Clerk who pulled out all the stops to sort this mess out.
JPA, a disgrace and heads should roll. Oh yes, I had to sort out my computer acct etc before clearing only to find that I can no longer deal direct with the IT staff. No, I have to ring the Single Point of Contact (SPOC), somewhere in England, and talk to a machine. It then transfers me to the bloke who sits 500m away. Very soon you will pick up the phone to ring the Mess/Admin/MT etc and get a bloke in Delhi.
Wore my own clothes to work yesterday and looking forward to Xmas AND New Year off.
Merry Christmas to all shades of Blue and Green. You deserve better, MUCH better.
I've got a new uniform. I wear green instead of dark blue now. It says "ASDA" on the back, and I wear a badge which says "Happy To Help" on the front. They gave me two pairs of trousers - which is one pair more than the RN issued me! I have a locker, that I didn't have to bribe someone to get, to store it in.
I have no responsibility outside my own personal environment and common sense, I get asked to work late, and they pay me for it. I can say "no" as well. I don't sign for anything, ever, including keys for alcohol storage areas. I go to work, do exactly what I am told, and I know when I start, when I finish, and that I will not have to do somersaults to keep someone else happy. I can make suggestions without someone nicking my idea. People say "Thank You" all the time when I do my job - they even have a big board where people write their "Thank You" notices so that everyone can see. I can't do something that I am not trained for, and no-one asks me to. People talk nicely to me, no-one pulls rank on me, my managers get their hands at least as dirty as mine, and we share the same eating, rest and toilet areas. There are no toilets (as there are in HMS NELSON by the UPO) marked "Officers Only". The staff discount book is better than the Forces Discount Directory, they don't change my terms of service every time the Chief of the Defence Staff scratches his left testicle. I have the right kit and tools for the right jobs, and I BLOODY LOVE IT! I go to work happy, I come home knackered and aching, but happy, and I think I am probably more productive now that I was in some of my jobs in the last 10 years of Service, because I hated the people I was working for and with.
Then again, I start Teacher Training in January. I am the oldest person on the course, and judging by the ladies on the same course, I am going to spend the next 12 months wishing that I was at least 15 years younger. I will be a full-time student, with grants and loans, 13 weeks holiday a year, and job where the people who behave like they are 9 years old actually ARE 9 years old! It will also be nice to teach people that 2+2=4, and not have to worry about them being Number 2 in the Attack Party in the next fire incident......