I dunno if you're NSL or NERL but I can only answer from a NERL perspective. Is your ATSA a qualified and licensed ATCO? If not why are you expecting him/her to fulfill ATCO duties?
I don't normally bite, but this time I'll make an exception....have you ever actually worked as a NATS ATCO with an ATSA? Admittedly they're not all the godsends they could be - just like ATCOs for that matter - but I know so many of my colleagues have been "saved" in one way or another by a good ATSA alongside them. Whether it be spotting something, assisting when the sector goes a over t, or bashing a ludicrous route in to HCS. To dispute this isn't big, or clever, it just exposes you as ignorant and out of touch quite frankly.
Safety is compromised when the controller is concerned with his pending relocation, his dwindling pension or the future of the company when they should only be thinking of keeping the planes apart.
Hhhmmm, perhaps the controller should be concentrating on the job in hand and saving 'worries' for when they're off console, like professionals do.
Are we employing robots all of a sudden?
If you think being worried about something so major as uprooting your whole family and life, or paying your bills, or worrying about whether you'll have a job next week is "unprofessional" then I'm glad you're down at CTC behind a desk, and not sitting next to me or, heaven forfend, managing me.
You cannot, and should not, treat humans like machines. As any human factors/HR bod will gladly tell you. To do so is, frankly, unsafe.
....at least most of us still have quite well paid jobs.
That's alright then. Because we've got jobs we should all shut up should we and take whatever is meted out to us?
I tell you something, I bet you'd be the first one whinging and moaning if it was your little piece of the pie being nibbled away at by PB and his poker games with our futures.
I mostly enjoy your input here. You provide a refreshing alternative viewpoint most of the time, and I'm glad someone does. And you usually do it well. However, the above post was not only aggressive, but it was a poor show from you. I'm disappointed.