Rest/Recreational Facilities
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Hampshire, UK
Rest/Recreational Facilities
A question for all who read these forums, and hoping for input from most just NATS employees, but non-state, non-UK and hopefully pilots too.
Please be so kind as to give brief details in this thread of what your employer provides as rest/recreational facilities at your place of work, and do you have to pay for these ??
Thanks
Please be so kind as to give brief details in this thread of what your employer provides as rest/recreational facilities at your place of work, and do you have to pay for these ??
Thanks
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 987
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From: 24 27 45.66N 54 22 42.28E
Yes, care of Serco Midle East, we get 2 broken smelly couches, a smelly bar fridge, 2 radios that don't work, 2 clocks only one of which works and a microwave kindly donated by a recently sacked employee. We are living the high life!!!
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,155
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From: Fort Worth ARTCC ZFW
Shoot, the facility formerly known as NERC is a paradise compared to most ATC facilities <G>...
In the US, the place that I work at we have a quiet room with a couple of couches and lazy boy recliners that the controllers paid for. It is a nice and relaxing room for reading and resting your eyes.
We have a cafe which has a game room and a high definition TV with sat hookup. All of which is paid for by the employee cafeteria fund.
Downstairs the maintainers have a small break room with coffee and a high def TV and some tables to eat on as well as a stove and oven to cook with and a couple of microwaves.
In the union office we have two computers that we use to access the internet and do stuff on your breaks, we also have an X-Box video game hooked to a 32 inch TV for stress relief when you just need to blow something up <G>...
Outside we have a small park area that the employees put together as well as a place to throw frisbees...
That's about it for our place.
regards
Scott
In the US, the place that I work at we have a quiet room with a couple of couches and lazy boy recliners that the controllers paid for. It is a nice and relaxing room for reading and resting your eyes.
We have a cafe which has a game room and a high definition TV with sat hookup. All of which is paid for by the employee cafeteria fund.
Downstairs the maintainers have a small break room with coffee and a high def TV and some tables to eat on as well as a stove and oven to cook with and a couple of microwaves.
In the union office we have two computers that we use to access the internet and do stuff on your breaks, we also have an X-Box video game hooked to a 32 inch TV for stress relief when you just need to blow something up <G>...
Outside we have a small park area that the employees put together as well as a place to throw frisbees...
That's about it for our place.
regards
Scott
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 561
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From: Brisbane, Australia
Didn't we do this about a month ago?
At Brisbane Centre our employer provides;
- a cafeteria, with free to air TV, and outdoor eating area
- gym (with instructor), with TV and DVD player
- Quiet room with lots of sofas to stretch out on
- standdown rooms for sleeping before or after shifts
- 3 galleys, all with microwaves, toasters, boiling water dispenser, etc
- TV area with satelite TV
The building is under 10 years old, and still looks quite smart. The property manager does a good job ensuring the building is properly maintained.
All in all, much better than our old facilities we moved out of in 1999.
At Brisbane Centre our employer provides;
- a cafeteria, with free to air TV, and outdoor eating area
- gym (with instructor), with TV and DVD player
- Quiet room with lots of sofas to stretch out on
- standdown rooms for sleeping before or after shifts
- 3 galleys, all with microwaves, toasters, boiling water dispenser, etc
- TV area with satelite TV
The building is under 10 years old, and still looks quite smart. The property manager does a good job ensuring the building is properly maintained.
All in all, much better than our old facilities we moved out of in 1999.
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,064
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From: Hants, UK
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.
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.
More than just an ATCO
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,773
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From: Up someone's nose
Don,
Some new Office areas are about to be created at Maastricht UAC and EGATS drew up a list of demands for rest facilities and some comparisons with other Centres in Europe. This was published in the Dec. 2003 "Output"
Try contacting the President of EGATS, [email protected] for a copy.
Restroom? restroom! When I were a lad in Brussels we slept on the staircase and were glad of it
Lon More
Here before Pontius was a Pilot or Mortus was a Rigger
Some new Office areas are about to be created at Maastricht UAC and EGATS drew up a list of demands for rest facilities and some comparisons with other Centres in Europe. This was published in the Dec. 2003 "Output"
Try contacting the President of EGATS, [email protected] for a copy.
Restroom? restroom! When I were a lad in Brussels we slept on the staircase and were glad of it
Lon More
Here before Pontius was a Pilot or Mortus was a Rigger
niknak
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,335
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From: UK
Non smoking and smoking rest rooms.
The smoking room has a wooden chair.
The non smoking room is air conditioned, has 3 couches, 2 colour TVs, video (we used to have satellite until SKY found out we were using a card which they had neglected to cancel when the subscriber upgraded
), fully equipped kitchen, and bottled water coolers.
The only thing we pay for is £2.50 per month for unlimited supplies of tea and coffee.
You're not from the Inland Revenue are you Don?
The smoking room has a wooden chair.
The non smoking room is air conditioned, has 3 couches, 2 colour TVs, video (we used to have satellite until SKY found out we were using a card which they had neglected to cancel when the subscriber upgraded
), fully equipped kitchen, and bottled water coolers.The only thing we pay for is £2.50 per month for unlimited supplies of tea and coffee.
You're not from the Inland Revenue are you Don?
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 97
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From: Southampton
Eye. . .
One hates to be picky - But they can! (you just need a technology degree and oodles of patience to manage it)
The doors cannot be locked at any time (so the cleaner can come in and empty the bin etc)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 561
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From: Brisbane, Australia
Yes, our standdown rooms are provided for the very reason you allude to eyeinthesky. After a night shift (known as a doggo in Oz), Workplace health and safety requirements are for us to have facilities for fatigued staff to retire to before going home, if they require it.
The standdown rooms also get used by many controllers to sleep in prior to starting a doggo. The Ops Supervisor keeps the keys to the rooms (which are to some degree soundproofed as well), and will even wake you up at the required time if you ask nicely.
Just don't expect a chocolate on the pillow.
DP
The standdown rooms also get used by many controllers to sleep in prior to starting a doggo. The Ops Supervisor keeps the keys to the rooms (which are to some degree soundproofed as well), and will even wake you up at the required time if you ask nicely.
Just don't expect a chocolate on the pillow.
DP
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 539
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From: Kandahar Afghanistan
AT FWA we have an old Lunch room with one working microwave oven, a small stove and regular oven, and a 19 inch television set. In our Break Room we have 2 old ratty couches and a 31 inch television, DVD player, and a VCR player.
Both televisons and the componets were purchase by the FWA employee tower association fund (soda, and food profits).
All U.S. facilities vary as to what controllers have, and I would say that 99% of the things that the controllers use to relax, listen to music, or watch television were purchased by the employees at that facility.
Mike
NATCA FWA
Both televisons and the componets were purchase by the FWA employee tower association fund (soda, and food profits).
All U.S. facilities vary as to what controllers have, and I would say that 99% of the things that the controllers use to relax, listen to music, or watch television were purchased by the employees at that facility.
Mike
NATCA FWA
