fm companies takein the p!

[r.bartlett]

The people in the office don't get paid travel -so why do engineers?

[Pingo]

The people in the office don't get paid travel -so why do engineers?

The days of being payed from the time you leave home till the time you get back home have now gone,

If you live close to the office - leave the company vehicle there overnight.
pick it up at your start time in the morning after your cup of tea in the office then drop it back at the end of the day.

Regards Bob

[jonjon]

The days of being payed from the time you leave home till the time you get back home have now gone,

If you live close to the office - leave the company vehicle there overnight.
pick it up at your start time in the morning after your cup of tea in the office then drop it back at the end of the day.

Regards Bob

i would but my nearest office is in Portsmouth a good 6 hour drive it wouldn't be to bad but when they want you to work from 7 am till 5pm everyday and expect you to be at your first site for 8am takes the p*ss a bit

[Grizzly]

i would but my nearest office is in Portsmouth a good 6 hour drive it wouldn't be to bad but when they want you to work from 7 am till 5pm everyday and expect you to be at your first site for 8am takes the p*ss a bit

Don't forget the very helpful tracker, just in case you forget here you are.
The office can then advise you!
Grizzly

[jonjon]

Don't forget the very helpful tracker, just in case you forget here you are.
The office can then advise you!
Grizzly

exactly n restricted vans as fun as it is doing 67mph wots next? camera in the cab?

[jonjon]

The people in the office don't get paid travel -so why do engineers?

well my role is a mobile engineer my van is my office!

[coolhibby1875]

The people in the office don't get paid travel -so why do engineers?

are you taking the piss?

[Grizzly]

are you taking the piss?

My thoughts exactly!
Well said.
Grizzly

[r.bartlett]

are you taking the piss?

I know many many people who travel over an hour each way to get to work. They don't get paid travel time.

What makes you so special?

[Grizzly]

I know many many people who travel over an hour each way to get to work. They don't get paid travel time.

What makes you so special?

May I explain.
Our office staff like many commute to work daily.
Unlike them my terms and conditions are such that. I am expected to operate from home.
I have to give 1hr a day travel time which used to be 2hrs. Changed because the more "mobile" engineers were being penalised monetarily compared to our local site based guys!
My travel time is unless I am on emergency call out
at flat rate. (out of hours weekends etc.)

Because like coolhibby I suspect we use the office as a central hub. Operating all over the South West,
Many times it suites both parties to respond via the most direct route from home.
We give our customers as immediate a response as is possible at any given hour. (4hrs max)
Even when we are not rostered to be on call!

So to have to commute to the office is neither cost effective or practical.
I personnaly live 50 miles from the office so fuel costs are relevant also.
We are also expected to provide a large proportion of the tools and equipment we use.
I would have issues if my own tools were left in my vehicle, sat on the company car park overnight.
The local "Nasties" would have a field day.

I understand that when you join a company it's terms and conditions are what you accept.
What this post is really about is the way that most of us certainly with the larger companies.
Are having terms and conditions changed without any say in the outcome.

I suspect that you could give a rational and sensible answer as to how any changes you may deem necessary within your company.
And I know I would respect them. But you are not part of a huge inverse pyramid!

(I say chaps! Why are the engineers walking around with dirty tabards on... But Sir, they get dirty because they wear them whilst they are working!)

The size and composition of the company is relevant.
But not all operate the same and if what was suggested (operating from the depot) became fact.
I suspect I would have to leave as my position would be compromised. I accepted a set of terms and conditions that were and at the moment still are acceptable.

1 size does not fit all and I agree with coolhibby. Anyone suggesting depot operation to "Us" is taking the piss!

[r.bartlett]

May I explain.
Our office staff like many commute to work daily.
Unlike them my terms and conditions are such that. I am expected to operate from home.
I have to give 1hr a day travel time which used to be 2hrs. Changed because the more "mobile" engineers were being penalised monetarily compared to our local site based guys!
My travel time is unless I am on emergency call out
at flat rate. (out of hours weekends etc.)

1hr seems reasonable. 2 maybe pushing it but I do like the sound of it I must admit

Because like coolhibby I suspect we use the office as a central hub. Operating all over the South West,
Many times it suites both parties to respond via the most direct route from home.
We give our customers as immediate a response as is possible at any given hour. (4hrs max)
Even when we are not rostered to be on call!

If they insist on a back to base working arrangement then they have to suffer the consequences of you not being able to meet that 4hr when your van is 50miles away in the wrong direction..

So to have to commute to the office is neither cost effective or practical.
I personally live 50 miles from the office so fuel costs are relevant also.

This is dependant on the engineer and the distance to the office. I live 64 miles away from my office but I don't go there if I have to go to London that's for sure ...

We are also expected to provide a large proportion of the tools and equipment we use.
I would have issues if my own tools were left in my vehicle, sat on the company car park overnight.
The local "Nasties" would have a field day.

I understand that when you join a company it's terms and conditions are what you accept.
What this post is really about is the way that most of us certainly with the larger companies.
Are having terms and conditions changed without any say in the outcome.

That cannot be the case. Changes to employees contracts cannot be done without proper consultation with the employees. That is the law. I would encourage that you seek legal advice with regard to any changes in T&C.

I suspect that you could give a rational and sensible answer as to how any changes you may deem necessary within your company.

I am currently looking at all sides of the business with regards to cost savings.

Engineers, because of their isolated lives always believe
1 The company would fold without them
2 The boss sits in his office all day counting money
3 The office workers are rubbish and lazy
4 Any cut backs is always at the expense of the engineers and no one else.
5 They are the hardest working, best engineer the company has ever had the good fortune to employ
6 The boss is a complete idiot and would never rumble them fiddling their hours,mileage or the odd 10w fan motor for their local pub bar cooler etc

And I know I would respect them. But you are not part of a huge inverse pyramid!

I have never been in a very large corporation big as Carillon etc so yes I don't have experience of the inverse pyramid but in all honesty small companies have the same problems only smaller. Engineers feel like mushrooms, mainly as I say because they lead a lonely isolated life.
The problem is that driving along they have plenty of time to tot up the hours they work and the travel and mileage and x it by the company going rate and convince themselves the company is raking in millions off their backs. It ain't so, believe me it really isn't

Example:
Big companies buy big maintenance contracts to stop smaller ones getting a look in.

Connaught were a prime example of a very large company losing millions. I bet the workers did not have a clue why the company lost so much money and ended up bust. They just see themselves working 50 hrs and it's obvious they must be raking it in. Sure the Boss had a big car but that's 100k and they went down for 220m !

(I say chaps! Why are the engineers walking around with dirty tabards on... But Sir, they get dirty because they wear them whilst they are working!)

Nope you've lost me here. This isn't a class issue

The size and composition of the company is relevant.
But not all operate the same and if what was suggested (operating from the depot) became fact.
I suspect I would have to leave as my position would be compromised. I accepted a set of terms and conditions that were and at the moment still are acceptable.

I don't know if you're unionised but they can't enforce a contract change without employee approval. If the job no longer suits then perhaps it's best you do start to look round. Top engineers like yourself will always find positions or even have a work round sorted by the boss who knows you're too valuable to lose..

1 size does not fit all and I agree with coolhibby. Anyone suggesting depot operation to "Us" is taking the piss!

Work is getting tight everybody is looking to cut costs. Sometimes things are thrown out to see what the response is.
Big companies can suffer from silly decisions made elsewhere aboard even and they can become unworkable or cause a mass migration of engineers. Sometimes these things are done to force that very thing to drive out the dross without redundancy pay. It's business and that's how business is and has to be run when times are tight...
Sadly we're not in the hi tech world with big money rolling in with little or no effort. The fridge game is a poorly paid thankless grind both for the boss and the workers..

When times are good bosses turn a blind eye to the excesses of staff because money is OK. For the last 13 years the 'workers' have had it easy. Living Gordon Browns miracle economy has made workers fat and lazy. I know most here will be up in arms but I refer you to number 5 above...
Sadly that gravy train has well and truly hit the buffers and the workers are starting to have a bit of a cold wake up call. The last time we were like this (late eighties early nineties) it was bad but we didn't have cheap labour willing to take up the slack, Now we have less work and more workers. It doesn't look good. This latest mob suggest the private sector will make up for the public sector job losses. Forgetting the private sector is shedding jobs at a faster rate

When things turn round like they have the boss has the upper hand he will make hay, when the next boom starts in a few years it will turn around again and you can claw back some of the lost ground. Till then hold on it's going to be a bumpy ride..

[123-steve909]

i know many many people who travel over an hour each way to get to work. They don't get paid travel time.

What makes you so special?

any idiot can work for nothing!!!!

[NB12]

The people in the office don't get paid travel -so why do engineers?

Office workers lead a MUCH differant working lifestyle to mobile engineers, they work in a nice clean warm enviroment with acess to toilets,washing facilities and tea and coffee machines all day, work the same hours every week of the decade. In my opinion i start work the second the van key goes in the ignition in the morning and should be paid from then until that key gets removed for the last time when i return home at night(or the following morning).