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Life Spugs because...

Started by Dog Deever, 04 March, 2009, 08:00:25 PM

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JayzusB.Christ

#3735
Quote from: Funt Solo on 18 May, 2021, 06:11:05 PM
Sorry for your troubles, JBC. Is the problem that you need to isolate or that you've lost a worker because he needs to isolate? Or both?

Thanks Funt. At the moment it's both and I'm under a lot of pressure. Also that maybe I've been hugely naive in believing all these family catastrophes but I can't say it in case they're all true,and I can't find anyone else who can work sporadically like that.

And also that I might have covid, 3 days before I'm due to be vaccinated, but I won't know till at least tomorrow.

Edit - I say believing, but it's more ' giving the benefit of the doubt' really.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Funt Solo

Spuggy on so many levels. Fingers crossed for your personal health - I've lucked out so far and only know one distant relative who only had a mild case.

That's always the trouble with suspected porky-pies: not knowing for sure. Cos I teach high school students, I always end up moving onto the results phase - as in, it's not really relevant if they're being truthful (they'll always lie if it seems like the safest option in the moment) - it's whether or not they supply the work.

Best of luck.
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

TordelBack

That's a tough one, Jayzus. Fingers crossed you at least get the all-clear yourself.

I've been the gobshite with the seemingly-very-convenient family emergencies at various points, and I really wasn't taking the piss (one memorable week a few years ago I was accompanying different elderly relatives in A&E day on 3 separate occasions), but I could well have been and no-one would have known the difference. I suspect you have to go with your gut feeling about the guy, as Funt says the "truth" can be too hard to winkle out to be worth the effort.

paddykafka

Fer feck's sake, Jayzus. First the bike episode and now this. If it wasn't for bad luck you'ld be having no luck at all, these days.  :(

We can only hope for the best on your behalf, and keep our fingers, toes etc crossed for you. With regards to the work issue, worst case scenario and you have to isolate, would you be entitled to any of the current payments, like PUP or whatever. Or have you thought about applying for Supplementary Welfare through the local INTREO social welfare office? This sounds like the kind of situation they could help with, if you're eligible. Maybe a call to your nearest Citizen Info office would be in order? Anyways, just some suggestions for what they're worth.

All the best and take care.

JayzusB.Christ

Thanks, guys, really appreciate you listening to me vent. 

For what it's worth, I believe that my painting assistant (not my employee, technically he's an independent contractor in a very loose sense of the word) is telling the truth this time, but I'm not totally sure of a few times in the past.  He does live with his two kids, girlfriend and not-particularly-healthy mother so I just don't know. Suppose I just have to move on this time and deal with the immediate hassle of isolating.

As far as the work is concerned, it's a huge job with a short timeline - getting my designs amended and approved by the client took forever and I was already stressed about completing it on time.  I suppose I just have to hope I don't have the virus and give up on a few weekends and evenings.

I'm not too worried about the money end of things, thanks, though, Paddy - still have my teaching job which is online and keeps me ticking over, and if the worst happens I'll survive on the Covid payment.  More worried about the damage to my already small and shaky business's reputation.

But, to be fair, up until today I was having quite a good week, after finding out that I hadn't broken any bones, my bike wasn't too badly damaged but mainly that I could have an early vaccination - obviously that last one is up in the air now but I'll know the score tomorrow or Thursday.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Tjm86

This is where things get really frustrating.  We've had a couple of lateral flow tests that led to classes isolating, then it turns out that the PCR test negates the lateral flow test.  Even so this means shifting from FTF to virtual learning then back to FTF.

Here is where the government is making life so complicated.  Mainly since they're making it up as they're going along and blaming the scientists for their indecision.  Just wait a few days and the Indian variant will be the next excuse.  Of course, keeping borders open from the country while 20k travellers fetched into the country is neither here nor there.

This is the frustrating bit about trying to 'apply common sense' or  to 'do the responsible thing' all while our own government acts in ways that would actually make the average inebriated 15 year old look responsible.  There are times when I'm actually with Sharkey on the political process ...

Funt Solo

Not Bear with his guillotines?
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

The Legendary Shark


I'm sorry to hear of your woes, JBC. I won't offer advice because I'll just end up prostheletysing again, but you'll figure it out, if not this time then the next, or the time afer that. Not very helpful, I know, and easy for me to say, but I have every faith in you.You are, after all, a member of this planet's dominant species. Nothing is beyond you.

[move]~~~^~~~~~~~[/move]




JayzusB.Christ

Thanks, Sharky. Don't worry, you are being helpful here, as has everyone else here who listened to me. Just getting things off my chest and having people respond is help enough.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

sheridan

Quote from: TordelBack on 18 May, 2021, 07:29:35 PM
I've been the gobshite with the seemingly-very-convenient family emergencies at various points, and I really wasn't taking the piss (one memorable week a few years ago I was accompanying different elderly relatives in A&E day on 3 separate occasions), but I could well have been and no-one would have known the difference. I suspect you have to go with your gut feeling about the guy, as Funt says the "truth" can be too hard to winkle out to be worth the effort.


Complete tangent but I think the second or third time I'd had to skip work to attend A&E I'd probably be taking photos while I'm there in case there's any doubt at a later date.

TordelBack

#3745
Quote from: sheridan on 19 May, 2021, 11:36:12 AM
Complete tangent but I think the second or third time I'd had to skip work to attend A&E I'd probably be taking photos while I'm there in case there's any doubt at a later date.

It was going that way!  I'm normally working for myself, but that was a rare spell of direct employment and while they were decent about it (I took it as leave, and made up the work on my own time, so from a certain point of view they actually benefitted...) and gave no impression they thought I was pulling a fast one, there was a general feeling of "isn't there someone else who could do it this time?". The answer being of course "no", or dear lord I would have used them - a day and night with (for one example!) a confused 75 year old with undiagnosed appendicitis on a trolley in a hospital corridor is something anyone would want to delegate. It didn't help that I'd been taking my Dad to (scheduled well in advance) consultants' appointments in prior weeks.

We parted company soon after, and while while nothing whatsoever was said, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were glad to be rid of me and my inconvenient elderly-support role.  That, and some convenient scapegoating by a partner company, and the fact that exhaustion and anxiety tipped me over into one f my trademark spells of deep prolonged depression, none of which helped my employee-of-the-week standing much. 

Sometimes even the real life needs of employees just conflict with the needs of the employer, especially in a small business environment where there's no slack or cover available. They may have to grin and bear it, but even the decent ones don't have to like it, or offer you more work after your contract finishes.  That's just how it is, you're there to make someone else money, not play happy families.


sheridan

I've started a thread to schedule a video / audio / real-time text chat.

JayzusB.Christ

Quote from: TordelBack on 19 May, 2021, 12:49:04 PM
Sometimes even the real life needs of employees just conflict with the needs of the employer, especially in a small business environment where there's no slack or cover available. They may have to grin and bear it, but even the decent ones don't have to like it, or offer you more work after your contract finishes.  That's just how it is, you're there to make someone else money, not play happy families.

That's the sad truth and I may be re-evaluating things when this job is finished.  I hate conflict and as I said I like this fella, but there have been quite a few times when I've incredibly stressed with impending deadlines and the no-shows have turned the stress into cold-sweat panic, accompanied by a flurry of last-second rescheduling and frenzied phone-calls of apology and explanation to clients.  BUT... the times he's helped me out outweigh these times.  So I don't know; I'll work on a solution to it.

More importantly, my test results came back earlier than expected, and they're negative!  So I'm back to work tomorrow, and can do plenty of preparatory work today.  It's been a very long 24 hours.  Thanks again, everyone, for being so understanding and giving me a chance to vent my spleen on a very shitty day.  The problem shared cliche really is true sometimes - I felt a lot better after your sympathetic responses.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

paddykafka

Glad to hear that you got the all-clear, Jayzus. Best of luck going forward with yer other issue. Cheers!

JayzusB.Christ

"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"