Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

My Week: Work Practices

30th Apr 2019
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

Hello folks. A very late edition of my My Week. My life is hectic at present. It was difficult to find the time last week.

It is a so so My Week. Though, I think it is better than not having a post.

SEO Work

To date, I am happy with the work done on SEO. Though it is early days. It is different from outsourcing accountancy and tax work. In that, it is NOT client work. We are not acting as a middle party between the client and the outsourcing business.

Social Media 

It is fantastic that I do not have to log in to Facebook or Twitter and make some posting when my heart is just not in these communication mediums. It is all done by someone else now. GREAT!

Work Culture

I am in touch with my ex-employees. It is helpful to know the culture of other practices.

Over the week, I was shocked to hear how a practice in the UK  operates.  The culture is working long hours and giving up on annual leave (not paid) to catch up with work.  If employees do not do this they are out.

The workload is such that it cannot be completed in the contracted hours. Staff work weekends and long days leaving work between 7 pm and 8 pm.

Employees just accept this is the way. They do not unite and revolt saying this is just not right. I think that is called a union.

The practice is very successful. It gets many referrals and the business continues to expand.

Ownership

Even just a basic understanding of employee motivation,  would make the owners of the practice in question, stop the current work practices. They are probably ignoring it, in the hope, the problem will go away.

I hope the owners face the music one day and it really hits them where it hurts - their profits. It never works that way. They will continue to be a success.

Replies (4)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

By mrme89
01st May 2019 13:56

It doesn't shock me that this happens. It will only happen for as the long as the employees allow it happen, however.

I know of a large regional practice that forces staff to attend networking events on evenings and weekends, unpaid of course.

The employees ought to join a union so that they are represented in the workplace.

Thanks (2)
paddle steamer
By DJKL
01st May 2019 23:57

In the long term the talented will leave and the calibre of staff retained will diminish, if they want to keep good staff they need to treat them decently.

At the end of the day they will hopefully regret how they operate as eventually it is likely to come back and bite them.

In my younger days I worked daft numbers of unpaid hours but it was never forced upon us, we did it because, in the round t,he firm were decent employers and there was a quid pro quo if say my kids got measles and I had to take time off at short notice. (My wife at the time was a stockmarket analyst and her employers were far less forgiving re her calling in to say she needed a day off re similar so I did a fair bit of emergency child cover)

If the employer merely takes with no give eventually staff will walk to a better employer.

Thanks (2)
avatar
By Cloudcounter
08th May 2019 21:50

The bottom line is surely the level of salary that they are paid.

If that is high enough to compensate in their minds for the "unpaid" overtime, then people will stay. Traditionally professional staff were paid a fixed salary with no additional payments for overtime. You were expected to do what was necessary for the success of the firm. If you couldn't stand the heat, you knew where the kitchen door was..

Thanks (1)
Replying to Cloudcounter:
FT
By FirstTab
09th May 2019 12:39

I think times have changed. People no longer want to work their backs sides off for an employer.

It is probably because they are many other employers with whom it does not involve working all the hours given.

Thanks (0)