(no subject)
Mar. 10th, 2020 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
girlofpreyYesterday at work, the company put out new guidelines saying that no 3rd party company was now allowed on site, and employees weren't allowed to meet them offsite either. Except for interview candidates whose travel history had been carefully vetted. For a while, my manager was trying to figure out if that meant all of our 3rd-party Facilities company, or at least those of us who work at other sites. Turns out that no, they don't want us to stay away (at present), so now we're just trying to work out which other 3rd party people can't come in. We're handing over post in reception rather than letting the Royal Mail person come through to the postroom, but today they called in a photocopier engineer to fix something and let him onsite. The email really didn't specify if all 3rd party visits should be cancelled, or only non-urgent ones - or really seem to consider how it would affect departments like the post room or Facilities at all.
Today they sent another email round asking all employees - which I assume means everyone onsite - to email a 'secure inbox' saying whether they had a diagnosed medical condition which either gave them a lowered immune system, or an underlying medical condition. Which seems to me like they're gearing up to tell people with those issues not to come in, which also seems sort of discriminatory. I get that they're trying to reduce the chance of illness - particularly since they're a financial company and we're having a virus-related financial crisis - but telling people who aren't ill they can't come to work because they have medical conditions seems super weird. And maybe isn't so bad for people who actually work for the company, and might be compensated or given paid leave - but for people like our cleaners, will probably just mean they can't come to work, and won't get paid as they haven't worked. The cleaning manager I speak to, at least, didn't seem to have any faith our company would pay us if we couldn't go in to work, and given that they don't have sick pay I'm inclined to agree with her. There's been a lot of talk about working from home, but I really can't do much from home, as a receptionist. So I assume if that's what they want in the near future - or to ban anyone who comes in on public transport, which is also me - that means I can't go to work, and won't get paid as I haven't worked for it. So I don't know. Things seem to be changing very quickly at the company right now. And my manager thinks it's a massive overreaction and is furious, but at the same time, it's the reality we're having to deal with.
It's not really a great time for me, because I'm overspending a little at the moment. It's annoying when you think "I have £80 to last me until payday, I'm not planning to buy anything massive, I'll be fine!", and then you start to think "train fare for the week will be £25 - I know I spend about £30 a week on random food - my £9 Netflix subscription will be going out in the next few days - I owe mum £10...", and suddenly you're in single digits and sweating. And next month isn't looking to be any better, because I've got some time off and was planning to go on a few trips for my birthday, which ain't cheap...but then who knows what sorts of travel will be restricted by then, and which places will be closed, so there's probably not much point planning for those either. This virus is a real spanner in the works. But at least I'll get paid over my holiday time, whether I get to go anywhere or not.
In the meantime, everything I own is breaking. A little hand has come off a little dial in my watch, and is bouncing around inside the watch face, ocassionally getting caught up with the second hand and making my watch wrong. I don't even know who to call about that, other than the watch manufacturer. And my lovely new music centre makes a weird clicking noise when I play CDs. It did the first time I put a CD in, but it was an old CD, and when I tried it with a newer one it was fine. But now I've tried it with a CD that is newer than both the others, and it's still making the noise, so I'm guessing it's the music centre, not the CD. salkfjasklj. Do I call Currys or Victrola? Both companies will want me to pack the music centre up and transport it somewhere. slkdfjasdkljdsa. I don't need this.
Today they sent another email round asking all employees - which I assume means everyone onsite - to email a 'secure inbox' saying whether they had a diagnosed medical condition which either gave them a lowered immune system, or an underlying medical condition. Which seems to me like they're gearing up to tell people with those issues not to come in, which also seems sort of discriminatory. I get that they're trying to reduce the chance of illness - particularly since they're a financial company and we're having a virus-related financial crisis - but telling people who aren't ill they can't come to work because they have medical conditions seems super weird. And maybe isn't so bad for people who actually work for the company, and might be compensated or given paid leave - but for people like our cleaners, will probably just mean they can't come to work, and won't get paid as they haven't worked. The cleaning manager I speak to, at least, didn't seem to have any faith our company would pay us if we couldn't go in to work, and given that they don't have sick pay I'm inclined to agree with her. There's been a lot of talk about working from home, but I really can't do much from home, as a receptionist. So I assume if that's what they want in the near future - or to ban anyone who comes in on public transport, which is also me - that means I can't go to work, and won't get paid as I haven't worked for it. So I don't know. Things seem to be changing very quickly at the company right now. And my manager thinks it's a massive overreaction and is furious, but at the same time, it's the reality we're having to deal with.
It's not really a great time for me, because I'm overspending a little at the moment. It's annoying when you think "I have £80 to last me until payday, I'm not planning to buy anything massive, I'll be fine!", and then you start to think "train fare for the week will be £25 - I know I spend about £30 a week on random food - my £9 Netflix subscription will be going out in the next few days - I owe mum £10...", and suddenly you're in single digits and sweating. And next month isn't looking to be any better, because I've got some time off and was planning to go on a few trips for my birthday, which ain't cheap...but then who knows what sorts of travel will be restricted by then, and which places will be closed, so there's probably not much point planning for those either. This virus is a real spanner in the works. But at least I'll get paid over my holiday time, whether I get to go anywhere or not.
In the meantime, everything I own is breaking. A little hand has come off a little dial in my watch, and is bouncing around inside the watch face, ocassionally getting caught up with the second hand and making my watch wrong. I don't even know who to call about that, other than the watch manufacturer. And my lovely new music centre makes a weird clicking noise when I play CDs. It did the first time I put a CD in, but it was an old CD, and when I tried it with a newer one it was fine. But now I've tried it with a CD that is newer than both the others, and it's still making the noise, so I'm guessing it's the music centre, not the CD. salkfjasklj. Do I call Currys or Victrola? Both companies will want me to pack the music centre up and transport it somewhere. slkdfjasdkljdsa. I don't need this.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-11 03:41 pm (UTC)I can definitely relate on the money issue too, as that happens to me at times as well in-between paychecks. Still, I hope you will somehow be able to enjoy your birthday all the same! *crosses fingers*
Gah, and the breaking situation just sounds like an added issue you really don't need. I am so sorry that keeps happening, and I hope the solutions for it are as easy as possible. *crosses fingers again*