Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Where to start.......

The trials and tribulations with my employer continue, but with movement at last both on the grievance and the collective consultation.
Firstly a timeline was published for the collective consultation, expressions of interest for the available posts (none of which I am qualified/suitable for) and voluntary redundancy to be received by this Thursday despite this news only being delivered late last Friday afternoon.  So they can take the majority of the 90 days to leave us hanging with no answers or decisions made, but when its time for us to make a decision we don't even get a week!
The union are now putting our case forward in the weekly meetings too, although we are a very small percentage of a much larger group that are in consultation so I still feel our views and concerns are marginalised.
In the meantime I had my appeal meeting on Monday evening and the member of senior management seemed very understanding to the point of being lovely (a deception I am sure) and she supplied yet more evidence that I was forced/bullied into taking a cut in hours (evidence collected during the grievance investigation so how on earth was the outcome not in my favour?) 
The meeting concluded with the reassurance that I would receive a speedy outcome with the impending decision date for voluntary redundancy in mind.  Not that speedy it would seem though as I was informed yesterday that they need more time, but they are consequently allowing me more time (until 6th June) to make my decision (how nice of them!)  Although there is little to distinguish voluntary from compulsory other than if I request voluntary the college look better than if they made me compulsory redundant (why should I do them a favour!) and that with voluntary I don't have to work 4 months notice, but with compulsory I might have to work some notice.  What I would be doing during this notice period I really can't imagine, as the department will be closed before the notice begins.
So movement there has definitely been, conclusions though? No. 
The HR team are becoming very familiar with me though and are still able to maintain a friendly demeanour in my prescence.  They have managed to instill a little hope in me that justice will be done and even my more cynical colleagues are hopeful that perhaps they were just trying their luck before, hoping I'd be put off by the farce that their grievance procedure appeared to be.  Surely they would not want the case to go to tribunal with all the evidence I have and the additional evidence they have produced to support my case?
I am holding on to that little glimmer of hope while trying not to get my hopes up too high.

News outside of that is a little sparce I'm afraid.  The exam marking period is in full swing and will be for the next four weeks so social life is on hold.  I was working at lightening pace to start with, but now the boredom has set in its more like snails pace.  The glorious weather we have had hasn't really helped.  I'd much rather be sun worshipping than sat inside glued to the shiney new laptop (even if it is very efficient and a lovely shiney red) Its okay though its meant to rain this week (sorry, I know I'm the only one thinking of that as a positive)
I'm already considering my options of what to spend the extra money on........holiday is a definite although I still have money from the January marking to contrbute to that.  I really want to go to London to the theatre (something I have never done)
Train to London on 1st August £11.25 from Doncaster straight to Kings Cross and £12 return the following day was very tempting, almost booked it there and then.  The theatre tickets and necessary hotel are another matter, tickets are a minimum of £53 even for a Weekday and hotel in central London? I haven't looked yet, I daren't!  Its on my wish list though, so surely I should do it? I think I've got so used to budgeting that splashing out has become difficult. 
While writing to you I have talked myself into it, a trip to London is booked! Train tickets £38.90 for two adults from Doncaster to Kings Cross return with East Coast Trains.  It brings the fare down if you book two singles and go direct to East Coast trains website, its an extra couple of quid through national rail website.
I paid the extra £1 to get the tickets posted out to me, I need something physical to reassure me I have actually got somethingin return for my pennies.
The hotel is also booked. Travelodge on High Holborn, near the theatre and close to all central attractions, £49.50. 
Yes these prices are because we go on a Monday and come back on a Tuesday, but its summer hols so we can :-)
The theatre I haven't booked yet.  There is method to my madness though, the prices seem to get cheaper the closer to the date we get (the opposite to trains and hotels) so I'm going to wait it out in the hope that the prices come down, if they don't I haven't lost anything I'll ust pay the full price and worst case scenario if its sells out on a Monday night (possible because its school hols?) then we have two days in London to do whatever we fancy.  I have to admit I haven't done the tourist thing in London, the only reason I've been there is for exam training days and passing through to the Eurostar, hubby spent a bit of time in the city as a teenager though so I can rely on him to be my guide and drag me on and off the underground, which is the scariest part for me, I have always stubbornly walked from station to exams head office.
The only other thing to worry about is parking the car in Doncaster weighing up whether to leave it at the house I rent out (no off road parking there) or pay for parking at the station (have the feeling that might blow the budget. I also need to persuade a friend to look after the puppy, I have one in mind who is particularly good at it, but he's rubbish with dates so there's no point mentioning plans for August now.
In the meantime I am very excited about our theatre trip in Leeds next week to see Dirty Dancing (did I mention that before) I've converted my £10 worth of Tesco vouchers into £40 of Browns restaurant vouchers so we can eat for free while we are there, the only downside is we can't use the vouchers for drinks and I do so love a cocktail or two! Still having some Tesco vouchers left I plan to convert them into restaurant vouchers to use on our London trip so we can have extra money to go visit the usual attractions.



Wednesday, 16 May 2012

What I wished for.......

I bought a laptop! Its red and shiny, has face recognition 3 times more memory than my old one and a super fast processor and lots more technical stuff that means nothing to me.  I did my research of course and think I got a good deal (just under £400) The decision was made when I realised that trying to complete the summer exam marking on a laptop that regularly crashes, does not have a working select button, has a broken hinge and several buttons missing would not only be infuriating, but also very embarassing when I lugged it into work.  Don't ever let it be said that I am frivolous however, I make sure I wring the life out of my possessions before making a new purchase. The fifteen year old items of clothing in my wardrobe are just testament to that, although they are now iterspersed with new clothes that haven't been worn yet (a result of the poor weather)
So the money I put to one side from my January exam marking has now been spent, the puppy having tried his best to use it all first, I did still manage keep some.
Did buying the laptop make me happy though? Not so much.  The buying experience was not without its issues and I can safely say that British sales assistants have no customer service skills, where as the two non-British sales assistants that eventually helped me buy something were excellent even though English was there second language. I'm not sure if it was the sales process that dulled my excitement or just that material possessions don't mean so much anymore, but it didn't make me happy.  Yes I was excited to get it home, set up and play, but having done that for a couple of hours, the novelty wore off quite quickly.  I am pleased however that it should make the upcoming exam marking a little more efficient.
So what did I wish for when I started this journey? To be honest I had to remind myself! Well here's the list:
1. To travel - trip to France and plans for a late deal holiday in July tick that box.

2. To visit nice restaurants - Retaileyes are making this very achievable at the moment.

3. To beable to cover unexpected bills without stressing - I have a back up fund which has so far paid for the new laptop and the car insurance which was going to cost an extra £100 to pay monthly so not quite unexpected bills, but it was nice to have the money there ready and waiting.

4. To be able to treat myself now and again (posh food, nice flowers, clothes and shoes) - A purchase that has made me happy is a couple of bunches of roses (silly I know) they cost £2.50 from the local market (much cheaper and prettier than Tesco's offerings) and are yellow, orange and red, nice and bright and cheery and orange roses always remind me of my nan and more recently my wedding having had orange roses in the bouquet as a tribute to my nan. I excitedly brought the two little bunches home and arranged/stuck them in a vase and now everytime I see them it cheers me up. Proof I think that my desire for the goodlife does not hinge on the desire for money and expensive things.

5. Not to work my contracted 37 hours a week and bring home the same amount of work to do or worry about in my own time. - I still bring a little bit of work home especially at this time of year when mock exams are essential, but it is not keeping me awake at night and certainly doesn't come close to 37 hours a week.

6. To take long walks with the puppy - every day he either gets a long walk of a game of frisbee (if the weather isn't so good) and sometimes both.

7. To take time to look around and take a breath (corny I know) - I have found myself doing this more and more even on the rainy days under the safety of my umbrella and things don't look so bad despite all the doom and gloom reported on the news.

8. Not to be stressed and miserable - I'm not stressed and I don't think I'm miserable, having seen an old friend yesterday for the first time in months he said I seem really happy and I know its not an act and my friend having known me for a long time now can read me fairly well. I don't feel the need to put on a brave face or make things out to be better than they are.  Life might not be how I expected in terms of my career, but its turning out pretty well and I'm realising there are more important things in life.

I have had quiet a lucky couple of weeks, besides my two pruchases I have eaten out several times, mainly thanks to retaileyes, which ranged from local pub to more Frankie and Benny's visits. 
We also had a free spa day on the bank holiday which was excellent although on enquiring about membership fees we found that the joining fee alone was £200 for a couple! I think I'll stick to the freebies :-)
I've also continued the clothes shopping and bought a couple more items, but its got to stop, despite relegating some items to the charity shop that are two sizes too big for me (I can't remember being that big, I've clearly wiped it from my memory) I still feel guilty for buying new things and I'm fretting over how much I've spent, wondering how I can possibly afford it on a part time wage, but I'm not using the overdraft or the credit card so what's there to feel bad about? Don't worry the bills are not going unpaid either.

Although all of the good has to be balanced with the fact that we live with two practical strangers (lodgers) who are nice and polite and considerate, but is it on any newly married couples wish list to share their home in this way? I can't complain though, even though I grumble a little when sometimes I would just like the house to myself, at the end of the day they are the ones helping to pay for this new life and so I will smile and be gracious (most of the time)

In other news I finally got a result from my grievance! Having just returned from a meeting at the citizen's advice bureau armed with key phrases to put in a snotty letter to HR requesting a speedy resolution, I drafted my letter, checked and double checked and logged into my work email to send a copy via email not only to HR, but also to the principal for added emphasis.  I was thwarted however by an email at the top of the list from HR with the conclusion of the grievance investigation.  Needless to say that after 7 weeks of investigating, they did not find the case in my favour, nor did they answer the points raised in the grievance.  My appeal letter has already been delivered by hand to the HR department, not that I expect that to be a very fruitful endeavour and a week later I have not had a response.
My colleagues however have also been sticking up for themsleves and have arranged a collective consultation meeting for the department, which the principal has been invited to, in order to discuss the lack of communication and support that has been demonstrated so far (now being halfway through the 90 day period)  The meeting went well (we congratulated ourselves as we returned to the office) we got some answers and promise of more next week, but the issue seems to be that legally HR have to consult with the collective representatives which in this case is UCU and Unison, and as only one of our department is a union memeber it means that our little group has not been represented at all.  We're are on to it now though and our one union member has offered to put forward all our questions and concerns. The principal did not attend by the way, actually she read the emailed invitation and didn't bother to respond - how rude!

And so the situation so far:
Employment: Still part-time 0.33 of a fulltime contract (exam marking starts next week)
Lodgers: 2
Eating out: 6 times over the last couple of weeks thanks to retaileyes, a treat from hubby and a treat from a friend (I'm a very lucky girl at the moment)
Hubby: 1 (7months of married bliss minus one argument)
Dog: 1 (still in very good health and looking beautiful and shiny after a recent bath)
Stepson: 1 (coming to visit for a few days over half term)
No Spend Days: few and far between after all my treats, starting next week I plan to be well behaved though.

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Guilt

Who says we have to work 5 days a week? Who says life can't be fulfilled by staying at home with the kids, being a housewife or working part time? Well me actually.  I have always believed that if you don't work fulltime you are less of a person, I think the belief developed from being left on the 'girls' table at posh dinners in my late teens and finding myself surrounded by girls of the same age as me or a little older who had no ambition to have a career or those that did just assumed they could buy their way into it, non of them went to university or worked fulltime, I was doing both at the time and as a result could not find any common ground.  I could not involve myself in their conversations because I only felt disgust and bitterness towards their view of life.  I would sneak away and join the male element of the party all of whom had worked hard since they left school and some of whom had even gone to university (for a farming community university is not necessarily an expectation)
So it is my own fault that I feel guilty for not going to work every day, it is not because I can't afford to pay my mortgage and bills (even if the hubby leaves me I'd be ok financially) or go out for meals and buy new clothes.  I can afford at least two holidays this year (not to the carribean obviously) I think I might have enough money saved to finally get the kitchen done up or at least french doors put in and the room properly insulated. I have bought new clothes and shoes having relegated several elements of my wardrobe to the wheelie bin or the loft (incase one day its back in fashion or fits) And nobody is pointing and laughing or sneering in disgust at my new lifestyle (not openly anyway)
I have maintained this preconception about women that do not work or have any real career ambition throughout my life and have bowed out of social events and conversations because I believe they will have nothing interesting to talk about (conversations solely about children do not interest me especially as they usually result in the question of when I will have one) and now I find that I am scared that I will have nothing to say anymore, no interesting view points or anecdotes other than to express my devotion to the puppy and relay stories of how cute he is when he rubs his face with his paws (it is an adorable sight!)
Will hubby and I have anything to discuss once he's told me how his day was and I've explained how dirty the floors were even though I only mopped them a couple of days ago and asked what we should have for tea?
So ultimately I feel guilty for not working full time, I feel even more guilty for going on a mini shopping spree earlier this week.  Having picked up several items that looked lovely on the hanger, but couldn't possibly look that nice on me, I dragged hubby to the changing rooms so he could be judge.  I tried on, I twirled in front of the mirror, I twirled in front of the hubby and I loved every item/oufit.  Having chastised hubby for allowing me to buy them all we left the shop, happy but guilt seeping through and me justifying in various inventive ways why I should have bought 2 skirts, a dress and jacket (for £65!) when I might not have a job come September! Hubby reassured me that I deserved a treat and that the pain and suffering (I am still having physio) I have gone through as a result of some silly bint running into us before Christmas should be treated with just this kind of retail therapy. Obviously I decided on this occassion that hubby is right, but I haven't worn the outfits yet and may still return an item or two to ease my conscience.  The payout for my injuries came through today however and made my bank account look healthy for the first time in months, but I'm being sensible, I paid off my credit card and put the majority safely in a savings account, I may need it come September so no more treats for now.
On the subject of work and September, I am no further along in the 90 day consultation period as HR have said that nothing can be done until me grievance is setttled.  Conveniently for them they are still 'investigating' my complaint, it has been 6 weeks! So I can not apply for voluntary redundancy, I can not apply for the available posts that after 37 days of consultation they still have not identified and they cannot say whether ultimately I will have any future at the college.
Yesterday however I had a little epiphany, having accompanied a colleague to her grievance appeal hearing (we made quite a good team, we certainly fought her corner) I was determined to work out what my employer was gaining from postponing the inevitable, they are clearly going to find the 'investigation' in their favour not mine so why take so long about it?  Having done a little research into time limits (we love google) I found that if I wanted to take my calim to a tribunal I had to do this within 3 months of the event I am complaining about happening, panic very quickly set in! I phoned ACAS, very useful people when it comes to employment law issues and free of charge and I am arranging another appointment with Citizen's Advice Bureau (again a free service) so they can take as long as they like concluding my grievanace I now know I can't afford to wait for them and will be putting a claim into the employment tribunal as soon as I can.
The whole episode has provoked my fighting spirit and for that reason my guilt has subsided or at least been masked by determination not to let my employer 'get one over me'   As my colleague recently stated 'we are intelligent people, why do they treat us like idiots?' It true, surely they wouldn't have employed us in the first place if they didn't think we had at least a modicum of intelligence? They seem to hope that no one in the building has any employment law knowledge (they clearly do not share my fondness for google) but besides my limited and somewhat out of date knowledge from my business management degree, consequent managment experience and my expertise in google based research, they employ law lecturers! Surely they expect someone is going to question their methods eventually? Having said that the union reps who are allegedly employed and  paid to do such questioning have done very little despite weekly meetings with the HR department. The phrases jumping through hoops and ticking boxes springs to mind although the rumour is they have employed the highest paid employment law specialists in the land to fight their corner. Money to blow on fancy lawyers, but not pay fair redundancy kind of sums up the ethical stance of the place.