Work Ethic

Have we lost the work ethic in the UK now

I don’t think so, I was working to day and will be working to morrow.

That’s a short opening post with nothing to back it up

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No but I’ve lost my CD slot mount if anyone would be so kind as to hand it in.

What we have lost is the ability to be bold and forward looking, we built a supersonic airliner before the end of the 1960’s.

Now we cant tell the EU to F**** off or build a railway line between London to Birmingham we have lost a great many things the work ethic is not one of them.

A positive work ethic - would be NOT being “Anti Agency” I reckon.
…Being prepared to work over 10 hour shifts
…Not getting out of bed for a single digit hourly rate…
…Not paying to go to work, but electing to work less shifts of more hours instead.

I don’t know about losing the work ethic but looking through this site seems to indicate a number of drivers here have a pretty ■■■■ poor attitude to work.

There seems to be a fair amount of comments made about what they won’t do, not a mention of what they will do to provide value for money to their employer regardless of how much they’re paid, they did after all agree to the terms of employment at the start.

E.g. Refuse to take a truck out because the ■■■ lighter doesn’t work and they’ve nothing to plug the sat nav into etc…
They’re just as responsible for the ‘dumbing down’ of the job as any employer.

However I’m in no way tarring the majority with this brush, and I realise I’m probably living in the past and a grumpy old git, but we’d have never got away with half the crap pulled by some drivers these days.

I hope I’m right in thinking that there’s still loads of properly professional drivers still in the job and not shouting about it.

Put it this way, those that can do and are prepared to do it have never been more employable, and there is more than 1 reason why the age average in our particular industry is so high.

Juddian:
Put it this way, those that can do and are prepared to do it have never been more employable, and there is more than 1 reason why the age average in our particular industry is so high.

For once, and possibly in need of medication, I agree with you 100%.
Sadly however I think the current generation are so self entitled and molly coddled that it’s not just this industry that is suffering.
Everyone seems to feel they have a right to be right about everything and can find an excuse to not do anything as they may well be offended/discriminated against/ have their human rights infringed/ need to prioritise their personal or social media life…take your pick.
Let’s be honest, most parts of this industry are pretty straight forward when it comes to it. That’s what makes the lazy, feckless and the excuse finders stand out so much.
Only thing I would say is that in my opinion, the age thing is more down to wages now, if you’re 18 now the amount of tests,time, paperwork and costs involved to get to a class one are frightening compared to how it used to be, those that even have grandad rights from 1997 will be 38 by now if they fancied it…

It is in context…Diminishing returns.
Many people are now chucking it all in, not just in this industry, but many others, as life becomes harder to service and we are screwed financially from every direction, so what is the point, no use working just to service survival, so may as well chuck it all in if there is no cream to be had.

The rich have become more greedy and the Govt. just secure their desires, so what is the point in making them ever more powerful? We have no stake in this society, we are merely cash cows, so why become an effective part of it just to perpetuate the circle of greed for the rich?

More are walking away everyday from well paid jobs, as the remuneration is not commensurate.

I did not mean just in the transport industry but throughout industry in general

We was once known as Great Britain.
Can we still forge ahead being called Great Britain.

Making life easier = becoming more efficient in one’s entire lifestyle.

The very best work ethic has got to be “flexibility” then.

There’s not much point taking a jack-of-all-trades worker off their already extensive work programme, to cover and carry some snowflake who’s decided to throw a sickie because his girlfriend has dumped him across the weekend.

It is cases where such as happened - that end up driving the better quality workers out of the industry outright, and boiling what is left down to the diehards who hang on through thick and thin, because they fear the possibility of having to up-sticks and do a possibly harder job elsewhere.

The younger generation won’t be interested in becoming a trucker unless and until the pay rises to become more than what one can get for acting like a sillybugger in some studio somewhere.
I would estimate that the vast majority of MPs would not find “real work” once they’ve lost their seats. Notable exceptions are characters like Portillo and Balls, who’ve gone on to make some proper “neutral” TV programmes.
University leavers have made themselves all-too-often “Unemployable” by setting their sights too high.
That leaves the good old fashioned “school leaver” to pick up what jobs remain best to the realm of “Home Grown Brits” then.

Enjoy. They might keep all such jobs open - until the last of us has retired. :bulb:

Norfolkinclue1:

Juddian:
Put it this way, those that can do and are prepared to do it have never been more employable, and there is more than 1 reason why the age average in our particular industry is so high.

For once, and possibly in need of medication, I agree with you 100%.
Sadly however I think the current generation are so self entitled and molly coddled that it’s not just this industry that is suffering.
Everyone seems to feel they have a right to be right about everything and can find an excuse to not do anything as they may well be offended/discriminated against/ have their human rights infringed/ need to prioritise their personal or social media life…take your pick.
Let’s be honest, most parts of this industry are pretty straight forward when it comes to it. That’s what makes the lazy, feckless and the excuse finders stand out so much.
Only thing I would say is that in my opinion, the age thing is more down to wages now, if you’re 18 now the amount of tests,time, paperwork and costs involved to get to a class one are frightening compared to how it used to be, those that even have grandad rights from 1997 will be 38 by now if they fancied it…

1997, where’s that come from? I was on grand dad rights in the late sixties, but I only look 38, ahem.

Norfolkinclue1:

Juddian:
Put it this way, those that can do and are prepared to do it have never been more employable, and there is more than 1 reason why the age average in our particular industry is so high.

For once, and possibly in need of medication, I agree with you 100%.
Sadly however I think the current generation are so self entitled and molly coddled that it’s not just this industry that is suffering.
Everyone seems to feel they have a right to be right about everything and can find an excuse to not do anything as they may well be offended/discriminated against/ have their human rights infringed/ need to prioritise their personal or social media life…take your pick.
Let’s be honest, most parts of this industry are pretty straight forward when it comes to it. That’s what makes the lazy, feckless and the excuse finders stand out so much.
Only thing I would say is that in my opinion, the age thing is more down to wages now, if you’re 18 now the amount of tests,time, paperwork and costs involved to get to a class one are frightening compared to how it used to be, those that even have grandad rights from 1997 will be 38 by now if they fancied it…

Indeed it is the younger generation that feel they are entitled to certain things. Where as the older are just let’s get on with it get the job done and get home. Different strokes for different folks but definitely a generation thing in my opinion.

I dont think its a generational change. I`ve met lazy, feckless, individuals of all ages; and motivated hard grafters of all ages.

If a youngster (of whatever era) gets into a rut then they will start moving in other circles and move out of our sphere maybe? Those who are good workers will still be in our canteeens etc, whereas the older slobs will be dossing on a park bench somewhere, out of our sight. Maybe there are just as many older as younger workshy, but the older ones have been found out, and are now out of sight?

Work ethic has changed in that for so many of an old school frame of mind (age is immaterial here), your job was a very important part of your life because your family’s and your own standard of life (putting bread on the table and securing the roof over your heads) depended entirely on your work.

Do not underestimate the importance of how one was brung up either, how many of us that have the work ethic instilled in us can still see our now long dead fathers (usually) getting up early doors wash shave bit of breakfast and come hell or bloody high water they went to work, because that was what they were steeped in, duty, and their duty was to provide.
My father has been dead for decades but he is still with me in spirit every day, and i still have to meet with his approval, and he would not have given the bloody sick note shirking class the time of day.

Pride is another thing even if it’s supposed to be one of the deadly sins (though i suspect the sin is more about vanity than work pride), there is such a thing as taking a pride in one’s work, doing it to the best of your ability.
If someone is prepared to pay you good money, and yes good jobs are still about for those who seek them out, then they are entitled IMHO to a decent days work for that pay, or the contract is void.
That means looking after the customer, your equipment by looking after it like it’s your own and not smashing it up every few days or it looks 5 years old when its 5 months, and doing your job well.

Yes there are plenty of the work shy and sloppy work found in the older age groups just as the younger, but by the time they get near to technical retirement age, the doss about types have often wangled themselves into a perma sick note state, i betcha where you work those good workers nearing retirement age are almost never on the sick and if they are it’s probably some serious problem requiring surgery, often brought about by the type of and how hard they worked during their lives :bulb:

The work shy have an ethos where work should not interfere with their social lives, where the company is somehow responsible because they decided to have children so the company must not only pay for paternity/maternity time, but will also be expected to have to plan their hours around childcare for ever (seeing as how modern children seem to be dependent on their parents, or rather the state, till their late 20’s in some cases), where no care about the job is needed, no worries about being reliable and responsible, can’t be arsed to turn up on time if at all, and try your best to get out of doing anything involving a days graft…which is sad really because for the genuine people a decent job and doing it to the best of your ability gives a great deal of personal satisfaction.

Where the non work shy get ■■■■■■ off, and yes i’m one of these, is that increasingly we shoulder the work load for the sick notes, the can’t do this or that for of a multitude of reasons, the clarion call of ‘‘childcare’’, or any one from a multitude of other reasons.
The problem being that in these days of management not doing their jobs (some even in the workshy groups themselves, eg sick notes), that once a few game players start working the system to their advantage, others without the work ethic see it as an easy ride and jump on the bandwagon, and middle managers/planners just pile the work onto the reliable few because it’s easier for them, instead of doing their own jobs and sorting out the ■■■■ takers, this further exacerbates bad feeling among those shouldering the load.

All of which may not bother anyone, including the management, but what can happen and i’ve seen it before, is that when you keep loading the reliable donkeys, the ones who always have had to carry the work shy, and they tend to be the types who just get on with it…but the unfairness of seeing game players taking everyone for a ride and earning just as much as the grafters for a fraction of the work put in, grates over time, so don’t be surprised when all of sudden half your reliable workforce vanishes when a more enlightened TM gets wind and swipes your best staff from under your very nose.

It seems to me when various business owners say that they can’t get hard workers and East Europeans will work harder, what they really mean is they can’t get British workers to work hard for the pay and conditions they’re willing to pay.

The problem is the work ethic in the UK is wrong, from the lowest to the highest working long hours is seen as evidence of somebody’s work ethic, but in many other countries this is seen as the wrong way round, you valued on your efficiency is you work long hours it is thought that you can’t get through the work in the time given and therefore less productive and there are studies that back this up and have shown that those who work long hours are actually less productive than those who work less hours.

Agree with you there Judd, but we don’t seem to be seeing much evidence of that happening, as of yet - along with the “driver shortage starting to bite”…

Perhaps the first place for an acute shortage of driver labour - will be somewhere around the Orwell estuary, if other posts about drivers being Ransom’ed for parking on industrial estates nearby are anything to go by.

An “Orwellian Nightmare” indeed!

Tgtrucker:
I don’t know about losing the work ethic but looking through this site seems to indicate a number of drivers here have a pretty ■■■■ poor attitude to work.

There seems to be a fair amount of comments made about what they won’t do, not a mention of what they will do to provide value for money to their employer regardless of how much they’re paid, they did after all agree to the terms of employment at the start.

E.g. Refuse to take a truck out because the ■■■ lighter doesn’t work and they’ve nothing to plug the sat nav into etc…
They’re just as responsible for the ‘dumbing down’ of the job as any employer.

However I’m in no way tarring the majority with this brush, and I realise I’m probably living in the past and a grumpy old git, but we’d have never got away with half the crap pulled by some drivers these days.

I hope I’m right in thinking that there’s still loads of properly professional drivers still in the job and not shouting about it.

As someone who has never refused to take a wagon out because of a broken ■■■ socket (it’s just never been relevant to me because I don’t use a dedicated satnav, I just use my phone which has a battery, and occasionally a paper map), surely this is hardly the worst example you can come up with?

I mean drivers are entitled to expect the equipment they rely on - or, like a working radio, which forms part of their normal conditions of work - will be in good order.

Part of the problem is that employers expect play musical chairs with wagons all the time, and send drivers all over the place where they have no existing route knowledge, and if it’s not your regular wagon which you take care of, and it’s not your regular route, then you’re less inclined to struggle on or make do when things break.

Juddian:
All of which may not bother anyone, including the management, but what can happen and i’ve seen it before, is that when you keep loading the reliable donkeys, the ones who always have had to carry the work shy, and they tend to be the types who just get on with it…but the unfairness of seeing game players taking everyone for a ride and earning just as much as the grafters for a fraction of the work put in, grates over time, so don’t be surprised when all of sudden half your reliable workforce vanishes when a more enlightened TM gets wind and swipes your best staff from under your very nose.

The simple answer then is don’t be a reliable grafter!

I mean I’m not making excuses for those whose attitude is simply to do as little as possible, but the conditions in this industry are appalling, and I suspect what you are seeing in many cases is not people playing games, but expressing perfectly legitimate dissatisfaction and pushing back against the bosses.

If you don’t push back and thus get a reputation amongst the bosses as a soft touch and get loaded up like a pack horse, and end up resenting the game which the bosses are playing (which is to thrash every single person to their breaking point), well more fool you.