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Scrooge - better than many employers
Soundbox
27-12-2016
I remember as a kid watching A Christmas Carol and being a bit horrified at how Scrooge treated others, but now in 2016 he does not seem so bad - almost nice in fact.

For instance Bob Cratchit at least had a job to go back to after Christmas (many of my colleagues were made redundant this Christmas with no redundancy pay and only two weeks notice) - told not to come back. Bob is not on a zero hours contract and he is able to support his quite large family - many these days are relying on food banks. There is some warmth in the office at least - many places I visit (warehouses) are windowless and unheated tin sheds - with longer hours than Bob's 9 to 5 and more staff disposability.
Scrooge is uncharitable, but so are many these days and it is a rarity that any employer gives out money - usually charity is done by the staff with collection tins.
Buying your own works Christmas lunch is now the norm and also it is in your own hours - employers give as little as they can and it is accepted.

Some of Scrooges arguments seemed quite 'reasonable' and almost something you could expect a manager to say - which is sad in a way.

We need a new take on a Christmas Carol with an even harsher Scrooge! What do you think?
pugamo
28-12-2016
Not sure about your points but the thread title did give me a laugh
Welsh-lad
28-12-2016
Says a lot that draconian Dickensian Britain is not unlike Tory Britain of 2016.
CLL Dodge
28-12-2016
At least Cratchit didn't have to travel to work on Southern Rail.
TheEricPollard
28-12-2016
Would you like us to dress up as ghosts and haunt your employer?
Soundbox
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by TheEricPollard:
“Would you like us to dress up as ghosts and haunt your employer?”

The place is mostly empty now so a bit of haunting would be appreciated.
bluesdiamond
28-12-2016
Don't know about Scrooge, but in the 1970s in England New Year Day was not a bank holiday.
Now due to employers and customer expectations how many stores open New Years Day? Home delivery services like Amazon operate?

Is it Tories (Cop put expression IMO), Employers or Consumer greed scared stiff that they may miss something if they don't shop every opurtunity?

How is Credit Card Britain?
Armi
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Welsh-lad:
“Says a lot that draconian Dickensian Britain is not unlike Tory Britain of 2016.”

Is it that much different to 2010?
Dan Fortesque
28-12-2016
I know of a local firm laying most of their staff off about a week before Christmas.
hyperstarsponge
28-12-2016
In places like shops, They need extra people before Christmas but do not need them after Christmas.
D_Mcd4
28-12-2016
Amazon is particularly harsh. One time they let go dozens of people in the early hours and put them outside the building. This was a December in Scotland and some had no transport. Chilly! Makes Bob's candle seem a luxury!
karapote monkey
28-12-2016
My daughter works for a posh company and no one gets a Christmas bonus.
starry_rune
28-12-2016
An employee of John Lewis in Edinburgh DIED outside the shop yesterday. Despite churning billions in profit, today and the mans funeral will be business as usual. Might aswell have chucked the body in the skip and put the clothes on the sale.
tealady
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by starry_rune:
“An employee of John Lewis in Edinburgh DIED outside the shop yesterday. Despite churning billions in profit, today and the mans funeral will be business as usual. Might aswell have chucked the body in the skip and put the clothes on the sale.”

Which businesses shut up shop for a day because an employee has died?
We've had loads of people die but we have never shut up shop and no one have ever suggested that this was callous.

They made 223.2M profit in the year ended Jan 2016 not Billions.
Andrue
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by starry_rune:
“An employee of John Lewis in Edinburgh DIED outside the shop yesterday. Despite churning billions in profit, today and the mans funeral will be business as usual. Might aswell have chucked the body in the skip and put the clothes on the sale.”

Why should a business close just because a member of staff died?

I can imagine in a few, unusual cases, it might be applicable but in general it is assumed that only the death of a close family member requires time off. A good employer will also allow unpaid time off (or vacation time on short notice) for a friend but I see no reason to go any further than that.

Death happens. Life goes on. There's no need to make a big deal of it unless you have a very close emotional attachment.
platelet
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by starry_rune:
“An employee of John Lewis in Edinburgh DIED outside the shop yesterday. Despite churning billions in profit, today and the mans funeral will be business as usual. Might aswell have chucked the body in the skip and put the clothes on the sale.”

John Lewis is owned by the employees who all share that (significantly smaller than you claim) profit

Quote:
“Every employee is a Partner in the John Lewis Partnership, and has an opportunity to influence the business through branch forums, which discuss local issues at every store, and the divisional John Lewis and Waitrose Councils. Above all these is the Partnership Council, to which the Partners elect at least 80 per cent of the 82 representatives...

The Partnership Council also elects five directors on the Partnership Board (which is responsible for the commercial activities), while the chairman appoints another five. The two remaining board members are the chairman and the deputy chairman.

Every non-management Partner also has an open channel for expressing his/her views to management and the Chairman.

The John Lewis Partnership has a very extensive programme of social activities for its Partners, including two large country estates with parkland, playing fields and tennis courts; a golf club; a sailing club with five cruising yachts, and three country hotels offering holiday accommodation for the Partners.

Partners are also enrolled in a very favourable pension scheme, are covered by death-in-service insurance, and are given very generous holidays. In addition to this, upon completing 25 years of service for the company, Partners are given a paid six-month break, known as "Long Leave".

Finally, every Partner receives an annual bonus, which is a share of the profit. It is calculated as a percentage of salary, with the same percentage for everyone, from top management down to the shop floor and storage rooms. The bonus is dependent on the profitability of the Partnership each year, varying between 9% and 20% of the Partners' annual salaries since 2000.”

Hardly a Scrooge company in fact a model that I'd love to see used far more widely
Faust
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Soundbox:
“I remember as a kid watching A Christmas Carol and being a bit horrified at how Scrooge treated others, but now in 2016 he does not seem so bad - almost nice in fact.

For instance Bob Cratchit at least had a job to go back to after Christmas (many of my colleagues were made redundant this Christmas with no redundancy pay and only two weeks notice) - told not to come back. Bob is not on a zero hours contract and he is able to support his quite large family - many these days are relying on food banks. There is some warmth in the office at least - many places I visit (warehouses) are windowless and unheated tin sheds - with longer hours than Bob's 9 to 5 and more staff disposability.
Scrooge is uncharitable, but so are many these days and it is a rarity that any employer gives out money - usually charity is done by the staff with collection tins.
Buying your own works Christmas lunch is now the norm and also it is in your own hours - employers give as little as they can and it is accepted.

Some of Scrooges arguments seemed quite 'reasonable' and almost something you could expect a manager to say - which is sad in a way.

We need a new take on a Christmas Carol with an even harsher Scrooge! What do you think?”

Perhaps employees need to look a bit nearer home for their answer. Trade Unions fought for over a century to get workers decent rights and decent working conditions.

Thatcher's government with the aid of a right wing press spent years dismantling what the unions had achieved. Workers were told they didn't need the power of the unions and this trend still carries on today. Cameron's government continued on where Thatcher left off. A recent survey of young people revealed they believed themselves to be 'middle class' and that unions were an anachronism which belonged in the past.

With that daft attitude today's workforce have only themselves to blame. I have little sympathy - sorry.
Andrue
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Faust:
“With that daft attitude today's workforce have only themselves to blame. I have little sympathy - sorry.”

The trade unions helped trigger that change by trying to hold the country to ransom - sometimes over the pettiest of things. Meanwhile with the rise of the service industries and reduction in public ownership the number of people who never would have joined a union increased in proportion. And speaking as someone who (just) remembers the 1970s and certainly remembers the miner's strike I can only say 'meh'.

Unions cost this country too much money and tried to hold back progress for too long. I'm glad we're keeping their wings clipped.
GusGus
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Andrue:
“The trade unions helped trigger that change by trying to hold the country to ransom - sometimes over the pettiest of things. Meanwhile with the rise of the service industries and reduction in public ownership the number of people who never would have joined a union increased in proportion. And speaking as someone who (just) remembers the 1970s and certainly remembers the miner's strike I can only say 'meh'.

Unions cost this country too much money and tried to hold back progress for too long. I'm glad we're keeping their wings clipped.”


Nothing wrong with unions looking after their members interests
Problems start when they start to believe that they are the government or government in waiting
Andrue
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by GusGus:
“Nothing wrong with unions looking after their members interests
Problems start when they start to believe that they are the government or government in waiting”

Agreed.
Earl - E - Bird
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Andrue:
“The trade unions helped trigger that change by trying to hold the country to ransom - sometimes over the pettiest of things. Meanwhile with the rise of the service industries and reduction in public ownership the number of people who never would have joined a union increased in proportion. And speaking as someone who (just) remembers the 1970s and certainly remembers the miner's strike I can only say 'meh'.

Unions cost this country too much money and tried to hold back progress for too long. I'm glad we're keeping their wings clipped.”

And I'm old enough to remember the 3 day week, and the power cuts we suffered during the 70s, then came Thatcher & Tebbit, with the demise of communities, the loss union power.

With the introduction of "New Labour" the lower ranks in society had no one to represent / speak on their behalf, hopefully, time are changing, those who need representing will find a voice loud enough to speak for them.
MrQuike
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Andrue:
“The trade unions helped trigger that change by trying to hold the country to ransom - sometimes over the pettiest of things. Meanwhile with the rise of the service industries and reduction in public ownership the number of people who never would have joined a union increased in proportion. And speaking as someone who (just) remembers the 1970s and certainly remembers the miner's strike I can only say 'meh'.

Unions cost this country too much money and tried to hold back progress for too long. I'm glad we're keeping their wings clipped.”

I worked through the seventies in industry and this view is familiar as the lazy, cliched and perverted version of events I recall reading in the newspapers and seeing on the news.
Faust
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by Andrue:
“The trade unions helped trigger that change by trying to hold the country to ransom - sometimes over the pettiest of things. Meanwhile with the rise of the service industries and reduction in public ownership the number of people who never would have joined a union increased in proportion. And speaking as someone who (just) remembers the 1970s and certainly remembers the miner's strike I can only say 'meh'.

Unions cost this country too much money and tried to hold back progress for too long. I'm glad we're keeping their wings clipped.”

And that's the thinking and misinformation that has been the downfall of todays workforce. I was a worker of the 70's and the three day week etc. it's not something I read about in books or just about old enough to remember. The press would love everyone to believe their spoutings. The reality was far different.
Blondie X
28-12-2016
Originally Posted by karapote monkey:
“My daughter works for a posh company and no one gets a Christmas bonus.”

I don't know many people who do get a Christmas bonus even those who work for Blue Chip Investment places. Most people seem to get their annual bonus in March/April now rather than December
RobinOfLoxley
28-12-2016
"There is a Maggot in this country and it's called Socialism" - Margo Leadbetter



Never mind Robert Maxwell, Philip Green, Starbucks et al, eh?
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