The UK’s productivity malaise is decades old, chiefly in the public sector, where an Oxford double first guarantees you a lifetime career but offers nothing on management or the resolve needed to take tough decisions on manpower reduction. Covid made everything worse, with millions given 80% pay for staying at home. Unsurprisingly many quite liked the relaxation and freedom and have chosen it permanently. The examples you cite are again all public sector I think, they’re taking the Mick, big time, and the mandarins allow it in the spirit of fostering good staff (and trade union) relations. Those working now or in the past in the private sector look on with disgust not amazement, it isn’t surprising any more, our taxes sustain millions of worthless, unnecessary, unaffordable jobs that would NEVER be approved in their world. Two tier Britain all over.
With the ongoing volume of layoffs, Gallup's G-12 measure of employee engagement, with no mention of customers or profits seems antiquated. A well treated hired hand still knows they are a hired hand, subject to the next layoff. No security in this. This Inc article suggests a more relevant measure, with research that shows it drives profit growth: "Employee Engagement 2.0? It's Called Economic Engagement"
I recently watched the film, The Children Act, and wondered why anyone would want to be a judge, despite the prestige. And then I wondered who’d want to be a social worker, or a psychiatrist. And then I started to wonder about school teaching and nursing, obstetrics and basically anything in the medical field. It’s very difficult to think of any job which might offer forty years of challenge, decent reward and security. It’s probably easier to limit one’s aspirations to avoid the disappointments which lie in wait as time goes on.
The UK’s productivity malaise is decades old, chiefly in the public sector, where an Oxford double first guarantees you a lifetime career but offers nothing on management or the resolve needed to take tough decisions on manpower reduction. Covid made everything worse, with millions given 80% pay for staying at home. Unsurprisingly many quite liked the relaxation and freedom and have chosen it permanently. The examples you cite are again all public sector I think, they’re taking the Mick, big time, and the mandarins allow it in the spirit of fostering good staff (and trade union) relations. Those working now or in the past in the private sector look on with disgust not amazement, it isn’t surprising any more, our taxes sustain millions of worthless, unnecessary, unaffordable jobs that would NEVER be approved in their world. Two tier Britain all over.
With the ongoing volume of layoffs, Gallup's G-12 measure of employee engagement, with no mention of customers or profits seems antiquated. A well treated hired hand still knows they are a hired hand, subject to the next layoff. No security in this. This Inc article suggests a more relevant measure, with research that shows it drives profit growth: "Employee Engagement 2.0? It's Called Economic Engagement"
I recently watched the film, The Children Act, and wondered why anyone would want to be a judge, despite the prestige. And then I wondered who’d want to be a social worker, or a psychiatrist. And then I started to wonder about school teaching and nursing, obstetrics and basically anything in the medical field. It’s very difficult to think of any job which might offer forty years of challenge, decent reward and security. It’s probably easier to limit one’s aspirations to avoid the disappointments which lie in wait as time goes on.