Multiple people quitting



a1970man said:
Seagull managers we call them.
Fly in, make a lot of noise, shit over everything and fly off.
We've had more than I care to remember.

One such gem was a guy who read a book on bell curve management.
The basic idea was that a third of your staff are good, a third are adequate and a third are bad.
Each manager around the business was told to divide their teams into 3 and discipline the bottom third with performance plans and to start disciplinary procedures against them.
The management naturally complained and said that no one on their team deserved such treatment and that they were quite happy with all team members.
They were then told that if they couldn't do this then they are underperforming in their managers team and would be replaced.
A third of the staff were disciplined and given 30 days to improve, in most cases quiet unwarranted.
We lost a number of staff.
Now if you discipline the same guy twice in a row, they end up on a final written warning, so managers disciplined the "adequate" staff.
We lost more staff.
So it was then a rinse and repeat exercise until all staff had been disciplined at some point.
The boss was then sacked for destroying morale and causing staffing issues and this missing targets and goals.
He was replaced, the new guy reversed everything and gave everyone a pay rise, but we lost of very good people in that time.
Click to expand...
That's fcking madness

Some people are just not suited for management. They may be good at a job or decent people. It doesn't make them a good manager
We've just received a message telling us we "may" be required to work this weekend. The 65hr week we are putting in isn't enough it seems
 
Last edited:
a1970man said:
Seagull managers we call them.
Fly in, make a lot of noise, shit over everything and fly off.
We've had more than I care to remember.

One such gem was a guy who read a book on bell curve management.
The basic idea was that a third of your staff are good, a third are adequate and a third are bad.
Each manager around the business was told to divide their teams into 3 and discipline the bottom third with performance plans and to start disciplinary procedures against them.
The management naturally complained and said that no one on their team deserved such treatment and that they were quite happy with all team members.
They were then told that if they couldn't do this then they are underperforming in their managers team and would be replaced.
A third of the staff were disciplined and given 30 days to improve, in most cases quiet unwarranted.
We lost a number of staff.
Now if you discipline the same guy twice in a row, they end up on a final written warning, so managers disciplined the "adequate" staff.
We lost more staff.
So it was then a rinse and repeat exercise until all staff had been disciplined at some point.
The boss was then sacked for destroying morale and causing staffing issues and this missing targets and goals.
He was replaced, the new guy reversed everything and gave everyone a pay rise, but we lost of very good people in that time.
Click to expand...
Bloody hell. There was probably a good cause for constructive dismissal if people were given disciplines with no justification.

I remember a bloke coming into one team where a friend's wife worked and he pretty much walked in the door shouting. Pissed lots of people off and many left. Once something entered his head it had to be done immediately and he would not change his idea even when it became obvious it was stupid. "There is a reason why I'm the boss and you are a worker, now get it done", was a phrase he had been known to use.

One day he decided his department were going to do something over the weekend and set up some service or other on his PC, he mailed IT with an urgent request to open a firewall hole to it. I replied and said no (from a network security point of view an unsecured service on a desktop PC open to the whole internet is really stupid). 5 minutes later the door bursts open and smacks into the wall, "Who is Dave H" he boomed. He stood there going purple shouting that he paid my wages and if I didn't open the firewall hole there was hell to pay. I calmly pointed out that he was not in my management chain or even the same department, didn't pay my wages, was not responsible for network security and I was, so there was no way I would open a firewall hole at 5pm on a Friday.

"You boy stay there and don't you dare move an inch" he bellowed. I was about 38 and hardly a boy. I was already in my cycling gear with a ruck sack on my back and clearly ready to go home. Off he stomped to find my boss, so I shrugged and left. The next Monday my boss came to see me. "I hear you had a bit of a discussion with Jeremy on Friday, and he came to see me very unhappy. I told him not to be a wanker and to go away, so there should not be any fall out for you because he is really furious with me now.". The bloke was sacked a couple of weeks later.
 
Over my employment life I've realised there are two sorts of managers.
Good managers with a natural aptitude and ability to get the best from the staff and bad ones who want to play at being in charge with no talent what so ever.
The bad tend to outweigh the good, but ultimately don't last long as either you're just a stepping stone to bigger stuff or they get finished.
They tend to last two years.
They start by changing stuff they don't understand to improve some stat or other in an attempt to make themselves look good.
After a year it hasn't worked, to which they say that it will, it just needs more time.
In the second year they try and jump ship either upwards or outwards to leave the mess they can't fix behind.

If you get a new boss, look at their career history on LinkedIn.
Do they move every 18 months to two years? If it's a yes, then they're someone to watch out for.
As most of these bad ones tend to move around a lot at a high level, they gets paid off to leave, signing an NDA to make them silent on the whole issue.
The company then release statements saying they were sorry to see them leave but the had an offer in an area they were passionate about and wish them all success etc.
They will never say we employed a knacker as it makes the board look bad and cause awkward questions at the next shareholder meeting.
 
Swindon On Tour said:
I’m sure you can go to LinkedIn and find so many inspirational business leaders - not.

Ffs not long to go now and I’m out of all this shite.
Problem is counting the weeks now like a prison sentence.
Click to expand...
That is one of the things I find with work. My line of work is only interesting if I do it in a large organisation. But in a large organisation you always get someone who is either a knob you just don't want to deal with or frustratingly slow at everything. Either way you spend time coaxing someone into doing their job properly so you can just get on with yours. Or if you can afford it, you could just not do it.
 
DaveH said:
That is one of the things I find with work. My line of work is only interesting if I do it in a large organisation. But in a large organisation you always get someone who is either a knob you just don't want to deal with or frustratingly slow at everything. Either way you spend time coaxing someone into doing their job properly so you can just get on with yours. Or if you can afford it, you could just not do it.
Click to expand...

I‘m cooked.
Have zero enthusiasm now and just want out. A combination of Corporate bollocks v Age, a dangerous combination.
Told my new Boss yesterday that I’m wanting out, in fairness was so accommodating and along the lines of “ Fully aware on what you have had to manage.” Basically feels it’s on my terms thus could be worse.
 
a1970man said:
Seagull managers we call them.
Fly in, make a lot of noise, shit over everything and fly off.
We've had more than I care to remember.

One such gem was a guy who read a book on bell curve management.
The basic idea was that a third of your staff are good, a third are adequate and a third are bad.
Each manager around the business was told to divide their teams into 3 and discipline the bottom third with performance plans and to start disciplinary procedures against them.
The management naturally complained and said that no one on their team deserved such treatment and that they were quite happy with all team members.
They were then told that if they couldn't do this then they are underperforming in their managers team and would be replaced.
A third of the staff were disciplined and given 30 days to improve, in most cases quiet unwarranted.
We lost a number of staff.
Now if you discipline the same guy twice in a row, they end up on a final written warning, so managers disciplined the "adequate" staff.
We lost more staff.
So it was then a rinse and repeat exercise until all staff had been disciplined at some point.
The boss was then sacked for destroying morale and causing staffing issues and this missing targets and goals.
He was replaced, the new guy reversed everything and gave everyone a pay rise, but we lost of very good people in that time.
Click to expand...
One of the things that has been introduced is we have to find failures in employee’s performances and write them up. You have to find 4 per month (so 1 a week). If not then you will be written up because you’re not actively looking.
Don’t get me wrong nobody is perfect but if we have 12 (when fully staffed) looking for 4 failures and follow up with discipline we will fire most staff within a year. I tried explaining this but was told if I have difficulty holding people accountable then maybe it’s not the job for me
Grimes said:
I wouldn’t mind emigrating over to Canada mate can you link me a job advert ?
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t recommend my place to anyone right now.
A few months back maybe
 
Last edited:
Swindon On Tour said:
I‘m cooked.
Have zero enthusiasm now and just want out. A combination of Corporate bollocks v Age, a dangerous combination.
Told my new Boss yesterday that I’m wanting out, in fairness was so accommodating and along the lines of “ Fully aware on what you have had to manage.” Basically feels it’s on my terms thus could be worse.
Click to expand...
That is a good way to leave it. When one of my old managers retired, he made it public along with the date long before he handed in his notice to start the official process. It kept it open and honest and allowed more planning for his departure. That was mainly me taking on all his duties, attending meetings in his place and then when I was interviewed I could show I was doing most of the job and got the promotion by stealth.
 
JAZZMANB said:
Yet change jobs 🤔
Takes a lot for people to move I find
Click to expand...
This I agree with.

Some people will sit in the bearable bracket and be there for years. Once it becomes too much they will finally make that break away. It’s almost like they benefit from it being a little bit worse, because it pushes them to do it.
Swindon On Tour said:
I‘m cooked.
Have zero enthusiasm now and just want out. A combination of Corporate bollocks v Age, a dangerous combination.
Told my new Boss yesterday that I’m wanting out, in fairness was so accommodating and along the lines of “ Fully aware on what you have had to manage.” Basically feels it’s on my terms thus could be worse.
Click to expand...
What I’m finally starting to realize with the corporate world is they introduce new policies and extra work load, but nothing gets reduced.
You have to prioritize what’s gonna get you in the most trouble and focus on that. When something smaller fails you’ll still take shit but not as bad as it could be.
 
Last edited:
I remember at Npower years ago there was a team that had six lads on it. The manager who ran it moved to another department and a total Cliterati misandrist took over. Within six months the six lads on the team had been replaced by seven women. She went out of her way to make people’s lives a living hell from what I heard.

Used to see her arguing with herself in corridors and screaming abuse at people across the office. Always wondered what happened to her.
 
rey mysterio said:
I remember at Npower years ago there was a team that had six lads on it. The manager who ran it moved to another department and a total Cliterati misandrist took over. Within six months the six lads on the team had been replaced by seven women. She went out of her way to make people’s lives a living hell from what I heard.

Used to see her arguing with herself in corridors and screaming abuse at people across the office. Always wondered what happened to her.
Click to expand...

Probably posts daily on Linked In telling the World on how good she is.
😂😂
Self Proclaimed leaders - 😂
 
safcforever said:
This I agree with.

Some people will sit in the bearable bracket and be there for years. Once it becomes too much they will finally make that break away. It’s almost like they benefit from it being a little bit worse, because it pushes them to do it.

What I’m finally starting to realize with the corporate world is they introduce new policies and extra work load, but nothing gets reduced.
You have to prioritize what’s gonna get you in the most trouble and focus on that. When something smaller fails you’ll still take shit but not as bad as it could be.
Click to expand...
Last place I worked, they took on more projects than we had capacity for. They had roadmaps but they didn't reflect capacity. They decided to break them down into many more specific roadmaps and if one looked light they would be desperate to add more projects to it, without considering the staff needed for that roadmap would be snowed under because of major projects on other roadmaps. Then someone else would demand something and they would accept it "because we don't want to look bad" turning people away.

Staff struggling were told to prioritise with no guidance from senior management. When they announced what they had de-prioritised senior management kicked off and pushed it up the rankings. The result was everything was prioritised to equal value, and they couldn't see that this was the same as not prioritising at all.

Then projects would fail because of lack of resource we could see coming from 2 years away, but that was apparently better than turning down projects or not inventing projects because a roadmap didn't look busy enough.
 
I worked at a place that went through a merger. Probably about seven of us in one company and five in the other, plus two owners on each side, so not massive.

We moved office and it doubled commute time for most of us. Got rid of flexi, including any banked hours, and insisted on a rigid 9am start. One of the directors had come from a different background where I think he'd basically been the loudest voice and he was pretty difficult to work with. It just got people's backs up and it became a pretty negative atmosphere. Just under a year in five of our seven had left, including me. It was bad timing that four of us went within a couple of months of each other, but the company got people in who were happy to be there and they did well.
 
safcforever said:
Have you ever worked somewhere that has had multiple people quit around the same time?

My place had 12 people only 2 weeks ago, we’re currently down to 5 and we think another is putting his notice in when he comes back on shift on Sunday.

Just to clear it up a little, a new boss started a month ago and changed a few things.
Click to expand...
Bosses eh, we're better off without them!
 

Back
Top