Work - Life Balance

[Conor]

Can confirm that Dublin is a ridiculously expensive city.

 

Forget about getting on the rental ladder, you'd be better off trying to climb a teflon ladder smeared with grease.

 

Aye its a mad mad place. Have never rented and been paying a mortgage for the last 13 years. Rent is dead money as the old man always said to me. 

The stress in work goes up and down on a daily basis. sometimes i say fuck it - its a job and theres always more out there etc no big fucking deal. Other times i freak out about my current job and worry about losing it and being able to pay the bills and look after the missus and kids.

 

work life balance - one hard bastard to try and conquer.

[TheBitch]

She's failed three times and that's it as far as she's concerned.

 

My Mrs failed about 5 times, she's alright now, never been involved in an accident but said she's seen loads in her rear view mirror.

[cloggypop]

Buy her the cheapest Fitbit and tell her fitness trackers and 10,000 steps per day is all the rage, and that she should savour her walk to work as it will allow her to reconnect with the world around her.

A copy of The Pilgrimage by Paolo Coelho as well and she'll be sold on this.

[mattyq]

She's failed three times and that's it as far as she's concerned.

I failed 2 times before getting it on my third

It sucked at the time but now I've been driving for almost 30 years with only 1 accident to my name

[General Dryness]

She's failed three times and that's it as far as she's concerned.

 

Put your foot down mate. You can be damn sure that if the situations were reversed you'd be doing that test until you passed it.

 

Maybe she could try going for an automatic only licence? Might be easier for her to pass if she doesn't have to worry about changing gears.

[Furmedge]

I'm very lucky in my job. We have no core hours and I'm able to work from home when needed, which at the moment is quite regular. My boss is sound, he gets the need for a work/life balance and our place is currently pushing it through investment in technology and understanding what motivates staff.

 

Makes me think the world would be a better place if companies thought about the welfare of their staff, rather than treat people like shite.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

Need a bit of advice on this.

 

My wife doesn't drive and since me and her moved in together two years ago I've been dropping her off at work and picking her up on my way home.

 

It's proven quite knackering. I have to get up at 6am as she needs to be in work at half seven to get her work done (she's a teacher), but this means I'm in work an hour earlier with nothing to do. When I get out too I usually have to loiter around for half an hour outside her work and wait for her as she doesn't get out until quarter to six.

 

So instead of doing a nine five I'm basically doing an 8-6 every day. I really noticed the difference at how much less tired and stressed I was when she was off school and I could just look after my own commute. Having to be somewhere for someone 'on the clock' constantly is actually quite stressful I find.

 

I recently changed jobs to one I'm much happier in and thought it wouldn't feel as much of a grind but it does.

 

She's offered to get lifts in and home with colleagues but one in particular leaves at stupid o'clock, think she gets in for 7am. Plus, I just feel a bit shit about it. She's me Mrs and I've got a car. I've tried to convince her to learn to drive (subtly) but she's having none of it. Thoughts?

 

1) Get her to learn to drive (it's a  particular pet peeve of mine, people who are always relying on other people for lifts everywhere, but don't "see the need" to learn to drive). Failing doesn't get you a life ban. Can you take her out for practice?

 

2) Let her get a lift in with mates, even for a while. So what if she's waiting about early? You are doing that already, every day, for someone else. Why can't she do it for herself? It's not going to kill her.

 

Seriously Sect that kind of thing would be draining mentally and physically (the lack of relaxation time and sleep) and I know personally would send my anxiety mental. Do yourself a favour and at least meet her half way. Maybe do the pick ups but not the drop offs, or do 2 days a week or something. What you're doing isn't sustainable and therefore isn't a solution.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

Put your foot down mate. You can be damn sure that if the situations were reversed you'd be doing that test until you passed it.

 

Maybe she could try going for an automatic only licence? Might be easier for her to pass if she doesn't have to worry about changing gears.

 

That's a good idea. Then further down the line when she's got used to driving, she could go manual if she wanted.

[Rico1304]

1) Get her to learn to drive (it's a  particular pet peeve of mine, people who are always relying on other people for lifts everywhere, but don't "see the need" to learn to drive). Failing doesn't get you a life ban. Can you take her out for practice?

 

2) Let her get a lift in with mates, even for a while. So what if she's waiting about early? You are doing that already, every day, for someone else. Why can't she do it for herself? It's not going to kill her.

 

Seriously Sect that kind of thing would be draining mentally and physically (the lack of relaxation time and sleep) and I know personally would send my anxiety mental. Do yourself a favour and at least meet her half way. Maybe do the pick ups but not the drop offs, or do 2 days a week or something. What you're doing isn't sustainable and therefore isn't a solution.

Careful which driving school she uses, there's one I've seen on the internet where the instructor shags all his pupils!

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

Careful which driving school she uses, there's one I've seen on the internet where the instructor shags all his pupils!

 

Getting a black taxi poses the same risks, according to my online research.

[Bob]

The idea of condensing your week into 4 days is the best answer.

 

Then get her back into learning to drive again too. Automatic only to start with is a good shout.

 

Soon, you'll be in a position where she can drive AND you get a day off to do what you please with.

[Pureblood]

Need a bit of advice on this.

 

My wife doesn't drive and since me and her moved in together two years ago I've been dropping her off at work and picking her up on my way home.

 

It's proven quite knackering. I have to get up at 6am as she needs to be in work at half seven to get her work done (she's a teacher), but this means I'm in work an hour earlier with nothing to do. When I get out too I usually have to loiter around for half an hour outside her work and wait for her as she doesn't get out until quarter to six.

 

So instead of doing a nine five I'm basically doing an 8-6 every day. I really noticed the difference at how much less tired and stressed I was when she was off school and I could just look after my own commute. Having to be somewhere for someone 'on the clock' constantly is actually quite stressful I find.

 

I recently changed jobs to one I'm much happier in and thought it wouldn't feel as much of a grind but it does.

 

She's offered to get lifts in and home with colleagues but one in particular leaves at stupid o'clock, think she gets in for 7am. Plus, I just feel a bit shit about it. She's me Mrs and I've got a car. I've tried to convince her to learn to drive (subtly) but she's having none of it. Thoughts?

 

I couldn't do this for anyone even if I wanted to.  I think you should shoot her.

[The Guest]

My girlfriend is a primary teacher and I'd honestly say in the long term she's going to need to drive at some point. The amount of books and other stuff they take to school and back would be pretty much impossible in the long run. She used to get 2 busses in the morning and I'd pick her up on the way home. It got old for her very quick. She doesn't like driving now at all and pretty much only uses the car to go to work and back. There are ones she works with that don't drive but she tells me this does effect their work. I think you can get away with it for a bit but in the end anybody not driving in that job would just start leaving stuff in work and trying to do everything there which then becomes impossible.

 

I think the best way to go at it is offer to do the pick up or drop off. At the moment you're basically doing teachers hours without the benefit of the teachers holidays. It's hard when it's your missus but you will end up arguing about other pointless shit because you're tired if you don't deal with the cause!

[lifetime fan]

Might be looking for a new job.

 

Company want to deduct me £600 in one go for when I was off sick with a chest infection and had an argument with the CEO this morning in the SMT meeting as she wants CCTV installed around the home.

 

No other fucker said anything and it turned into a bit of a slanging match.

 

Cunt.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

Might be looking for a new job.

 

Company want to deduct me £600 in one go for when I was off sick with a chest infection and had an argument with the CEO this morning in the SMT meeting as she wants CCTV installed around the home.

 

No other fucker said anything and it turned into a bit of a slanging match.

 

Cunt.

 

What do you do?

[lifetime fan]

Manage a home for adults with mental health problems.

[Pureblood]

Manage a home for adults with mental health problems.

 

A bit like Dave U but real life not online.

[lifetime fan]

A bit like Dave U but real life not online.

I'd ban me!

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

I definitely take my sick pay for granted sometimes. Public sector isn't glamorous but has it's advantages. Getting charged for being sick is alien to me.

[Jairzinho]

A bit like Dave U but real life not online.

 

It's still real to be dammit.

[Furmedge]

Manage a home for adults with mental health problems.

Are you part of a union? There'd be no chance they'd let them push that through.

[lifetime fan]

In a union but they've now proposed its split over 3 months after I sent a shitty email.

 

Just the argument about CCTV now...

[russ1979]

I definitely take my sick pay for granted sometimes. Public sector isn't glamorous but has it's advantages. Getting charged for being sick is alien to me.

Sick pay!! Most people these days don't get holiday pay.. treasure it

[G Richards]

Mick - she has to learn to drive! There's a fine line between helping and enabling. It's good to help, and your heart is good and you want to give a lift and so on... but then the current arrangement is keeping her from sorting out a sustainable arrangement, and it's hurting you! I'd have a talk, not drop a hint. And rather than go cold turkey, I'd change it to four days a week, three days a week, two days a week... I'd also make a massive fuss of her passing the driving test, when it happens. It's an important life skill and should be celebrated (though obviously the celebration will be as much yours as hers!)

[G Richards]

On a personal note, work-life balance over here in America is a constant struggle. I think generally Americans work longer hours than back home, and unfortunately I have a lot of responsibilities so it piles up. Some people think ministers only work on a Sunday, but that is far from true! For me though this is a calling, not a job, as such. That doesn't mean it is always easy, far from it in fact, but on the whole it is a joy.

 

I have a lot of meetings and can start as early as you like some days, e.g. 6.30am. Conversely sometimes I'm in board meetings and so on until 11pm or later. So the hours are long, if you want to really try to make it count. On the other hand, I can be flexible and take a day off in the week and catch up with Mrs G and so on. Everyone understands. The team we have assembled are all good people. If my staff need to do something personal they do it. I am 100% confident in everyone. They all work hard but they all have lives to manage too. It's a good situation. If someone is sick usually I'm telling them to go home and take a day off, rather than people swinging the lead and trying it on. That's not my world, though I know it happens.

 

In my line of work I need to do more of a study day each week too, and I often do that from home so as to avoid impromptu meetings and so on in a workplace that has four full time ministers, two full time admin staff, one full time preschool director and about 25 part time teaching staff on that side of things. Lots of moving parts, but again, it is a joy.