So Many Changes, So Little Bandwidth..!

Yep, getting on for a year.

I could never be accused of being prolific.

Blogs come, and thankfully, go. Just lately I have started to examine the benefits of blogging, and I reached the conclusion that they are an invaluable, unique way of recording the mundane, self absorbed trite, and the bullshit that rules our lives.

The main attractions, the star turns, might scream at us from the front pages and breakfast TV news, but it isn't them that change our lives, it's the small things, the kind word from a friend here, a sympathetic look there, a wink if you're lucky. These are the things that make us do things differently, make us cross the road, buy a different brand of coffee, wake up an hour earlier so to spend more time with the kids, not how many hours Mary Harney spent in a Government jet at our expense. It does matter, but it doesn't matter.

And so, to write a blog, or diary, for me is more about the little events that shape my life, not just work, but real life too, tedious as it will be for industry based researchers looking for an angle on how they should set up a blog....

Bugger The Recession

In these cash strapped times, we are all very aware here that no one is safe from the dole queue, we are a luxurious Resort, our guests come to stay and play with their 'spare' money, of which there is now precious little, but we are doing our best to carry on and do our jobs, pay our taxes and in turn compensate for the overblown fat cats that run this country, with their *ahem* unique leadership styles and management techniques.

If I couldn't account for every cent of the last years' budget I would be sacked, so how have this batch of idiots, supposedly responsible, democratically elected leaders of men, gotten away with fraud for so long? How do people like Beverly Flynn sleep at night, how can she stand in front of the Press and bemoan the way she was treated, how can she stand in front of her mirror and not see what we see?

How do the likes of the FAS Directors, the Consumer Watchdog Directors, and all the other manufactured 'directors' see themselves? I wonder if they feel a little bit guilty about the huge bonuses they give themselves, or what they think of the massive queues outside the social welfare offices they pass on their way to their offices, financed by those very people in that queue. Have they no morals, no notion of what being a decent human being is? If they ever had any altruistic intentions when they first took up these positions, they have been long forgotten in the cloud of junkets and free holidays disguised as 'fact finding seminars.'

I wonder if their faces get sore with so much wiping of gravy from their chins on the train they refuse to get off, someone should wake them up and tell them they have missed their stop.

Why do the same people who voted for these self serving spongers just bend over and take it? One thing I always admired about the Irish, they never run away from a fight, I am beginning to fear I may be wrong.

I am finding it increasingly alarming that all large companies in this country seem to be going down the same cost cutting routes. Is there some sort of template with 'only use in case of emergency' that we mere middle management minions don't get in our mail boxes?

Why do they think that the only effective way to cut costs is to lose staff? Your staff are surely your greatest asset? If anyone is going to dig us out of this deep and dark hole it will be the experienced staff, the thinkers, the ones with the ideas, the risk takers, the innovators, so why lose them for the sake of a few Euros? It seems to be the trend in todays Ireland to lose personnel first, ask questions later, there seems to be more than just trimming the fat going on. I have a quite simplistic way of looking at this situation, we need these people, to lose them permanently is to lose the opportunity to find solutions.

I do try to remain optimistic, despite having to lose many of my workers, cut my budget to the bone and take a pay reduction on the chin, but the media are intent on making us all so thoroughly miserable with their reporting of the 'R' word, that it's difficult not to be dragged down with them.

Most mornings when I'm in the petrol station I stand behind people in the queue and watch them hand over their money for their morning newspaper, I feel like telling them to put it back, buy a book instead, that they are contributing to the continuation of these doom mongers, why buy a newspaper? They're just full of some idiots' opinion in print, that there are many ways to get a news fix, but to buy a paper just endorses the shit they try to make us believe, it tells them to keep spewing out their bile, that we can be influenced, because 'if it's in the paper, then it must be true'!

One thing I refuse to do is compromise my standards just to make my purchase orders look less scary! My guests will always enjoy the comfort and luxury that we have built our reputation on.

Even if we do go bust, we'll do it in style!

Snip Snip, There Goes The Gold Card.

Re-deploy my arse!

Due to the fact that Mr. Cowan got his degree in a lucky bag, can't add up and probably 'mislaid' the tax returns from one or two Independent TDs, we are now in a situation whereby I have to let some of my best workers go.

I have to tell one of my cleaners today that she is now redundant, with a weeks notice. She has just got married, moved to a new house and her husband is on short time working as of this week too. The fact that she has no kids is no consolation given the fact that she would like to start a family sometime soon. Not only that but I have to shift personnel around to make them more cost effective!

Thanks Brian, thanks Bertie, I hope you can sleep at night.

My GM told me this week that if things don't 'pick up', that all the Managers will be taking a 10% cut in salary, I'm sure he is aware of the 'can't do shit without consultation' clause in our contracts.

The alternative will be re-deployment, which for some of us would be a welcome change, and for others a trip down memory lane, back into the depths of greasy kitchens and written scripts when working the switchboard.

I understand that early retirement is going to be offered to some of our die hards, just as well, otherwise we might find lunchtimes like this...



I would probably quite enjoy a change, but as my position is 'unique' I have to stay where I am, do the math, and deliver the bad news.

I could opt for a shorter week, why should I do the same amount of work for less money? If I had to choose, I would do less hours and be home more to annoy the children, but bossman wants me here for five days out of the seven so....I might start reading those automated emails from the recruitment agency that I didn't bother to unsubscribe to. I don't want to change jobs, but needs must where the devil drives.

Ho hum, doom and gloom....and, believe it or not, I'm the happy, annoying one around here!!