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19 May 2011
Trainees.
It is holiday season in the office and also student study leave season.
Throw in a couple of bank holidays and a couple of sick days and there is virtually nobody in the office except the cleaner and a couple of clients!
A downfall of having trainees is that, when exam time comes around, you are left with a skeleton staff and no-one to crunch out VAT returns, analyse the ‘bag of crap' from John the Window Cleaner, or make the all-important six cups of coffee a day.
As a partner, I am obviously inclined to motivate the remaining staff to work that bit harder, perhaps take some work home, and maybe even convince some to work weekends! There is more chance of John the Window Cleaner declaring all his income to be honest with you.
A member of staff has somehow managed to book a two-week holiday in amongst the study leave period, without my knowing, which has really left us in the lurch. I was tempted to ask him (tongue in cheek) if he would be willing to cancel the family holiday to Tenerife, just to see what his reaction was. Not a chance in hell.
There is nothing like teamwork, and this is nothing like teamwork. I have been impressed, however, with a couple of the staff in the office who are thankfully seeing this as their chance to impress the boss and chip in. One of them has offered to work a couple of weekends to help ease the workload. He is either very keen, has no girlfriend, no friends or no social life.
Not that I'm complaining. I wish all the staff had no life and were willing to work 24-7 for no overtime pay. Perhaps we should look at employing robots that don't require 12 weeks study leave a year and don't take holidays...
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Visitor comments Add your comment
Bags of crap
I miss the days of moaning about the bags of crap from John the window cleaner, Jane the mobile hair dresser and Paul the plasterer (those bags smelled too), with such anomolies as the obviously altered hand-written petrol receipts (100 £5 receipts which all had a 1 added before the 5 in the same black biro - even when they were written in blue) and knowing that the Scoobie that John was running around in cost more to run than the profits he was making, which was meant to support him, his wife and 4 kids!
How I miss those days now!
Posted by: Peter Swift, 19 May 2011 | 09:54
Trainees etc
When I had a proper job in the profession we used to call them Tesco bag jobs. Bet they did not get many of them at PWC etc
Posted by: Rich L, 19 May 2011 | 14:36
Bags of crap
Bet you don't miss partners being such clowns as this guy? Lovely attitude and can't even make his own coffee. Bet his staff love him.
Posted by: John Best, 20 May 2011 | 09:23
Poor Management
So The Practitioner expects staff to work at weekends for no overtime pay. has he never heard of the Minimum Wage??? See you at the Tribunal!!!
Also, as your workload due to study leave is predictable you have FAILED TO PLAN AHEAD. Have you not heard of temp agencies (oh sorry that would actually cost you money!). Your Victorian values are 100 years too late, & your attitude to underlings is one reason why I ,as a qualified ACCA, have not worked in practice in nearly 20 years!
It is your business- partners' time is free YOU TRY WORKING AT THE WEEKEND!
Posted by: Andy tover, 20 May 2011 | 14:24