[Ammi]

..we used to do them at school before the Easter Holidays and work it so that all of the children got one..it was just a bit more fun than just giving them the eggs..then the last time, some of the children in one class could see out of the window/were looking out of the window when we were 'hiding' them and then they ran straight out and got them all..around 4/5 children in that one class...anyway there was tears and heartbreak but they did share them out in the end/we persuaded them to but we haven't done another one since..it's just too controversial, Annie....

[AnnieK]

Pesky kids....

[Ammi]

..yeah, they need to grow up and stop being so childish.....

[Ammi]

..it's really funny watching your son wake up and walking through the house like a dead zombie..grunting...

[arista]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..it's really funny watching your son wake up and walking through the house like a dead zombie..grunting...

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by arista

..LOL..he was like that once Arista but he's a bit older now..my eldest one was worse though, he literally turned into Kevin and Perry overnight on his 13th birthday..the whole you aren't my real parents thing..it probably made him worse because it was so funny and we would just laugh at him...

[Jack.]

Hey all

[AnnieK]

Morning jack....

[Ammi]

..hey Jack....you're up and about early....

[Jack.]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

Morning jack....

Morning Annie how are you

Originally Posted by Ammi

..hey Jack....you're up and about early....

I've not been sleeping right for days. Been up since 6.20am

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by JackF

Morning Annie how are you

I've not been sleeping right for days. Been up since 6.20am

..awww....is that because your mum's away/are you at your sisters..?..Jack, you should have come online earlier if you were awake, don't sit there on your own, ok....

[Jack.]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..awww....is that because your mum's away/are you at your sisters..?..Jack, you should have come online earlier if you were awake, don't sit there on your own, ok....

I'm not sure what it is that's waking me up all the time. My brother in law has been up since 2am as he has an abscess under this eye and it's painful so he can't sleep

[Ammi]

..abscesses are awful anyway but on your eye, that must be particularly painful. poor thing...I often find that I can't sleep/have a restless sleeping pattern at season changes because I'm quite 'tuned' to weather/seasons, it seems to be more what triggers my migraines..do you think it could be that/the season change/atmospheric or more something on your mind..?...

[Z]

Omg my poor dad, my mum just called me, apparently another guy's quit

[Ammi]

..I just lost my internet connection/power cut and when I got it back I was still logged on....it was probably trying to tell me I'd been online to long and needed to get off and do some stuff...HOW CAN I DO STUFF WITH NO ELECTRICITY.....


..another guy Greg..?..sorry have I missed something/a post..?..

[Z]

Well last summer one of the guys (small company, 6 employees, one of whom is a part time accountant so really just 5 employees doing the operational stuff) was injured and has been off work ever since and it's not looking likely that he'll ever return. So I started working there over summer to help reduce the workload because 4 people were doing the work of 5, and it was summer and people had holidays booked so then it was 3 people doing the work of 5, plus me doing whatever I could to help out. Then one of the 4 guys handed in his notice to go travelling round the world with his wife but he gave my dad as much notice as possible so he went and found somebody to replace him and that guy is now working there being trained up so currently there are 5 people working there but one of them is still new and is still learning so 4 doing the work of 5 still, really... but getting there. The idea being that the new guy would be trained up by the time the other guy left so they'd still have 4 trained people doing the work of 5. Now another one of the guys has announced he's leaving but he's given my dad barely any notice at all, he's leaving 2 weeks after the other guy leaves, so now he needs to find someone else new to come in and that'll mean that there'll be 2 experienced guys (my dad and someone else) working with 2 new guys and all the while trying to carry on business as usual, and STILL a person short because you can't fire someone for being injured obviously. It's such a nightmare.

[Ammi]

..oh crikey..and he's got the holiday season coming up again as well so that'll stretch it even more...why is this guy leaving, could your dad persuade him to stay, pay him a bit more money..?..I know he probably can't afford to but maybe the better option..?...

[Z]

Nah this guy's been a pain in the ass for years, my dad reckons he's just done this to stick the knife in - why would you give the bare minimum notice when you've seen one of your co-workers give as much notice as possible and be as helpful as possible before he leaves, and when you know that everyone's just as stressed out as you are - it's just really bad, that guy's worked there for like 20 years, all of them have worked there for a long time because it's such a small business, so it's a bit shocking really... And yeah they can't afford to give anyone better wages because they're having to pay the injured guy statutory sick pay, paying everyone else's salaries as normal but also paying this new guy who's being trained up, and then once the first guy leaves and they're back down to 4, I'll be going back to help out for a while so they'll be paying me too... and obviously they're not paying me salary levels (not that I'd expect them to, I'm happy to be paid a really great wage and work there temporarily while I figure out what to do next)... just so unfair on my dad, his hair's gone practically white over the last year, it's like when you see pictures of presidents of the USA before and after they are in office... the stress ages them!

[Ammi]

..yeah, you're right, stress does age people quite quickly, especially with something particularly traumatic so it shows the effect this is all had on your dad...there isn't really anything he can do except to just carry on as best he can and with the workers he has and you in the summer/I guess there are no other family members who aren't working atm who could help out as well..?...it's incredible to think that someone would behave like that after all of those years working with your dad and feel no loyalty at all, it kind of makes you lose faith in people and their self-centeredness...


..is he having to pay any sort of compensation to the injured guy as well..?...

[Ammi]

..and also, if this guy was always a pain and your dad can get through this, then maybe it'll turn out that he'll get a really good employee/much better...

[Z]

Well yeah that's what my mum's been saying to him, think of it as a good thing, you're losing someone who was never that great in the first place, it'll be better off without him once the initial issues are out of the way. I think they're trying to get my younger brother to go in and work there but he's dead against it because he hates the atmosphere in the office my dad likes to work in silence so there's never any chat in the office or anything, my brother refers to it as "the morgue"... LOL

[Ammi]

..yeah, it's always really annoying though when people say..'it's for the best thing/things happen for a reason..' when you're so stressed and having to deal with it/it's not until much later that you can reflect on things and that's only if they 'work out', you can see the positive...I do feel for him though although I must say that I think your dad will look extremely handsome with grey hair...


...ahhh LOL at your brother, it's strange working with parents, my son worked for my OH for a few months between jobs once and I think he put a little bit of 'life' into the office from what people have told me/just kind of teasing his dad all of the time while his dad was trying to be all serious and business-like......

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Z

Well yeah that's what my mum's been saying to him, think of it as a good thing, you're losing someone who was never that great in the first place, it'll be better off without him once the initial issues are out of the way. I think they're trying to get my younger brother to go in and work there but he's dead against it because he hates the atmosphere in the office my dad likes to work in silence so there's never any chat in the office or anything, my brother refers to it as "the morgue"... LOL

He should go for it, Work Experience is invaluable and it'll put him ahead of other people his age when he's looking for a job.

[Ammi]

..yeah, Dezzy is right, it's just the experience thing and it's great if he gets that chance with family..he might even get to like it as well and decide he wants to stay for longer...(if he can stand the dead bodies..)...

[Z]

Well he's worked for other similar companies in the last couple of years so it's not even like he really needs the work experience, he's 19, he's got experience working full time for a company like that one... think he's just totally against the idea of working in that office hahahaha