R16 billion lost to time-wasting workers

[FNfal]

One size fits all when it suits the companies and people like iFacts , we all know that is BS , estimates just dont cut it .
There are to many variables to assume this a near estimate of WTF is going on .
iFacts are just looking for free advertising and articles like this are giving it to them .

As for HR IMO they are more of a hindrance to work then they are worth , always looking for ways to justify their existence.

 

[Sonic2k]

Yet another BS article.

I know of several companies in close proximity to my office that treat their staff in the following manner:

* Lunch break as short as possible
* Won't let people take their leave
* People come to work sick as dogs, but they're not allowed to take time off.

Uhhhhh let's see, I spent Friday doing what many people think is "playing with my balls" well guess what, it was R&D and the result was a potential big customer deal this morning.

No sir, its only those greedy bastard evil employers who will "whinge about the millions wasted" meanwhile back at the ranch who is wasting? Do they really need a helicopter, or the newest BMW they can get their hands on, or that stupid Wine Estate?

This is exactly the reason why I don't work for anyone anymore, it sums it up perfectly.
I am sorry, my IM/Whatsapp/BBM is always close to me, in case something happens at my child's school.
In any case, no human being can concentrate solidly for 8 effing hours a day.
Oh and while we are at it... WHAT ABOUT THOSE SMOKERS WHO NEED SMOKE BREAKS EVERY EFFING HOUR!!!

We are definitely heading back to the era of Charles Dickens... where work was pure slavery for 1/2 a cent a day.

Swak reporting MyBB... try better next time.

Oh and for those that are curious, here are the rules at my company:

* If you are sick, you go home, I don't want you making mistakes/making ME SICK. Please don't bore me with your doctor's notes/sick slips. I can tell if you are sick or not.

* Don't try and be a slave, take a break to read/text/IM/whatever, because I don't want mistakes because of over-doing things. I don't really give a sh*t about the internet/email just don't sit and watch smut on my account or do anything illegal OK?

* Help yourself to the coffee/milk/etc... and yes you CAN USE IT for your breakfast cereal

* If your child is having an issue at school/or is sick, please attend to that. Family First!!!!!!
Work won't run away or fall over because of your absence.

* If we are having lunch, yes that INCLUDES YOU. I don't provide lunch every day but if we as management are having we will provide.

* You as employee, are an asset to the company, you provide much needed help. That said, however, does NOT GIVE ME THE RIGHT TO OWN YOU DURING THE HOURS YOU SPEND HERE.

Management code of conduct
* Ethics above all else. Verbal abuse/shouting/swearing/etc at employees is forbidden. What was said is forgotten but how you make someone feel with what you say will always be remembered. Our company will not contribute to the growing list of employees with psychiatric issues due to the workplace.
* Respect is mutual, the employee and employer shall mutually respect each other.
* Teamwork, camraderie, and a fun work environment is encouraged.

 

[RyanPCMR]

They should calculate the lunch times we sacrifice and overtime that doesn't get claimed.

The reality of it is that every employee should know the details of their employment and stay strictly within those confines or else they will just end up complaining over their own lack of understanding of the company's employment policy. It is easy to fall into the trap of working unrecognised overtime to try and achieve enough points for a promotion that might never happen.

 

[kianm]

They should calculate the lunch times we sacrifice and overtime that doesn't get claimed.

Exactly, im sure a lot of folk here have done some work during the weekend or at night

 

[kkmatau]

I really hope mybroadband writes an article about the billions lost by hard working workers...

 

[LazyLion]

I wasn't wasting time, I was on MyBroadband, OK?

 

[nexxus]

BS. Both parties must adhere to their sides of the employment contract.
If you are required to work beyond the 40 hours then you (a) have to agree to work overtime and (b) be paid for it or be given time off.

Another common tendency is to arrive at work at 8am if your working hours are from 8am to 5pm. Work for me and I'd kick your ass. You start WORKING at 8am and walking in the front gate/door is not working.

Same with tea times and lunch time. At the prescribed times you stop and take a break. And it MUST be away from your workplace. That you forfeit these breaks is your problem and not the employer's.

Freaking 'eck. Remind me not to work for you. My 1st year at a place we had a lady who'd tut-tut us if we walked in a couple minutes late or took a long lunch. Oh my frak, when she retired I swear attrition went down appreciably.

I'm an adult and I'm sorry, I don't work on a production line where my taking breaks at different times will disrupt the flow in any way. I'm also not a cashier, so don't really need you to tell me when to have tea thanks. You pay me a ton of money to create products for you, collect money for you, solve problems, whatever it is. If you can't trust me enough to keep time then we're off to a pretty poor start.

For me, once you get to a certain level and / or work in a certain field, a manager who freaks out about clock-punching or helicopters overhead moaning about me spending time on twitter or Facebook or blogs or reddit, department heads who obsess about browser traffic logs and send out missives equating non-work activities to stealing from the company are more of a hinderance than an asset. I'd go as far as to say that behaviour is sometimes as a result of them not knowing what they're supposed to be doing otherwise.

Oh, and I'll be working from home tomorrow, k? Thxbi.

 

[MickeyD]

@OMB... see, got one bite.

 

[MickeyD]

I don't work on a production line

Ergo, different conditions of service.

Now put yourself in the role of a manager in a production line...

 

[MickeyD]

Freaking 'eck. Remind me not to work for you.

In my environment we were deadline based. I did not give a schit how my teams reached their deadlines, but if they missed they knew what to expect.

We never missed.

Mainly because we had regular feedback sessions and if it seemed that we were slipping, we (note the WE) would pull together and get it back on track.

Work hard, play hard.

 

[SauRoNZA]

@Koosie you have a job for me?

 

[Sinbad]

Obviously.

I wasn't saying pay crazy salaries. I was saying pay bonuses on the performance of the company and pay them equally to all employees to encourage them to work harder and stick around.

Not saying share all profit so the company runs at a loss, but have a transparent benefit in place that if company does X you get Y.

No thanks. If my bonus is going to be the same as everyone else's, I'm sure as hell not going to put any extra effort in to be an above average worker.

 

[Necuno]

R16 billion lost to time-wasting workers

HR services and screening firm, iFacts says that employees wasting time at work could be costing business billions.

I know a few by current experience.

Time wasted:
1. Meaningless meetings
2. Wrong people in important positions making wrong decisions
3. Rework caused by 1 and 2
4. GOTO 1.

 

[Creag]

I know a few by current experience.

Time wasted:
1. Meaningless meetings
2. Wrong people in important positions making wrong decisions
3. Rework caused by 1 and 2
4. GOTO 1.

Meetings. Good point. Some folk feel meaningless unless they're in tons of meetings. Some think it's to being involved and productive. I know one or two of those. The worst is when a meaningless meeting orchestrated by such persons result in work for others. Grief

 

[now05ster]

Meetings. Good point. Some folk feel meaningless unless they're in tons of meetings. Some think it's to being involved and productive. I know one or two of those. The worst is when a meaningless meeting orchestrated by such persons result in work for others. Grief

At my company there is a tale about a meeting that was held regarding too many meetings that were being scheduled. I wasn't there thankfully.

Agree meetings should be as concise as possible and ultimately beneficial for all.

 

[nexxus]

In my environment we were deadline based. I did not give a schit how my teams reached their deadlines, but if they missed they knew what to expect.

We never missed.

Mainly because we had regular feedback sessions and if it seemed that we were slipping, we (note the WE) would pull together and get it back on track.

Work hard, play hard.

To be honest, that's not far away from most places I've worked. The deadlines were a bit wooly at times but except for one place, which quite simply had absurd expectations and we failed despite a good month of 16-20hr days, I've got very few memories of missing a hard deadline.

 

[Magnum]

Remember we are talking solely about bonuses.

Let me put it to you this way... I am a 30% non-executive (external) shareholder in your company. I bought those shares as an investment and would like to see a return on them.

Your company suffers a net loss after tax and your free cash flow has taken a big knock due to that hail storm.

Yet the executives of your comapny still pay you an annual bonus but me as a shareholder (a) gets nothing and (b) my investment has tanked.

How would you feel if the roles were reversed?

Dear MR shareholder.

If you remembered correctly last year you made 16 Million in dividends, money I worked my hands to the bone for. Weekend after Weekend overtime which I didn't get paid for because my manager get an incentive if he stays within his annual budget.

I am the life of the company. Without me and my co-workers there will be no company X, yet we are treated like manure and discarded around every corner. Every time we have a serious problem HR just replies "It is not company policy". I do really feel that you may have lost 28% or your investment portfolio, I do grieve for your lost. Now please feel my monthly loss, my pain and anguish. my 30 000 annual salary is heartbreaking. I am mortally wounded and bleeding to death...

 

[MickeyD]

Dear MR shareholder.

If you remembered correctly last year you made 16 Million in dividends, money I worked my hands to the bone for. Weekend after Weekend overtime which I didn't get paid for because my manager get an incentive if he stays within his annual budget.

I am the life of the company. Without me and my co-workers there will be no company X, yet we are treated like manure and discarded around every corner. Every time we have a serious problem HR just replies "It is not company policy". I do really feel that you may have lost 28% or your investment portfolio, I do grieve for your lost. Now please feel my monthly loss, my pain and anguish. my 30 000 annual salary is heartbreaking. I am mortally wounded and bleeding to death...

Dear employee

Get unionised. Know your rights. Stop being a patsy. You are protected by the law; go visit your local CCMA office.

You joined the company to tender your labour for an agreed upon remuneration. Neither party may willingly ignore that contract.

Like all other employees, you are but a number.

If you don't like it then move along.

 

[noxibox]

They should calculate the lunch times we sacrifice and overtime that doesn't get claimed.

Probably runs into hundreds of billions.

I should be working right now. But I am doing this in my own time. That said, I can see how easily many in my work place get distracted. Cell phones and IM seems to be one of the distractions.

People were easily distracted long before those things existed though. One big source of distraction is working in cubicles instead of individual offices.

BS. Both parties must adhere to their sides of the employment contract.

For most contacts simply turning up at work and doing the bare minimum fulfils the letter, if not the spirit, of the contract.

If you are working "for free" then you are to blame, not your employer.

Essentially correct, but most people know that at best failing to give your time for free means being sidelined, at worst the workplace will be made unpleasant to get them to quit.

Another common tendency is to arrive at work at 8am if your working hours are from 8am to 5pm. Work for me and I'd kick your ass.

Well you'd try.

You start WORKING at 8am and walking in the front gate/door is not working.

Wrong. The employee is on site. Even factories work this way. You are required to pass the clock in point by the official starting time. If your area is a 20 minute walk from there no-one can require you to start earlier unless they pay overtime. Exactly as it should be.

Same with tea times and lunch time. At the prescribed times you stop and take a break.

Except in cases where it is truly necessary for everyone to take breaks simultaneously or at fixed times people should take these when it suits them.

And it MUST be away from your workplace.

It can be wherever the employee prefers it to be

Will said employees also pay back their bonuses in years when the company makes a loss?

Why should they unless they're the cause? Most often management are the ones that make the cock-ups that lead to losses.

I know of several companies in close proximity to my office that treat their staff in the following manner:

* Lunch break as short as possible
* Won't let people take their leave
* People come to work sick as dogs, but they're not allowed to take time off.

These places will also be the first to wonder why they have employee problems.

 

[noxibox]

Remember we are talking solely about bonuses.

Let me put it to you this way... I am a 30% non-executive (external) shareholder in your company. I bought those shares as an investment and would like to see a return on them.

Your company suffers a net loss after tax and your free cash flow has taken a big knock due to that hail storm.

Yet the executives of your comapny still pay you an annual bonus but me as a shareholder (a) gets nothing and (b) my investment has tanked.

How would you feel if the roles were reversed?

General employee bonuses should be linked to employee performance, not company performance which is the domain of the executives. The time it is not reasonable to pay them is when the company genuinely has no money to do so. In those circumstances it should be held back and added to subsequent bonuses until such time as the company is able to pay.

It's a regular mistake companies make. Executives set unreasonable targets, then fail to reach them, so employees are not rewarded for extra effort. Neither the targets nor achieving them are under the control of anyone other than the executives. But on it goes, the executives keep setting unreasonable targets, and the employees realise there is no point doing more than the minimum to keep their job. The best people leave and the company is left with people happy to do as little as possible to take home their pay. In the right sector a company like that will even survive and those running it will blame the general employees for its failure to do better.

As a shareholder I don't expect to be held more important than the general employees of the company.