Effect of Coronavirus

[oaksoft]

2 hours ago, Cookie Monster said:

We're not all Sheldon Cooper.

That would be Doctor Sheldon Cooper thank you very much.

[Tommy]

Was out for a meal on Saturday night, got chatting to an older couple who had decided to have a couple of days away.
The hotel they were staying in had charged them £250 for 2 nights.
This hotel, I've stayed there twice, is in the £60-£80 a night range.
The prices of drinks in the bar we were in were a joke, £8.25 for a glass of wine, £5.49 for a pint of Tennents and cocktails, I was there a year ago last week, had jumped from £6 to £8.
Ripping people off to make up for the previous months of no/low income doesn't sit well with me so feck them.
 
 

I price some hotels up north since we lost our holiday in portugal and was shocked at how much basic hotels were wanting.
Decided to head south and got a hotel in Lytham St Anne's and an other 1 in York at around 30% off the normal prices. Both with swimming pools.
Add in NS decision for needing to wear face mask in pub/restaurant when leaving your table for a piss was an other reason to head south.
With the weather around 23 degrees for the last 3 days I am glad I did

[Tommy]

Party because of the virus and my age, I have been offered the flu jag, and the address I have to go to is St Mirren Park, Greenlaw Rd Paisley Likely be the nearest I will get to the pitch this season

[Long John Baldy]

8 minutes ago, Tommy said:

Party because of the virus and my age, I have been offered the flu jag, and the address I have to go to is St Mirren Park, Greenlaw Rd Paisley Likely be the nearest I will get to the pitch this season

Can you play in defence? 🙄

[Russian Saint]

Party because of the virus and my age, I have been offered the flu jag, and the address I have to go to is St Mirren Park, Greenlaw Rd Paisley Likely be the nearest I will get to the pitch this season

You’ll probably still get more time on the pitch than Cammy McPherson.

[Long John Baldy]

I see Oaky has got Christmas sorted for his family already..................................

[oaksoft]

25 minutes ago, Long John Baldy said:

I see Oaky has got Christmas sorted for his family already..................................

If that's true, it'll be the first Christmas presents to appear in our house since 2007 when we stopped buying them altogether.

[Long John Baldy]

2 minutes ago, oaksoft said:

If that's true, it'll be the first Christmas presents to appear in our house since 2007 when we stopped buying them altogether.

Strange times require a change in your weird approach to Christmas. 🎅

[oaksoft]

Just now, Long John Baldy said:

Strange times require a change in your weird approach to Christmas. 🎅

Weird approach?

What's weird is grown men and women buying each other cheap and useless tat that nobody needs or wants at Christmas out of nothing more than obligation.

Boxing day is eBay's biggest day for sales.

There's something deeply tragic about this sheep behaviour.

[Long John Baldy]

1 minute ago, oaksoft said:

Weird approach?

What's weird is grown men and women buying each other cheap and useless tat that nobody needs or wants at Christmas out of nothing more than obligation.

Boxing day is eBay's biggest day for sales.

There's something deeply tragic about this sheep behaviour.

Poor you, never received a decent Christmas present so it's had a tragic effect on your outlook.

Ho fecking Ho. 🎅

[oaksoft]

5 minutes ago, Long John Baldy said:

Poor you, never received a decent Christmas present so it's had a tragic effect on your outlook.

Ho fecking Ho. 🎅

I love Christmas.  It's a great time for family. We just don't feel the need to rack up credit card debt on unimportant stuff. Nothing tragic here.

Were you neglected as a kid? Is that why you feel this need for validation and approval through presents even though you're at retirement age 😄? Now THAT is tragic. 😄

Edited September 27, 2020 by oaksoft

[Long John Baldy]

1 minute ago, oaksoft said:

I love Christmas.  It's a great time for family. We just don't feel the need to rack up credit card debt on unimportant stuff. Nothing tragic here.

Were you neglected as a kid? Is that why you feel this need for validation and approval through presents even though you're at retirement age 😄? Now THAT is tragic. 😄

^^^^^^^ Trying too hard.

When you say "we" you do know it's all down to you? 

You've mentioned retirement twice this morning already, @antrin will be on his hotline to Div as we "speak" 

[oaksoft]

1 minute ago, Long John Baldy said:

^^^^^^^ Trying too hard.

When you say "we" you do know it's all down to you? 

You've mentioned retirement twice this morning already, @antrin will be on his hotline to Div as we "speak" 

I'm not really trying too hard at all. The following article shows how ridiculous all of this is. Oh and remember they are talking about averages. There are people out there still paying off the bills for last Christmas. I will never understand the average human and frankly I not sure I ever want to. I'm just grateful not to have people like this in my social circle.

https://www.milstedlangdon.co.uk/overspending-at-christmas-is-causing-people-to-get-into-debt/#:~:text=According to the latest research,per person being £200.

[Long John Baldy]

1 minute ago, oaksoft said:

I'm not really trying too hard at all. The following article shows how ridiculous all of this is. Oh and remember they are talking about averages. There are people out there still paying off the bills for last Christmas. I will never understand the average human and frankly I not sure I ever want to. I'm just grateful not to have people like this in my social circle.

https://www.milstedlangdon.co.uk/overspending-at-christmas-is-causing-people-to-get-into-debt/#:~:text=According to the latest research,per person being £200.

[Cookie Monster]

I'm not really trying too hard at all. The following article shows how ridiculous all of this is. Oh and remember they are talking about averages. There are people out there still paying off the bills for last Christmas. I will never understand the average human and frankly I not sure I ever want to. I'm just grateful not to have people like this in my social circle.
https://www.milstedlangdon.co.uk/overspending-at-christmas-is-causing-people-to-get-into-debt/#:~:text=According to the latest research,per person being £200.

The biggest surprise I got there was you claiming to have a social circle.

[ALBIONSAINT]

See, told you not to worry about Covid 🤪

[Long John Baldy]

15 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

 

 

The biggest surprise I got there was you claiming to have a social circle.

 

Aye, me as well, funny that. 

[BuddieinEK]

Mass unemployment in time for Christmas!

The Job Retention Scheme was designed to save jobs for people unable to work through no fault of their own.

They have been thrown on the scrapheap!

The new Job Support Scheme applies to people who are actually working but facing reduced hours over winter through COVID-19.

To be eligible, you must be working at least one third of your normal hours!

That rules out thousands of people straight away!

The employer pays the wages for hours worked.

Of the unworked hours, the employer also pays a third of them...

The Government will pay one third of the unworked hours only...

The employee will contribute one third of the unworked hours in terms of going unpaid for them.

The end result is people getting 77% of their wage... but only if able to work at least a third of their normal hours.

Daycare is not ALLOWED to open. Too many households.

As I said... Only eligible if still working a third of your hours... What about theatres, clubs, and all the places still closed?

Mass unemployment!

[ALBIONSAINT]

Oh and negative interest also, soon be paying for banks to keep your money. 

[Long John Baldy]

1 minute ago, BuddieinEK said:

Mass unemployment in time for Christmas!

The Job Retention Scheme was designed to save jobs for people unable to work through no fault of their own.

They have been thrown on the scrapheap!

The new Job Support Scheme applies to people who are actually working but facing reduced hours over winter through COVID-19.

To be eligible, you must be working at least one third of your normal hours!

That rules out thousands of people straight away!

The employer pays the wages for hours worked.

Of the unworked hours, the employer also pays a third of them...

The Government will pay one third of the unworked hours only...

The employee will contribute one third of the unworked hours in terms of going unpaid for them.

The end result is people getting 77% of their wage... but only if able to work at least a third of their normal hours.

Daycare is not ALLOWED to open. Too many households.

As I said... Only eligible if still working a third of your hours... What about theatres, clubs, and all the places still closed?

Mass unemployment!

Not a surprise.

The devastating results of this was always going to see catastrophic numbers, especially when the furlough scheme ends.

With no end in sight of the continued restrictions many business's who have been teetering will simply go to the wall.

While most agree there had to be, and to a certain extent, still has to be, some adjustments to life the restrictions are disproportionate to the REAL effects.

The cases are not, at the minute, resulting in similar numbers requiring hospital treatment and, IMO, more importantly, deaths yet we are very close to the original lockdown measures.

The scaremongers revel in case numbers but it's not so widely publicised about hospitalisations, never mind ICU numbers or deaths.

Also the ages and previous health if any fatalities seems to have taken a back seat.

It's had some effect on most of us in some way or the other but the vast majority have managed to get on with life without whining, except students, who seem to think they are the only ones who have their lives disrupted. 

 

[oaksoft]

2 hours ago, BuddieinEK said:

Mass unemployment in time for Christmas!

The Job Retention Scheme was designed to save jobs for people unable to work through no fault of their own.

They have been thrown on the scrapheap!

The new Job Support Scheme applies to people who are actually working but facing reduced hours over winter through COVID-19.

To be eligible, you must be working at least one third of your normal hours!

That rules out thousands of people straight away!

The employer pays the wages for hours worked.

Of the unworked hours, the employer also pays a third of them...

The Government will pay one third of the unworked hours only...

The employee will contribute one third of the unworked hours in terms of going unpaid for them.

The end result is people getting 77% of their wage... but only if able to work at least a third of their normal hours.

Daycare is not ALLOWED to open. Too many households.

As I said... Only eligible if still working a third of your hours... What about theatres, clubs, and all the places still closed?

Mass unemployment!

Yes, and if this is what happens and we still have close to no deaths you'll soon see a swing in public opinion regarding people wanting restrictions to remain.

It's all well people wanting to "stay at home, save lives" and "valuing a human life over money" (Bazil) but you need a functioning economy to be able to do that.

Unless something very special happens this could be catastrophic and life changing for a lot of people.

I certainly wouldn't want to be 40 something and over and having to find a new job over the next few years because of this.

It's reminiscent of the 80's in that regard.

Edited September 27, 2020 by oaksoft

[bazil85]

20 hours ago, oaksoft said:

Yes, and if this is what happens and we still have close to no deaths you'll soon see a swing in public opinion regarding people wanting restrictions to remain.

It's all well people wanting to "stay at home, save lives" and "valuing a human life over money" (Bazil) but you need a functioning economy to be able to do that.

Unless something very special happens this could be catastrophic and life changing for a lot of people.

I certainly wouldn't want to be 40 something and over and having to find a new job over the next few years because of this.

It's reminiscent of the 80's in that regard.

if we still have close to no deaths, it's a big if. Again very short memory from earlier this year. 

The impact on financial support linked to Covid19 is purely a political one. The money is available to continue furlough if we take it from other places. Scraping upgrades to Trident (or all together) and HS2 would be a good place to start. 

Taking political stances that impact people lives then blaming the virus is ridiculous IMO. Human life over politics is hardly a poor world view. 

[oaksoft]

Meanwhile, employment just got a little creepier.

This sort of thing just gives me the heeby jeebies.

I don't understand why any self-respecting person would allow themselves to be subjected to this at work.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54289152

[salmonbuddie]

Meanwhile, employment just got a little creepier.
This sort of thing just gives me the heeby jeebies.
I don't understand why any self-respecting person would allow themselves to be subjected to this at work.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54289152

I didn't know about the screenshot part but the rest of it has been available for years, now.

[bazil85]

1 hour ago, salmonbuddie said:

23 hours ago, oaksoft said:

Meanwhile, employment just got a little creepier.
This sort of thing just gives me the heeby jeebies.
I don't understand why any self-respecting person would allow themselves to be subjected to this at work.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54289152

I didn't know about the screenshot part but the rest of it has been available for years, now.

Don't think it's the availability he's getting at, more the usage. Many years ago I worked in an office environment that monitored absolutely everything. average handling times, breaks, lunches, toilet breaks, admin time, internet usage the lot. The company used these methods in lieu of targeted accountability and reward. So instead of saying "right here's your targets & here's what you get if you meet them" they had a base salary and a (very small) bonus structure that everyone got regardless of performance. 

For me, that sort of culture meant people would take the p*** and as such they used the software. It was still ineffective in a lot of ways because people navigated ways round it.

For me the most effective way to get the most out of staff was to target (reasonably) and incentivise. This can also be done in a right or wrong way as well though. Let's not forget the PPI scandal and other companies using unachievable, unrealistic sales targets that led to miss-selling.

IMO there's no silver bullet for all companies but I am not a fan of the big brother is watching approach. I feel it is flawed by design.