FS Role What a waste of Money

[FinancialSpecialist]

I only masquerade as a woman at the weekends, but what I do outside of work is my business.

Nope, just because I think the people on this forum are a bunch of whingers doesn't mean anything other than I think you are a bunch of whingers. The basic argument here seems to be "we are the sacred ones of the company with all the answers, but don't ask us what the answers are because we don't actually have any". A suggestion made before was just to abandon everything other than the original core business - how is this possible when the government is trying to offload us and the public are finding fewer reasons to use us? Do we not have to focus on new revenue and try desperately for that to save us from all losing our jobs?

Oh yes, I forgot part 2 of the argument - "If they get rid of us for failing, then we get VR, never mind anyone who hasn't been in the business for 20+ years". It is an entirely selfish and defensive argument, secretly wishing that your place of work will crumble so that you will get a payout for refusing to move with the times, and completely ignoring those who are relatively new to the business.

If this had have happened when you first joined, you would be equally and justifiably annoyed and would have felt like you were banging your head against a brick wall by even trying to ask reasonable questions to a blanket response of "BAHHH it's all s**t these days, they should abandon sales, I want my VR, I've given the best years of my life to this place for nothing". It's boring, predictable and effectively useless.

I reiterate that I think a lot of offices do have massive failings, bullying managers, etc. If this is the case, do whatever you have to do to get rid of them, other people have done. It just always seems to be that everyone finds it easier just to say everything is crap and do nothing. These staff who never get asked what the business needs, who have all the answers, actually can't even be bothered to try to change things in their own offices and just go with the flow until they get VR. Is this really POLs fault if no one speaks up? What are you achieving by just bitching on here? Have you really got no other suggestions for how things could be made better than "the Government should give us more money and contracts"? The sad fact is that the Tories aren't likely to do much.

I just think it is sad and soul destroying.

[billyhayes]

Oh yes, I forgot part 2 of the argument - "If they get rid of us for failing, then we get VR, never mind anyone who hasn't been in the business for 20+ years". It is an entirely selfish and defensive argument, secretly wishing that your place of work will crumble so that you will get a payout for refusing to move with the times, and completely ignoring those who are relatively new to the business...

If this had have happened when you first joined, you would be equally and justifiably annoyed...

So using that same rationale, it follows that if YOU had been here 20+ years then YOU would feel the same.

It sounds more like a plea for help than anything. One that is relatively new to the business begging for help from the old timers to pull their finger out with a misguided ideology that 'if we all do as we are told it will all be OK'.

Maybe if I had only been 2 years in with a pittance VR calculation then I may empathize. But I don't.

What you are obviously not privy to as others have said on here time and time again, but equally you refuse to touch on, just as others do not pick up on most things you have to say, is that there have been MANY plans over the past god knows how many years.

At first they were embraced by old and new, because it was truly felt that those up above knew what they were doing and "it will all be OK".
About four years into the plan those up above scrapped it and decided to close 84 crown offices.
Many of these, pre-closure, were truly profitable offices to POL, excellent in standard income and what was then the new sales suite of products.
But it was decided if the price was right, "no crown office is immune".

Of these 84 crown closures, over 90% of staff took VR. The very same staff who had embraced the new sales culture and felt that POL had stabbed them in the back and took the money and ran because they now saw that the writing is on the wall.
In the 373 crowns left, staff and managers realised they had been duped.

Skip forward a tad and we had the ForwardFiveto11 plan. In early 2010 POL changed the goalposts yet again, and over a number of months it was decided another wave of closures was what was needed. This also tied in with POLs (FAILED) attempt to justify a nil payrise for staff.

Managers from POL HQ would spiel veiled threats to staff and managers in branches up and down the country that the end is nigh.
It was only the fact that members were prepared to strike en-mass for what could have been quite a period, forced POL to suddenly find some money behind the sofa, and cough a payrise.

The decision on the crowns that will be left, (as this is a much shorter list than those that will close), has ALREADY been made. This is part of the POL/CWU agreement on the forthcoming transformation talks. POL giving in on the pay dispute, so that CWU do not fight the forthcoming closures. Win win for both parties.

All it has done is postponed it 12 months.

At every stage in these proceedings over the past 8 years or so, less and less people were swallowing what POL were shoveling.

You also make the error that EVERYONE here that moans, is on a 'coast along' to VR.

JUST BECAUSE WE PISS AND MOAN DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T DO THE JOB AT HAND!!!!

Fair enough kathleens technique is novel but not to be taken as a whole for every other bugger here.

For example, we had a bullying c*** of a manager in our office that not only did we have REMOVED from the company entirely, but also, because I'm a vengeful sort of bastard, I saw to it that their personal life was affected too...

So... I, and many others here, will carry on moaning AND doing stuff about it until the last card is played.

Accept that.

Also when will you accept that POL has already engineered our end? Will it be when all the lights are turned off in your office and a removals man is wheeling you out the front door with you protesting "Hey, you can't shut us! I just sold a car insurance!"

[FinancialSpecialist]

I disagree with your interpretation of my rationale, but other than that I think you have made a very strong point.

Even in the time I have been with POL the goalposts have changed constantly and I agree that this is frustrating. I think if you just keep your head down and get on with it though that you slip under the radar - the principles and targets pretty much stay the same.

I also agree that I would have felt really pissed off, had my office been closed after plans being put in place, etc. The business has made innumerable mistakes from the sounds of things, both from what I have heard on this board and have heard and seen in offices. I do think though that there are some on here who only possess negativity and who don't do the work that is asked of them, but then these people exist everywhere in life.

There is too much blame put on other roles for the downfall of the PO - the FS role for example, should be capable of bringing in income and is certainly not something to be resented by counter staff. The very rejection of the role as a whole, as opposed to an individual staff member, demonstrates that there are those who just like to point the finger and really have nothing constructive to say. POL senior management is not made up by FS, ABMs or BMs.

I just think that the day to day slog that we ALL have to go through would be a hell of a lot easier if these fears about the future of the business (whilst probably justified) were only dealt with through the proper channels about and people tried to work together within their own office without cliques, insults and talking behind backs. Constructive feedback and trying to help each other would be better than slagging off all other roles within the business.

It also sounds very much like there are a lot of bullying counter staff on here - if they are willing to talk like this on here, god knows what they are like within their own office.

[Blue8]

[It also sounds very much like there are a lot of bullying counter staff on here - if they are willing to talk like this on here, god knows what they are like within their own office.[/quote]


What do you mean by that remark?

It is not the counter staff it;s the bloody people in charge!

[the old girl]

I can't even remember the last time I saw our FS, he wandered in the other day whilst on leave, apart from that he spends most of his week away at various meetings or training I presume. Still I'm sure, should he pop in sometime soon I will send him lots of referrals - that will save me having to do all the selling myself. Yes, I'm confident he will make the business some money soon, just hope we're not shut by then...

[billyhayes]

It also sounds very much like there are a lot of bullying counter staff on here - if they are willing to talk like this on here, god knows what they are like within their own office.

I think William Shakespeare can help a little here;

"If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us do we not die?
And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

Merchant of Venice...Act III Scene I


I'll back you up full tilt, be you counter, FS, BM whatever. I can be everyone's best pal me. BUT if you wrong me...

[FinancialSpecialist]

Quoting Shakespeare doesn't make a point for you, what exactly is it you are trying to say? What has your FS done to make you bleed?

Blue8 I mean that whilst there are an awful lot of staff on here talking about bullying POL, bullying managers, some display awfully bullying behaviours. Labelling, name calling, etc.

theoldgirl, your exaggeration only adds more fuel to my argument.

Aside from Billy Hayes and a few others, no one seems to have anything constructive to say. There are a lot of fingers pointed but no one actually has any suggestions, well apart from "Them there are the badduns" and "back in the good old days the streets were paved with gold and everyone slept with their front doors unlocked".

[kathleen1]

There are a lot of bullying counter clerks on here, how do you make that assumption FinancialSpecialist? the truth is what you have is alot of intelligent clerks who won't be brainwashed by POL and people like you.You should be very careful calling people bullies its not a very nice word, its like me calling financial specialists lazy, double glazing sales people, so if the cap fits FinancialSpecialist.

[FinancialSpecialist]

There are a lot of bullying counter clerks on here, how do you make that assumption FinancialSpecialist? the truth is what you have is alot of intelligent clerks who won't be brainwashed by POL and people like you.You should be very careful calling people bullies its not a very nice word, its like me calling financial specialists lazy, double glazing sales people, so if the cap fits FinancialSpecialist.

Kathleen, my point is that a lot of people here are slagging off FS when we have done nothing wrong. We did not invent the sales model, we do not set your targets - we are trying to make a living just like any of us. I do not know FS who slag off the counter like this, a lot of them come from there. All your feelings of contempt shouldn't be guided at your colleagues, but directed through the right channels.

It honestly beggars belief that you can pose that response to my post, how can you say that your response in itself didn't have a bullying tone? I imagine you are scratching your head a little confused and very, very angry at the world. There there, have a cup of tea and calm down.

[billyhayes]

Quoting Shakespeare doesn't make a point for you, what exactly is it you are trying to say? What has your FS done to make you bleed?

theoldgirl, your exaggeration only adds more fuel to my argument.

Aside from Billy Hayes and a few others, no one seems to have anything constructive to say. There are a lot of fingers pointed but no one actually has any suggestions, well apart from "Them there are the badduns" and "back in the good old days the streets were paved with gold and everyone slept with their front doors unlocked".

NO NO NO you silly arse!!

I was not talking about ANY FS at all, I was merely referring to my post about the bully being 'corrected'. As a response to your comment about god knows what they are like in office.

I know this thread is "FS Role What a waste of Money" but for once it not all about you!

And my point was that I will play the game as POL rolls the dice; I 'conversate', I 'thank for wait', but I wont swallow the bait.

I just refuse to accept anything I am told by POL anymore. The trust has been wittered bit by bit 'til there's nowt but distrust left.

PS - Everyone knows the streets are paved with chewing gum and dogshit...

[FinancialSpecialist]

When did I say you were talking about the FS role? I acknowledged what you had to say about POL and moved on, on track with the thread. Again, no one seems to bother actually reading.

[billyhayes]

What has your FS done to make you bleed?

There! Right there!!!

Oh, for the love of...

[FinancialSpecialist]

Billy I know you seem to think you are an all seeing all knowing creation, the thread is about the FS role. He mentioned FS in his post and I am an FS. I want something constructive to know what people actually mean - posting Shakespeare quotes and saying "the FS/ABM/BM/POL/The Devil are to blame doesn't answer anything. Just because it fits with your point of view doesn't mean you have to go along with it - can anyone explain what they actually mean instead of these stupid little posts?

[kathleen1]

FinancialSpecialist, as Billy would say NO,NO,NO, silly arse its not all about you, don't patronize me either. I can honestly say I will never respond to anymore of your posts because I find you irritating, annoying, self-centred and totally obnoxious.

[bigjames]

NO NO NO you silly arse!!

Blimey! For a moment then I thought Ray Allen and Lord Charles had joined the forum!!

Now there's a character I would buy Insurance from. I have an FS vacancy, anyone got his number?