what was that

[Mr Love Pants]

At our WTLL session today we watched a video all about the Titanic has anyone who has viewed this masterpiece got any idea how that relates to us on the counter.(and where was Kate Winslett)

[goggins69]

Do they think we are on a sinking ship?

[The BFO]

I believe you may have slightly misquoted the Chief Engineer on said ship. What he actually said was, ‘What the f*** was that?’.

[bigjames]

Years ago there was a headline on the front of the Courier that read - "Proper Procedures Prevent Problems"

It kind of sums up the Titanic video, which in isolation was quite interesting, if a little baffling in the context of the counter. If you think right outside of the box (okay, way, way, way out of the box!) I believe the message of the video was that if we do things properly we will succeed, keep our good reputation and make our customers happy......... I think.

Or, it could have just been a reminder to defrost the fridge and buy some binoculars.

[Mrwhippy]

Wtl each and every week is just the same old shite with a new spin.
It's as boring as fook with no interest showed by anyone, even our managers seem to be going through the motions.
Titanic ?????????? what wat that all about, I challenge higher managers (whom I sure read these forums) to come up with a wtl including the
following leads : Cat poo, Monkey breath and Goats farts.
linking the above to sales would gain my attention, go on... give it a try.

[billyhayes]

Or, it could have just been a reminder to defrost the fridge and buy some binoculars.

But on a serious note, I thought the analogy was more spot on than POL wanted it to be.

In the clip the voiceover said at one point that if just one of the men at the shipbuilders had spoken up that the steel plates used on the hull did not feel right and were too thin, then lives could have been saved. Bullshit. White Star Line ORDERED the steel plates that way to cut down on the costs and therefore allow more money to be poured into the more ostentatious 1st class areas. The same can be said for the lifeboats. Less than half of the amount required. Thousands of men worked on the construction of Titanic, it is inconceivable to think that nobody would have said anything...

Here's the REAL analogy... Hundreds of counter staff DO speak up, week in, week out, that the 'new duties' are not right and staff/hours are spread too thin. We are ignored. Against better judgment, POL ordered our crowns to have money poured into refurbs, CMS, etc, while ripping hours/staff out to pay for it.

The amount of lifeboats were not fit for purpose.
The amount of staff/hours are not fit for purpose.

Joseph Bruce Ismay was the managing director of White Star Line, and was on board on that fateful maiden voyage, making key decisions against the more experienced crews better judgment. He famously saved his own skin and 'jumped ship' before it was too late.
Alan Cook was the managing director of POL, and was 'on board' on that fateful Forward 5 to 11 voyage, making key decisions against the more expericened staffs better judgment. He secured his own future and jumped ship before it was too late.

A one Captain Smith went down with the Titanic.
Whats' the name of our new MD..? David Smith..!!

Every decision that has been made over the last 20-odd years by senior management has led to the sinking of RMS Post Office.

May God bless her, and all those who went down with her.

[The BFO]

At the end of our session just about everybody in the room launched (no pun intended) into many of these points and one or two more. Our poor dear manager was clearly taken aback, which I am afraid illustrates the poor quality of leadership at all levels. Wasn’t it obvious this would be how people would react?

We didn’t get the Smith analogy though!

[MinisterofCucumber]

The congenitally stupid management caste have sunk a fleet of Titanics. Here are some of their best bits:

Changing our name to Consignia and then having to change it back at great expense (RM Group idiots).

Seriously prototyping the cardboard coin cage (Supply Chain idiots).

Getting rid of the Girobank contract (Supply Chain idiots).

Sacrificing staff to pay for ID card equipment reburishments just before a General Election with the opposition parties pledging to scrap the ID cards (Counters idiots).

RM needs new managers in every position. The New Labour experiment of making proudly ignorant people in to managers has not worked, all it has achieved is to push up football match prices.

[Running Man]

Another superb post from billyhayes. Arguably the best post I have read on this forum.
The BFO makes some great observations too and I cannot believe that even in their worst moment of gross stupidity that the senior management of POL would use Titanic references in any sort of staff training/ information video!
Unfortunately I have been off this week and not yet seen the video but you can bet I'll be asking the boss if I can catch up with training when I return to work.
Billy makes a great point about counter staff speaking up week in and week out and being totally ignored. I do not know of a Crown Office in our area that is adequately staffed at the moment either due to sickness, vacancies, overtime restrictions or just totally inadequate duties in the first place.
Single manager branches have been promised more 'support' as a matter of urgency in our region some eight weeks ago. Richard Barker echoed that promise around four weeks ago on one of his ever so important conference calls. Has any single manager branch seen any support since these promises? I seriously doubt it because support stops at Crown Office level and has done for a very long time now.
In our office we generally support each other, including the manager, pretty well given the circumstances but if anybody wants support from outside the office....FORGET IT!