one thing you would change about your job?

[IAM]

If you could change any one thing about your job/school/thingy what would it be?

I have worked for several government agencies in the past and the bigget change I would make is hiring/firing practices. To often in government work people just don't get fired so there is less incentive to do well and your group suffers.

If I could change two things I would say less paperwork. Too much of it is useless forms just filled out only to sit in a file for years never to be seen again.

Currently I'm a landlord so just getting people in units that pay the rent on time would be great.

 

[Mise]

salary

edit: more seriously, I'd like to dress however I want, I'd have "nap rooms" where you could go for some quiet time, to read or to nap or to contemplate stuff in silence, and I would disconnect my telephone and force all communication to be put into writing (email).

 

[downtown]

I'd like to spend more time doing recruiting or training (the things I am very good at), and less time doing administrative paperwork (which is tedious and inefficient).

Failing that, since I don't ever physically meet with clients, I think I should be allowed to wear jeans to work.

 

[IAM]

salary

edit: more seriously, I'd like to dress however I want, I'd have "nap rooms" where you could go for some quiet time, to read or to nap or to contemplate stuff in silence, and I would disconnect my telephone and force all communication to be put into writing (email).

That's a good point I had forgotten how irritating it was for smokers to get a ten minute break every hour to go outside and smoke but if I pick up a book to read a page to get some intellectual stimulation for a couple of minutes that's not acceptable.

 

[Thedrin]

I'm coming to the end of my third and final season working as a skiing instructor. If I could do this job year round in my homeland, Ireland, that'd be swell.

 

[IAM]

I'm coming to the end of my third and final season working as a skiing instructor. If I could do this job year round in my homeland, Ireland, that'd be swell.

guess there's not a lot of mountains in Ireland or demand for skiing in those cold north atlantic waters.

 

[holy king]

do you, by chance, only do single lessons for swedish women?

also, the change i'd make would be put more money into the public health system. would make a change on so many levels...

 

[Mise]

That's a good point I had forgotten how irritating it was for smokers to get a ten minute break every hour to go outside and smoke but if I pick up a book to read a page to get some intellectual stimulation for a couple of minutes that's not acceptable.

Yeah, "smoke breaks" are exactly what I was thinking of - it's just nice to get out of the office, clear your head, get refreshed, change of scenery/thought patterns etc, then come back with renewed vigour. You shouldn't have to be a smoker to be able to do that...

I know a lot of people working e.g. in Customer Service get break rooms with allocated break times. Would be nice for all office workers to have break rooms, and have office culture more accomodating to people who want a quick 10 minute shut-eye.

 

[Murky]

Why settle for just one?

 

[Thedrin]

do you, by chance, only do single lessons for swedish women?

There's only one thing I'd change about this job.

 

[warpus]

A higher salary, obviously. I'd also get rid of my supervisor, who doesn't know anything about supervising or web development.

 

[GenMarshall]

To have one!!!!

 

[Traitorfish]

That's not too much to ask, is it?

(Seriously answer: I could go for a bit more variety. My current job is very monotonous, and a ten hour shift can be tedious beyond all reason.)

 

[IdiotsOpposite]

More hours. As it is, I'm getting less than three hours per day on average. That's... not workable.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Either the whole "obligation to to turn up" thing , or the necessity of customers (without them it would actually be quite fun....lots of joking around , expensive lunches , heaps of downtime etc)

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Smoke breaks are "thinking time"... you can't sit at your PC being productive all day. Other people who don't smoke spend ages making a cup of tea anyway, or go out on the balcony on their mobile phone.

I'd like to have aircon, but we can't because we work in a listed building. At least we can wear shorts and sandals . It's still too hot in the summer though.

Not having Sony to deal with would be nice too.

Some people get a bit grumpy in the office as well... at me saying "Yo!" loudly when anyone asks me a question (can't stop myself, it's a reflex like reaction).

We recently all gained the internet when one of our servers crashed Previously only the art department had full internet access. The programmers really need it too, saves so much time. We used to have just restricted access (i.e. MSDN, autodesk, Sony dev sites). Not having wikipedia was a pain...

EDIT: Some women in the office would be good too - but the art boss thinks it would distract the programmers At least there's loads of totty around outside.

EDIT2: And I'd make Luis pull his trousers up so we couldn't see his pants all the time.

 

[luiz]

Yeah, "smoke breaks" are exactly what I was thinking of - it's just nice to get out of the office, clear your head, get refreshed, change of scenery/thought patterns etc, then come back with renewed vigour. You shouldn't have to be a smoker to be able to do that...

I suppose there are cultural differences at play, because In Brazil (and Chile and Argentina), people take breaks all the time. Nobody really feels compelled to ask or tell the reasons for the breaks.

At least that's how it works in my field, might be different in others.

 

[Mise]

I suppose there are cultural differences at play, because In Brazil (and Chile and Argentina), people take breaks all the time. Nobody really feels compelled to ask or tell the reasons for the breaks.

At least that's how it works in my field, might be different in others.

Where I work you'd get funny looks and perhaps a speaking to if you took a 10 min break every day. Once in a while is fine, but generally if you want a break you have to have some kind of excuse. I pretend I'm at a meeting, and I'm sure other people do similar things as well. You can't just say, "hey, boss, I'm gonna go for a break, I'll be back in 10 minutes". Co-workers don't like you doing it either, it can wind them up if they're sat there working and you go off for 10 mins. It's definitely a different culture to Spain, where lunch is a 2 hour long affair, or Japan, where napping is taken as a sign that you've been working too hard and can't keep your eyes open!

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Pretend to start smoking then. I have smoke breaks at 11AM, 12:30PM, after lunch, 3PM, then 4:30PM

EDIT: If I am mad busy sometimes I only have a smoke break at 11:30 and cancel the 12:30 one

EDIT2: Dunno what you are moaning about - don't you get free biscuits?

 

[Lillefix]

Sounds like a very strict regime you have there Mise. I can't even understand things like that can be productive in the long run.