In the spirit of CROSSHIRE
Say hello to our new Crosshire contributor Ivor Sprocket, who is getting used to new ways of working and a few unfamiliar terms. COVID has affected the industry but every cloud has a silver lining, he thinks…
GRINDS MY GEARS
So many new words and so much confusion. Less than 12 months ago a number of words were alien to the vast majority of us including ‘COVID19’ and not forgetting ‘Furlough’, which when Googled still comes up with “a leave of absence, especially that granted to a member of the services or a missionary”. We then have had to learn a whole new raft of phrases including ‘COVID-Secure’, ‘Social-Distancing’ and the one that still grates being ‘the new normal’.
I didn’t think I would miss clapping on a Thursday but it helped with the stiff upper lip. Well, that is except for the last time I did it, when I decided it was an ideal time to knock a few dents out of a shipping container in our yard. At 19.59 I was ready with a 14lb sledgehammer in hand. 60 seconds later I announced to my noise-sensitive neighbours that I am right behind our key workers. It turns out that our defib was well worth investing in.
Autumn is now firmly upon us, and all employers have had to ensure that our premises and work operations are COVID Secure. If you are operating in one depot in one country or county, fine – you will no doubt get the gist of what is required. However, if you and your team travel it can be a nightmare with every part of the UK having different rules, some more subtly varied than others. Driving into Wales you are reminded that Welsh COVID Rules apply. Head into a Local Lockdown Zone and you will find that these rules can vary. So, we cover ourselves with sanitiser, don a surgical grade mask and try to avoid eye contact in-case we are advised we have not stuck to regional regulations.
I am now used to signing in everywhere I go and having a laser gun pointed at my head regularly, not to mention choosing the group of six every time we plan a pub visit. I am also fully accustomed to using fewer words, as a visor or mask removes useful decibels
and adds a bit of a muffle to speech. Then there’s the ‘non-verbal communications’ challenge, but I am becoming adept at using my eyebrows to express myself. On the plus side, even with fewer staff we are now getting though more soap and paper towels, which must mean that handwashing has become a ‘thing’. It makes me think that once the biscuit tin is allowed out again, some biccies will no longer have that lovely extra flavouring of 90w and 2 stroke oil.
This time of year is of course key financially, not just for hire firms but all companies that have utilised the Furlough scheme to the full. Those that use LinkedIn will already have seen scores of old colleagues changing their status to ‘ready for the next challenge’, and no doubt an optimistic sigh follows for them. This would be a fantastic opportunity to snap up some industry stalwarts who have gained the experience and qualifications with previous employers.
On the job front we now also have the HMRC Kickstart scheme. 18 to 24 year olds have been the biggest group of job casualties in the past six months, either through Furlough or where they are part of the ‘gig economy’. This scheme enables you to get a young worker for 25 hours a week paid at the National Living Wage fully funded by HMRC for up to six months as a job trial. This has to be the chance to show off what the hire industry can offer without having to commit to a formal apprenticeship scheme straightaway. Add to this the chance to bring in some of the industry big-guns as mentors and things are looking good!
Stay safe lovelies
48
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
