Let's hear some success stories.
Last year I had a massive technical challenge which I single-handedly sorted out to everyone's satisfaction short and long term, hopefully they'll recognise this at bonus time. Seems to be positively received by my management especially as the client signed another £800k deal on the back of what I did. Now I'm about to take charge on another difficult client - if we can pull this off it'll make me look good. It's a big IF though, so currently stressful. On the other hand, still can't get my expenses in on time.
What've you lot been up to?
I just made myself a lovely cup of coffee, go me 😀
I sacked it off and went out on my bike -success!
Just back from a 2hr+ lunch... Cheers!
Management speak version
In the midst of implementing a new product profile at work which will consolidate three codes for each product into one common code to speed up how we work in the branches.
What I really did
Faffed about with a spreadsheet for a few days
A real pinnacle for me was recently having a dump in works time that was so precision the toilet paper was clean post wipe. Its gonna be difficult to transcend this.
We've run out of milk and I am gasping for a brew. Desperate times. On the verge of having a 'falling down' moment.
We had a good year last year. Grew our recurring income by 30% ish, and completed some big projects (for us) which were incredibly complex and profitable.
This year is tougher though, admittedly we're only 15 days into it, but we sort of 'have' to recruit someone last year we weren't planning to and without the big project we've got to find more and more business to keep anyone paid.
Just finished interviewing for a technical management role, made an offer which has been accepted. So good Friday pm 🙂
i have managed to both get paid and not be sacked ;all my main work based objectives have been achieved this year.
All about doing more with less these days, which usually means doing it badly.
The wood-burning stove was running low on fuel. I identified the problem and then took pro-active and decisive action by adding an additional kiln-dried log and opening the vents to full. I was very proud of myself, a lot of people would have dithered allowing the burner to go out.
I often wonder who replenishes the wood-burning stoves in larger organisations. I'm convinced that being a small-scale concern means I'm light enough on my feet to tackle crises like these head on in a decisive manner that allows me to display my smugness on the internet peacock style.
I am slightly drowsy, probably carbon monoxi...
Flat in the automotive sector! Had 2 appearances on Telly last night showing an MP around a new electric motor test facility.
(the itv reporter girly was GORGEOUS btw...... 😉
Nobody's escaped (yet).
electric motor test facility
[img] 
[/img]
Still busy fitting cambelts and mot'ing peoples vehicles to the standard of a nazi with a clipboard 🙂
Just finished a week of two-man post room duties instead of three because of no cover available.
I will shortly be drinking alcohol...
Had an email from a bunch of the directors thanking me for my work over the past year and a visit from one who's going to try and fight not just to hold my job open but to see me promoted when I get back from 6 months off travelling this year. Which is nice of him.
I've continually bumbled through a lot of deeply unsatisfying and frustrating projects whilst keeping my moaning and whinging to an acceptable level.
Probably getting paid more than I should, but nobody seems to have noticed.
Got a Christmas bonus of a £60 John Lewis gift voucher.
Phoned a client to confess to a screw up and its possible implications, was informed the whole site had been flooded and it wasn't a problem! (maybe doesn't count as 'doing well' but you've got to take what you can get 8) )
Slept in this morning and didn't grind the coffee for the daily fix
Complete and unmitigated disaster.
In December I was awarded employee of the quarter only been there since mid June extra £250 in Christmas wages an a extra days holiday this year 8)
I got to spend the Summer hanging out with Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill and Gillian Anderson. 🙂 Pretty cool!
Also the company have set me up a studio with a small team to get our stuff done
Survived the day which is always a success in my book.
A real pinnacle for me was recently having a dump in works time that was so precision the toilet paper was clean post wipe
I love it when that happens.
You work? 😯
Fixed enough bikes to nearly pay my tax bill.
Another being paid and not being sacked week for me ..always feels like a successful week that does also managed to not murder anyone at work (mind you Tuesday was close) so all in all finished the week on a high had a half day today and off the weekend so double woo hoo
bails - Member
electric motor test facility
[img]
br />
Scroll to 10.55 to see us muppets!
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06vj80r/look-east-west-14012016 ]BBC Look East - 14th Jan 2016[/url]
Worked on a 6 month project which the client paid 200k for. At the end of the project, the client looked at the results for 10 minutes and said, 'that's great, how much do you need for the next phase?'. Always satisfying to have 6 months worth of work completely ignored, but in a good way 🙂
I'm self employed and managed to work 5 days a week for 49 out of 52 weeks available. It's profitable but not sure if I count it as successful as normally I manage to bum a few days off to go bike riding mid week which this (last) year has been impossible.
Had a good week actually, bound to all go to s**t very very soon
Work gave me a reward and recognition award, I spent it all on Gore Bike Wear 🙂
Anyone doing well at work?
Since you asked...
[img] 
[/img]
I can't see last year's 30% pay rise being repeated, so I'll settle for managing to stay out of the rain.
My suspicion is that I'm walking the tightrope between another promotion and getting the sack. Which is fun.
A real pinnacle for me was recently having a dump in works time that was so precision the toilet paper was clean post wipe. Its gonna be difficult to transcend this.
[img]
[/img]
Top performing portfolio manager by a country mile 🙂 Didn't really help much 😐
PS posted this to cheer up Junky
"Look East - West?"
Is confused.
Nobody's found out yet that what I do is mainly smoke and mirrors.
Result.
Hated the whole year. Job was shit, management was shit. Got promoted/moved on.
Biggest year ever for sales, won a load of awards.
Not sure
I appear to have a few different areas fighting to get me working for them, which is good, 'cos looks like I'll be able to dictate what I want, get a pay rise, promotion and can sack off on-call and relentless O/T.
Although I'm currently having to fend off some weapons grade muppetry from various quarters. Considering informing these projects formally of their shortcomings, carrying on when they ignore it and refer them to my previous emails stating said risks whilst I back it all out.
A real pinnacle for me was recently having a dump in works time that was so precision the toilet paper was clean post wipe. Its gonna be difficult to transcend this.
It would of been the perfect storm if it went straight around the bend and no flush required 🙂
Done some stuff well above my perception of my level of competence and not looked a complete twit doing it or at least nobody let on that I did. Made my employers suffient money that they have stopped complaining when I nick a spot in the firms car park despite not being allocated one and being told my wage is calculated on paying for my own parking .
5 months into a contract.
Hellish 3hr+ commuting everyday
An organisation in flux
A mix of colleagues that range from the sublime to the dysfunctional
BUT the directors that matter appear to like my work and I'm very happy with how it's working out, despite just having to carry out a review on [i]quality[/i] processes 😯
Just completed my second week back after nearly totalling myself in October. Seems to work ok. Another few weeks like this and I should be able to pay my professional fees and insurance 🙂
Just completed my second week back after nearly totalling myself in October. Seems to work ok. Another few weeks like this and I should be able to pay my professional fees and insurance
You've just reminded me about my RICS subs...bit steep 🙁
[img] 
[/img]
Something like a 60% increase over two years ago, just like my pay.....oh, hang on.
Still, honestly not complaining. I'm walking and talking and working!
It would of been the perfect storm if it went straight around the bend and no flush required
And the bars been moved up a notch.... i'll report back on my career progress.
Coastin.......jus coastin 😉
@lol Qwerty
Good Man!
It's Friday and I'm one day closer to getting access to my pension fund. Life is good and gets closer to better every day. Work to live chaps.
So far this year:
Fixed nothing as they keep making me work on kit I'm not trained on.
Turned on a piece of equipment my inept colleagues couldn't ( I read the short cold start paragraph in the manual next to the equipment)
Attended a 4 day course where the manufacturer has made me realise we are playing at running a mobile network.
"**** *, run by *unts" to quote one of my colleagues, never a truer phrase uttered.
Made the jump from permie to contractor. First client went fine, but didn't pan out beyond the initial engagement. Second contract was signed on the last day of the first. No break in between.
Now two weeks in. The renewal word has been mentioned already. I'm cautiously optimistic.
Made a third of my salary in bonus at Christmas. Must be doing something reasonable 8)
After 20 years of being self employed in the frustrating building industry as a carpenter, supervisor & then site manager I've finally packed it in and started again at the bottom of a new industry.
showing an MP around a new electric motor test facility.
What car manufacturers are interested in electric motors then? Interested to hear what's happening.
"Look East - West?"Is confused.
Tennis coverage innit.
molgrips
What car manufacturers are interested in electric motors then? Interested to hear what's happening.
It's easier to say which OEMs aren't developing Emachines for passenger cars........
A young gentleman who I spent around an hour on scene with by myself following a nasty RTC, that 'I didn't expect to survive has started to learn to walk again and regaining his sight just over a year later.
I've stayed at it another year
increasingly struggling to see that as a positive
Drac. That's real stuff unlike the rest of the ego massaging on this thread ( excepting the very humorous). That's a real feel good. Good on you.
Thanks it's an amazing feeling and made me immensely proud but it's my job.
qwerty - Member
A real pinnacle for me was recently having a dump in works time that was so precision the toilet paper was clean post wipe. Its gonna be difficult to transcend this.
No Shit Qwerty 😀
My wife is.
This year she has completed her Masters, finished a Post Grad Certificate in Clinical Examinations and got a huge promotion at work.
Me - mleh.
I ain't half proud of her - ten times the savvy I have.
I'm bored shitless. I like the company, I like my boss and some of the work is interesting....but not enough. Any internal move would effectively be a step down. My skills are quite niche so finding a suitable alternative job is tricky.
😐
Ditched a life in the Basque country to return to UK. Work 3 days cutting and pasting email addresses and avoiding conversation with the OCD boss. Spend the other 2 days learning how to make Android apps - going well, just wish I had the money to do it 5 days a week and get my new app finished off.
We have had the best year ever, three years running, staff all seem happy at the moment and so do the customers (mostly). And we were on telly tonight which, was nice.
Indeed, hats off to Drac and all the people who work for the common good.
Although in my defence, I'd like to point out that most of you have used my code several times to day, and that of my colleagues. I have done some fairly important stuff* in this job unlike the previous 10 years of my career which was worthless.
* although nothing comparable to saving lives
Nope! Just earning enough not to beg.
😯
A client texted to say my floor had brought really brought her house to life. I shit you not. I thought of the wheel size threads straight away. 😀
Fed up being taken advantage of by large clients who seem to expect to pay peanuts for weeks of work (engineering). Especially when you are the only people willing to take on the work as it's beyond what anyone else will attempt. Got the point of saying "if we go any lower we are not making any profit we wish you luck finding another company"
It's not too bad. Being one of the few people who likes to be collaborative and is reasonably capable - I have got a lot on and not all in my specific area...
Self employment plasterer. Never been busier. Life is good
I really do enjoy my job (most of the time) and I'm lucky to be doing it, but I cherish the time with my kids more these days.
Jimob, don't cover Milton Keynes do you ? Need some plastering done !
Sorry Kimbers. Stockton on Tees based but most of my work is North Yorkshire
By coincidence, at half past three this afternoon I got promoted from "supervisor" to "senior manager"
Sipping bubbly as I type..... 🙂
Teacher.
Following on from the most recent departmental meeting- all my future targets have already been met, all my required tasks are now done too.
Happy days. I'm off to mark some books.
more books
even more books
I hate marking books, it is not even slightly rewarding, at all 🙁
Slow year for custom wheel builds and repairs for me cleared 15,000 after tax but considering the hours I've put in and done some offshore work its pretty poor year so will be learning how to advertise for 2016 as most people still don't realise my shop exists 😥
No single big "project with my name on" or anything but got top marks at my last appraisal, a lot of my core job can be pretty dull so I've hammered away at making it more efficient and taken on a lot of more interesting stuff outwith my immediate field, which has got some attention. And day to day, the student/applicant/outreach work I do can be awesome. Still don't get paid enough mind but the wider experience should pay off some time. And it's a great team I work with and very collaborative, couldn't be better really from that point of view. At its best it's bloody fantastic tbf. And pretty regular hours, 1 weekend a year... So yeah, pretty good.
Currently living in Singapore managing one of our biggest clients to date, locals attention to detail is debilitating, we have no staff and regular management jollies over for weeks at a time trying to sign up other large contracts for us to manage out of a third floor laboratory. (boss agreed to manage aircraft weighing platforms to Singlas which means we have to manage 60klbs of weights. Max lift capacity is 1500kg) Currently looking for other premises around either Changi or Seletar.
Coupled with loads of distractions back home with ill close family for both my partner and I, it's a bit of a hoohar all round.
Still, I have tea and Tim Tams so I'm fairly happy.
