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For me it’s really simple, no one should ask others what they aren’t prepared to do themselves.
In general this. But these are exceptional times and people are being asked to do more than they may consider normal. We've all been asked to put lives on hold, particularly our young people, and now 'we' are being asked to contribute a bit more to allow them a return towards normality. Depending what it is, that may or may not be acceptable. OP asked whether we thought it was, got a mix of opinions.
Oh, and is it safe – and I’d want to know this from an SME, not a politician or someone who’s Google’d it.
As supposedly a SME in my area (chemicals, not Covid), first question I'd ask is what exactly are you going to do.
I'm not anti-teacher. I'm very pro, my wife works in a school albeit not teaching and has helped out with the admin side of getting this level of testing done, and sees first hand what other teachers are being asked to do to help. I also fully support that all teachers should be offered vaccination and while I understand why the Gov has chosen to stick to at riskers first, I think that is wrong*
* bit odd this one - as a scientist I 'follow the science' and on that the Gov is I think strictly speaking right. But from a visibility / how to win friends and influence people political side they got this wrong.
'We need you to return to the classroom, and in addition to take on an extra workload of LFT testing kids for a few weeks during the return. But before you go back you are all to be offered the vaccine in order to make the small risk even smaller. Deal?'
johndoh
But in the OP’s wife’s scenario she is not being expected to test, just supervise 16-17 yr olds in taking their own tests and reporting the results back to the NHS
To be clear, initially she was told she would be actively administering the tests to student, hence the concern.
what does actively administer mean?
If some told me I was actively administrring tests, I'd assume sticking oversize cotton buds up their schnozz until told otherwise.
It's the "volunteer in public, mandatory in private" thing and the lack of details that would annoy me.
To be clear, initially she was told she would be actively administering the tests to student, hence the concern.
Yes I know that, and it was suggested some time ago that may have been a misunderstanding by someone somewhere along the line (and that turned out to be the case).
I’d assume sticking oversize cotton buds up their schnozz until told otherwise.
You see the problem - I wouldn't. Especially with the additional knowledge that it's a sixth form. I'd assume it was handing them out and writing down details, etc. Maybe actually doing the extraction / timing the point at which they go onto the test strip (having the students waiting around for 30 mins until that time comes is inefficient, leads to crowding, etc.)
Point being made: before rejecting the proposal, find out what the proposal is.
Administer (verb)
- manage and be responsible for the running of (a business, organization, etc.).
- dispense or apply (a remedy or drug)
To be clear, initially she was told she would be actively administering the tests to student, hence the concern.
Could have saved a lot of time if she'd just bothered to find out - or even watched any of the many news articles on "in school testing" where its quite clear from the video/pictures that the pupils are swabbing themselves. Sometimes people are too busy reacting to bother to understand what they are reacting to.
You see the problem – I wouldn’t. Especially with the additional knowledge that it’s a sixth form. I’d assume it was handing them out and writing down details, etc.
If you ask me what, say, administering a blood test looks like, it's not a phlebotomist making notes while the patient hunts for a vein. But I ain't gonna argue about it.
If you ask me what, say, administering a blood test looks like, it’s not a phlebotomist making notes while the patient hunts for a vein.
But it is not the same, the testing method and the approach schools and colleges are taking has been widely reported in the press so if an individual has a vested interest (say, for example, a teacher) they can easily read about it. I know I have read about it and I only have children of testing age.
Wow what a thread....
Personally, regardless of the testing outcome, I'd be advising that she looks for another job.... By what the op has said, she (and he) have no confidence in her manager. It's sounds like the poor first email isn't the first time the manager hasn't explained things correctly or has expected more than the ops wife was prepared to do.
Regards the current testing situation I'm glad it's has some sort of resolution. Unfortunately it'll never be 100% safe, for the op or his wife (I'm in a similar situation).
But I ain’t gonna argue about it.
We're not arguing, we're in absolute agreement that the 'instruction' was unclear and without further explanation, different people have different interpretations.
Where we could argue is whether different people have different initial starting positions that make them more likely to interpret the request differently. We should all take care not to do that, no matter how hard, and try to focus on facts, not emotions. Not easy when faced with emotive topics.
Edit - just seen Monkeyboyjc's post.
"By what the op has said.....
What have they actually said?
There's an instant response to blame the manager. You have no idea how hard the manager has pushed back against the request to the SLT (maybe the manager is the SLT) or what pressures the manager is under to get this going. We weren't there and don't know whether this is bad messaging / poor interpretation of what was actually being asked. To suggest that as a result they have 'no confidence in their manager' and should find another job, on that snippet of information, is to quote..."Wow"
Managers are not LFT experts, neither are the senior managers, they are working things out as guidance is introduced and trying to understand how this applies to their setting, they are doing this pretty much in real time. This is nearly as new to them as it is to OP wife. I guess the reason I responded to this thread so quickly was that I find it frustrating that an employee would go straight to Unions to object rather than asking considered questions and being part of the process to work things out and help move us all forward to opening up society.
Well I've come in to this thread and read through all of the OPs responses (and others comments/replys) to come to that conclusion.
Edit – just seen Monkeyboyjc’s post.
It's irrelevant that we 'werent there' as it's the impression I've personally come to. And it's only up to the op or his wife to agree or disagree with me.
I find it frustrating that an employee would go straight to Unions to object rather than asking considered questions and being part of the process to work things out and help move us all forward to opening up society.
This is also part of my reasoning why the ops wife could be unhappy in her work place.
There’s an instant response to blame the manager. You have no idea how hard the manager has pushed back against the request to the SLT (maybe the manager is the SLT) or what pressures the manager is under to get this going. We weren’t there and don’t know whether this is bad messaging / poor interpretation of what was actually being asked. To suggest that as a result they have ‘no confidence in their manager’ and should find another job, on that snippet of information, is to quote…”Wow”
I was going to say something similar but you have done a much better job of it than I would have done.
I think you've read other's comments and come to that conclusion, monkeyboy. The Op's comments are actually pretty non-committal about the manager.
Equally i don't think asking a union rep what they think is the red rag, def con 1 situation that others read it as. I know my union rep well, I talk to them about things a lot of the time, sometimes on a 'what do you think of this' basis.
But you might be right, your impression is just a valid as anyone else's.
Equally i don’t think asking a union rep what they think is the red rag, def con 1 situation that others read it as.
Not if you understand what a union is for. Some think that asking for union advice or help is akin to calling a general strike! The timescales for the OP's other half... from instruction/request... to performing the work... hardly allowed for a few weeks discussion and contemplation before speaking to the union, did it.
I think you’ve read other’s comments and come to that conclusion, monkeyboy. The Op’s comments are actually pretty non-committal about the manager.
Tbf it's not just the manager - that was just an example. My pov is If your complaining on an unrelated forum about a workplace, rather than confronting the workplace/manager, then generally I would assume your unhappy with that workplace - not necessarily just the manager.