Five volunteers SUSPENDED from NYMR

[Northmoor]

19 hours ago, Boris said:

I'm nicking this from the unofficial NYMR forum which is from another disillusioned volunteer that kind of covers what has been going on since covid:

 

"Firstly I'm going to apologise in advance on two counts. First the likely length of this post and, more significantly, because I am going to be extremely forthright about certain of the hierarchy both recently departed and those who are currently clinging on to a rapidly sinking ship.

Why am I posting? - because for over thirty years (admittedly on and off due to work and family commitments) I volunteered on the line. I packed it in two years ago when the Park Street Politbureau instigated a pathetic pretence of a system which required me to lie to prospective customers. It isn't easy concealing a six or seven coach train with empty seats from passengers I was told to turn away as "full".

As an ex-volunteer I now occupy my armchair, In 2023 I visited as a fare-paying traveller twice. In 2024, unless there is an increasingly unlikely rethink. I won't be visiting at all. What our so called "professional" managers have done and are continuing to do sickens me.

What do I mean? Basically the line , it's stations, it's principles, it's ethos, it entire purpose has ben hijacked by a buch of mealy mouthed, self-serving, PR balls spouting aparachiks who have stolen the line we love from the members, the supporters, the donors and the volunteers, They have turned it into a duff patiche of what a preseved railway should be. They favour pointless press prattle above preservation, they preach but don't practice, they leach but they don't learn, they demand but don't deliver,

A few facts? The NYMR is a substantial line which needs some paid employees which is fair enough. However the NYMR has 8 times the number of paid staff per working volunteer than the average UK preserved line ratio. The NYMR operates diesels on four times more diesel loco miles (as a ratio against steam) than the typical line. Even the diesel infested ELR is eclipsed in comprison.

The new season is about to start and what happens just two weeks later? Goathland, for the average member of the public probably the only station they'll recognised is closed for bridge repairs. Yes I know it needs those repairs - In fact I've known that for about six years now, though it seems to have taken the Park Street mandarins by total susprise. We've had a £10million fundraiser - Surely the necessary monies could have been spent on repairs during the closed season?

What about Joe Public? - The answer seems to be sod them which isn't really a sensible policy objective. In 2022 we turned them way at the booking office, apart of course those we discouraged with compulsory pre booking, or undeciperable website and then farcical fare structure,

So to 2024 as per the NYMR propaganda machine. Laura Strangeway, Acting CEO at the NYMR, said, “Last year marked a huge milestone for the NYMR, celebrating 50 years of our much-loved heritage railway. This year, we have an exciting line up starting with our season opening and a special Easter family experience, as well as huge anniversary milestones for some of our home-fleet engines.In addition to the return of some much-anticipated events, we’re also working hard behind the scenes to put together a brand new ‘Lights, Camera, Traction’ film trail at the NYMR highlighting some of the incredible blockbuster films and TV series that have been filmed here. So watch this space. We are so grateful to each and every member of staff and our volunteers who continue to spread the knowledge and magic of our heritage railway line to all of our visitors. As a charity we rely on the income and donations from our visitors to keep the NYMR steaming ahead and this year is no different. We can’t wait to once again welcome visitors to our living museum."

So a living railway museum highlighting trains? - No just highlighting blockbuster films and TV. How about a diesel gala in June, and unofficially in July, and in August and possibly September.

What about "Through the decades"? - Like the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s? - Why not import air-conditioned MK2F coaches for that true plasticised Inter-City experience. Then stick on the Class 31 diesel to prode electrics to complete the trainset and just maybe as an afterthough a smoke machine on the front which won't be audible due to sealed windows and historic air-conditioning noises.

Spend a million or three constructing a carriage stable but fail to provide enough preserved carriages.

Make sure every advert shows steam but every high season train has to be diesel.

Instead of promoting heritage why not promote personal "celebrity" culture, or better stilll a dung heap on which they can stand for adulation and into which they hopefully then sink.

So to the board I make this promise - I won't be troubling you again unless and until you restore sufficient NYMR steam power rather than the pointless half term hire of a "celebrity" loco that 90% of customers have never heard of. I won't be troubling your tearooms which increasingly resemble American diners, I won't be troubling your booking offies by either buying tickets or as a volunteer selling them. I won't be there when the last disillusioned volunteer finally quits.

Finally if you have decided I'm a boring old fart then yes you're right. I'm also fast approaching that great trainset in the sky and for the last twenty years the NYMR Historical Trust were my main beneficiary to the tune of around £650,000. - Not any more - I don't want to support your three-ring circus, your salaries or your egos. I say to the board you have lost my trust, you have lost my volunteering, you have lost my respect, you have lost my legacy and, most important you have lost the support of virtually every volunteer I've spoken to. You won't often hear a traditionalist quoting Oliver Cromwell addressing parliament in 1653 but I'll do so.

"Gentlemen, you have sat here too long.In the name of God go! "

While I have a great deal of sympathy for this individual and others like them have been treated, it does seem like a lot of their complaints are about the railway doing things that just aren't to their personal taste, but which might earn the railway a great deal.  Currently feeling (understandably) rejected, they might actually feel they want the railway to fail, so that they can be proved right.

 

Two examples they use - diesel services, film themed events -  are often good earners for preserved railways and while the world has changed, in the 1970s the NYMR was one of the first preserved railways to routinely operate DMUs off-peak for passengers who wanted the scenic ride.  All the major railways are increasing the proportion of diesel services with the rising cost of coal; if you're running a steam service you want to be certain those trains will be full.  In the other example, it's not as if what is proposed is a Star Wars theme, it's about the many films made on the railway, which could attract a whole new clientele; movie location tourism is a huge market.

 

This does though, reinforce the views expressed on this thread that volunteers need to be nurtured, which requires Leaders, not Managers.  The managers can help steer away the genuinely disruptive volunteers (almost every scheme has them) who have their own agendas and personal projects which do not align with the main aims of the railway.  A leader is someone who you will follow even when you may not necessarily agree with them.

 

One final point about paid staffing levels; there may be a correlation between affluence of the area, remoteness and levels of volunteering (c.f. the GWSR).  Most volunteers at the NYMR are going to come a significant distance (and it's not an easy place to get to by public transport), so paying staff might be the only way to guarantee that roles vital for daily operation are filled.  Which makes nurturing your volunteers even more important. 

[Railpassion]

Talking of Whitby 

 

[Oldddudders]

So all those people are queued to travel diesel-hauled in Mk1s? At what this thread tells us are exhorbitant prices? Crikey. 

 

Gimme the Bluebell with a much shorter run - but smashing restored vehicles from a little earlier, please. That, to me, is preservation. 

[Wheatley]

We were there (Pickering) Easter Sunday. There was only one deisel hauled service, the last one of the day. (I confess I didn't check the first train as it was before we got there). 

[richard i]

5 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

I just looked up the ticket pricing strategy.  That's moronic.  How many visitors will be there on holiday for a week and only want one day on the railway?  They won't come, but the locals will buy a ticket and ride ten times, generating no revenue.  Did they do a survey first, or any basic modelling?

 

SVR was giving free return trips last year but the maximum risk they took was one non-paying visit per full price ticket sold, and the free trip couldn't be used for galas.

I brought a ticket last year for the late Easter holiday. I rode three times. As Easter was early this year have ridden another three times on the same ticket. I would have paid for at least 4 of those trips if the annual pass was not available. Therefore lost income.

As for buying ancillaries, nothing at Whitby, Pickering has little in the shop for an enthusiast. Most places have a second hand book store full of interesting books. Goathland a cafe but there are others in town people will hit first. Tiny shop. Should hogwarts the heck out of it. Little reason to get off at Levison except walk so people walk away without stopping.
IMHO.

Richard

[rogerzilla]

Agreed on the paucity of retail and catering options.  SVR does really well at this, with three fairly large shops and some sort of catering at every station except Eardington (since it's rare anything stops there!).  You really need this stuff if you're going to let people come back and not pay again for a ticket.

[Matt37268]

1 hour ago, APOLLO said:

Best thing in Whitby !!

 

 

Brit15

That photo’s reminding me of an incident a few years ago when I worked at a foodie pub. 
An American asked for fish and chips but didn’t want any of the ‘Guacamole’ that it came with… 😀

[009 micro modeller]

5 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

 

I just looked up the ticket pricing strategy.  That's moronic.  How many visitors will be there on holiday for a week and only want one day on the railway?  They won't come, but the locals will buy a ticket and ride ten times, generating no revenue.  Did they do a survey first, or any basic modelling?

 

I did wonder if the bit in bold was sort of the point, i.e. as a scheme to encourage more visits/participation from the local community. Which is something I’d agree with in principle, I just don’t really think this is the right way to implement it because of the other issues it creates, as you’ve already covered (unpredictable loss of revenue and perception of worse value for those who aren’t local).

 

12 hours ago, adb968008 said:

It does worry me, where preservation is heading and is Charity models right for heritage railways ?

 

The roots of heritage lines are groups of volunteers, rallying a cause. So decisions are by like minded individuals towards a common cause.

You cant ignore in the years theres been loads of passionate discussions about competing ideals but it produced the industry that exists.

 

The problem with charities I see is it divorces those volunteers from the cause. Charities are basically businesses who can make their own decisions without accountability to the volunteers, indeed they can even get rid of the very volunteers who created the charity, or marginalise them to supporters groups.

 

12 hours ago, adb968008 said:

 

I do think in the future we will see selected lines become owned by companies like Merlin Entertainment, others maybe become charities controlling multiple lines. For some closure, part closure, redevelopment is a possibility, and others maybe reintegrated to the network as a rail, guided bus, tramway or cycle path.

i’m not convinced railways, hospitals and aid agencies all fit well in the same corporate framework.

I sort of see what you mean, however the model of a heritage visitor attraction ultimately run by a charity, operated by paid staff but generally with some level of volunteer support as well, is very common (pretty much ubiquitous in fact) in the wider heritage/museum sector. There’s nothing particular in the nature of a heritage railway that makes it obviously and inherently less suited to such a structure. Historically heritage railways have tended to be more volunteer-led and managed, more so than other types of heritage organisation (though there are various independent museums that are similarly volunteer-led) but it doesn’t follow that they necessarily have to be. For example, in both of the museums I currently work in we have volunteers, but usually in supporting roles with core roles performed by paid staff. I was going to say the volunteers don’t make decisions about the direction of the organisation etc., but actually there are opportunities for both volunteers and paid staff to feed back to managers about what we do and ideas for how to do better (as I think there should be, in a well-run organisation) - however, it’s not in the formal way that would take place in a membership organisation with an elected board etc. And I was a museum volunteer elsewhere previously so I do see that side as well.

 

In terms of the future direction and what organisational structures are used I know there are a few lines that are already commercial/for-profit without a heritage focus or charitable structure, though I’m not sure I can see others converting to this structure (even if only out of self-interest, in the sense that doing so would deprive them of funding sources that are only available to charities or to the heritage sector). I do think the idea of a charity running several lines might work though (and I’d much prefer this to the blatantly commercial option), probably not on the scale of something like the National Trust but more in the way that the Jorvik Group runs several sites within York in addition to Jorvik itself, or the multiple Science Museum Group sites around the UK.

 

5 hours ago, Morello Cherry said:

At the same time there were two sources of tension - some of my fellow paid staff who were on minimum wage resented middle class volunteers and if an opportunity to make a mountain out of a molehill with a volunteer came up then you could bet your life they would take it. The second one and far worse was when one of the council officers (ie not an elected official but one of the administrators) would come down in their very expensive car (always with the expensive cars). It always struck me as to how divorced they were from reality - divorced from understanding our dependence on the volunteers to make a fairly basic social service work, and divorced from understanding the volunteers' relationships with us. Something like a minor change - let us say no more free cups of tea for volunteers because they've worked out that it could save some small amount. The policy would be passed down from above, but it would be down to the staff on the ground to enact the policy and the council officer would get in their car and drive off until their next royal visit to us. What would then happen is that people on the ground like me would get caught between angry volunteers who think they are being taken for granted, or it is punching down, and at the same time, my more antagonistic colleagues using it as a perfect excuse to pick fights with volunteers. Upshot is, loads of volunteers say I've got better things to do with my time and leave, which means we struggle to run the social service (in the end because of things like this the number of volunteers collapsed so they had to privatise the service which meant that everyone's council tax bill went up and the service is much worse than it was before).

The basic issue of disconnect between management and front line staff and lack of appreciation for those who actually have to interact with the public/volunteers/whoever and implement whatever policy has been decreed exists in plenty of places, including elsewhere in (non-railway) heritage and charity organisations. It’s slightly different when volunteers are involved but applies in plenty of situations where there are only/mostly paid staff.

[Morello Cherry]

52 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

While I have a great deal of sympathy for this individual and others like them have been treated, it does seem like a lot of their complaints are about the railway doing things that just aren't to their personal taste, but which might earn the railway a great deal.  Currently feeling (understandably) rejected, they might actually feel they want the railway to fail, so that they can be proved right.

 

Two examples they use - diesel services, film themed events -  are often good earners for preserved railways and while the world has changed, in the 1970s the NYMR was one of the first preserved railways to routinely operate DMUs off-peak for passengers who wanted the scenic ride.  All the major railways are increasing the proportion of diesel services with the rising cost of coal; if you're running a steam service you want to be certain those trains will be full.  In the other example, it's not as if what is proposed is a Star Wars theme, it's about the many films made on the railway, which could attract a whole new clientele; movie location tourism is a huge market.

 

This does though, reinforce the views expressed on this thread that volunteers need to be nurtured, which requires Leaders, not Managers.  The managers can help steer away the genuinely disruptive volunteers (almost every scheme has them) who have their own agendas and personal projects which do not align with the main aims of the railway.  A leader is someone who you will follow even when you may not necessarily agree with them.

 

One final point about paid staffing levels; there may be a correlation between affluence of the area, remoteness and levels of volunteering (c.f. the GWSR).  Most volunteers at the NYMR are going to come a significant distance (and it's not an easy place to get to by public transport), so paying staff might be the only way to guarantee that roles vital for daily operation are filled.  Which makes nurturing your volunteers even more important. 

 

I think tone matters a lot and thinking about how what you say might be recieved by all audiences, including your hardcore purist volunteers. I have met an awful lot of very tone deaf managers in my time. Recent examples include a manager who during the cost of living crisis and general job insecurity would send us a monthly email (ostentiously about what is going on at work) which seemed to be about their trips to the local farmers' market. To the staff it confirmed that they were a completely divorced from reality, wealthy idiot who lacked the brains to think about how they were coming across to those lower down the pay chain. The second one was a manager who sent an email announcing that he welcomed constructive feedback - in other words, if you give me feedback that challenges me then I am going to dismiss it unconstructive.

 

What I would say is this - I have no reason to doubt that filming etc is extremely lucrative, but that is only possible because Dave, Joe, Bob, Sue and their dog Cyril turn up every tuesday from November through to February to do various tedious, thankless, dull tasks on the station to keep it looking beautiful so that film location spotters can go 'that would look perfect in my film'. (At the same time, there wouldn't be a station to keep up if the money didn't come). The point here is that both need the other.

 

If it wasn't filming it would be Thomas/Peppa/Bluey/Paw Patrol/Diesel Galas that would be seen as the betrayal of the ethos of the railway.

 

Managers need to put themselves in the shoes of those at the bottom, and unfortunately, as we can see all around us every day most seem to be devoid of the most basic elements of human intelligence necessary.

 

I have to say, that I think being part of a fly on the wall/reality programme is about the worst thing you can do for your business. If for no other reason than some people take it as an opportunity to become 'characters' even though no one likes someone  who spends their time going around gurning for the camera like Greg Wallace on speed. (Bangers and Cash is the worst one for that it has to be said).

[adb968008]

13 hours ago, Morello Cherry said:

 

 

 

Managers need to put themselves in the shoes of those at the bottom

This 100%.

 

You cant understand the problem, if you've never seen it, understood it or done it in some form or other.

 

I once saved a £15mn software project, with a top 10 US Financial institution, by flying from Sydney, where everything was going smoothly, to New York, at 24 hours notice, and on a very long flight, where they said it was falling apart and were threatening to quit the project.. solely to go in on a saturday morning, as soon as I landed at EWR, to sit next to the actual guy doing overtime inputting data into our software and see exactly what his problem was…

 

There was no way It would have ever been detected using a conference tool. Indeed the way it was going was a tit for tat blame game about user skillset vs support. We were days from being thrown out. 

 

I didnt do much, I watched, listened, learned and asked a few questions, and about his having to miss his kids soccer game in order to use our software on a saturday, then viewed our solution in context to his process.

 

It was hidden in minuta and the type of work & work process the employee was inputting wasnt in a way the tool anticipated it, forcing him to do it manually and work arounds… but you had to see his actual work process to understand why.

 

Once understood, documented and explained to the techies, the fix took a week, problem solved… overtime over, Saturday's off and his teams productivity flew away

 

I took 48 hours off, went back to Sydney and continued overseeing the deployment there.. truly wiped out knackered, but with my gold card secured with the airline for one more year… but that financial was my account for years after, with a constant set of orders. ultimately our software saved the customer of needing a $300mn IT investment…

 

But there was still higher management who just didn't understand it and questioned the expenses for what looked like a weekend in new york and could not correlate it to the sales forecast… they just cant see beyond the numbers… Has we been thrown out it would have been recorded as technical issues, we would lose, our customer would lose.

The customer director, and my boss at that time have been my best advocate for job references ever since.
 

It remains a story I retell to graduates, new hires ever since, the importance of understanding your customer, the person doing the task, and who his personal customer is (the one he hands off to). The more people understand each persons role, the better they can help each other. Even small changes can have huge impacts and determine success or failure.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4 by adb968008

[Blandford1969]

57 minutes ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

 

Or they are a bit autistic (or similar), and can't do this because their brain is wired up the wrong way to allow them. I've encountered a few people in management positions who were like this, presumably having got there by being good at their original job. 

There are alot of assumptions in this comment  which are being kind very outdated and offensive to the one in four people who are nurodiverse. 

 

Its not a case of being rightly or wrongly wired, its just different to perhaps how you are. 

 

The implication in what you write is that no one who is nurodiverse should ever be a manager, really these sorts of views deserve to be left in the past just like racism, sexism etc. @AY Mod

[009 micro modeller]

17 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said:

There are alot of assumptions in this comment  which are being kind very outdated and offensive to the one in four people who are nurodiverse. 

 

Its not a case of being rightly or wrongly wired, its just different to perhaps how you are. 

 

The implication in what you write is that no one who is nurodiverse should ever be a manager, really these sorts of views deserve to be left in the past just like racism, sexism etc. @AY Mod

Exactly. Even if the original comment wasn’t meant in an offensive way (and I genuinely don’t think it was) the phrasing does have that unfortunate implication, which as a neurodivergent person I dislike. It’s 2024 and it’s Autism Awareness Acceptance Month, we can and should do better.

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, Morello Cherry said:

Managers need to put themselves in the shoes of those at the bottom, and unfortunately, as we can see all around us every day most seem to be devoid of the most basic elements of human intelligence necessary.

Intelligence but also I think empathy/understanding in some cases.

 

Interestingly in the heritage sector now (in a wide sense, probably less applicable to heritage railways) the state of the job market and recruitment processes is such that those of us who are fairly early career have to work up through volunteering, then paid front of house and entry level roles and have a degree (or two), rather than entering with either experience or qualifications as in some sectors. But I do hope that one positive outcome of this will be that in 10-20 years time there might be a generation of managers who have worked in various different heritage sector roles, rather than getting into it via a rather generic private sector/corporate or charity management background.

Edited April 3 by 009 micro modeller

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, Morello Cherry said:

I have to say, that I think being part of a fly on the wall/reality programme is about the worst thing you can do for your business. If for no other reason than some people take it as an opportunity to become 'characters' even though no one likes someone  who spends their time going around gurning for the camera like Greg Wallace on speed. (Bangers and Cash is the worst one for that it has to be said).

The other issue I would have with fly on the wall documentaries is that even the really good ones (I liked the old ITV/Sky series ‘The Tube’ about the London Underground) seem to rely on some element of things appearing to go wrong or being a bit chaotic. Which is fair enough as the programme makers need a way to drive the narrative and add interest, but from a PR point of view, with something like a heritage railway or a relatively small museum I would be concerned about the risk of it (perhaps unfairly) overemphasising the more dysfunctional aspects of the organisation.

[Northmoor]

12 hours ago, Nick C said:

It's not just railways - Mrs C used to volunteer for a local hospice in one of their charity shops. She and quite a few others quit after they spent vast amounts of money rebranding after a similar change in upper management from 'cause' people to 'fundraising' people - and going on things I've overheard, said fundraising people clearly have no idea that different markets need different approaches - they are apparently trying to turn the shops into "boutiques" - which might work in London, but has no hope in Basingstoke!

Years ago my mother volunteered at an Oxfam shop in West Wales.  She eventually lost patience - as I think several other volunteers did - at being told by the Area Manager, turning up in his company car, what must be prioritised for sale (and what donations should be discouraged) even though the experience in the shop was that they should do the direct opposite.  It was the early days of Oxfam becoming a Big Charity; these behave like Big Business in every way except for actually pocketing the profit.

 

Another close relative has spent most of their career in the third sector.  My own career has been roughly 50/50 in the public/private sector and some of the behaviours they have described by charity staff would absolutely NOT be tolerated in either.

[Wheatley]

49 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

The other issue I would have with fly on the wall documentaries is that even the really good ones (I liked the old ITV/Sky series ‘The Tube’ about the London Underground) seem to rely on some element of things appearing to go wrong or being a bit chaotic.

Going wildly off topic here but this omnipresent false jeopardy in modern documentaries does my head in. "Will it fit / blow up / fall off the lorry ?" No probably not, just get on and show us the next bit. "Train Truckers" is one of the worst for this, ironically the one episode you'll probably never see is the one where the trip with an LUL battery loco really did go spectacularly wrong. 

 

Contrast with "Sailor" from 1976. A couple of lines of introductory commentary then usually  an hour of observation and the occasional comment from the subject to the camera. 

Edited April 3 by Wheatley

[009 micro modeller]

3 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

Going wildly off topic here but this omnipresent false jeopardy in modern documentaries does my head in. "Will it fit / blow up / fall off the lorry ?" No probably not, just get on and show us the next bit. "Train Truckers" is one of the worst for this, ironically the one episode you'll probably never see is the obe where the trip with an LUL battery loco went spectacularly wrong. 

Agreed. Especially when it’s something where they’ll have planned the route, risk assessed etc. to prevent anything really important from going wrong. I always thought ‘Train Truckers’ was an oddly specific subject anyway. Now that I think about it, ‘The Tube’ didn’t really have too much false jeopardy (but it was originally from 2003). I can vaguely remember a segment where new staff were learning how to safely cross a live track electrified on the LU 4-rail system - even that wasn’t especially overhyped. I’ve only watched the first episode of the current Channel 5 Tube documentary but that mostly seemed OK as well - perhaps it’s only when there isn’t really ‘enough’ genuine jeopardy that they feel the need to manufacture some.

[pete_mcfarlane]

57 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

Exactly. Even if the original comment wasn’t meant in an offensive way (and I genuinely don’t think it was) the phrasing does have that unfortunate implication, which as a neurodivergent person I dislike. It’s 2024 and it’s Autism Awareness Acceptance Month, we can and should do better.

OK then, how should I have phrased it?

 

My intent being to convey the idea that the manager was possibly behaving in a particular way (not understanding other people's situations being different from their own) because of who they were and how their brain was wired up, rather than due to any deliberate malice or failings. Which is important in understanding some of these culture clashes within organisations, where everyone means well in their own way, but they all somehow end up upsetting each other due to mutual lack of understanding. 

 

I'm temporarily 'resting' between jobs, so wasn't aware that it was Autism month. If I was in a job I'd probably have had a bulk email from HR telling me all about it, with stories from a couple of employees about their experiences and so on, as I've seen in previous years. What I've never seen in any of the past communications is something on how to talk about neurodivergent people in a way that doesn't make them uncomfortable(*), which is food for thought. So now is the chance for somebody to educate me. 

 

(* Because as a manager you want to be able to say to people "Fred likes to work in a particular way because of who he is, which is different from your way of working, so be understanding" without upsetting Fred)

[Matt37268]

5 hours ago, Morello Cherry said:

 

I think tone matters a lot and thinking about how what you say might be recieved by all audiences, including your hardcore purist volunteers. I have met an awful lot of very tone deaf managers in my time. Recent examples include a manager who during the cost of living crisis and general job insecurity would send us a monthly email (ostentiously about what is going on at work) which seemed to be about their trips to the local farmers' market. To the staff it confirmed that they were a completely divorced from reality, wealthy idiot who lacked the brains to think about how they were coming across to those lower down the pay chain. The second one was a manager who sent an email announcing that he welcomed constructive feedback - in other words, if you give me feedback that challenges me then I am going to dismiss it unconstructive.

 

What I would say is this - I have no reason to doubt that filming etc is extremely lucrative, but that is only possible because Dave, Joe, Bob, Sue and their dog Cyril turn up every tuesday from November through to February to do various tedious, thankless, dull tasks on the station to keep it looking beautiful so that film location spotters can go 'that would look perfect in my film'. (At the same time, there wouldn't be a station to keep up if the money didn't come). The point here is that both need the other.

 

If it wasn't filming it would be Thomas/Peppa/Bluey/Paw Patrol/Diesel Galas that would be seen as the betrayal of the ethos of the railway.

 

Managers need to put themselves in the shoes of those at the bottom, and unfortunately, as we can see all around us every day most seem to be devoid of the most basic elements of human intelligence necessary.

 

I have to say, that I think being part of a fly on the wall/reality programme is about the worst thing you can do for your business. If for no other reason than some people take it as an opportunity to become 'characters' even though no one likes someone  who spends their time going around gurning for the camera like Greg Wallace on speed. (Bangers and Cash is the worst one for that it has to be said).

As someone who is a manager in a very erm interesting hospitality industry I’d very much like to challenge that statement. I’m very happy to lead from the front and roll my sleeves up and get on with the job.

 

I’m very much of the Reggie Hanks style of management (you walk around and you talk to people and have a chat with them) 

 

A certain Mr Dunster has found this seems to work from his old boss (Chris Green) at a certain railway in the West Midlands who’s previous 

GM called her staff a bunch of ‘well meaning amateurs’ 

[jjb1970]

Something to keep in mind is that manager is not a synonym for leader. A leader provides, well, leadership. That generally includes some sort of vision, inspiring and enthusing people and setting the tone for an organisation. One of the problems I always found with British business was they had plenty of managers but few leaders. 

 

On charities, one of the things I always found eye opening when I worked in London was to look at the offices of charities, not for profit outfits and unions. Lots of expensive office space,  and I don't expect those filling  the floor space are volunteers. Now clearly an organisation reaches a point where it needs office space and paid staff, but does it have to be in expensive parts of the most expensive city in the country?

[Tumut]

11 hours ago, Boris said:

Why are that mans keys attached to a chain that goes up his kilt?

 

That one's definitely real!

Well Boris, and others, that sounds like good free entertainment, and you do not get hassled by self important jobs worthies to boot !

Edited April 4 by Tumut
hauled amended to hassled, the original intent !

[Tumut]

Hello All, 1 / re the comment on Managers and Leaders, in many middle management roles, you ideally need someone with both skills, and that someone has to also be able to encourage and symphathize with their staff . In reality, most jobs require some level of teamwork and camaraderie , and that needs to be achieved without getting people upset, not always possible, but a good manager and leader can generally achieve this.

2 / Unlike one of my managers who told me that English managers were needed because Australians do not know how to run railways ( we have done so since 1854 !), he went on to say that they have achieved 95%-98% ontime running (to 4'59"), and excluding cancellations) My response was that when I started thirty years earlier we Australians generally exceeded 90% on time (to 3'00') with little or no cancellations. For context, we preferred to run late and get every passenger home, as opposed to our English manager who preferred to cancel trains to achieve on time running. Or alternatively, run as an ad hoc express, which meant at least some customers ended up quite some distance beyond where they intended to get off. This could also mean that either trains did not run, and/or customers were unloaded and expected to get on the following train.

3 / having said that, there were times when particular trains were regularly cancelled, and the previous express became a stopping all stations, which extended the running time by 5 minutes.(Cancelled run was a dock,SAS to Central, SAS return to shunt out, thereby causing minimal disruption.)

Regards to all, Tumut.

Edited April 5 by Tumut
add ( we have done so since 1854 )

[Chris M]

9 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

Agreed on the paucity of retail and catering options.  SVR does really well at this, with three fairly large shops and some sort of catering at every station except Eardington (since it's rare anything stops there!).  You really need this stuff if you're going to let people come back and not pay again for a ticket.

When Eardington station is open they sell the best cakes on the line.

[Nick C]

9 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

OK then, how should I have phrased it?

 

My intent being to convey the idea that the manager was possibly behaving in a particular way (not understanding other people's situations being different from their own) because of who they were and how their brain was wired up, rather than due to any deliberate malice or failings. Which is important in understanding some of these culture clashes within organisations, where everyone means well in their own way, but they all somehow end up upsetting each other due to mutual lack of understanding. 

 

I'm temporarily 'resting' between jobs, so wasn't aware that it was Autism month. If I was in a job I'd probably have had a bulk email from HR telling me all about it, with stories from a couple of employees about their experiences and so on, as I've seen in previous years. What I've never seen in any of the past communications is something on how to talk about neurodivergent people in a way that doesn't make them uncomfortable(*), which is food for thought. So now is the chance for somebody to educate me. 

 

(* Because as a manager you want to be able to say to people "Fred likes to work in a particular way because of who he is, which is different from your way of working, so be understanding" without upsetting Fred)

In my experience, Neurodiverse people tend to be far better at understanding that other people's situations can be different to their own than most neurotypical folks - especially the more extroverted types...

 

As for your second example, just accepting that different people work in different ways would be a good start - something that many people and companies seem to find hard to understand - just look at the discussions on here about flexible working for example (and yes, I'm well aware that this is something I keep banging on about) - I'm the kind of person who can focus best in a quiet environment without a lot of distractions, so I prefer to work from home - but I can guarantee you now I've mentioned those three words, someone will be along to argue that either (a) They prefer to work in the office and therefore everyone must do the same, or (b) some jobs can't be done remotely, so none should be allowed to.

 

I think if you said to another employee that "Fred likes to work in a particular way because of who he is, which is different from your way of working, so be understanding", Fred would not be upset at all, in fact he'd be very grateful...

[john new]

8 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Something to keep in mind is that manager is not a synonym for leader. A leader provides, well, leadership. That generally includes some sort of vision, inspiring and enthusing people and setting the tone for an organisation. One of the problems I always found with British business was they had plenty of managers but few leaders. 

 

On charities, one of the things I always found eye opening when I worked in London was to look at the offices of charities, not for profit outfits and unions. Lots of expensive office space,  and I don't expect those filling  the floor space are volunteers. Now clearly an organisation reaches a point where it needs office space and paid staff, but does it have to be in expensive parts of the most expensive city in the country?

Re-office locations in London. To some extent yes due to the need for lobbying etc. I qualify that with “to some extent” as I doubt it has to be in the most expensive bits, the extras quite as lavish etc.