Loyalty?

Hi how are you? I want to talk about loyalty today with your permission, is that OK?

When I say loyalty I am talking about loyalty to an employer, a boss, the one who pays your wages, but not just your loyalty to them, but the loyalty they should show to you in exchange for yours.

I am going to share some pretty harsh perspectives, these are my own experiences, and I do not say or even believe that I am typical, or that these are widespread, but they are my own experience.

If you do not feel that this is a topic you will enjoy, please click away, as I truly do not want to offend you, but, I do believe in this modern age we should hold employers and employees equally accountable for the loss of trust and loyalty in the work place, is that fair?

Cool you are still here... Well for 20 years or more, this was me   

Loyalty

I have earned my living by driving lorries, not overly demanding ( Some think) but I have always taken a pride in what I do, and actually getting 40 + deliveries done in a single day ( and some times more) plus collections, plus building a rapport with customers, and suddenly you see a regimen that involves consistent attendance, care and professionalism. This doesn't take into account getting up at 02.00 to start the working day at 3.00am ... Three AM! I used to see students coming home from a night out!

But what of loyalty, well let me explain...

I was employed by a firm for almost 10 years, I had a good record,

• delivery success up at 99.912%
• attendance 100%,
• very few tacho infringements,
• No Speeding Or Legal Faults
• No Accidents
• all was good.

I had been defecting the back door of my truck, the damned thing kept sticking, the counterbalnce was all out of sync. so the door went from heavey to flying up. I always felt a bit like that cartoon cat Tom attached to a roller blind spinning round the thing it went up so fast.

Eventually I needed surgery to repair a rotator cuff injury ( Shoulder, near side, off work 4 months).

Now here comes the loyalty bit.

True Loyalty To A Spouse Or The Company

My everloving wife, suggested that I sue the company for loss of earnings...

I was horrified, what sue them? I said "really?"

She looked at me gone out ...

Yes SUE THEM, she adopted that tone parents use when explaining something to a child...

I was appalled, my attitude was the same as the other drivers ... how could I bite the hand that feeds me, US! 

It will make life awful when I go back, besides they have paid my sick pay... 

To be fair my wife kept her cool, you have been on sick pay Stephen, that is less than you usually bring home, a lot less, we have had to run up debts on the credit cards to survive.

"Yes I know love, but we knew that and we are selling the caravan to pay those off."

How she didn't hit me I do not know, but yes that was my plan, sell off a "Fleetwood Heritage" to get rid of the debt.

The Reality

So... lets us get this straight,

• I was injured through the companys lack of care,
• they failed to maintain the vehicle in a safe and useable way,
• I suffered excrutiating pain,
• would not take time off,
• until enforced to by the need for surgery.

And, AND I Was going to pay for this by selling MY caravan...

I think that demonstrates a level of loyalty to a company, don't you?

All went to plan, I had the surgery, sold the caravan, and my beloved Shogun, and went back to work.

The return to work was planned I was to be on light duties... to allow the shoulder to recover...

Didn't last long, they got in the shit, would I mind helping out?

Who ME? Of course I would not mind, well you guessed it,

I tore the shoulder again, this time more seriously than the last two full thickness tears front and back. Surgeon was not sure he would be able to repair it as well this time.

The second injury happened in the run up to Christmas.

Oh guess what as a further insult, not only did I lose my overtime, but becuase I was not "AT" work I lost my Christmas bonus, based on the previous years attendance...

( SO the year when I been at work for all the time I needed to be, the year when the damage was done, The year I carried on in spite of the pain... But the bonus was withheld on a technicality.)

I was beginning to see a trend.

You see in my opinion loyalty works both ways, least ways I believe it should do... and here I was on 2/3's of what I was getting by on, at the most expensive time of year, with 4 kids and an angry wife.

I was in the hospital for a longer period second time around, and only 2 people from work came to see me, and they were friends. No Card, no good wishes. I was letting them down, I was an inconvenience.

I was signed fit by Easter, however my line manager decided he could not risk another injury on light duties, so refused to allow me back to work, he kept me off until September! nearly 12 months in total, company sick pay ended, I was on SSP I contacted the personnel department to enquire about the loss of earnings insurance...

Oh that, yes that is not for you, that is for us to replace you... seriously can you get your head around that.

So guess what, I followed my wifes advice and sued.

I Took Action

Wham didn't see that coming, life was challenging, to say the least...

When I was allowed back, I went through three back to work interviews, including demostrating correct use of every aspect of the truck, even getting in and out of the cab, the bunk. I went gleefully home that day explaining to my wife how much they "cared for me".

Did you have to sign to say that you had been shown the correct way of doing the tasks? ... yes I said

DUMBASS was her response, this is them protecting themselves against you hurting yourself again. They can now prove they have shown you a safe working method, and, if you injure yourself again they are protected.

They DO NOT CARE, ( again the adult talking to the child tone) they are covering their own arses.

Suddenly I got it. Over the summer of that year, to try and reduce our debt I had been forced to sell my boat. I sail small racing dinghies, and the Phantom had been built specially for me, a custom job.

I sold it for 1/2 it's true value, look we were desperate.

When I was back in Work, my line manager, the one who had kept me off for 7 extra months, the one who was the route cause for all this, the one who vetoed a lot of the maintenance and repairs. He saw me in the corridor, and tried to be all chummy, you know, he had obviously been to manager school where he had been taught to relate to your staff by being interested and engaging in conversation...

Here is what he said... "Hi Steve, Sailing season now, have you started racing again this year?"

My Response... "Well no Jason, as you may recall I had to sell my boat to try and alleviate the debt issue I am currently facing,"

He did not even respond, just turned on his heel and walked away.

Finally

Please understand. This story is from my perspective... I get that companies have to reduce costs they have to pay shareholders, they cannot get to bogged down with individual stories.

However a small bit of care may have gone a long way to retaining my services, but I was dispensable, and had become a liability, more over I made my boss uncomfortable.

I was given permission by the personnel DIRECTOR to refuse to take out a badly loaded lorry.

I was instructed to report any dangerous loading issues to my line manager

So I did,  

I was on the London run, basically a huge trunking job down to a carriers yard to be unloaded. I got there opened the back doors to have the load fall out, solvents on top of glass ware, it was a nightmare.

When I shared the pictures with my boss ... guess what his response was... Not I will make sure that is not like that again ... NO ... he said Right I'll make sure you do not that run again!

Seriously... how is that caring for his workforce, and I do not think he was just a rogue manager, this was company wide, I actually think it is industry wide.

I have head so many similar stories, which before my injury I had put down to sour grapes, you know disgruntled employee bad mouthing a company because things went against him, and you may, justifiably, feel that is what this blog post is all about.

That is fine if you want to do that, I get it I really do, however, for the odd one or two that may be has had a similar experience, and I know that you are still reading this, and may be feeling that you relate in part to what I have been saying.

Then let me say I believe that things can be different. I stumbled across a similar blog post whilst I was off sick ( I mean what else is there to do except surf Youtube and watch Bargain Hunt!)

It was actually an introductory video offer, some free training about starting my own business... The term life changing is banded about a lot nowadays, but I had absolutely nothing to lose, I mean I had just sold my boat ... I literally had NOTHING...and when I listened to the information shared with me in these videos I was astounded.    

So How About You?

So, if you find yourself relating to this post, maybe you have experienced something similar to me. I'd love to share with you the same free videos that I stumbled across and that had such an impact on me.

This information truly showed me a new way to not only get myself free and out of from my current situation of feeling trapped. But also exactly how it's now possible in todays online world to be able to find opportunities that give me the ability to write my own paycheck and take control of my future finances and freedom. I'd truly love to think I can help a few people by just simply sharing this stuff. 

Another quick point I’ll make. Is that each video, which will be delivered one day at a time over the next week (to save information overload) will probably set off so many lightbulb moments when it comes to solving the problems I have been sharing here, like feeling trapped and limited with your income options.

You can access the first of the videos here [Click Here]

If you have any questions for me at all after checking this out. I'm here and always happy to help anyone who can relate to the things I have shared.