nick99

Oh, and forgot to mention the colleague at my partner's (new) job who stormed out of the room when a previous 'difference of opinion' was politely brought up in a team meeting. The kind of team meeting to share issues, resolve problems etc. Eventually the person returned to the room but sat with her back to the speaker for the rest of the session. Childish, immature, and management completely unable to deal. Result is now that team members don't say anything at these meetings for fear of causing offence - completely negating the point of them. While I think of it...

...my partner left her first NZ job due to a nightmare manager whose antics were well known in the company but were simply ignored as he had been there a long time. Their tactic seemed to be to wait for him to retire to resolve the problem. Multiple attempts at mediation through HR failed. At her exit interview by HR she was asked to formally state her reason for leaving and said "Because [name] is a cXXX". The HR bod refused to write it down. She is very mild mannered person, this should indicate how upset she was to be forced out!

The second job she left as she had no support from the owner-directors (much smaller co). The director had 15 staff at that office but insisted on doing everything himself, down to binding reports, as "no-one else can do it properly". Kinda reinforces the idea that many (not all) companies here are pretty behind the times.

Oh, and how about my German uni classmate who had to put up with racist comments during his workplacement for his Masters with a company in Palmerstone North. Again inside a professional engineering multi-national, the kind of thing you might expect (but not accept) in a warehouse job.

chippy64

I really don't think you can generalise. I've applied for jobs in the UK and heard nothing from some and replies from others. I've worked for a two faced bitch and also for some lovely people in the UK.
In NZ, I have only had the one job (still there). I did have replies to all my applications. The guy I work for is young and I have never had a problem. If I have had to attend a meeting outside of my hours, I have been paid. I took some work home and got paid for that, even though it was my choice to do so. He also gave me $20 'get yourself some lunch' when there was money left over from our budget .
It may well make a difference as to size of company and sector that you are employed in. My employer is a small family run business (although my position is higher than his Dad's ) in the after school care industry.

M_and_M

So do I!

M_and_M

Hahah! I have been asked to do the same, so far I have refused! but I think I might use your format!

I cannot get my head around the fact that your performance seems to be rated on how many hours you spend doing stuff rathe than how well you do it or hoe efficient you are!

Snap Shot

It's just become par for the course in NZ. Yes it's happened in Britain too. Accepting it as the norm is what seems to be going on.

M_and_M

My manager is part of the 'institution' and she was given the job that I originally applied for while in the UK. See a trend developing....

M_and_M

Agree

Snap Shot

Verbatim ?

I wrote my response on an hourly basis as a reply to the 'hourly basis', frankly, 'timetable' that I had been given by my line manager/team leader/bossy bitch, well it said 'manager' on her badge didn't it ? (She didn't actually wear a badge but you get the picture.) Was she in over her head ? Oh, was it really that obvious ?

I was further told, twice, by her, not to spend hours writing it. (So why bother asking my to write it ? She was as contradictory as they came but by Christ was she right as far as she was concerned.) I replied, twice over, that I just spent a couple of minutes at the end of each hour to describe the work that I had done.

Couldn't help but think, 'what's the matter love, surprised how busy I am ?'

M_and_M

Ditto. I didn't get a sympathy card when my mother died suddenly, but I just signed one the other day that was organised for the head, who's relative so some kind recently died.

Snap Shot

Sorry to hear that. I thought you were bowled over by the huge amount of support that you got when your mum died suddenly.

As well as the support you had prior to that when you were looking for somewhere to live as well as all the etc before your other half came to NZ

M_and_M

I was, but not from the school that I work for (except for allowing me to attend the funeral in England)

britsinnz

I can't speak for employers being rude as I did voluntary work at a local school mentoring the kids who were slower readers. I loved the kids but in the 6 months I was there hardly any member of staff spoke to me. I started off really positive and would always say hello to whomever was in the staffroom, that's where the mentoring took place, but I rarely got a reply. I did this twice a week and bit by bit I began to feel really down about going. I had 4 children from one class and the day I decided to leave I stood in the teacher's doorway after saying hello and asked for the first pupil to come through. Unbelievably a full 5 minutes passed before she 'acknowledged' me. I was standing 10 feet from her and I suddenly thought, f**k this, life is too short to play these stupid games. And I was doing it for free for God's sake. In the UK I was a university lecturer with a PHD and I was treated better by the toilet attendants than I was by this so called 'professional' bunch of educators. It disgusted me.

marblep

Agreed. I've had bad experiences in the UK with no responses to my job applications. Been treated like an idiot by idiots earning too much money. I got a good job over there, only to be mocked in management meetings by the MD for my accent. 'Yeah, no' - gets boring after a while. That aformentioned MD has sadly sent the company into receivership. 50 years, 200 UK staff. My husband also struggles with the management here. But they're Australian and English. His biggest problem with the English manager is that he's constantly comparing here to there and starts every sentence with 'Well back home....'. My husband manages a team of guys. He prefers to live in the here and now and adapt to the style needed to manage his particular team - regardless of their nationality. Personality and work ethic are what he bases it on.

Persephone

I think it depends on the individual boss/bosses wherever you are.

My first job in NZ-lovely! There were a few bosses, always insisted on everyone having morning and afternoon tea, very considerate of their staff and their well being.

Second job- boss was rude but also could be very pleasant depending on his mood. All the staff knew what he was like and he also had a reputation amongst the profession as being difficult We would all have a whinge and moan when he was out of the area/ not working just to let off steam more than anything. He did know he was unreasonable but didn't seem able to stop himself at times. We were convinced he had read some self help books or been on courses on how to interact with staff as every now and again he would be complimentary and encouraging. Thing is, he would praise you on how well you'd done something that was so simple-like he knew he should give positive feedback but didn't really know how to do it in a meaningful way I remember once he spent ages trying to do what admittedly can be a difficult task, he gave up and asked me to have a go. I did it in about 5 seconds, he quietly muttered well done and went onto the next stage, head down. He didn't know how to genuinely give praise. Meanwhile everyone else was trying not to giggle It was pure luck on my part that I did it so quickly but it felt good as I left saying 'yeah, they can be tricky sometimes'!

Third boss- easy to work with, relaxed and helpful. Great to work for

Other jobs were in a locum position so I never really met the boss or bosses.

shocked kiwi

It depends which industry you work in. I used to work in the travel industry for a company that the first week I was there had a "pimp and prostitute" party for my then bosses 40th birthday, and we all walked down k rd in akl dressed up; the parties in those days, all paid for by my boss were legendary, and he shouted us all to fiji for the staff party, and we all worked hard for him in response.

Now I'm in a sort of finance company full of boring, straight types including the boss.
So it depends.