WTF is really going on?

[CarryingMGMT]

I'm catching up with this thread... Did anyone hear the interview with the CEO of Timpsons?

I thought what he said about top-down management really chimed with how this job/service/company has been circling the drain ever tighter for the last decade. At every level everything has become rigidly micromanaged. The managerial class have destroyed autonomy. The PDA's data-gathering is not so much about getting a fix on reality as it is about providing busy work for a bureaucracy to justify its own existence.

They love automation yet somehow we have the money to spend on real people to heat seat cushions. Non-operational grades out on delivery, not just for Christmas.

It’s the Tesco problem being replicated in all kinds of businesses but no one seems to learn from previous examples. Tesco introduced self service checkouts to reduce costs. What they have found is that they don’t save money at all because technology costs to be maintained and it’s easier to shoplift through self serv checkouts.

But customers are used to the technology now so Tesco are stuck with the cost of the technology.

The "Tesco problem" being, how do they get rid of staff without it costing them money?

[Tman]

Tesco are probably more than happy with their "technology", as it doesn't go sick, leave, moan about it's fellow workers or work at half-speed when it's got a hang-over.
Once the costs of development and installation are recouped it's win-win all the way.

[nuisance]

Tesco are probably more than happy with their "technology", as it doesn't go sick, leave, moan about it's fellow workers or work at half-speed when it's got a hang-over.
Once the costs of development and installation are recouped it's win-win all the way.

Hardly, at least one is always totally broken and about 3 at a time always need an assistant to come over and approve bags/ verify something/ remove safety tags, etc.

I bet they're no cheaper than checkouts.

[richietns]

I remember years ago industries saying technology will give people more leasure time and take alot of manual back breaking work away which is true but they didn't mention job reduction and how to then still pay your mortgage.

[Barnacle]

I remember years ago industries saying technology will give people more leasure time and take alot of manual back breaking work away which is true but they didn't mention job reduction and how to then still pay your mortgage.

The Luddites had a point.

[richietns]

I remember years ago industries saying technology will give people more leasure time and take alot of manual back breaking work away which is true but they didn't mention job reduction and how to then still pay your mortgage.

The Luddites had a point.

Yeah they still can't replace post men and women yet,though that drone delivery a couple of years ago tried to take off no pun intended.

[Tman]

Hardly, at least one is always totally broken and about 3 at a time always need an assistant to come over and approve bags/ verify something/ remove safety tags, etc.

Much the same things that were said in the early years of cars, then. Cars are too unreliable, too slow, cost too much and horses are much better, etc.
Equally the same nonsense was spouted in the early days of postal automation; the machines are always breaking down, they take too long to fix and ten posties can do the work quicker, blah blah.
Systems etc improve rapidly as do the ways that staff integrate with them. It's called progress, whether we like it or not.

[Barnacle]

Hardly, at least one is always totally broken and about 3 at a time always need an assistant to come over and approve bags/ verify something/ remove safety tags, etc.

Much the same things that were said in the early years of cars, then. Cars are too unreliable, too slow, cost too much and horses are much better, etc.
Equally the same nonsense was spouted in the early days of postal automation; the machines are always breaking down, they take too long to fix and ten posties can do the work quicker, blah blah.
Systems etc improve rapidly as do the ways that staff integrate with them. It's called progress, whether we like it or not.

Progress doesn’t travel in a straight line. The past is littered with technology which was meant to be a boon (Betamax video anyone), but turned out to not be what people wanted, or was too expensive or too ahead of its time (Concorde). To make progress you have to know when to pull the plug on a wrong idea.

[scotchy1962]

Hardly, at least one is always totally broken and about 3 at a time always need an assistant to come over and approve bags/ verify something/ remove safety tags, etc.

Much the same things that were said in the early years of cars, then. Cars are too unreliable, too slow, cost too much and horses are much better, etc.
Equally the same nonsense was spouted in the early days of postal automation; the machines are always breaking down, they take too long to fix and ten posties can do the work quicker, blah blah.
Systems etc improve rapidly as do the ways that staff integrate with them. It's called progress, whether we like it or not.

Progress doesn’t travel in a straight line. The past is littered with technology which was meant to be a boon (Betamax video anyone), but turned out to not be what people wanted, or was too expensive or too ahead of its time (Concorde). To make progress you have to know when to pull the plug on a wrong idea.

Ah Barnacle you missed the most important piece of technology "Horizon" and the carnage left in its wake, progress as you say isn't linear, it seems to me the bit of progress that companies don't seem to take into account is learning, as in learning what is useful and what isn't and what can be trusted and what can't, especially programmes that watch your workforce, i have little to no faith in the "Trimble" or pda and their ability to pass on accurate information.

[richietns]

Hardly, at least one is always totally broken and about 3 at a time always need an assistant to come over and approve bags/ verify something/ remove safety tags, etc.

Much the same things that were said in the early years of cars, then. Cars are too unreliable, too slow, cost too much and horses are much better, etc.
Equally the same nonsense was spouted in the early days of postal automation; the machines are always breaking down, they take too long to fix and ten posties can do the work quicker, blah blah.
Systems etc improve rapidly as do the ways that staff integrate with them. It's called progress, whether we like it or not.

Cars made jobs far more than they took them away went way further than a horse etc they were a positive on society the self checkout till only lines the pockets of the top it takes jobs away with a crappier customer service infact you have serve yourself lol.

[Ozcabsmangan]

It's the end finally for mangan.
Bye Beverley

[norris9]

Now on BBC news website - Royal Mail want to deliver 2nd class mail every other weekday....

Those days will just end up being ridiculously busy won't they?!?!

I don't know the typical ratio between 1st and 2nd class mail volumes to be honest.

[Barnacle]

Deleted duplicate

[Barnacle]

Now on BBC news website - Royal Mail want to deliver 2nd class mail every other weekday....

Those days will just end up being ridiculously busy won't they?!?!

I don't know the typical ratio between 1st and 2nd class mail volumes to be honest.

I honestly don’t see how they think they will save £300m because that mail still has to be processed, filtered, sorted, stored somewhere?

[zz666]

£300 million straight to shareholders.