Work

On Friday I was in a meeting at work to tell us more details regarding my units merger with Teesside. The Teesside staff came up to Durham for the meeting.

We were shown the new structure and how the remaining staff fitted into it. There were some shocks for almost everyone, some people were left speechless probably because they were shocked. I felt sorry for some of the people because it almost appeared from the job titles that they were being demoted. More than one person has commented today that the meeting was quite badily handled. Not a lot phases me these days and am learning to try to take a step back and take it in.

Several people were clearly angry and upset and understandibly so!

I am being made an equal IT Officer which I guess is a promotion in title. Although none of the HR stuff like job descriptions or salaries have even been looked at yet and wont be until the current job evaluation letters are sent out (sometime this week), so it is hard to really know what any of the jobs are or how much you are valued.

I have a few concerns regarding myself, I still have to go to Teesside at least 2 days a week. Worryingly Teesside were praised for not doing development work and said it was better than how Durham created their own solutions. Teesside just made do with existing systems. I don't think this was by choice but because they didn't have the resources or maybe the skills to create their own solutions. This is very worrying because this is one of the things we are good at and it makes me question how much the person really knows about what and why we have done some of the things we have. Many of the units skills are under utilised already and if we are to be discouraged from any future development then life is going to be extremely boring for many members of the unit. It will also make peoples jobs harder because information wont be as easily available in the future.

From previously reading the national IT Job profiles I would of thought that the 2 current IT staff (myself included) would fit more into the IT Specialist role rather than IT Officers. The job I am presuming will be very varied because of having to cover a large number of IT equipment, users and sites over 2 areas with different systems and structures.

I have other concerns but not going to write them on here, many may be sorted out when one day HR starts working on it, slightly late when I've already working in Teesside for over a month.

I wont mention the other staff here because I know a number of them have large concerns but not fair for me to air them.

One thing that did seem apparent is how much of our time we are expected to be in Teesside when from the start we were told Durham is the base. Today as an example I could of done everything I did today from Durham other than change the backup tapes, which anyone could of done. Instead they will have to pay my petrol costs and parking fee which will be a minimum of £17.50 (more if at Teesside rates), they could of saved that. That's another concern what is going to happen with the new role am I expected to go to Teesside and pay for all fuel and parking myself because it would be a new role and be there from 8:30 to 5?

Today I set off at 7:30 which is earlier than when going to Durham and arrived in the office at around about 9. Yet I had broken the speed limit several times and rushed from the car park and practically ran up the stairs to try to see how soon I could get there. I couldn't afford to keep driving like that, petrol costs too much and knowing my look I'd get done for speeding. In comparison on the rare occassion I've set off at 7:30 I have been in work at Durham before 8 at about 7:50 of just after.

Think I will lie back and think some of the stuff through, with being away at the weekend I haven't really had much chance to take it all in.