Coronavirus

[the kid]

Evening from Sweden.

 

backstory - government takes advice from FHM who are the public health side of things, they don't really go the other way. Also FHM cannot say "this is law" unlike in the uk where a department says "we need this, make it happen" and it does.

 

https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/mikael-damberg-och-amanda-lind-haller-presstraff-1/ (use translate )

 

the breakdown is that govenment has asked that FHM look at changing the 50 person rule - it appears no specific limit change. However you can have 250 in a restaurant no issues, you cannot add a singer because then its an event, and you cannot have public events. (note public)

 

So the current request seems to be "seating only, 50+ people, with distance" what form that will take will be interesting, but its pencilled to change October 1, oddly enough around the time when all our government support is stopping.

[GridGirl]

Well, ######. Update from our CEO on Friday saying that even when we can return to business, it will be far from business as usual. The organisation is being restructured and there will be jobs which are no longer required. He said they’ll be starting consultation with both those who will be affected by the restructure but retain their jobs, and those who will be made redundant, this week. My two closest colleagues and I have all been summoned to individual meetings with CEO and artistic director on Tuesday afternoon. So it could be either.

 

As it happens, my immediate boss has already resigned as he had another opportunity come up, but I can’t figure out if this works for us or against us. Good in that our department has already lost one employee, but bad that he’s not there to fight for us, My major concern is that about 98% of the company has NO idea what we actually do. They think we sit in the green room and mark players off as they arrive and don’t do much else, and that other departments could take over our responsibilities, This is of course a long way from the truth, and they’ll find that out very quickly if they make us all redundant - it will end in rehearsals and shows not starting on time because the rehearsal room or pit hasn’t been set properly, gear didn’t make it onto the freight load to the venue, players have walked out because noise levels have risen to an unacceptable level because no one built the predicted sound level exposure graphs for the players that I do twice a year (for each opera season) so the rostering didn’t take noise into account, and so on. Hopefully someone has actually realised this. My gut feeling is that one of the others and I will be kept, but the third is gone - he’s only been with us since March 2019 so it’s going to cost them a whole lot less to pay him out than it would me or our other colleague - I’ve got nearly ten years and my colleague has twelve years and Australia has pretty generous long service leave provisions that we both qualify for on top of redundancy - I’ve calculated that I’d be due about 34 weeks salary as a payout when you take redundancy, long service leave and the six weeks’ annual leave I currently have accrued into account. But I just don’t know and the uncertainty is killing me. It might be that they want to take us down to part time, or take a pay cut.

 

I have had the occasional thought in the last year or two wondering whether I want to be doing this job up to retirement, and I’m not sure the answer is yes. So if I do get the boot, that’s really just made the decision for me a bit earlier than I otherwise might have come to that conclusion. I think if it is the case, it’ll be retraining for me - I’m not going to find another job in the arts right now, at least not full time (I’d be hitting up my counterpart at the symphony orchestra to get onto their casual list, and I’m 100% certain he’d take me on once they start performing again). Still thinking about what I’d study though!

[alistermorton]

That sort of uncertainty really sucks. Already had one family member go through all that worry and fortunately she retained her job, but it's difficult to cope with. Hopefully they'll realise what it is you actually do and just quite how much they'd lose if they "let you go".

[Brian]

Might be worth writing down what you actually do on paper and getting it in front of the CEO before the meeting.

[GridGirl]

I’ve chatted with both my colleagues today and am feeling 100% better about the situation; one of them worked in HR for a few years and apparently if they were calling us in to tell us they were making us redundant, they would have a) told us we could bring a support person, and b) would have to have someone from HR there, of which neither is the case. Also, she had spoken to a former colleague who is married to the head of steel fabrication in our workshop (SO useful - he’s built us all sorts of fabulous custom bits of gear!); he was summoned for a meeting today and from what I gather, told that full time staff in his department at this stage will just keep on keeping on, but anyone on a fixed term contract would not have that extended. Also the other member of our team has been called in tomorrow as well, so it seems like they’re meeting with pretty much everyone.

 

I’m now thinking that they plan to talk to us all and hear our thoughts and ideas about how we can improve efficiency (and save money...) before making any decisions. There’s been a media release today about the future of the company, with the primary focus being retaining the artistic standards we’ve attained. My angle on this is that I, as someone who is “at the coal face” looking after the orchestra during performances along with my two colleagues, am the one who ensures that players are in a place both mental and physical where they can perform to the highest possible standard. There’s that fabulous line in Gosford Park where the housekeeper says “I am the perfect servant. I know what they want before they know themselves that they want it.” And that’s what I do - anticipate their needs so that they don’t have to worry about anything and can get themselves into the right headspace to perform at the highest level. They come to us with some issues which we had never foreseen, and are supremely confident that we can solve their problems in the 12 minutes before the show starts - because we do. We tell them not to worry, we’ll find a solution - and do - even if we’re like swans, gliding serenely across the lake while the feet are paddling away madly underneath, unseen! They know us, they trust us, and if we panic around them, we’re very good at not showing it so they stay calm as well! Hopefully I can get that across to the CEO and AD tomorrow...watch this space.

[Dave m]

Hope it all works out.I now work in a university environment and we're having a pay cut of 5/10/15% depending on grade plus zero pay cost of living increase that we'd normally have in August.This is to hopefully avoid redundancies. 30% cut in temporary contracts and very close examination of any post that becomes vacant.The thing is that a lot of covid precautions actually need more tech input than normal running

[kerry davies]

I don't think you have too much to worry about. As the people responsible for fulfilling the legal requirements of the Noise Acts, which in NSW seem more specific and rigid than in the UK, you are pretty safe. Your CEO and MD almost certainly couldn't do what you guys do. I agree with Brian about listing what you do and what skills you have, not just for the coming meeting but in case you do want to make a career change.

 

I was forced to do something similar in rehab and I was amazed what I had picked up without trying, or noticing, over the years. For instance I would bet my bippy that you know more about proactive hearing protection than anyone else I know and scheduling in the way you are expert is something that most service industries just can't get enough of.

 

I mean, I can't even rollerskate let alone stay upright on a snowboard.

[GridGirl]

Whole team gone (made redundant) bar one - not me. However. The whole organisation has had a massive restructure, and as part of that some old jobs have been combined to create some new roles which take in various responsibilities from parts of the old jobs. These are only being internally advertised to existing staff at the moment (and will remain that way unless they can’t fill the roles internally). One of them is pretty much my existing job minus a few things, plus the addition of surtitles and piano scheduling. There are precisely two of us - me, and my closest colleague, who is also a close friend - who can fill that role. I think I’ve got a slight advantage over her in that it asks for experience with out (stupid) purchasing system, which I have and she does not, but other than that I have no idea how they’re going to make a decision on which of us they give it to. I’m a bit more “tech savvy” than she is as a rule, and I’m also the one who made our sound level prediction spreadsheet a whole lot more efficient and the only one who can go into it and generate a new graph without having to consult the instructions (which I wrote!) at every step. This feels like the Hunger Games and I hate that the two of us are being pitted against each other for the one job. The new job sits under the technical department rather than the artistic department; I’ve got no idea if my three years as a tech and four years as a stage manager will play into that or not. I hate this.

[sandall]

That's a really s####y situation to be in :(

[dbuckley]

Hell, that's awful.

 

My only advice when fighting for one's corner is to focus on outcomes, because, after all, that's what punters and management pay for.

[GridGirl]

Hell, that's awful.

 

My only advice when fighting for one's corner is to focus on outcomes, because, after all, that's what punters and management pay for.

 

It’s just bloody horrible. My colleague and I are good friends and there won’t be any grudges held, but it’s just not nice. I’m doing some serious thinking about a lot of things. This new role is a fixed-term contract, with no mention of what the term is - my gut instinct is that this is where they’re heading in the future and there won’t be any more permanent contracts happening; if things come right and the company is able to begin expanding again, it will be fixed-term contracts only because it limits their liability. I’m seeking some advice, because my reading of the relevant legislation is that if you’re on a fixed-term contract and it comes to an end, you’re not eligible for any redundancy pay - but I’d like to know that for sure, and have an appointment early next week to go over that and a few other queries I have, because employment law is not my area of expertise! It could be that because I was on a permanent contract and then shifted to fixed-term that it may be different, but I just am not sure right now. I also want to know what the term of the contract is.

 

The other thing is that in the new job description, there is mention of casual staff to run shows. We used to do this a lot more, until it got to the point where our admin load was heavy enough that we were able to take on more permanent staff who also had some operational duties. It’s blindingly obvious that whichever of us gets the job (me or my colleague), the very first phone call we make is going to be to the other, to ask if they want casual work. I’ve already spoken to the production manager of the symphony orchestra and he’s put me on his casual list (they’re not doing much right now obviously but there will be work in the future). Right now, taking the redundancy and going back to university (I’d probably retrain as a primary teacher) and then picking up casual shifts with both companies is looking pretty attractive. I’ve been on a reduced wage (government subsidy) since the end of March and we’re getting by without an issue - my husband is still working full time, just from home - so my redundancy would stretch without difficulty as well. I’m not quite ready to leave the industry altogether, but I could easily keep my hand in with casual shifts. Or, there are loads of amdram groups who I’m sure would welcome me.

 

I’m also totally gutted for a young colleague - the one who has only been with us since March last year. It was his first permanent job after leaving university, he moved here for the job, and he was really starting to find his feet and figure himself out as a person, as you do in your early 20s. He’d blossomed massively since starting with us. He’ll get over it, as we all will, but it’s a lot harder to reinvent yourself when you don’t quite know who you are to begin with.

 

I’ve got a lot of thinking, weighing options, discussing with my husband, and considering everything to do. The application for the new job closes the end of next week - I suspect I’ll be putting in an expression of interest regardless, but we’ll see!

[Junior8]

Been there. Got the job. My advice? If you can - walk away. Even if the process is completely fair and above board no one will believe it is. And if you get the post it will never be glad morning again. Everything will be different Edited August 28, 2020 by Junior8

[Superpants]

Having gone through a couple of sets of redundancies in my career (although not in this industry) don't forget you can negotiate your own deal- what is presented by the business canbe tailored to individual circumstances. Don't be afraid to ask.

In my case I negotiated a couple of weeks unpaid leave as my last two weeks of work enabling me to go off and start a sabbatical. This meant I was still employed on the redundancy date and so got the full redundancy pay (which was significantly more than the lost wage).

 

[GridGirl]

Been there. Got the job. My advice? If you can - walk away. Even if the process is completely fair and above board no one will believe it is. And if you get the post it will never be glad morning again. Everything will be different

 

I’m leaning towards walking away at the moment. The company which returns after this bloody pandemic is not going to look anything like the same as the company that went into it. I don’t know if I want to be part of that, plus the job description reads like a road to burnout, if I’m being honest. If I go and train as a teacher, that’s a job which is never going to disappear due to a pandemic, a world war, or anything really. As I said, I’d have no problems picking up casual work so I can stick around, but it would be much more on my terms. It’s definitely looking like a preferable option right now.

[kerry davies]

Whatever you decide you have my very best wishes and hopes. In my case I spent 20 years with BT before they decided to replace my entire grade with algorithms. It meant I had a choice of Early Voluntary Retirement, straight redundancy or to stick at the same wage until those two whole grades below caught up. On a final salary pension that meant I would have paid 13 years at a higher rate and received a pension considerably smaller than expected.

 

I sat down with the HR people and set my case fairly straightforwardly, they could either do a deal or spend the next 15 years with a disgruntled employee. Finally they admitted that they had options and we came to an agreement. They allowed me EVR with three months unpaid leave of absence while paying my pension contributions and National Insurance and gave me a "re-training grant", for which they were compensated by government. That allowed me to work for three months for a putative employer for no wages. They also added 33% to my length of service effectively boosting my pension by a third.

 

I am not saying that this sort of deal is possible in your case but I was amazed when they offered it me because they didn't exactly advertise it widely... or at all. Certain funding might be best applied for through your current employer as I believe you have teacher training grants at state, territory and national levels. "Gardening leave" for retraining might well be available. You may be young and healthy now but do pay detailed attention to any occupational pension scheme you might have been a member of. Transferring rights to a new scheme might be preferable to a payout. I spent hours and hours doing the sums until I worked out the optimal date to quit when a massive slice of Christmas overtime kicked in to boost my pension by a further 20%. (It isn't a huge amount but it is a lot more than my OAP.)

 

This is a time, stick or twist, to be hard-nosed and unemotional. Do what is right for you and your husband and devil take the hindmost.