panic buying of petrol.....idiocy, or what?

arcon5

Well, if I ran low/out of fuel, I would ring into work to say, I cannot get in!

And why!


I do not expect to receive the sack for that.....indeed, in past tanker strikes, my place of work has actually closed down [out of deference to public perceptions really....we use an awful lot of fuel doing our work......if perceptions noted on this forum are anything to go by, such work would be seen as aimless and pointless.

I still get paid.

If I was your employer, i'd certainly not take running out of fuel as a valid reason for not getting to work! Aside the fact you was negligent in allowing yourself to do so rather than topping up knowing petrol stations will run out and you have to use your car to get to work, there is also public transport.

arcon5

Well...I cannot think of any job existing, that no-one would miss.

Your gas & electric meter reader
Door to door sales persons

mikey72

alastairq wrote: »

Part of a manager's skills involves 'contingency' planning.....and a potential fuel shortage is a crisis that could affect manning levels....just like snow.



Of course mutual expectation is part of our Society....

But hasn't the degree of 'expectation'...or 'reliance' on others gone just a bit too far in our minds?


We seem to 'expect' to the exclusion of any input on our own behalves?

No, just more specialised.

Notmyrealname

vikingaero wrote: »

The petrol panic doesn't affect me as I work from home, but I know several people with long commutes and need to fill up several times a week.

So you know several people who commute 300 miles PER DAY? Or in the case of my Mondeo, 800 miles per day?

How do these people find time to work or sleep?

Notmyrealname

arcon5 wrote: »

Your gas & electric meter reader
Door to door sales persons

If people were like it were in the old days and knew how to do stuff for themselves, there's a whole load of jobs nobody would notice missing.

alastairq

If I was your employer, i'd certainly not take running out of fuel as a valid reason for not getting to work! Aside the fact you was negligent in allowing yourself to do so rather than topping up knowing petrol stations will run out and you have to use your car to get to work, there is also public transport.

On a very basic level, I agree...but we are not on a basic level.

The fact that the location of an employee's place of abode is not the concern of the employer, then strictly speaking that too I agree with.

On a basic level.


But two factors come into play here...one....how easily replaceable would I be as an employee?

Sack me and get 50 new applicants?

That would depend on the skills required...[currently, for my job, to acquire like-for-like will take two years from deciding to sack/re-employ, to acquisition of the identical level of skill...the employer does not have that sort of latitude. That is not taking any account of prior experience.....or skills required as a pre-requisite for appointment.]

Two....the social responsibility placed upon an employer....as I said elsewhere.

If employers should not have any sort of responsibility towards those they employ...then how come the likes of Tesco, or Cadbury, or a thousand other employers, spend so much time, effort and expense on the welfare of their employees?

Why do companies bother with HR [Personnel] departments?

That is all about investment...in those who work for the employer, their welfare and well-being.


In return, the employer gets more than just a days work full stop.....the employer also gets a worker who feels they have a stake in the company they work for..they feel valued and appreciated.

[example of bonus systems, etc??]

Given the extenuating circumstances around a fuel tanker drivers' strike action....or weather, etc....if one has the misfortune to work for an employer who has no concern for those they employ..then fine...I proffered suggestions to overcome what is but a temporary situation.....public transport is an assumption, BTW.......but fine if it is an option..certainly not in the case of 99% of my colleagues....due to the location of the workplace....and the hours of work.

How an employer responds to this sort of situation depends how much the employer needs the skills they employ?

Lum

So my mate heard about a shortage of Diesel and went out panic buying. He's got bottles of the stuff all over the house now, bedroom is full, bathroom is full, kitchen is full.

It'll take him years to use up all that aftershave.

MX5huggy

Is it only me that thinks the government has played a blinder on this one (jerry cans aside).

They have managed to move a huge amount of fuel in to people's tanks, that fuel will now be replenished at the stations, come the announcement of the strike people won't be able to fit much more in there tanks. So it will take a longer strike to have the same effect.

Rolandtheroadie

MX5huggy wrote: »

Is it only me that thinks the government has played a blinder on this one (jerry cans aside).

They have managed to move a huge amount of fuel in to people's tanks, that fuel will now be replenished at the stations, come the announcement of the strike people won't be able to fit much more in there tanks. So it will take a longer strike to have the same effect.

Not really, everyone will be around 10 days into that fuel they've stockpiled by the time a strike can take place assuming it's announced on Monday.

Then the merry-go-round will begin again (without recommendations to fill up due to the mess caused this time).

MX5huggy

But because I "panicked" Wednesday I will only be able to panick again next week to the tune of maybe 30 litres, not the 70 I filled up with this week.

As I am not going away at Easter I probably would not have got any fuel till after Easter.