IFA – Are my expectations too high?

mgdavid

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Then at the the end of your career you'll realise it was all for nothing. People are expendable, just numbers on the payroll. Few are irreplacable.

It was never 'all for nothing' - I found if you went the extra mile it paid dividends in many ways, salary reviews, bonuses, job retention, customer satisfaction feedback, working from home, flexible hours when needed, management support when the inevitable c0ckups occurred etc etc. They tried quite hard to persuade me to stay beyond 65...

DairyQueen

HHarry wrote: »

It may just be the case that he doesn't want to work for you.

The professional thing to do would be to let you know.
The easy thing to do is to just not call you back. And if he doesn't want your business he doesn't need to be professional.

Fatbritabroad is spot-on. This is a small community and the IFA lives and works here. Most service providers in the area do their utmost to protect their professional reputations as word spreads quickly in such a small place.

Of course he may not be interested in working with me. If so, there was a simple solution - i.e. provide an extortionate quote. That would have deterred my business without any complication.

I can't imagine being a 9-5-er. Nor can I imagine imposing an absolute bar on working weekends or more than my contracted 40-or-so hours. Takes all sorts to make a world but I'm with mgdavid. Anyone with that attitude in my former profession (technology) would have been a very round peg in a very square hole.

I'm trying to think of any profession where flexibility isn't an asset, if not a necessity. Answers on a postcard....

atush

Thrugelmir wrote: »

I assume you'd feel the same antipathy to any tradesperson or other professional that was unable to jump when commanded to so. Given that this discussion is based on assumption and no facts. Casting aspersions on an individual who isn't a position to defend himself seems extremely harsh. If the matter was that urgent I would have thought it more appropriate to give him a call. Would only take a few minutes of time. Far better use of valuable time than asking total strangers for confirmation bias.

DQ was not commanding, and the IFA has not had 'casted aspersions'- just the fact that they have made zero contact. As a service provider, they should have at least dropped an email.

Period.

atush

Aegis wrote: »

Just to put this into context, when I go on leave, I turn off my work phone and don't log in to my emails. My leave time is my own, and it's incredibly important to me. If someone told me that I needed to take time out of my leave - and bear in mind that half an hour might sound like a little, but it could ruin a whole day's plans - I'd almost certainly say no.


You can argue that it's putting my time over my clients' - I won't disagree. It is still my approach to work/life balance.

If my OH did as you do- he'd be out of a job.

atush

HHarry wrote: »

And if he doesn't want your business he doesn't need to be professional.

This is 100% wrong. A professional should be professional. Period.

Aegis

atush wrote: »

If my OH did as you do- he'd be out of a job.

If he'd be out of a job for treating his leave as actual leave, then his company doesn't care about work-life balance or - probably - him.

MallyGirl

I agree. It is my choice if I want to offer to chance to call me in a crisis if I am having time off - I know they wouldn't call if it wasn't important.
If I am abroad I don't even take the work phone - there is one person I work closely with who has my personal mobile number and I trust that he would only call in extreme circumstances.
There are people who are paid to be 'on call' - I am not one of them.

Audaxer

DairyQueen wrote: »

I'm trying to think of any profession where flexibility isn't an asset, if not a necessity. Answers on a postcard....

I agree flexibility is an asset, but I don't think an IFA is being inflexible if he doesn't agree to meet clients when he is on holiday from work. In many cases nowadays, employees are allowed more flexibility in their profession by being allowed to work hours to suit them rather than 9-5 and work from home etc. Good employers recognise the need for work life balance as it is generally thought that a better work life balance gets better productivity.

DairyQueen

For the self-employed, meeting clients' expectations is key to success. I don't know any self-employed person who expects to work regular hours/days. The most successful are those who don't over-commit and always follow through. If you say you intend to call, then call. If you have arranged a meeting then be there. If you can't fulfil a request then reply quickly to that effect, and immediately offer specific alternatives. If you need to work unsocial hours to secure new business, or to work within a client's availability, then that's what you do.

As an employee, career progression depends on how much you are prepared to give. Some roles/professions carry an expectation of higher commitment, and those not prepared to make that commitment shouldn't enter such professions or aspire to such roles.

There is much rhetoric about work/life balance but the reality hasn't changed. Nobody will be fired for routinely clocking on/off on time regardless of business demand. However, those who do so are less likely to be retained during periods of restructuring or rationalisation. They are also unlikely to be considered for a management or specialist role. The more key you are to an organisation's success the more important your availability.

The benefits to the individual are direct (much higher remuneration) and indirect (retention, career progression, autonomy). No employee is indispensable but some employees are much more dispensable than others. Inevitably, the demand on your time increases in proportion to your role in the success of a business or organisation.

I am amazed that people believe that a successful business or career can be created without stress or personal sacrifice. In my experience, the workplace is predictable. Regardless of the latest tend in business psycho-ergodynamics (and there have been plenty in my lifetime), success remains directly related to investment in time and effort.

MallyGirl

Maybe being self employed leads to a different mindset?
If I have to work lots of extra hours that does not show me in a positive light with my employer. Instead it implies that I got my estimates wrong or was not sufficiently in control of my workload and accepted work that I did not have the capacity to deliver. It is my responsibility to manage my work schedule and to say no where appropriate - they pay me well to make that sort of judgement call.