Thread: Observations of civvy st from an ex perspective

Thanks Tom.

Any spare medals I can wear?

Swimming or good behaviour ones are fine. I just want to impress the totty.

I'm going out with my "bezzers" Shortt and Spour next week, don't want them taking all the fanny, know what I mean? :P

Before I go, all you fcukers who look down on us civvies - remember who pays your wages

Now for some pies

Originally Posted by duryard

Communication. I have yet to meet a manager or supervisor who knows the benifit of Good Communication. As in tell the troops on the ground WTF is going on, instead of blindly following memos etc from on high.

Some good career moves within and without the Army and I eventually found myself working as a staff software engineer for a multinational IT megacorporation. One of the biggest pluses is that my managers have always been a street ahead of your average manager. We were recently invited by Level 2 to give feedback on our Level 1 managers. I made the point of hoping I retire before my manager because I couldn't face getting your average manager "in charge" and having to break him in. I also told my manager what I had told his manager. I, my team leader and my manager all hope and pray we retire before the other two, cos it would be a load of arrse to lose him. A bit like a good CVR(T) crew.

Originally Posted by Grownup_Rafbrat

If it's any consolation I'd advise never, ever, ever work for an American Corporation. So long as you 'meet your numbers' at the end of the month, all is well. So starting in the third week of every month we all get at least four and usually six, reminders to fill in our timesheets. Which we do anyway. But it means that some wonk in an office 'meets his numbers'. We could have spent our time on arrse, or p1ssing off the customer, or in useless meetings all day long, but so long as it's booked, the company is doing well. Aaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!

Pleased to report that whereas I work for America's second biggest corporation behind Coca Cola (having regained our rightful place above M!crosoft late last year) I can report that our department has none of this bullsh!t.

No time sheets, nobody to check you are working to the set hours, nobody to check you are even working. How do you think I spend so much time in here?

We know when products are due to ship: so long as they ship on that day, the department is doing well.

That said, this department is unique: otherwise I concur entirely with your every word. I have also been there.

A colleague of mine, former disciplined services, now a civi was promoted and sent to corporate HQ in the US. He despaired at the political correctness and petty mindlessness he found there after years in the Far East where PC is still considered a desk-top and nothing else. They had internal groups for every creed, sexual orientation and disability including BAM (Black's at M*****), he suggested a WAM should be formed, this unfortuantelywent down like a lead balloon. He attended one high-profile meeting where a female executive refused to take any further part because there were too many alpha males in the room!!!!!!!!

It's funny how everybody seems to think that all civvie organisations are utter shite... EXCEPT for the ones they work for!

Originally Posted by Walthamstow

It's funny how everybody seems to think that all civvie organisations are utter shite... EXCEPT for the ones they work for!

The Civvie organisations aren't SHITE!!! But many of the Civvies in them are :P

Originally Posted by riksavage

A colleague of mine, former disciplined services, now a civi was promoted and sent to corporate HQ in the US. He despaired at the political correctness and petty mindlessness he found there after years in the Far East where PC is still considered a desk-top and nothing else. They had internal groups for every creed, sexual orientation and disability including BAM (Black's at M*****), he suggested a WAM should be formed, this unfortuantelywent down like a lead balloon. He attended one high-profile meeting where a female executive refused to take any further part because there were too many alpha males in the room!!!!!!!!

True that Bro! I'm retired British Army though I've just retired from that US scene you describe too and breathing a big sigh of relief that I don't need to be PC anymore. It's debilitating, enervating, initiative stifling, emasculating, maddening and ridiculous.

Not to have to smile benignly (albeit through gritted teeth) as I look in at the Diversity Committee (who spin out an inane and sparse agenda over an entire afternoon once a week) or attend Cultural Awareness seminars, or send female employees to learn how to deflect discipline by accusing their bosses of sexual harrassment to National Organization of Women conferences (with pay), or have to promote, not on merit but by 'quota' sorry.... by 'goal candidate' (institutionalised racism) - all to the detriment of productivity, morale and efficiency - .... is.... bloody WONDERFUL!!!

Now what shall I do today??

I hate their lack of b@lls when it comes to staff discipline.
We have one young guy who can't ever make it in on time and sits doing f@ck all all day long and still thinks he deserves more money.
The fat useless c@nt deserves to be taken to the store room and get a good f@cking kicking but we are told just to leave it to the management who will get it sorted eventually.
Fat c@nt was changed shifts to try and ensure he was in on time, but never told that it was to be watched, he came out the meeting thinking he had a promotion as the guy he had to swap with was a tech lead. Even phoned his bitch and told her he'd just been promoted and will ask for extra money.
Bring back national service show those lazy civi f@ckers what team work and graft is all about.
fat f@cker was late again this morning not a f@cking word said again.
Grips my sh1t it does.
I'm 43 now done 22yrs and would join again tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Grownup_Rafbrat

I staff who turn up at their start time then disappear to the loo to put on their make-up or the canteen to get their breakfast,

Sounds just like Abbey Wood, except the buggers spend most of their days swanning between the various eateries on site. Loads of brain-storming takes place as well - apparently food feeds the brain and creates those innovative support solutions, most of which don't deliver the required effect to ops.

On the subject of food I was down in AW earlier this week. Most of the military there are an absolute disgrace - many are significantly overweight bespectacled, and about as toned as Susan Boyle's arse cheeks.

Originally Posted by Alsacien

Originally Posted by FatFifer

Originally Posted by drain_sniffer

check you out you old sweat....I have a MSc but dont like to brag.....did your daddy touch you in places you pooh from?

My daddy didn't but your dad was ace at it. He knows how to fiddle my pee-pee alright - Mr McIlwraith, is it not? (previous name removed on legal advice - joke)

So anyway bawbag, you have a Masters degree yet no idea how to mix cement? Hmm.

Fishpond, watertight, etc 1:1½:3
Ordinary concrete 1:2:4
Foundations 1:3:6
Rough mass concrete 1:4:8

Never worked on a building site in my life except my own house

Obviously they did not let you near the complicated stuff either......

What is this, the 1970s??????
Watertight =C28/35A mcc325 wcr 0.55
'Ordinary' concrete? WTF is that? If you're doing internal work like an oversight =RC25 mcc240 wcr0.7 I'd say
Footing= GEN1 mcc180 single story or Gen3 mcc220 multi-story
Rough mass for void filling? ST1 semidry is your boy!

I'll not have any man using obsolete concrete designations on my watch!

Originally Posted by Bradstyley

Originally Posted by Alsacien

Originally Posted by FatFifer

Originally Posted by drain_sniffer

check you out you old sweat....I have a MSc but dont like to brag.....did your daddy touch you in places you pooh from?

My daddy didn't but your dad was ace at it. He knows how to fiddle my pee-pee alright - Mr McIlwraith, is it not? (previous name removed on legal advice - joke)

So anyway bawbag, you have a Masters degree yet no idea how to mix cement? Hmm.

Fishpond, watertight, etc 1:1½:3
Ordinary concrete 1:2:4
Foundations 1:3:6
Rough mass concrete 1:4:8

Never worked on a building site in my life except my own house

Obviously they did not let you near the complicated stuff either......

What is this, the 1970s??????
Watertight =C28/35A mcc325 wcr 0.55
'Ordinary' concrete? WTF is that? If you're doing internal work like an oversight =RC25 mcc240 wcr0.7 I'd say
Footing= GEN1 mcc180 single story or Gen3 mcc220 multi-story
Rough mass for void filling? ST1 semidry is your boy!

I'll not have any man using obsolete concrete designations on my watch!

I'm a classic concreter

1 pond/water feature - fish have not complained
2 sets of steps - no problems, they work
1 small foundation - seems to be supporting a dozen courses of blockwork so far.
1 Bike washing area in front of the garage - its flat enough and the fall works fine.

Think yourself lucky - I have to visit a froggy builders merchants and ask for all this stuff in French :D

In reality, all the nominal mixes you named there are fine for the applications you've used them for, and if its your own gaff then all good! Just don't anyone do any paid work using them mixes, the building inspectors don't like 'em anymore. The concrete company I work for is a very big French corporation...

Back on track...............



It's fucking dull.

Be honest though - wasn't the vast majority of your time in the Army just a little bit dull too? I know about the exciting stuff - believe me - but the Army knows dull too!

And weren't you surrounded by blokes who spent most of their time coming up with imaginative and complicated schemes to avoid doing any work if at all possible?

And what about the theiving scrotes that would have nicked any of your kit that you weren't actually using/wearing/cleaning at the time?


Just playing devil's advocate........

Originally Posted by Walthamstow

And what about the theiving scrotes that would have nicked any of your kit that you weren't actually using/wearing/cleaning at the time?


Just playing devil's advocate........

The doors weren't just for opening and closing