Monthly Archives: June 2011
Maxwell’s Mitigation?
Via Wikipedia
The latest episode of the North Yorkshire Police management farce is in the news again… The sorry saga around the integrity and honesty of the force leadership (quiet rightly) is proving a little difficult to brush under the carpet. Much to the dismay of Grahame Maxwell, as he attempts to offer mitigation for his belated admission of guilt.
Sorry if I’ve been making like a dog who won’t give up his bone on this one however; the issue is far to tasty to let it go, it is also far too important not to comment. The fact that Maxwell has now finally and openly come clean does nothing to detract from the untold damage this incident has done to the force as a whole.
Chief constable admits errors in £300,000 discipline case: The Yorkshire chief constable at the centre of a £300,000 gross misconduct case has broken his silence over the affair, defending his delay in admitting his wrongdoing and calling for an overhaul of the disciplinary system for senior police officers… (Yorkshire Post).
Maxwell’s personal career impacts not with standing, where is the consideration for staff morale and the massive impacts upon public confidence in the force? Each day officers across the County are having to face the people in a community which is being policed by a disgraced Chief Constable.
The role of police officer requires high levels of honesty and integrity at ALL levels of the rank structure. Therefore, how can it be (morally) right that, someone convicted of gross misconduct can continue in the post of Chief Constable?
Although there is no legal method within employment law to remove Mr Maxwell from his post, now the case has been dealt with, perhaps he should take a lead from his ex-Deputy in the matter? Surely a less arrogant person would realise his position is no longer tenable. If as he says, he actually does “love” the job, he should do the honorable thing and resign. Especially if his genuine desire is for the force to be able to move on and forward from the whole sorry episode.
Unfortunately I suspect the ‘love’ that he professes actually revolves around his position and the salary, not the policing process, the force or the community of North Yorkshire!
Related articles
- Call for police chief to resign (bbc.co.uk)
- Police chief will not step down (bbc.co.uk)
- Chief constable admits misconduct (bbc.co.uk)
Normal service will be resumed shortly
Image via Flickr
I don’t like leaving it too long between posts and surprisingly, even some of my readers have been asking if my computer is broken. Also unusually, there doesn’t appear to have been much in the media of late to light my fuse! 
Sometimes nothing you plan seems to come to fruition and the last week or so has been one of those periods. Despite the apparent lack of time and ‘suitable’ subject matter I do have several posts in draft format so, after a brief family break and a couple of weddings to attend, normal service will be resumed shortly!
Work to live OR Live to work?
Image via Wikipedia
I have to admit I have always fallen into the first category and mindset however, it doesn’t mean that I lack diligence in what I do, or indeed what I have done in the past. I’ve just never been able to adopt the ethos that drives some people who live, breath and sleep for their work. Often, to the almost total exclusion of many other important things in life, they put their family, friends and interests in second place to work. Surley its all about that modern-day expectation; the work-life balance.
Unfortunately, that balance is often skewed to favour one side of the equation or the other, dependant upon being an employer or employee. It shouldn’t be that way, neither does it mean you shouldn’t take pride in what you do, and do it to the best of your ability however, we should all get paid correctly for what we are employed to do. But it’s all about the values we actually display in the work we do…
Work ethic: a set of values based on hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. A work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative, or pursuing new skills. Workers exhibiting a good work ethic in theory (and ideally in practice) should be selected for better positions, more responsibility and ultimately promotion…(wikipedia)
Many of today’s work ethic problems stem from that old union mantra a fair days work for a fair days pay, as unfortunately, the commonly held belief now seems to be; just do half a day’s work for a full day’s pay, and even less if you can get away with it.
“Friday, from 3.30pm, you can’t find anybody in their office.” (Ratan Tata)
POET’S day (piss off early tomorrow’s Saturday) has unfortunately become something of a National expectation. It’s an all too common factor, one that is having a profoundly negative impact upon employment, job prospects and the ultimate recovery of our failing economy. It’s an issue that was highlighted recently by The Telegraph…
British work-ethic condemned by Indian tycoon: A key adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron has launched an attack on the work-ethic of British managers, accusing them of failing to “go the extra mile” and being too keen to clock off at 5pm…(telegraph.co.uk)
- With the government planning to gauge how happy we all are with their wellbeing index, should managers be stopping to ask their employees if they’re satisfied? Getting happy>>
- Managing absence isn’t just a job for HR. High absence levels in your team could reflect deeper problems like stress, bullying or disengagement… Absence management>>
How confident are you that you’re putting in a fair days work for the pay you demand and expect? In many respects, the magic of the ’work/life balance’ is actually in your hands!
Related articles
- Ratan TATA Condemns UK’s “Lazy” Managers ! … & Sacks 1500 staff (ecademy.com)
- Work Ethic? (lostonthefloor.wordpress.com)
- How to Build a Reliable Work Ethic (lifehack.org)
- How Is Your Work Ethic? (intuitivegroup.wordpress.com)
