Random Thoughts

[Gravdigr]

That post absolutely qualifies as random.

Weird as fuck, but, random.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Griff's sigfile

If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you.
- Louis D. Brandeis

Thanks Griff. I like this, I lean on it regularly, like a sturdy walking stick as I travel along the road of life. Sometimes it's more of a hike on a trail, sometimes I'm bushwhacking. It's especially helpful in times like those.

[monster]

Originally Posted by BigV

Thanks Griff. I like this, I lean on it regularly

2nded

[fargon]

Me too.

[monster]

I have ten 1099s, 4 W2s....

welcome to my hell

[Gravdigr]

Damn, woman, wtf?!

[BigV]

Family accountant

[monster]

extension filed.....

financial advice with a little help from my friends

so.... every payout/fund rollover I received when beest died brings forth a 1099. his 401K kept receiving dividends for some time ..each one bringing on a 1099 etc etc etc. Plus he got a regular W2 and then one from when he was paid by their insurers because he was on long term sick leave (turned out to be one day....), I got a regular W2 and one from a former employer (local public schools from when I coached the swim team) who had a recent ruling against them that something they were doing regarding withholding cash for some fund when they employed me was wrong and they had to pay it back. It was a whole $13....... such is my world.....

[Gravdigr]

I guess that shoots the 1040EZ all to hell, don't it?

[monster]

doesn't exist any more

[Griff]

Hmmm... VAT

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by monster

doesn't exist any more

Neither does the Edsel, but we still make fun of it and use it for jokes.

[Gravdigr]

[xoxoxoBruce]

Today is Monday, but don't let it bother you.
Just change your perspective.

[DanaC]

Upper management sucks.

They have brought in a new system which should eventually cut everybody's stress levels down and allow for a more 'claim ownership' approach where we are primarily dealing with our own claims and newly assigned claims, rather constantly having to deal with other people's claims which are often very complex: policyholder calls in for an update on their claim, it lands on a claims handler who has never touched it before so they end up having to do a full claim review before they can help.

Yay - Direct dial, what we've been asking for is finally here.

So why do management suck?

1. They know for this system to work the team needs to be at 70% strength - minimum - e.g normal levels of holiday, sickness, appointment absence
2. They know for this system to work the entire team needs to be trained to handle bespoke / high net worth policies.

This is because they need us all in Ready status on the phones - the direct dial call ins won't come through to us if we are in 'wrap up' status and would therefore ping across to someone else, which defeats the purpose.

So - no wrap time - you take or make a call, at the end of it you go back into Ready - if a new claim referral comes through on the main line it will go the person who has been in ready the longest, and if it's a call to your direct line from one of your customers, or a supplier, you try to deal with it but can also book a callback with them and go back to what you are doing. If people are off work, or in training someone else will need to pick up that call.

So the idea is that it will take quite a while for another call to come through so that should give plenty of time for appointing suppliers, reading adjustor reports etc. But it only works if we aren't limping along with half the team away or unable to pick up calls.

3. They know that to get the entire team trained up will take approx. 6 weeks as they filter small groups through the training.

4. They know that while the training is going through there will groups of 3-4 on a full day of training with a second consolidation day where they only deal with high net worth calls, and one of the HNW experienced handlers will also be on protected lines - meaning with normal levels of absence, the team will be at about 50% strength for 2 days a week for 6 weeks.

Did they wait until everybody was trained?

No. They started halfway through.

Did they introduce it on a day when the whole team were in (less the normal absences) ?

No - the new system went live on a training day which meant for the first 2 days of this brand new way of working which requires everybody to be doing the same thing and not be on protected lines - we were at 50% strength.

Three weeks of 2 days a week of everything falling apart - racking up mountains of follow up work which then makes the other 3 days hellishly busy as we all play catch up.

It's a long time since I have felt depressed at the thought of going to work, but that's how I felt all last week.

They made such an almighty hash of introducing the new Buildings Team process when I first started in the team in May, that it's taken to about the last couple months for things to start calming down - and we very rarely more than a bad day away from meltdown (way too few people with way too little working time to do what they want us to do).

During the past few months they have changed how we work several times - usually it leads eventually to a more workable system, but usually it is done in the most stress inducing way possible - and we always tell them: X will lead to Y - and they always say, look just try it and then feedback - so we try it, and X leads to Y and so we feed it back and they basically tell us to live with it for a few months, because it will work when Z is in place - so why the fuck not just wait until Z is in place before implementing?

*deep breath*

Hoping things will settle down in a couple of weeks - until the next time.