Andy2577 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Hey Guys it has been a while since my last post but i thought i would share my experiences with you all . So just as a catch up for all of you that didnt see my last post , I have been granted my Residency and i have already activated it . SO.....last year i got head hunted by a John Deere dealer in NSW who were asking me to come and join them as a workshop foreman in Wagga. They were offering me sponsorship but i turned this offer down as i already had my visa started. I turned the job down as i was hoping to find a better job somewhere in QLD where i wanted to be . Then in March of this year i was again approached by the same dealer to become a workshop foreman in Griffith NSW . Having been granted my Residency visa in September of last year i now needed to activate it by the 16th June 2016 so i thought what the hell i will take them up on the offer (BIG MISTAKE !). So i had an online interview a month before i was due to fly out , it was a bit daunting as there were 4 people interviewing me all at once but all went well and they explained i would be a foreman in Griffith along side the other foreman and we would split the "Skilled staff" between us. So after the interview i was given a formal letter of employment . then 1 week before i was due to fly out they mentioned "you will also be a foreman in Lake Cargelligo" i thought ok . I asked if i would need to be at Lake for 8am start and if so would i get paid to travel as its a 2hr 45 min drive each way . They said no ! so i refused to go any further with the job unless it was sorted out some way. She later came back and agree'd to pay me double time for travel which i accepted. So the day arrived when i was due to fly out to Sydney , the plane ride was great and took most of my anxiety away. I landed in Sydney at 6am and went straight to my hotel for a good few hours kip . Next day i was back in the airport for the last leg of my journey into Wagga airport NSW. I landed in Wagga airport to be greeted by the woman on the other end of the emails i was sending who happened to be the human resources woman. After a brief introduction she escorted me to her car and we travelled to Wagga town centre . On the way she informed me of some new developments..... I would no longer be based in Griffith but in Lake ! now this wouldnt normally be a problem but i had already secured a house a few months prior in Griffith and paid rent in advance. The reason she told me was because "the other foreman has got the shits about you working there as well". I was less than impressed to say the least ! So months passed and i settled into the role but a few months in i realised that the so called "skilled staff" were all apprentices that had a good idea of what the job was but just couldnt be bothered doing it , they would spend time on there phone snap chatting each other in work time , if it rained they would sit in the canteen until it stopped so productivity was appalling . Where as i would be in the rain fixing machines , going out to jobs etc. They had machines that would come in for warranty work for gear box upgrades , now bare in mind some of these machines cost upwards of $600k each , brand new machines which havent even had a 1st service. So one day this machine comes in to the workshop for an upgrade on the gearbox which requires the machine to be split in half . I was there in the workshop for about 3 weeks (too long). The machine goes out to the customer once the gearbox has been upgraded and it has been put back together. Now this customer is suppose to be one of their biggest having spent $3m with them last year . Just 3 days after the machine was delivered back to the customer , the service department gets a phone call ....the owner himself had gone out on the machine for the 1st time after it had the upgrade and the exhaust fell off . Now normally you would laugh and would think ok its only an exhaust...... BUT what you dont realise is when it came off , the heat from the exhaust fumes had melted the engine wiring loom, brake lines,and a fire wall. Needless to say the customer was not happy ! So it was up to me to go sort it out , i went out to the machine and got a spray from the customer but as i explained to him i was not responsible for this but i re-assured him i would fix the problem. After replacing all the melted parts and re-attaching his exhaust i noticed several critical bolts that were missing on the engine and a number of safety guards. So i took photos on my phone and sent them to the branch manager, service dept,workshop and admin (per their company policy) . About half hour later the manager replied asking if these machines were checked before leaving the workshop (a job which was suppose to be checked by the workshop foreman in Griffith and the service manager in Griffith , and not by me as i was Lake foreman). The service manager said and i quote "i thought they were" . So I return to the workshop in Griffith only to be called into the office by the service manager who says these exact words to me " You know those pictures you sent ? well dont send them in future , send them to me and i will deal with the people responsible" now normally i would agree somewhat but you have to understand that this person does not like confrontation and has no spine ! he also went on to say " and dont tag the workshop in them either" when i asked why his response annoyed me ! he said "becasue it will hurt their feelings " .......I was speechless ! A few weeks passed and i tried to put it behind me but i was getting called out to more and more jobs where the workshop staff werent doing their jobs properly and towards the end i was doing four peoples jobs for them with no hint of relief or a pay increase. I went direct to the mannager and told him my feeling but he basically wasnt interested so i then went straight to the top and spoke to the company owner who again wasnt interested. So i took it upon myself after 3 months to hand my notice in . I was asked by the human resources woman to contact her which i did and after a lengthy conversation she said to me " well it has come as no suprise really as you are the 3rd highly skilled mechanic we have had leave in the last 12 months". So i was now left looking for another job ..... or so i thought . I was on facetime to my parents back in the UK and my mother said my father wasnt well and they had just sold a property and they were moving out but it was a struggle. I made a decision to get out of the house so i had a bond break and i shipped what little furniture i had back to the UK as i was unsure when i would be returning but i knew it wouldnt be NSW. I have been in the UK now for just over two weeks and i have already decided that Brisbane is the place i want to be , every time i go there i get a warm feeling like im home . My fathers health is up and down and he has been for tests but they have found out he has a very weak heart and would need either a pace maker fitting or a transplant, my mother is basically acting as a nanny for him at the moment and she is struggling . I have told them my feelings about returning to OZ and i plan to return just after new year for good this time . My parents are both behind me 100% and even though i have told them that i am worried about their health , they have basically told me not to put my life on hold for them and just go. I myself am 31 and my father is 72 and my mother 65 so i so feel like i should be here to look after them but they are insisting i go back to Australia and make a life for myself . I have plans of starting my own business in Brisbane , pretty much along the same lines as what i was doing in the UK so i am currently looking into Australian start up grants and government funding. I will probably work for someone in Brisbane for a while in the transport industry as a Heavy diesel mechanic until i have enough money behind me . I would like to meet up with fellow pomz when i get back out to Brisbane as i did find it a little homesick when i was in regional NSW . anyway if you have managed to read through all that well done :wink: I will try to keep you all updated as time goes on . Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 So months passed and i settled into the role but a few months in i realised that the so called "skilled staff" were all apprentices that had a good idea of what the job was but just couldnt be bothered doing it , they would spend time on there phone snap chatting each other in work time , if it rained they would sit in the canteen until it stopped so productivity was appalling . Where as i would be in the rain fixing machines , going out to jobs etc. They had machines that would come in for warranty work for gear box upgrades , now bare in mind some of these machines cost upwards of $600k each , brand new machines which havent even had a 1st service. If you were the foreman wasnt it up to you to tell them to get off their lazy arses and get something done? Apart from that glad to see you have decided what you want to do, hope it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy2577 Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 If you were the foreman wasnt it up to you to tell them to get off their lazy arses and get something done? . no because they already had a foreman in Griffith and i was foreman in Lake Cargelligo i.e not my staff ...aside from the fact they thought it best to ease me into the role nearer xmas so i could learn the role . The problem started when i was telling them off even though they werent my staff but nobody else was doing it and i was clearing up their mess ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Good luck for round two. Brisbane will hopefully suit you much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABL275 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 There's a reason it's called the 'lucky country'...too many of the locals get paid far too much to churn out sub-standard work because no-one knows what 'good' actually looks like. I was recently on a large (400 staff) IT project for state government were the leadership team was exclusively British, Irish, South African and New Zealander which probably tells a story so I think you're doing the right thing; it can take a while to get settled but after 5 years I've now got citizenship, security clearances (job for life!) a couple of horses and a few acres to ride them on (not bad for a poor Scouse lad) so stick with it and I'm sure it will turn out well in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 How difficult it must have been in NSW- certainly a good idea never to go near that mob again! And they wonder why companies disappear overseas? Huh. I love Australia as many will be aware but sometimes I just despair of the way things are going these days, very different from when we first came early 1970s I can tell you. Still, you can't come up until you've been down, can you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy2577 Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 There's a reason it's called the 'lucky country'...too many of the locals get paid far too much to churn out sub-standard work because no-one knows what 'good' actually looks like. I was recently on a large (400 staff) IT project for state government were the leadership team was exclusively British, Irish, South African and New Zealander which probably tells a story so I think you're doing the right thing; it can take a while to get settled but after 5 years I've now got citizenship, security clearances (job for life!) a couple of horses and a few acres to ride them on (not bad for a poor Scouse lad) so stick with it and I'm sure it will turn out well in the end. Thats exactly it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy2577 Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 How difficult it must have been in NSW- certainly a good idea never to go near that mob again! And they wonder why companies disappear overseas? Huh. I love Australia as many will be aware but sometimes I just despair of the way things are going these days, very different from when we first came early 1970s I can tell you. Still, you can't come up until you've been down, can you? Yea i wont be going anywhere near that lot again thats for sure , only thing i did get out of it was i managed to meet some really interesting customers and some very useful contacts for when i start my business. The amount of people i talk to from Australia who say that on the whole Australians are a lazy breed is quite remarkable. The company i was working for even started hunting for staff in NZ, USA, Europe, UK so that in itself tells its own story . I agree you cant move up until you have been down , i have just put it down to experience . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Yea i wont be going anywhere near that lot again thats for sure , only thing i did get out of it was i managed to meet some really interesting customers and some very useful contacts for when i start my business.The amount of people i talk to from Australia who say that on the whole Australians are a lazy breed is quite remarkable. The company i was working for even started hunting for staff in NZ, USA, Europe, UK so that in itself tells its own story . I agree you cant move up until you have been down , i have just put it down to experience . You have to remember for many years Australian's had it easy, loads of work, good wages, cheap housing, cheap cost of living etc. Back in the 80s there is no way I would have considered living here in England long term, economically it would have been crazy but now it's a different story. Now things have turned around and the 'laid back' Aussie worker just doesn't cut it anymore, it's certainly why many industries are going to the wall or heading overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzly111 Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 I got a sense of deja vu when I read your post. A friend of mine from the UK is a mechanic and he has exactly the same trouble with the workers here too. He says they have no idea, are lazy and don't take the initiative compared to his staff in the UK. I can also say first hand this is true! If you are going to do a job, first time do it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy2577 Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 my point exactly ! i dont see any point in doing a job half a dozen times ? the customers were getting annoyed with me being sent out all the time to their machines when they should have been sorted in the workshop and i totally agree with them but when i pointed this out to management they didnt want to know . Was so frustrated with the way the Australians work . I know one chap in the GC who will only employ english labour as he says he has had a bad experience with Australians being lazy and cant get out of bed in the mornings. Cant understand it myself ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojtek Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 (edited) But in a certain way than it can be a good thing. If everyone was as hard working, than you as a hard worker will not "shine" above the rest. I also have a very (atleast in my thought) serious approach to work. For the past 16 years I have been working as coach. For the past 10 - I have been leading tennis schooling for our international english speaking expats here in Wroclaw. If they want to reserve a court - it all goes thru me so they dont have to go through the hassle of trying to figure out whats going on. If I am sick I find a replacement coach so they dont have to worry (there are other coaches who just say "sorry, Im sick, I cant make the lesson") - and each group gets an sms with the contact nr of the coach and info that I am sick and everything is organised and all lessons will take place as usual. I as a coach get 10% discount on raquets that clients order through me. All of the coaches take the 10% discount for themselves (the client pays 100% but the tennis centre gives them back 10% of the value of the order to the coach). I on the other hand think that I earn from coaching, and not from helping my clients order the best tennis equipment for their kids, besides - when they cover court fee, coach fee etc - it doesnt end up cheap. So I tell them, that I can help them order everything, and the 10% discount I give straight to them so they have it a little bit cheaper. When I had holidays this year and I was away for nearly 2 weeks than each group got contact numbers to the coach who will be leading their lessons. The efect is that I have groups who dont want to really play with others, as they find me honest, hard working and plain fair. My point being. Screw the other goofbags who are sitting on their asses and just slacking off. They are the ones who usually wont succeed to much, and the ones who are really ahrd working and who try to do the best as they can, are the ones wh will come out on top. You just have to find a boss who has similar values as you. Good luck! Edited October 28, 2016 by Wojtek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzly111 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) The problem in Australia is Tall Poppy Syndrome. I was warned about this when I came here from the UK. I didn't believe it - never heard of it! But as time went by (20 years), I have experienced it more and more. They just don't like people standing out or being successful here (in general). The latest event was just the other week: i've recently got an official bank valuation back on the business that I am a managing partner in which i've worked bloody hard to grow. The business performance was dropping fast year on year. Now on purchasing the business I inherited poorly trained, lazy staff. Most left as they couldn't hack the discipline and new efficiencies introduced. (I was glad they left of their own accord as it's virtually impossible to sack workers in Australia without them doing something very wrong). Needless to say, I replaced them with a hand-picked crew. In traditional British spirit I've had to go against the grain and impose my own business principles and make decisions based on what is proper and honest; often against what the regional 'support office' (I love how they don't want to use head office) suggests. It hasnt been easy by any means. The valuation, to my suprise, is double that of what it was 3 years ago. If it were sold it would make my two senior, non-working business partners (who are based at the 'support office' 100kms away) millionares even after debts paid and capital gains. What did my other two senior partners say to me? "Don't get ahead of yourself just because you've been successful." NOT a polite word of thanks or appreciation.... Edited November 3, 2016 by grizzly111 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinbjulieb Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 This is SO true, I have never heard it called tall poppy syndrome but when I tell my hubby this story later he will wholeheartedly agree!! He is in the construction industry and reckons the only workers worth their salt are non Australian's! He loves the Brits and the Irish, SO hardworking! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evets Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 If you are going to do a job, first time do it right. So true, when I completed my apprenticeship in the UK and got assigned to my craftsman. His exact words, as the more you have to go back to it the messier it becomes and the harder to fix. I did find the Australian work ethic very different from the UK, well London. Morning and afternoon tea breaks without fail, 1 hour lunchbreaks and then the most surprising, my first Friday in the office and realising I was the only person left after 3pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzly111 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Yes, one of the challenges I have faced is dealing with staff that are a very entitled view of their work. They MUST have their 10 minute breaks, they MUST use their sick leave etc. On the rare occassion I have encountered staff members that have forgone them and actually put the people that pay their wages (customers) first. Those staff are keepers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evets Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Yes, one of the challenges I have faced is dealing with staff that are a very entitled view of their work. They MUST have their 10 minute breaks, they MUST use their sick leave etc. On the rare occassion I have encountered staff members that have forgone them and actually put the people that pay their wages (customers) first. Those staff are keepers. So true, the Australians I know think the personal carers leave is like a duvet day and must be used, and not classed as sick leave but a day off when they want for any reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 ..one thing that does shock me too was how quite senior staff play up in the absence of their line manager. It's like a holiday in the office when the boss is away in some Govt depts - down tools, in with the endless morning and afternoon teas and long lunches....Quite a culture shock if you're used to taking responsibility for your work even when direct supervision is absent. I think the 'work smarter not longer' message is a little lost in Australia too - plenty of people pulling 'late nighters' from time to time in consulting firms that I've worked for - poor quality work almost always the outcome as people are far too tired but they won't shut up about how heroic they are for working till 9pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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