Sunday, 11 August 2013

How to treat your staff

This is a treat…


…for anyone who’s had to sit through those appraisal interviews, or been asked for ‘honest feedback’ by someone who you know, if you told them what you thought, would be destroyed. This is an antidote to that carey-sharey happy-clappy working environment people now expect.

Thanks to MM for the link.

I worked with an ex-Navy bloke who was summoned for a ticking off. On his return, we asked, cheerfully, as you would:

“How was the bollocking?”

“Well” he said, “it was like a bollocking, but I’ve been bollocked by professionals, and I think I took the wind out of his sails when I asked whether I was getting a bollocking, then thanked him for his input.”

I’ve attracted my fair share of thrown cups of tea and other half-time projectiles, and sporting rollickings, and I like the way sporting necessity produces that short-cut communication:

On the pitch: “you’re 6’2”, he’s 3’9”, and he’s won the last three headers. Now. Sort your life out and make sure it stops here. Or you’re off.”

Changing room, direct: “well, Istvan, that was undeniably a huge and rancid, steaming pile of dog-poo, wasn’t it?”

Changing room, louche: I’d bemoaned leaving my towel at home, unaware that the opponents had recently installed spanking new shower facilities: “yeah, well, luckily you’ve not done enough to get hot and sweaty…”

The short sharp shock:

“Sorry skipper, shocking shot.”

“About next week...”

“Yeah?”

“…you’re dropped.”

The decoy there-there-there, followed by the dénouement:

“Don’t worry, no-one drops a catch on purpose…”

“…but tell your missus you’ve ok to go to Ikea next Saturday, you’re not needed here, you ham-fisted, spaz-handed waster.”


Coming soon…


…chicken, gravy, mushrooms and pastry. Chicken pie induced post traumatic stress disorder and the damage done.

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