The woes of being a manager

Being a manager is about defending your position. Being right, or even morally right is not a factor in this - being confident enough to persuade others you’re doing the right thing is. Bullshitting goes a long way, but unless you are very good, there’s always a risk you could get found out. Keeping your head down and doing very little while everyone else around you nearly dies of exhaustion is another option. You can make yourself inconspicuously absent by attending meetings and working from home. Taking into account the bigger picture and planning the next re-organisation takes a great deal of thought and imagination. Stay in one organisation long enough and there’s a good chance of experiencing deja vu. No doubt next time re-packaged as something new. Changing the name of a team is an important way of letting staff know of changes, otherwise they wouldn’t notice any difference. In fact it’s good to bring in some new names from time to time. Trends in society also have an impact on the workplace. It’s become fashionable to use the term Human Resources (known by some as human remains) rather than Personnel. What they do is exactly the same but it’s a way to re-launch something old and unexciting. That way the Director of Human Resources can feel like he’s earned his bonus.

Being a manager means making your mark. To demonstrate that you are adding value you need to be seen to be making a difference. Quick wins are a good way to kick this off. Think of something that has either been done before but no one can remember, or is new but no-one has thought it as being a priority.

Managers view staff as guinea pigs by which managers can practice newly acquired  skills from the last management training course they attended. It’s certainly a challenge to see if you can manipulate someone to do what you want. The reality is that anyone can be a manager, but not everyone can be an effective manager. The other difference from being a foot soldier is that you are exposed to a whole new stratosphere of office politics where personal agendas are a priority. Everyone is trying to get one over on everyone else. The result is that nothing gets done. What’s best for the organisation and the individual become light years away. These days senior managers are almost guaranteed a bonus unless they really screw up. Staff below manager are far too low in the food chain to count. In fact in many cases they're off the radar completely - dispensable as a plastic coffee cup.

A manager is there to ensure work is done by squeezing as much out of you without causing you to go off on long term sick. Even if you are the best performer in a team, there will always be more you can give – like your soul. Gone are the days when you simply turned up for work, did you best then went home. Having a personal life or personality is not going to get you up the career ladder. Getting results, or being seen to get results is the key. This becomes an art in itself. There’s no room for consciences do-gooder’s here. This is an office battlefield with no room for prisoners.  

If an employer can find a computer or robot to do your job, then it will. Today’s workplace is all about getting things done as cheaply as possible without screwing up. On the production line it’s about reducing the thickness of a component to save you ‘x’ tonnes of raw material each year. This is when it becomes a game of risk taking. Just how much more can be skimmed off before the product/component fails?  We’ve all heard of incidents where furniture has collapsed or keys snapped off in doors. 

It’s worth bearing in mind that all managers will have their own personal agenda. In work this is called a personal development plan or career map. Of course this will not include the things like leaving the organisation next year, starting a family or hoping to win the lottery so you can leave work the next day. At the end of the day people need to pay the bills so earning more money goes a long way.

Probably the best managers are those who are born with a personality which fits it. Yes, you can develop and improve skills and techniques until the cows come home but some people are not going to make the grade. Not everyone wants to treat grown adults like children and make them do things they don’t want to. Some people enjoy telling others what to do, probably those with children. These people would also make good teachers or prison guards.

Remember that when the pressure's on it's a case of self preservation and a manager will look after number one despite what they tell their staff. Dignity and morality can take second place when it really hits the fan. Always be weary about what you confide in with you manager. He's not your friend. In the worst case scenario a manager will manipulate and use you. Milk you for all he can. This all sounds rather cynical but these days fierce competition has developed a new breed of manager. The gloves are off for the best prize so learn some good ducking and diving. 

Office service - British Civil Service

The British Civil Service in the 1980's had not changed much since the 1960’s. The way things were done, the office equipment, the furniture and décor were all a left-over from the 1960’s or 1970’s. Curtains, carpets and filing cabinets were mostly green or orange. Like the land that time forgot, lack of investment meant nothing much had changed over a few decades.

 

The most junior positions were very low paid so having a second job was not uncommon. On the plus side, the working environment was usually good (especially if you liked retro décor) job security, favourable terms including final salary pension and usually without the pressure seen in the private sector.

 

However, the wheels of change were starting to move following formation of the Executive Agencies. I bore witness to this change first hand when I worked for what became the first Executive Agency in the Civil Service. To be fair, there was quite allot of dead wood floating around. There were people who had been walking the corridors doing very little for years. There was little sense of urgency with anything that didn’t have PQ (parliamentary question) or PSO (private secretaries office) stamped on it. It was the perfect hiding place for lazy intellectuals to go unnoticed for most of their life. Keep you head down and it was possible to reach 40 years service which is probably impossible these days.

Tools of the trade

 

I was proud to become part of British bureaucracy called the Civil Service. In some ways it was a civilian version of the armed services - you signed the Official Secrets Act, reported for duty and were issued with your essential office equipment which included:

• biro pen
• pencil and sharpener
• notepad
• rubber (eraser)
• hole punch (double and single)
• stapler
• staple extractor
• treasury tags

Almost every item of office equipment was stamped with SO and the crown (Stationery Office).

During the 1980's the tubular metal office chairs still being used were stamped with dates from the 1960's. At one point the psychedelic patterned seat fabric was given a makeover by adding new plain seat covers! The first true adjustable 'office chairs' with wheels arrived with the introduction of the first IBM computers in the early 1990's. The older orange and green filing cabinets were gradually being replaced with new 'brown' ones. Being brown I think these were probably old 1980's stock.

Stationery was rationed. It was an era when the stationery cupboard had it's own nominated guardian. This meant that if you wanted a new pen or anything else you needed to request one from this person. That person might even scrutinise your need for the requested item. It was a revelation when the day came that you could browse through a stationery catalogue and order something you needed. The problem was that people started ordering things they didn't really need - give and inch and take a mile. So there was some sense in the rationing, even though it now sounds rather Dickensian.

There was a strong hierarchy and everyone new their place. An 'Executive Officer' and above was entitled to an official Civil Service briefcase. This was an old fashioned soft type of briefcase which had the ER crown stamped in gold on the outside. Perfect for your packed lunch.

Times have changed and the last time I passed one of the offices I once worked in the Civil Service, it had become a ten pin bowling alley. Another one had been torn down to make way for a shopping complex. That somehow sums up the demise of the old Civil Service. Modernisation is sometimes called for but I can't help thinking that the overall outcome is more stress on the staff. It can be a delicate balance - you don't want lazy people taking advantage of the system but you don't want to drive your workforce into the ground. It's often the case that a minority of bad performers result in a bad deal for everyone.

Fast forward to to now and the Civil Service is a shadow of it's former self - what could be sold off has been; staff terms and conditions stripped away; more work and less people. There may be some positives still but I can't think of any just now. You may as well be working in the private sector. 

 

 

Bristol's 1990's Car Crime - TDA Special (updated)

 

 

 

Younger readers are probably unaware that back in the 1990's, Bristol (South West England) was a car crime hotspot. Every week the newspapers were filled with yet another 'ram raid' or 'joyrider' story. At the time it seemed like an unstoppable crime wave. It wasn't just the owners of 'hot hatches' who enjoyed their vehicles - so did the car thieves. However, this was an epidemic which spread to all cities in the UK.

This was the decade of the 'hot hatch' and car makers produced a variety of performance cars such as the Sierra Cosworth, Golf GTI, Astra GTE and Vauxhall Cavalier SRI/GSI among others. 

Bristol in the grip of 'Joyriding' 1991

 

Unfortunately the level of security on such cars was pretty much non-existent. Audible alarm systems were usually an optional extra and immobilisers not so common. Car owners were left to fend for themselves any way they could. This included use of steering locks like the Krooklok and gearstick locks which were sometimes so flimsy they could be broken off without too much effort. 

 

Car owners didn't seem to understand that thieves were prepared to damage doors, locks and windows using a variety of destructive means to get inside. If thieves only want it for one night before abandoning it or setting fire to it then a little damage doesn't make any difference to them. The Police were literally left standing and early on simply didn't have enough cars which were fast enough to keep up with the thieves.

The classic 'Krooklok' - better than nothing?'

It seems that things have gone ’full circle’ as steering locks are making a comeback in 2023. The increasing use of ’keyless’ car entry has made them vulnerable to being stolen electronically. A big clunky piece of metal attached to the steering wheel seems to be a good deterent - how ironic! 

’Ram raid' was a term created by the media to describe a new type of crime involving stolen cars. A stolen car would be reversed into a shop window/door to gain entry. Black rubbish wheelie bins were sometimes used to carry the stolen goods. High end fashion clothing or cigarettes were popular items to steal as they could easily be sold on.

Bristol Western Daily Press - Wednesday 03 March 1993

Thieves sometimes carried a stolen fire extinguisher with them which could be deployed against a pursuing Police car and obscure it's vision. The result of this was like driving into thick fog and surprisingly effective. 

Sadly, court sentences for those arrested were relatively light and not a deterrent. Whilst the initial charge on arrest may have been 'theft of a motor vehicle', the reality was the offenders were only convicted for Taking and Driving Away (TDA) since they did not intend to steal the vehicle with the intention of keeping it. Offenders were given stiffer sentences if they had deliberately injured someone. 

It is an offence under section 178 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to take and drive away a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner or, knowing the vehicle has been taken, to drive it or be carried in it. The offence is intended to be used where a motor vehicle is taken, driven away and later abandoned.

The four top reasons for taking a vehicle were usually joyriding, ram-raiding, burglaries or for spare parts. Those taking cars were usually teenagers. Vauxhalls and Fords were top favourites and once a thief had the right technique, they were easy prey. Whilst ram-raiders were out to make some money, joyriders were enjoying the 'thrill' of the ride, even to the extent of taunting Police into a chase. Inevitably it would end in tears, or much worse. 

There seems to be a common theme here......

 

For a short time it looked as if there was no stopping the car crime epidemic. However, some progress was made with the introduction of a Police helicopter and crime prevention initiatives. Car thieves rarely escaped once the helicopter was locked on - unless they managed to find  a multi-story car park.....

1990's Crime prevention campaign

The problem was that there was a considerable amount of carnage and 'collateral damage' in the wake of these criminals. From time to time a 'joyride' would end in a 'deathride'.

A crashed Ford XR3i (not an Vauxhall Astra GTE as in the description)

Car makers were slow to respond but eventually introduced more sophisticated security systems with engine immobilisers. These days it's easier for criminals to break into someone's house and steal the car keys! Thankfully, we won't see a return to car crime on that scale. 

 

Here's some rare photographs taken in 1992/93 which shows a stolen Vauxhall Astra SRI abandoned on Hallen Street, Henbury, Bristol and discovered in the morning. I say rare, because this was before mobile telephones had cameras so you had to have a camera with you at the right time and the right place. Many automatic 35mm film cameras, like the one used here, did not produce very good photographs. I'll try and get some good quality scans from the negatives when I have time. Also, it was Police policy to have the vehicles recovered as soon as possible so they didn’t get stolen again or stripped for parts. So there wouldn’t be many opportunities to photograph abandoned stolen vehicles in situ. 

This particular car was used in a shop raid in Cheltenham/Gloucester. The drivers seat was so far forward that it was probably a young teenager who was driving. Notice the Vauxhall Cavalier SRI parked in the background which was left untouched. They may have spotted the Cavalier and were planning to switch cars but noticed that the Cavalier was fitted with a good alarm system and steering lock - perhaps not worth the hassle for car thieves in a hurray. 

 

 

 

 

A few more rare photographs from that era. This time a hot-wired Austin Montego MG which took a left turn from Church Road to Croydon Street, Lawrence Hill, Bristol too fast and crashed into some metal railings. This occurred during the middle of the day. The driver and female passenger just walked away.

 

This was in front on Berkeley House, which was the HQ for the Vehicle Inspectorate at that time. It's now the HQ for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Shall we say it was quite an 'eventful' area during the early 1990's. Robberies on the cycle path just behind Berkley House were not uncommon, even during the day. I once witnessed a male cyclist get off his bicycle and start undressing in the busy road - a Police car drove past without stopping........

Here's a Google Streetview map of the junction today

The police responded by fighting fire with fire. 

 

Northumbria Police were the first to use the Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth in 1990

 

The stakes are raised - Northumbria Police get their first Ford Escort Cosworth 1992

Avon & Somerset Police trialed the Escort Cosworth but I don't think it was ever taken into service and instead favoured the Sierra Sapphire Cosworth.

Bristol Evening Post - Thursday 06 May 1993

Grimsby Daily Telegraph - Friday 05 April 1996

Here follows my own personal archive of press cuttings, mostly from 1993. This provides a good snapshot of how widespread the problem was at that time. Mostly taken from the Bristol Evening Post, Observer or Western Daily Press. 

Ram raiding progressed from shops to private homes

It seemed like no car was safe - not even a Lotus Carlton Turbo

A joyriders dream. This beast is a 176mph Vauxhall Lotus Carlton. It was unveiled at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1990, as shown in this photograph which I took during my visit there.

As the 'car thieves' grew more confident it soon became a challenge to steal the best possible car. There was more kudos if you managed to steal a Vauxhall GSI or Ford Cosworth. Perhaps one of the ultimates was the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, at least one of which was stolen in the Bristol area (see clippings).

Progressing on from these cars was to steal a high powered Police car as the ultimate act of defiance. This was a completely audacious act, which did occur in many cities including Bristol. Imagine bragging to friends that it was you who stole that Police Ford Sierra Cosworth. However, this was literally 'too hot to handle' and resulted in their arrests. However, I'm sure in their own circles they became urban legends as a result of this and felt it was worthwhile.

There were at least two such incidents in the North Tyneside area. One was a newly delivered Ford Sierra Cosworth which had not yet even been given number plates or Police 'livery'. Stolen from the workshop compound. The other incident which occurred in the same area was another Police Ford Sierra Cosworth taken from a garage compound where it was being serviced. 

There's even a video on of this on Youtube showing the Police car being thrashed by Joyriders

Manchester Evening News - Wednesday 09 December 1992