‘I can’t work with you a moment longer’: boss fires bus drivers with blunt note

[Richard W]

"I am quitting to pursue my dream of not having to work here.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...ith-blunt-note

I think many of us would like to write that sort of resignation letter, but it's a bit less funny when it's from the boss (and presumably owner) of your company, and by resigning he takes the whole company with him overnight...

I'm assuming he must have sole, unaccountable ownership to even be able to do that. But it says he's providing school run services to the local council so he must be in breach of contract, even discounting the contracts with his employees. He surely can't do this without consequence!

[GenYus234]

IANAB, but generally such liabilities are to the company, not the person or people running it. (Assuming Nippybus is an LLC or incorporated.)

[Roadsterboy]

I was reading about this over on another site, and the general consensus is that the owner/company will owe pay to many if not all of the employees, as UK labor laws require some sort of notice of the company shutting down as well as stated amounts of redundancy pay. I'm not familiar with the laws there, but AIUI, here in the States companies over a certain size would have to give some notice of shutting down.

There also seemed to be a rumor that the company had a lot of employee turnover, losing the experienced people to other firms, so there might be something going on with the working conditions/pay/etc. Of course there's at least one person who doesn't blame the boss for walking on "a bunch of t***s", and one idiot who can't seem to believe that bus drivers might leave for a different bus company, as opposed to leaving for an entirely different job in another industry (ie, the people who are still there are too stupid do do anything else).

[DrRocket]

I find it interesting that many people still think of bus drivers as losers who can't find a "real" job. Even more so for school bus drivers.

[DawnStorm]

I've never heard that attitude! I always find it amazing how the drivers can make their way through all the traffic around here.

[UEL]

Originally Posted by DrRocket

I find it interesting that many people still think of bus drivers as losers who can't find a "real" job. Even more so for school bus drivers.

While that attitude exists, city bus drivers in Ottawa with a good record and a few years on the job made the sunshine list of those making over $100k.

If they are losers, they are well paid losers. And they are well paid for not having a "real" job.

[Roadsterboy]

Originally Posted by DrRocket

I find it interesting that many people still think of bus drivers as losers who can't find a "real" job. Even more so for school bus drivers.

Pretty much anything that's not based on sitting in an office in front of a computer, or some kind of field like doctor, lawyer, architect, teaching, and so on, is considered a job for dumb people who aren't smart or motivated enough to get "real" jobs. Bus/taxi driver, dog groomer, anything outside that's not professional sports*, anything where you have to clean things, anything where you have to repair things (hilariously, since that's something that requires specialized education), stuff like that.

I work in retail, and have for about twenty years now, and I've been told, to my face, that I'm a perfect example of what can happen if you don't go to college, because only a loser without a degree would work in a store**.

*sometimes professional sports
**I have two degrees

[thorny locust]

What is interesting to me is that my idea of "real jobs" is pretty close to the opposite.

I think of "real jobs" as the ones without which there's not going to be a functioning society. It's absolutely essential to care for and educate young children; in most climates, build and repair shelter and basic clothing; provide food, both in the sense of farming/gathering it and in the sense of getting it into digestible form; and take out the trash. And, since we're human, to tell stories, in some format.

Everything else is gravy. Some of it's delicious gravy, and even important gravy. I am strongly in favor of our all getting some gravy. But if those essential things aren't getting done, there isn't going to be anybody to either make or eat the gravy.

And the work necessary to get those essential things done is, in at least most current societies, poorly paid and not respected.

[Psihala]

Maybe my world views are overly simplistic, but I really, really, hate the term "real job". If someone is working to support themselves, be it through self-employment, or working for someone else, it's a real job (as opposed to "real job", which as far as I can determine is some mythical unicorn thing that only appears to certain people).

Nothing distinguishes a waitress in a restaurant from the doctor in a hospital as far as gainful employment is concerned. The amount of money being made isn't what makes a job a job. Some jobs bring in more money than others. The fact some jobs are harder to do than others isn't a determining factor. They're all jobs. The terms "real job" and "better paying job" / "my job is more demanding than yours" are not interchangeable.

The only reason I can see for using "real job" to describe someone else's employment is to demean or belittle, and I just hate it when I hear anyone try to use it to justify (as I sometimes hear it in other media) their way of making money is better than yours.

~Psihala

[thorny locust]

Probably not disagreeing with you, Psihala, but just in case you thought I snarl at lawyers or telemarketers that they haven't got 'real jobs': I don't go around using the term at random, or to denigrate other peoples' work. It mostly comes up in my life as a response to people claiming that the essential jobs are, somehow, not real.

(We do need some lawyers; there are too many of us to manage well without. I don't personally think we need telemarketers, but I understand why people take such jobs; most of them just don't see a better choice in their lives at the time.)

[Psihala]

I wasn't really replying to anyone's comment.

Just throwing in my two copper Lincolns.

~Psihala
(*The term just makes my skin crawl in the same way some grind their teeth when they hear "Irregardless" or "myriad of".)

[Avril]

"Real job" is used sometimes to distinguish between a job you have for spending money (when you're a high school student) or to pay for a specified expense (like college tuition) versus one you get to pay for your living expenses. I've also heard it used to distinguish between jobs that have benefits and those that don't. But I don't like the qualifier "real." The jobs I have had have all been real.

And the jobs that paid the least were the most challenging, but that's a story for another time.

[kitap]

Oh, I hate the "real job" attitude. Fast food is a real job. The pay isn't great, the verbal abuse can be appalling and you spend a lot of time cleaning or dealing with customers, but it's a real job.

I would be screwed without my night housekeeping staff. Screwed. If it's not a "real job", you try it you NFBSK.

[Psihala]

Originally Posted by Avril

"Real job" is used sometimes to distinguish between a job you have for spending money (when you're a high school student) or to pay for a specified expense (like college tuition) versus one you get to pay for your living expenses.

Hmm. I understand context is everything, and I won't claim that I've never heard the "real job" phrase used in context similar to your example--as in, "In my 'real job' I'm a chemist, but I do juggling on the side."--but usually the phrase I hear for these situations is "taking 'odd jobs'" or just "taking a second job", or some variation of "I do this other thing more for the fun than the money."

Also, I wonder if it doesn't depend on who the subject matter is; i.e. if I'm talking about me, its a joke or describes things I do outside my field--if the 'real job' comment is being direct at me, its probably an insult?

~Psihala
(*Doesn't know the answer to that question. Just thinking out loud.)

[smittykins]

Originally Posted by kitap

Oh, I hate the "real job" attitude. Fast food is a real job. The pay isn't great, the verbal abuse can be appalling and you spend a lot of time cleaning or dealing with customers, but it's a real job.

And your mistakes get posted on Facebook with the comment "And they want $15 an hour."

[thorny locust]

I did just enough waiting on tables, years ago, to discover that that's actually a very difficult job to do well, taking both considerable mental and physical skills. I never got much good at it*.

I've assumed ever since that there's generally a good bit more to doing any job than most people who have never done it realize.



(admittedly, there are a number of people doing it who aren't very good at it, either. But that's not surprising, all things considered.)

[ETA: some of what most people think are the waiter's mistakes are actually the cook's. But the waitress is generally not allowed to tell the customers that.]