Definitely not for the faint hearted and someone on the trip stole our running money.
adam277:
A lot of people are rightly baffled as to why they are working 50+ hours a week just so they can pay for their mortgage… so they can sleep in a house they barely spend anytime in due to work… to rent a car to take them to work… to pay for food just so they can sustain themselves for work…
with very little money left over and often very little energy left over at the end of the week other than to lay in front of the tv and watch crap.
All self inflicted. You look at their bank and credit card statements and the cause of it is clear for all to see. And when you look back at past bank and credit card statements its the same story year after year after year.
You don’t get wealthy giving other people your money, all you’re doing is making other people wealthy. When the interest rates were lowered to never seen before lows to stimulate the economy people fell over themselves to not only give the money they had to other people and make them rich but borrow money to do so, doubling the number of people they made rich…those they gave their money to to buy crap and those they borrowed from.
You want to be the one receiving the money, not giving it to other people. What the wealthy do, and what I started to do once I figured out what they were doing, is to make sure they own the things that people are falling over themselves to throw money at. So whilst the masses are spending money on new cars and mountains of crap they don’t need the wealthy buy assets, things that make money. They invest in companies etc, buying shares in them. They buy property. Values of shares rise as companies made more money. Companies pay out dividends to share holders when they make profits. Rich get richer, along with those who also figured out the game.
Depression comes in various guises. I thought that I was depressed, had to give driving up to care full time for my missus and I really did miss going to work and having the craic with the lads and customers plus seeing my wife’s condition worsening so I went to see my GP. She gave me a questionare to fill in; the first question was ‘have you considered committing suicide today?’ and I replied “no, never”. My GP said, “then you are not depressed, try and look on the bright side of things and ignore the rest”. A few years later I had a routine appointment with her, I had swollen legs and ankles plus leg ulcers and she remarked “you are not your usual cheery self today” and I told her that I was fed up with feeling poorly. “I think you are depressed then” 
and she set me on a course of anti depressents that made me feel even worse so I stopped taking them, went back to her a few months later and she remarked that the pills had worked and I looked and acted like my old self. I hadn’t the heart to tell her that I ditched the tablets after a couple of weeks!! 
Not easy to diagnose and very hard to know how to treat depression, every person reacts differently.
Pete.
windrush:
Not easy to diagnose and very hard to know how to treat depression, every person reacts differently.Pete.
There was a section on mental health in one of our CPC modules with an emphasis on how ‘it’s good to talk’ but I struggle to see how someone who isn’t a professional mental heath practicioner would have an understanding of what you are going through, unless they had experienced something similar.
njl:
There was a section on mental health in one of our CPC modules with an emphasis on how ‘it’s good to talk’ but I struggle to see how someone who isn’t a professional mental heath practicioner would have an understanding of what you are going through, unless they had experienced something similar.
Yes, it’s becoming a trendy idea to have not just a First Aid person at work, but also a Mental Health First Aider SFA and their like run specific courses about being a work-related MHFA. It’s one thing to have someone help you with a physical injury, but a massively different thing to talk to someone about haw you felt like jumping off a bridge yesterday.
I see some TMs on various FB groups, and industry “suits” on Linked In, banging on about providing mental health support to drivers. Yes, because the TM or other random guy from the office, is exactly the person they expect to be supportive about personal problems
I’ve always thought the best thing TMs can do for their drivers’ mental health is treat them like adults, rather than mushrooms. I appreciate, however, that there will always be those who take the ■■■■ in situations like that, in which case they should be demoted to mushroom again.
Zac_A:
njl:
There was a section on mental health in one of our CPC modules with an emphasis on how ‘it’s good to talk’ but I struggle to see how someone who isn’t a professional mental heath practicioner would have an understanding of what you are going through, unless they had experienced something similar.Yes, it’s becoming a trendy idea to have not just a First Aid person at work, but also a Mental Health First Aider
I see some TMs on various FB groups, and industry “suits” on Linked In, banging on about providing mental health support to drivers. Yes, because the TM or other random guy from the office, is exactly the person they expect to be supportive about personal problems
Being against companies making themselves better and kinder places to work is quite an interesting position to take 
Well ,the only thing this week driving me insane is this FORUM’S SERVER FF’s
Too right, by the time it takes to come back to life I could have hopped on a dinghy in France, say the right words to the man in uniform when arriving in England and be tucked up in bed in a free hotel and get £40 spending money per week all courtesy of the government.
Or get a room upgrade to the big cruiser in Portland as there’s a bar on there and a gym and 24 hour healthcare.
If I brought over my family, and pretend they were unaccompanied minors, once 18 years old they get £1600 per month to fight their deportation case and get free legal aid.
switchlogic:
Zac_A:
njl:
There was a section on mental health in one of our CPC modules with an emphasis on how ‘it’s good to talk’ but I struggle to see how someone who isn’t a professional mental heath practicioner would have an understanding of what you are going through, unless they had experienced something similar.Yes, it’s becoming a trendy idea to have not just a First Aid person at work, but also a Mental Health First Aider
I see some TMs on various FB groups, and industry “suits” on Linked In, banging on about providing mental health support to drivers. Yes, because the TM or other random guy from the office, is exactly the person they expect to be supportive about personal problems
Being against companies making themselves better and kinder places to work is quite an interesting position to take
Good point Luke, but if/when you work for a crappy firm, I’m sure drivers would much rather see the ‘better and kinder’ campaign concentrated on the offending ‘bread & butter’ issues,.rather than the ‘fancy cakes’ part of the problem.
‘‘Right chaps,.we’re continuing to run you ragged maxing out, we ain’t removing the driver facing cameras,.and we will still charge you for damage…
But hey!, if you find yourself getting a bit down with the job, not sleeping, and worrying about your state of mind, my door is always open to you for bit of one to one counselling’’.
Aye right.
blue estate:
Well ,the only thing this week driving me insane is this FORUM’S SERVER FF’s
I know…Why tf do you think I did a classic ‘TN flounce off/mince off’ on Feedback?..I told em.!
I told em straight,.I ain’t putting up with it any longer,.and that I wouldn’t be coming back. !!!
Oh hang on a minute. 
robroy:
blue estate:
Well ,the only thing this week driving me insane is this FORUM’S SERVER FF’sI know…Why tf do you think I did a classic ‘TN flounce off/mince off’ on Feedback?..I told em.!
I told em straight,.I ain’t putting up with it any longer,.and that I wouldn’t be coming back. !!!
Oh hang on a minute.
It’s so slow today , I’ve cooked eaten and washed up , gammon , egg , spuds , peas and sweet corn in the time it’s taken me to read 2 posts and reply to yours
robroy:
blue estate:
Well ,the only thing this week driving me insane is this FORUM’S SERVER FF’sI know…Why tf do you think I did a classic ‘TN flounce off/mince off’ on Feedback?..I told em.!
I told em straight,.I ain’t putting up with it any longer,.and that I wouldn’t be coming back. !!!
Oh hang on a minute.
[emoji38]
We need to rely on Driver’s solidarity! Let’s all agree never to post again until it’s resolved. [emoji6]
robroy:
Good point Luke, but if/when you work for a crappy firm, I’m sure drivers would much rather see the ‘better and kinder’ campaign concentrated on the offending ‘bread & butter’ issues,.rather than the ‘fancy cakes’ part of the problem.‘‘Right chaps,.we’re continuing to run you ragged maxing out, we ain’t removing the driver facing cameras,.and we will still charge you for damage…
But hey!, if you find yourself getting a bit down with the job, not sleeping, and worrying about your state of mind, my door is always open to you for bit of one to one counselling’’.
Aye right.
In my experience, which at this point is pretty vast with amount of people I’ve worked for employers who get involved with the former aren’t the same people who treat drivers like the latter.
switchlogic:
robroy:
Good point Luke, but if/when you work for a crappy firm, I’m sure drivers would much rather see the ‘better and kinder’ campaign concentrated on the offending ‘bread & butter’ issues,.rather than the ‘fancy cakes’ part of the problem.‘‘Right chaps,.we’re continuing to run you ragged maxing out, we ain’t removing the driver facing cameras,.and we will still charge you for damage…
But hey!, if you find yourself getting a bit down with the job, not sleeping, and worrying about your state of mind, my door is always open to you for bit of one to one counselling’’.
Aye right.
In my experience, which at this point is pretty vast with amount of people I’ve worked for
Ok,.yeah I get that.
What I will say is that unfortunately these days that firms in the latter category far outweigh those in the former…
And those in that majority do not give a flying ■■■■ about drivers welfare in general, let alone their mental welfare, or state. (God that’s even confused me and I wrote it. )
Well I’m trying something new at work this week
The Jamaican Spanish attitude aka tomorrow or when I can be bothered , chill out man
And it’s working out well , 
switchlogic:
Being against companies making themselves better and kinder places to work is quite an interesting position to take
Responses like that are why I don’t generally bother engaging directly with your posts - don’t bother saying you don’t care, it is already assumed.
My issue is that I’m opposed to tick-box exercises by people simply trying (and generally failing) to make themselves “look good” with window-dressing “initiatives”, while doing bugger all in a practical way that is within their current available remit.
As Lucy said already said, treating any member of staff decently, and like an adult, would go a long way towards alleviating more than a few workplace problems in this industry.
And before you add your usual sign-off, yes, thanks, I will be having a good afternoon/d.ay/evening
Zac_A:
switchlogic:
Being against companies making themselves better and kinder places to work is quite an interesting position to takeResponses like that are why I don’t generally bother engaging directly with your posts - don’t bother saying you don’t care, it is already assumed.
My issue is that I’m opposed to tick-box exercises by people simply trying (and generally failing) to make themselves “look good” with window-dressing “initiatives”, while doing bugger all in a practical way that is within their current available remit.
As Lucy said already said, treating any member of staff decently, and like an adult, would go a long way towards alleviating more than a few workplace problems in this industry.
And before you add your usual sign-off, yes, thanks, I will be having a good afternoon/d.ay/evening
You seem to have something of a short memory then. You pestered me to death on a couple of my own threads fairly recently. However I understand, you only like people who agree with you but you disagreeing with others is absolutely fine. Point taken, I won’t interact with you again. Forgive my rudeness.
Zac_A:
My issue is that I’m opposed to tick-box exercises by people simply trying (and generally failing) to make themselves “look good” with window-dressing “initiatives”, while doing bugger all in a practical way that is within their current available remit.As Lucy said already said, treating any member of staff decently, and like an adult, would go a long way towards alleviating more than a few workplace problems in this industry.
This ^^^^^^^^ 
blue estate:
Well I’m trying something new at work this week
The Jamaican Spanish attitude aka tomorrow or when I can be bothered , chill out man
And it’s working out well ,
Glad to hear it [emoji106]
It’s about getting the balance right.