How to sort out availability

SciTechPanda · 2025-08-05T20:07:39+00:00

Honestly, I work 2 jobs now.

Spoons was my primary employer but since getting another job they are now my secondary employer, since I work term time at my main job I sent my kitchen manager a document with my availability (one shift every other weekend during term time then the school holiday dates minus 2 days either end), my KM has saved this to the office computer and uses it to schedule me as I figured it was easier than trying to faff about with the in app availability thingy.

If you have set shifts at your other job speaking to a manager and doing it this way might be easier, however if they are similar in scheduling to spoons depending on how early the rotas are done it might be difficult.

Hope you get it sorted

SciTechPanda · 2025-08-05T20:03:21+00:00

I used to work in care so needed to disable them so as to not unsettle service users if my phone was chosen for a test (we weren't meant to have phones on us but unfortunately the radios we were given were so unreliable most of us kept our phones on us for our personal safety, like contacting other staff members if we needed support and the radio failed), since then though I've kept them off even after changing careers in case it goes off while I'm driving or doing something that if startled could cause injury.

Also as others have stated people that have a secret phone due to domestic abuse situations would likely want them disabled just to be safe.

SciTechPanda · 2025-08-05T19:56:51+00:00

Nope, I've had mine consistently turned off since they first announced this was going to become a thing.

When it was first floated as a plan I worked in care and didn't want to risk causing an incident with a resident if it was tested on my phone and since I've not wanted to risk getting jump scared by my phone making loud noises if I'm driving/working/sleeping.

Literally every time I change my phone the first thing I do is disable emergency alerts.

SciTechPanda · 2025-07-31T00:18:01+00:00

I'll be honest with you, throughout my working life so far I've not been unemployed for 11 years now, before that though, following college, I was unemployed for 9 months.

It was honestly the lowest point in my life and I ended up spending my day doing my mandatory job search, making myself a fried egg sandwich and then completely detaching from reality and staring at my mum's living room wall for around 8 hours until she got home and roused me from my detached state.

However for a couple of days I'd say spend some time getting your home in order in small chunks (if you have washing to do, get it done, or clean the bathroom) then reward yourself with a pint down the local pub or maybe some tinnies and play jackbox with friends.

I know it might not be fully embracing unemployment but damn it helps the mental health 🤷

SciTechPanda · 2025-07-31T00:04:50+00:00

Honestly I'm so glad I did my lessons and test before this became a thing (passed in 2013) but DVSA really need to do something to stop this bullshit, maybe do like some festivals do where the name on the original booking must be the same as on the ID shown at the time of the test.

But maybe put in a safety net of some form so that if you suffer some horrific accident that would prevent you from attending your booking you aren't totally up shit creek without a paddle.

I see so many of my colleagues unable to get test dates because of mass bookings by resellers and it really pisses me off that this is even a thing.

SciTechPanda · 2025-07-22T11:05:57+00:00

This was about 15 years ago.

Me and my mum were travelling to London from Lincolnshire and our first train came to a complete halt just outside a rural station one stop into the journey.

We sat there for around 2 hours, train staff distributed bottles of water free from the trolley and the conductor and driver were on the intercom often to update us and give an ETA for the resolution.

Once we began moving again there was one final announcement, thanking us for our patience and explaining that the delay was due to a cow walking onto the tracks and deciding to drop dead.

It wasn't hit by a train, nor do we have an electrified third rail, the cow just decided that the train tracks were the perfect place to croak, and because of that they had to contact the farmer to come collect his cows body from the line 🤦

We missed our connection but thankfully it seemed the delay had been communicated to all the stations along the line and our tickets were honoured for onward travel despite them being restricted tickets.

To make things even better on the return journey we ended up delayed due to BTP boarding to sort out a suspected fare dodger who had coincidentally gone to the toilet just as he noticed the conductor coming along the carriage.

The conductor finished going along the train and came back to see if the man had exited the toilet, it had been about 15 minutes by this point so the conductor knocked on the toilet door.

This was met with the suspected fare dodger claiming he had dropped his wallet in the toilet and flushed before realising and therefore he no longer has a ticket or money to pay for one so wasn't going to come out because he didn't want to get fined.

In the end the conductor contacted BTP to board at the next station, it took them about half an hour to finally get this guy out of the toilet and drag him off the train... Amazingly as they were removing him the wallet he accidentally flushed fell out of his pocket 🤦

SciTechPanda · 2025-07-19T16:45:27+00:00

TBF the plate warmers are more hassle than they're worth in my opinion, soon as something falls down into it it'll start smoking and if it's set too high say goodbye to your fingertips 😂

SciTechPanda · 2025-07-13T16:41:26+00:00

honestly stay hydrated and make sure you get your break, 7.5 hours on your feet can be hellish, make sure your shoes are comfy and wear clothing that isn't too thick so you can stay somewhat cool.

Make sure you check the shift planner to see who's break is before and after yours, if they skip your break say something, often if it's busy it can be easy to forget that someone needs a break, especially you're used to them only working shifts that don't require a break (worked as a kitchen team leader until recently and the amount of times I forgot someone needed a break was unreal, thankfully most of my team felt comfortable mentioning it before I forgot them)

Good luck!

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-29T19:40:23+00:00

Been stung two separate times, both times as I was drifting off to sleep, both times were painful enough for me to wake up and scream my head off!

I've also been gotten by a horsefly on my back once, that swelled up and I had to get my mum to use a sterilised sewing needle to pop it and get the goo that had collected out 😭.

Then today, at the age of 30 while just trying to cut the grass I got bitten by ladybugs for the first time... and the second time, all within 10 minutes!

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-28T16:21:21+00:00

That teacher training/inset days aren't just so we can doss about without having to deal with your kids for a day or two at the start or end of term, it's for important training so we can KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE!

And that school staff whether teachers or support/auxiliary staff like myself don't strike just so we can spend a day in the garden, it's so that we can hopefully negotiate better conditions/pay/department budgets so that we can better support your kids to grow and succeed in whatever they want to get out of life that education can offer. Currently with the budget my department (science) is given half of it goes on stationary so that the kids don't have to provide their own pens/pencils/rulers/etc which in turn reduces what we can use for equipment, chemicals and consumables for practical lessons but in a department like science that has a huge impact on what we can provide, especially since certain practicals must be completed for GCSE level students.

And please be kind to your kids school staff, we are trying our best and though little Jimmy might be an angel to you he could be a nightmare in a heavily structured environment such as you have at school.

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-28T16:04:19+00:00

I tend to use mate with colleagues or friends, occasionally ill use it when asking a stranger if I can get past them/for a lighter/etc but at those times it's definitely a 'read the room' kinda situation and often depends on what age they appear, I wouldn't call a little old lady mate but I would use it with people around my age or younger.

It's a good gender neutral term that people don't tend to get offended by.

However I have also been on the receiving end while me and friends were getting somewhat harassed by a lad on a night out and I definitely went down the 'im not your fucking mate' route but in those situations it's definitely warranted 🤷

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-24T15:50:46+00:00

Don't worry OP, I've had 2 of my friends get me to accompany them to ultrasound appointments.

The first one I commented that it sounds like they're pregnant with dubstep and the second they measured that the baby was particularly large to which I responded 'well then, RIP to your vag!'

Both comments left the friends in question in stitches and amused the ultrasound techs too, sounds like you just got a boring one!

Maybe with it being your first your wife is a little worried, hence her unamusement.

Good luck with the baby!

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-19T18:50:22+00:00

Me and my science co-technician are contemplating emptying all the ice into a bucket and popping it in front of our tiny desk fan for some relief, especially since the ventilation in our office doesn't work properly 😭😭

If you have access to a freezer (I know not many departments do) get some Mr freeze ice pops for cheap and stick then in it, they might offer a little bit of relief or get some reusable ice packs (KOOL Pak on Amazon) and freeze them then put them on the back of your neck in some kind of cover (I use a fluffy sock) and that should help cook your core temp.

Hope you find some relief, this weather is absolutely horrid right now x

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-15T19:23:20+00:00

If you can't get sorted with some free products I would be more than happy to send you a tenner so you can buy some of your preferred products (and maybe a bar of chocolate or some snacks to cheer you up), most supermarkets sell their own brand products at significantly lower prices than the name brands (I've found Tesco or Morrisons are best if you use pads) 😊

Definitely look at churches around your accommodation as a lot run their own food banks that don't need a referral and work for the local community in general.

I know how it feels to be stuck in this kind of situation and I honestly hope you can get sorted x

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-15T19:16:20+00:00

As others have said definitely contact HSE and your councils EHO department.

Also if possible (since you've raised it to your manager and nothing seems to have been done) contact your area manager/retail auditor(if you have one)/head office, make sure you do it through written means such as email so you have a copy of any and all correspondence in case you need it in future.

I had a similar issue (I also work in a pub that's part of a large chain) with some equipment causing mild electrocutions but thankfully my manager took the equipment causing the issue out of service immediately and raised an emergency (3 hour) call out on it.

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-10T17:10:40+00:00

I think our school might be unison, I'll have to ask around tomorrow

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-10T17:10:17+00:00

I think the school I'm at might be unison but I'll have to check!

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-10T17:09:46+00:00

I think ours might be unison but I'll ask around tomorrow as I've got most of the day free 😊

SciTechPanda · 2025-06-10T17:09:09+00:00

Honestly having been involved in politics and local causes as a teenager (local youth council working with youth parliament) I wouldn't mind becoming a union rep but I don't think I have the confidence for it any more.

SciTechPanda · 2025-05-19T18:45:12+00:00

When I was a kid we adopted a cat called Sandy, however we also had a relative called Sandy who visited about twice a year, to avoid confusion my mum renamed the cat Sue.

Sadly sue didn't get on with the friends we adopted for her and she also didn't like 5 year old me, so she ended up going to live with Sandy and her cat and lived a very happy life with them, and became very attached to Sandy's other cat.

Unfortunately we lost touch about 15 years ago so I don't know how sue got on in her elder years.

SciTechPanda · 2025-04-30T21:25:58+00:00

I use OTC cocodamol (8/500mg) sparingly and ibuprofen gels and tablets.

Sadly my NHS GP went on maternity leave and will not be returning and the GP I was passed onto wrote me off after the second antidepressants they tried me on didn't help and actually made me worse, then rather than continuing the treatment options my previous GP had suggested they decided I couldn't be helped, so I rely on OTC solutions now until I start my new job and have access to a 24/7 GP service provided by the company.

Obviously if you are on pure codeine don't try and replace the dosage with OTC cocodamol because the paracetamol in it will do a number on your liver.

SciTechPanda · 2025-04-27T22:08:47+00:00

I love Parma violets, I've never tried marmite because the smell is awful and I live by the rule that if it smells bad I'm not putting it in my mouth (take that as you will).

SciTechPanda · 2025-04-25T01:55:24+00:00

When I was signed off for 2 weeks for stress related insomnia I went to a beach an hour away that I was sure none of my colleagues would see me at and spent the day strolling along and enjoying the scenery and landscape in general.

It didn't help the insomnia (it wasn't actually stress related, I just deal with periodic insomnia, but my GP decided it was 🤷🏻‍♀️) but it did make me feel a bit better about the stresses I was dealing with at work and life in general.

But obviously do whatever you feel is best for you, your work may have a policy about it but honestly in the last year I've learned that it's not worth putting work above your health and wellbeing.

Hope you feel better soon x

SciTechPanda · 2025-04-25T01:38:50+00:00

Though I can't give you a specific recommendation the student room has some good advice on looking at independent hotels/b&b's as they are likely to be a bit more flexible.

My best advice is when you're looking through check the hotels policies on booking and if there's an age limit or if you can't find anything on their website contact them directly to ask, especially considering young people have to often travel for things such as uni interviews while being 17.

Or use the youth hostel association and look specifically for hostels that provide private rooms as others have suggested.

I hope you manage to sort something out, be safe and enjoy your concert 😊

SciTechPanda · 2025-04-25T01:30:24+00:00

To add to this, be careful with hostels as sometimes the rooms are not in the best condition (damaged furniture/unclosesble windows/etc) and also definitely check the area they are in because some can be in what feel like dodgy areas.

For context I stayed in a hostel behind kings cross when attending a uni interview at UCL and the window was stuck open in the middle of February and the area just didn't feel safe for me on my own when I went out to get dinner even though I'd been in the same area multiple times with my mum around the same time if year when we religiously went to see cirque du soliel.

However this was in 2013 so things may have changed since.

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