Posted By Merv Newman
Sounds like a poorish start to the week Brando ?

I'd say stick with it (I would, wouldn't I ?)

It's coming up to the H&S person's favourite season : the time to dream up next years safety theme/programme. Just how much fun/embarassement can you offer senior management and your co-workers ?

That is the real power trip !

Now, if you had left this posting until Friday, you would have got lots and lots of very interesting suggestions.

What could be more interesting/rewarding than H&S ? Have you considered becoming a tree surgeon in the Gobi desert ?

Merv

Posted By Julian Wilkinson
why dont you think about becoming a trainer?

We used to say:

those that can, do
those that cant, teach

then there's those who've simply had enough!

teaching might be a good move for you mate :-)

Posted By Chris Packham
Re a previous posting, I once quoted the saying to a university lecturer:

"Those that can do, those than cannot teach."

I was told that I had left out the third part:

"...those that cannot teach teach teachers!"

Oh well! Perhaps that covers me, at least.

Chris

Posted By CFT
Brando

Methinks its not what you do that is the problem it is where you are doing it; change by all means, but don't leave the profession, you will never know how many peoples lives you have touched with your past calls, sadly we never do know (thank goodness) you have made a difference doing what you do, don't throw it in now!

Charley

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Read:

1. 'Creative Organisation Theory. A Resourcebook' G Morgan, Sage, 1989

2. 'Yes! 50 Secrets from the science of persuasion', N Goldstein, S Martin and R Cialdini. Profile Books, 2007

Once you've digested the messages of these guys, you'll be refreshed enough to see your present situation in a fresh light and/or move on.

Either way, you'll enable yourself to accept reality and commit yourself to communicating with gentle edge so you can achieve even better results. Most days, with most people.

Posted By Sally
And if Jim's tactics don't work find someone working unsafely, don't say anything to them and then go to the Director and ask them what they are going to do about the poor safety standards on the shop floor.

Health & Safety is fun!!

Posted By Steve Cartwright
Brando

Sooner or later every job becomes routine, boring etc. Does not matter what profession you are in whether you are a Doctor, Solicitor, Policeman/woman, they all get fed up with it from time to time.

First thing you need to do is make a list of things you would like to do and things you don't, i.e. manage people, work shifts, get hands dirty, whether you want to do something technical, etc.

Once you have found something you like the look of do some research as to what training is required, how long it will take to do training, how much salary you can expect to earn and so on.

I know a guy who was a draftsman, nice warm office to work in, decent wage, but hated it. He went to night school to study electrics. Got his own electrical company now. He loves it.

Good luck

Steve

Posted By CFT
Sabbatical???

Charley

Posted By TK
Brando

I used to be in environment. Like you are now with H&S, after 9 years I got a bit fed up with it. The new generation of tree huggers finally got to me. Even today I still suffer from green fatigue.

Anyway from being in environment enforcement I went on to become an SHE and then Safety Advisor. I'm sure you could do a similar transfer in a relatively short space of time.

Thomas

Posted By Karen Todd
I think we've all felt the same at some stage! Assuming you work for a company:

1) Any kids under 5? Take up to 4 weeks of your parental leave (unpaid).

2) Go on a nice holiday of at least 2 weeks. I've not been on a proper holiday in about 6 years, but after my last one (2 weeks in Mexico) I felt really refreshed and got stuck into work and blasted through lots of things I'd been putting off for ages.

3) Self employment. At least when people come to you they (generally) want your help, and you have a better chance to get them to do what you want, and if they don't you can walk away (having covered your backside first). Start gathering up work now, and when it gets to the stage where you've used all your hols & leave and are having to take sickies to do it then go full-time.

My last job drove me nuts. I couldn't relate to my boss at all (MD and one of the family in a family run firm). The company I worked for was ran in a way that no other company ever has been. I was well paid, and I never got shouted at, or was victimised/harrassed/bullied and no-one was horrible to me. Yet I was completely miserable. No-one really wanted to know about H&S, and no-one would take responsibility for it at the top. All they wanted me to do was be a token H&S person and do accident investigations and housekeeping audits! I was going insane. A peer suggested I come in every day, take my money and do exactly what they wanted me to do and stop letting it eat away at me. But I couldn't do that. I don't do a 2nd class job. So I tried to do some of the things that they wanted done, and some of the things I thought needed done, backside covering all the way, but it was soul destroying.

In the end I jacked it in and now work for myself. I did it a bit hastily as although I have about 6 months salary in the bank, if I don't get loads of work soon I'm gonna have to go back to paid employment. In retrospect I should have followed my advice in 3) above about building the work up. However, I really couldn't stick it a minute longer and quit!!!

KT