Liz Truss is right – some Brit workers DO have an attitude problem – and WFH has got a lot to answer for
DURING my time on The Apprentice, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the woefully misguided of the working world.
Some, through their hard work and smarts, go on to create lasting businesses and achieve great success.
Others think the world owes them a favour for their sheer brilliance.
Which is why I couldn’t help but empathise with Liz Truss this week.
People were quick to attack the Tory leadership frontrunner, after an old interview emerged in which she bemoaned British workers’ lack of “graft”.
In the interview — made when Ms Truss was a Treasury minister between 2017 and 2019 — she said that in order to become a “richer” country, productivity must improve.
She added: “But actually what needs to happen is more . . . more graft. It’s not a popular message.”
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Given the ensuing outrage, she’s not wrong on that. Labour even described her remarks as “grossly offensive”.
Of course, it is worth bearing in mind that these comments were made before Covid, the current cost-of-living crisis and the huge rise in inflation.
I therefore don’t think it would be right to infer that Liz was linking the difficult times this country is experiencing at the moment with a bad work ethic.
But I am going to stick my neck out here and say that I agree with her.
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Some British workers DO have an attitude problem.
And, in my view, our working- from-home culture has got a lot to answer for.
When I was starting out in my career, I routinely worked 12 hour days.
I felt that there was no substitute for hard work and believed that nothing compensates for the hours you put in.
Obviously, it was a different era. Concepts such as “work-life balance” did not exist when I started work in 1987.
Whether the phrase had been coined by then or not, none of my colleagues even thought about it, or having it.
But since the pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns, many people have come to believe that working from home is an unassailable right.
Attitude problem
And for some organisations, that is causing problems. The civil service is really struggling to get bums back on seats in the office, where staffers need to be to get the job done.
Some people operate very effectively from home, but some do not. And I think the culture has affected some people’s work ethic.
Taking the odd call and sending a few emails is not working.
But more than that, a lot is lost when people are working at home.
The buzz and camaraderie you find in the office, the ability to impress the boss and networking are all lost when you are working remotely.
In my experience, people work hard and tirelessly when they like the job they do, when they are respected, paid well and see progression.
When they work for a company that has a good culture and good morals and values that they respect.
In an ideal world, everyone would love their job so much that it doesn’t feel like work. But realistically, almost all occupations are boring in some ways.
Even rock stars have to sing the same old songs every night.
I sometimes wonder if we, as a nation, have forgotten that fact.
If we want Britain to compete in the world, then Liz is right.
It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Force ban a must
THE new guidance that police officers who abuse women should be automatically sacked and barred from serving in the force again is obviously right.
Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, called for the harshest sanctions for violent officers.
Mr Marsh, a former chief officer for 15 years, said: “When I was a chief constable, I had to accept officers back into my workforce who I believe should have been sacked, because the decision had been taken out of my hands.”
It follows the awful murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of a serving Scotland Yard firearms officer last year and a string of misogyny scandals.
With that in mind, there should be no ambiguity.
Forces should commit to sacking and barring police officers who abuse women. No ifs or buts.
Saddle us with rules
THE proposed plans to change road laws and force cyclists to have registration numbers, insurance and observe speed limits is nothing but a good thing.
With numbers of riders hitting record levels since the pandemic, it makes total sense that they should abide by the same speed restrictions and other road rules as motorists.
In many ways there has never been a better time to cycle.
In London, where I live, bike lanes have multiplied over the past five years, making it feel like a much safer place to cycle.
I use my bike every day. My ride to the House of Lords is much quicker and easier, not to mention healthier and cheaper, than driving.
And just as there are good and bad drivers, there are good and bad cyclists.
I often see people go through red lights, whizz past others on zebra crossings and go the wrong way down a one-way street.
So it’s high time there was some control and accountability.
The only thing I’m not sure about is the proposal to enforce a 20mph speed limit.
After all, who are these rules aimed at – Lance Armstrong?
Wrong period
FIRST they said you don’t need to be a woman to have periods.
Now they say you don’t need to be a woman to give advice about them.
In one of this year’s most ridiculous stories, the SNP has appointed a man to be Scotland’s first Period Dignity Officer.
Jason Grant was handed the post for the Tay region of the country.
The business owner and fitness coach said he believes his gender will help “encourage more open discussion” on the subject.
But how can a man with no experience of periods give any advice on this topic?
You couldn’t make it up.
Too young to marry, Millie
THERE’S nothing like young love.
But still, I was somewhat disturbed by reports this week that Millie Bobby Brown could be engaged at the tender age of 18.
The Stranger Things star has been spotted wearing a sparkler after a series of loved-up appearances with Jon Bon Jovi’s 20-year-old son Jake.
The pair undoubtedly look sweet together, but there’s no need to rush into things.
After all, the young couple only went official in March.
And with a hit show on Netflix and several movies in the pipeline, Millie’s career is about to go stratospheric.
There’s plenty of time to think about getting married.
Still, Stranger Things have happened . . .
Cruel Irony
I WAS outraged after a court in Florida ruled a 16-year-old orphan girl cannot have an abortion.
They deemed that she was “not mature enough” to make the decision.
How despicable and cruel.
Florida law requires the consent of a parent or guardian for someone under 18 to have an abortion.
But this teenage girl, who is about ten weeks pregnant, does not have any parents, which is why it ended up in court.
She is now appealing against the decision.
But how can a court have the control to make these life-changing decisions for this young woman?
It is her body and it should be her choice.
Also, as anyone who is a parent will know, it is ironic that the court has deemed she is not mature enough to have an abortion – but is mature enough to be a mother and to look after a child.
Peparami-arry me?
EVERYONE adores a good love story, even when there is a fun element.
So the wedding of Luke Hindmarsh and Francesca Brooke-Fenton had it all.
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A Peperami-themed wedding with the invitations, dress, bouquet and a visit from the angry Animal mascot had it all.
But then they revealed they take the snack to bed with them to keep things spicy. So wrong.