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Key/Essential worker Chat - Support Thread

Keyworker Chat/Support Thread

Figured we needed a place where keyworkers/essential workers could come and chat in general in a more relaxed place than in debate threads as we enter this third lockdown :smile:

Whether you are a bin man, doctor, builder, vet or anything else everyone is welcome, have a seat and introduce yourself if you want to using the following

Age:
Job role/job title (be as specific or vague as you want):
Things you like the most about your job:
Things you like less:

Feel free to post the memes, general chat, vents or triumphs that come along with being the only people going out to work when everyone else is staying in!

Please read before posting:
-This is not a debate thread, we all have our own different opinions on UK government's reactions to this pandemic and there are already spaces to discuss those in DandCA
-Everyone is equal here, whether you are a brain surgeon or a postman we are all as one and no-one is better or more important than the other when it comes to this space
-This isnt a place for people to call us heroes, support generally is appreciated but since a lot of people ive spoken to just feel they are doing their jobs and some find it embarrassing/condescending/divisive it's best left out
- Bearing the above in mind if you are a non keyworker/person in general feel free to ask questions or just get involved with the chat, the offtopic rule is very loose in chat so come hang out say hi :ciao:

Reply 1

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Age: 22
Job role/job title (be as specific or vague as you want): I inspect products that are made by our company for the armed forces
Things you like the most about your job: It feels valuable and that the job you do has real world ramifications, you're dealing with people's lives at the end of the day
Things you like less: being on my feet all day, i have plantar fasciitis and im constantly trying to find things to alleviate it :bawling:

Reply 2

gjd800

teaching

i like most things about teaching, tbh. it's good craic

i dislike exam curricula and how knackering online teaching is

Reply 3

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Original post by gjd800

teaching

i like most things about teaching, tbh. it's good craic

i dislike exam curricula and how knackering online teaching is

hope you are both doing ok :hugs:

Reply 4

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Feeling grumpy today tbh :colonhash:

i dont want to do shifts tomorrow :/

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 5

gjd800

Original post by CoolCavy

hope you are both doing ok :hugs:

I've been a bit sick over the weekend (stomach stuff, not covid!) but aside from that all good :biggrin:

If it wasn't online, I'd stay off tomorrow because I think I might be infectious :lol:

Original post by CoolCavy

Feeling grumpy today tbh :colonhash:

i dont want to do shifts tomorrow :/

I have these moods at least once a week!

Reply 6

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

First evening shift 🥺 least there is only an hour left :redface:

Reply 7

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Original post by gjd800

I've been a bit sick over the weekend (stomach stuff, not covid!) but aside from that all good :biggrin:

If it wasn't online, I'd stay off tomorrow because I think I might be infectious :lol:

I have these moods at least once a week!

Omgosh get well soon :hugs:

How are you finding the online teaching? Is it harder than face to face or is it alright?

Reply 8

gjd800

Original post by CoolCavy

Omgosh get well soon :hugs:

How are you finding the online teaching? Is it harder than face to face or is it alright?

It's a bit more prep, but it saves on paper and I find it pretty easy to deliver. I know a lot of people aren't comfortable with talking at a camera or a load of blank screens/avatars, but I've done a fair few online things over the past ten years so I am quite comfortable with it all. Honestly the hardest part is keeping up concentration at a laptop screen for 5 hours a day :lol:

Reply 9

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

I am aware of the covid risk, one thing i wasnt aware of was the risk of rabid foxes roaming the streets at night :colonhash:

Was just walking up to my house when i heard this growl (never heard such a noise from a fox before) assumed it was a dog until it jumped out in front of me. Gave me the fright of my life.

Imagine calling in sick to work - sorry i cant come into work i have rabies as a fox attacked me

Reply 10

Bexjw

Age: 27

Job: Mental Health HCA

Things I Like Most About The Job: The great team I work with. Being family to both staff and patients. Having a manager who’s awesome and supports me. The money! (75hr weeks = good pay).

Things I Like Less: Being a victim of violence

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 11

Mesopotamian…

Original post by CoolCavy

I am aware of the covid risk, one thing i wasnt aware of was the risk of rabid foxes roaming the streets at night :colonhash:

I hope you're okay, were you hurt? :console:

The foxes that prowl around at night in my area make such weird noises - they sound like kittens being strangled :s-smilie:

Reply 12

UnclePete

Critical systems engineer working for company that manufactures wide range of plasma deprived intravenous applied therapeutic medicines, formerly overarched and owned by the Dept of Health, now fully private having been sold off.

Pros: satisfaction of knowing what goes out the gate is essential for helping to improve and save lives, especially as the Gammaplex and Human Albumin Solution we produce is in extremely high demand for covid patients. My actual work is ppm maintenance, breakdown fault finding, calibration and validation on complex equipment used for product sterilisation, all to current pharma and medicine health regulatory standards. This also includes overseeing and carrying out legally required periodic insurance inspections and steam quality testing to EN285 standards, for which I can be held accountable to the MHRA and FDA inspectorate. In the blood plasma business records have to kept and archived for thirty years.

Great bunch of guys to work with: highly skilled and qualified, with some good laughs. Teaching apprentices.

Cons: very demanding environment and time scales to work in, with some bespoke front line equipment passed the normal end of its life cycle and which is expected to keep going without any issues. This is being addressed with a lot of investment and new kit, but with all the regulatory work involved in the Pharma business will take time to work through.
Shift work can be tiring: up at 04.30 for early shift, not back home until 23.00 on late, double day shift pattern week about, sometimes not home until the early hours on lates if we get a show stopper breakdown especially Friday night ! But as with most things in life I was always told to take the rough with the smooth. Some, but not all, of my work can be done off site at home such calibration electronic documentation on the cmx system, and checking change controls and sop's ( standard operating procedures) which are periodically reviewed.