B
Bernie2
After this mail I am going to drop the subject.
I have worked in the Plumbing/gas fitting/ central heating industry nearly all my working life since leaving school in the early 60's.
Over those years what I have found in certain places is that secrecy can be a negative influence on the industry.
Part of it goes back to the old days, when at the finish of an apprenticeship a Plumber was given what is called "Full money".
In other words a person in their first year out of apprenticeship was given the same rate of pay as men who had been Plumbers for over twenty years.
In practise, what that could mean was that a each new Plumber was expected to know as much as a long time Plumber with a track record and years of experience.
As you can imagine, that could lead to all kinds of problems, some going to the point, that a team of Plumbers could be jealous of one another and make a show of anybody who did not know everything.
As can be imagined, it did not always lead to good working relationships, in point fighting could result.
It also meant, new guys where afraid to ask for advice off the more experienced Plumber and the more experienced Plumber did not see why he should share it with a person who was on the same money as him.
Perhaps feeling that if the new guy was on the same money as him he should know as much as him.
This often left new Plumbers isolated from their mates. Sometimes the feelings ran very high indeed and working in such teams could probably be exceedingly unpleasant.
However the grading system altered all that, and the older and more experienced Plumbers where paid more for their grade.
But a residual of these old practises seems to have hung on. I have worked with many young modern Plumbers and some find a willingness to share knowledge and production methods with one another extremely unusual, even today.
But the latest problems seem to come mostly from the bonus culture and the sometimes met feeling that an ACS certificate qualifies a person to the point they consider themselves to be on a par with a doctor or lawyer. Its not, a gas fitter is a blue collar manual a job in the past nobody wanted. Probably be the same now except trainers to sell courses probably promote it to much and tell of what seems a government inspired myth of fantastic earnings.
Working as an operative for a Plumbing gas company, soon brings you down to earth about any status you think you may have by holding any certificates. Even the office cats has usually got a sack full of ACS in these companies. So your nothing special. It could be a culture shock, I suppose for a self employed person accustomed to being treated as their own boss to work in one of these companies.
Today of course, if your in a company that works bonus and it seems nearly all do now. You will know that its usually the slowest Plumber that gets the sack first. Lets be honest bonus cuts out supervision time. If a Plumbers slow he doesn't suite, so fire them.
This, as I have said, can lead to cutting corners, I worked with a "cracking good" Plumber once, who I had worked with in a none bonus company, to find the standard of work they have done in a bonus company has dropped dramatically. I remarked about it to him, to be told "They don't care about me, so why should I care about their work?" An understandable result of the bonus culture perhaps, but one bad for the industry.
In short, in my experience, bonus can lead to bad workmanship. Which is bad for the industry.
Another aspect is, that once again Plumbers don't seem to want to help one another.
Simply because, if they are on bonus and the other Plumbers can do things faster than them, they are then the slowest Plumber and so the ones who will possibly get the sack first.
Imagine though if people shared their knowledge of how to do things fast? What levels of production could be reached by all the Plumbers not just the fastest?
Another negative aspect of secrecy is safety.
It is not read, that everybody knows everything, as a Plumber you should not be afraid to say "I don't know!" but many seem to be, in case they are thought incompetent both by their mates and the companies that employ them.
The result is they don't ask questions and so don't even know that sometimes they don't know things they should know.
Lets be honest, if you don't know something because nobody's told you about it, your hardly likely to go and find out are you?
You simply will not know you don't know.
And don't rely on ACS to test you on every aspect of safe gas working. An ACS is only a sort of random examination of your gas knowledge, not a full extensive one of every aspect of gas work.
Its aims is to make sure you work safely not to give you knowledge.
Its bit like learning lifeboat drill on a ship. It tells you nothing about how to sail, its just what to do if it starts to sink.
So we are all in an on going learning curve, the thing is, if we start being secretive we close that curve down.
Lets also be honest, secrecy probably occurs between companies and self employed as well. They may not want to help other companies they may see as competitors. Once again the industry, customers and safety can be the losers.
I feel all knowledge should be free, what people do with it is up to them.
If we make for a climate of friendly open relationships in the industry in which people are not as they sometimes seem to be, afraid of being "be littled" for not knowing and we develop a feeling of none rivalry open friendliness I feel sure the industry will prosper and be a far safer and better one to work in.
I hope that explains some of my attitudes and replies.
As I have said I see no harm in telling anybody the right or approved way to do anything. I am not in competition with them when it comes to safety, all I want is for them to work safely, DIYer, cowboy or tradesman.
If you want to break the law or work against safety advice that is entirely up to you. And no of course I don't want you too do any of those things. But I feel it would be unfair not to tell you how to do things properly as far as I can regardless of who you are.
Anyway, subject dropped now.
I have worked in the Plumbing/gas fitting/ central heating industry nearly all my working life since leaving school in the early 60's.
Over those years what I have found in certain places is that secrecy can be a negative influence on the industry.
Part of it goes back to the old days, when at the finish of an apprenticeship a Plumber was given what is called "Full money".
In other words a person in their first year out of apprenticeship was given the same rate of pay as men who had been Plumbers for over twenty years.
In practise, what that could mean was that a each new Plumber was expected to know as much as a long time Plumber with a track record and years of experience.
As you can imagine, that could lead to all kinds of problems, some going to the point, that a team of Plumbers could be jealous of one another and make a show of anybody who did not know everything.
As can be imagined, it did not always lead to good working relationships, in point fighting could result.
It also meant, new guys where afraid to ask for advice off the more experienced Plumber and the more experienced Plumber did not see why he should share it with a person who was on the same money as him.
Perhaps feeling that if the new guy was on the same money as him he should know as much as him.
This often left new Plumbers isolated from their mates. Sometimes the feelings ran very high indeed and working in such teams could probably be exceedingly unpleasant.
However the grading system altered all that, and the older and more experienced Plumbers where paid more for their grade.
But a residual of these old practises seems to have hung on. I have worked with many young modern Plumbers and some find a willingness to share knowledge and production methods with one another extremely unusual, even today.
But the latest problems seem to come mostly from the bonus culture and the sometimes met feeling that an ACS certificate qualifies a person to the point they consider themselves to be on a par with a doctor or lawyer. Its not, a gas fitter is a blue collar manual a job in the past nobody wanted. Probably be the same now except trainers to sell courses probably promote it to much and tell of what seems a government inspired myth of fantastic earnings.
Working as an operative for a Plumbing gas company, soon brings you down to earth about any status you think you may have by holding any certificates. Even the office cats has usually got a sack full of ACS in these companies. So your nothing special. It could be a culture shock, I suppose for a self employed person accustomed to being treated as their own boss to work in one of these companies.
Today of course, if your in a company that works bonus and it seems nearly all do now. You will know that its usually the slowest Plumber that gets the sack first. Lets be honest bonus cuts out supervision time. If a Plumbers slow he doesn't suite, so fire them.
This, as I have said, can lead to cutting corners, I worked with a "cracking good" Plumber once, who I had worked with in a none bonus company, to find the standard of work they have done in a bonus company has dropped dramatically. I remarked about it to him, to be told "They don't care about me, so why should I care about their work?" An understandable result of the bonus culture perhaps, but one bad for the industry.
In short, in my experience, bonus can lead to bad workmanship. Which is bad for the industry.
Another aspect is, that once again Plumbers don't seem to want to help one another.
Simply because, if they are on bonus and the other Plumbers can do things faster than them, they are then the slowest Plumber and so the ones who will possibly get the sack first.
Imagine though if people shared their knowledge of how to do things fast? What levels of production could be reached by all the Plumbers not just the fastest?
Another negative aspect of secrecy is safety.
It is not read, that everybody knows everything, as a Plumber you should not be afraid to say "I don't know!" but many seem to be, in case they are thought incompetent both by their mates and the companies that employ them.
The result is they don't ask questions and so don't even know that sometimes they don't know things they should know.
Lets be honest, if you don't know something because nobody's told you about it, your hardly likely to go and find out are you?
You simply will not know you don't know.
And don't rely on ACS to test you on every aspect of safe gas working. An ACS is only a sort of random examination of your gas knowledge, not a full extensive one of every aspect of gas work.
Its aims is to make sure you work safely not to give you knowledge.
Its bit like learning lifeboat drill on a ship. It tells you nothing about how to sail, its just what to do if it starts to sink.
So we are all in an on going learning curve, the thing is, if we start being secretive we close that curve down.
Lets also be honest, secrecy probably occurs between companies and self employed as well. They may not want to help other companies they may see as competitors. Once again the industry, customers and safety can be the losers.
I feel all knowledge should be free, what people do with it is up to them.
If we make for a climate of friendly open relationships in the industry in which people are not as they sometimes seem to be, afraid of being "be littled" for not knowing and we develop a feeling of none rivalry open friendliness I feel sure the industry will prosper and be a far safer and better one to work in.
I hope that explains some of my attitudes and replies.
As I have said I see no harm in telling anybody the right or approved way to do anything. I am not in competition with them when it comes to safety, all I want is for them to work safely, DIYer, cowboy or tradesman.
If you want to break the law or work against safety advice that is entirely up to you. And no of course I don't want you too do any of those things. But I feel it would be unfair not to tell you how to do things properly as far as I can regardless of who you are.
Anyway, subject dropped now.
