Supporting People
Tuesday, 6. June 2006, 20:46:34
The influence that supporting people has had on the work that the voluntary sector is incredible. Over the past few years we have had to cope with more and more paper work and admin. If I had wanted to be an admin worker I would have joined some organisation with better pay and conditions. I really feel that the people behind supporting people and echo have not got the foggiest idea what our jobs are all about.
The sad thing is that organisations such as Four Square just seem to fall into line with the demands placed on them. But due to management incompetence, they have not got what it takes to manage the changes in any kind of constructive way. Instead they just burden the staff with the changes and expect us to take the flack and added burden while they hobnob with the very people they should be challenging. More sinister than that, Four Square is in a process of changing it’s policy and procedures with the effect that workers rights and conditions are being seriously eroded.
Four Square managers such as Bob Stewart and Tom McFarlane I feel, hide behind these policies and procedures to make sure that they are in a position to do what ever they like (by the way they do not create any income for the organisation, but are exceptionally good at spending it). Talking about Bob Stewart; at a team meeting a few weeks back, he attended for one of his rare appearances. During this meeting he was trying to explain about a “new project” that HE would like to pioneer. I think it was the most excruciatingly embarrassing presentation I have ever heard in all my time in social care. It was only outdone by another attempt by aforementioned Mr. Stewart to chair a meeting a few moths previously. On top of that the “new project” that Mr. Stewart was referring to was in fact an idea that Follow Up had put forward previously because some workers there had identified a lack of provision in that area. Anyway back to Mr. Stewart. He proceeded to mumble his way through this presentation, preaching on about what we should be doing and what was needed. As he was speaking it became very clear that he did not know what he was talking about and that in the room there were workers with years of experience who had forgotten more on the subject that Mr. Stewart had ever known. But never once did he ask for any input from us, ask for any ideas, draw on any of the experience in the room or even acknowledge that he was scratching about in the dark.
The shame is if the project was to go ahead, it would be another example of miss-management and incompetence and in the long run those who need the support will miss out in my opinion. No dought Mr. Stewart would see it as another feather in his cap.
The sad thing is that organisations such as Four Square just seem to fall into line with the demands placed on them. But due to management incompetence, they have not got what it takes to manage the changes in any kind of constructive way. Instead they just burden the staff with the changes and expect us to take the flack and added burden while they hobnob with the very people they should be challenging. More sinister than that, Four Square is in a process of changing it’s policy and procedures with the effect that workers rights and conditions are being seriously eroded.
Four Square managers such as Bob Stewart and Tom McFarlane I feel, hide behind these policies and procedures to make sure that they are in a position to do what ever they like (by the way they do not create any income for the organisation, but are exceptionally good at spending it). Talking about Bob Stewart; at a team meeting a few weeks back, he attended for one of his rare appearances. During this meeting he was trying to explain about a “new project” that HE would like to pioneer. I think it was the most excruciatingly embarrassing presentation I have ever heard in all my time in social care. It was only outdone by another attempt by aforementioned Mr. Stewart to chair a meeting a few moths previously. On top of that the “new project” that Mr. Stewart was referring to was in fact an idea that Follow Up had put forward previously because some workers there had identified a lack of provision in that area. Anyway back to Mr. Stewart. He proceeded to mumble his way through this presentation, preaching on about what we should be doing and what was needed. As he was speaking it became very clear that he did not know what he was talking about and that in the room there were workers with years of experience who had forgotten more on the subject that Mr. Stewart had ever known. But never once did he ask for any input from us, ask for any ideas, draw on any of the experience in the room or even acknowledge that he was scratching about in the dark.
The shame is if the project was to go ahead, it would be another example of miss-management and incompetence and in the long run those who need the support will miss out in my opinion. No dought Mr. Stewart would see it as another feather in his cap.
