I fancy one, went to check the takeaway menu and they are now charging £13.50 for doner meat and chips, I live in a small seaside town in Devon, near Exeter. This was £9.95 a year ago.
Interested to see how much it is in other areas.
I handed my notice in back in June after finding a new job.
The main reason I started looking elsewhere was because my current workplace is severely understaffed. I'm in a senior role and my direct report and I have basically been expected to do the work of an entire team. Realistically, we'd need another 8+ people to manage the workload properly.
We've both been completely burnt out for the last six months or more. We both have ADHD (I'm medicated, he's not), which definitely hasn't helped when we're constantly juggling impossible workloads and deadlines.
I've raised these concerns with management multiple times, but nothing has changed. That's ultimately why I decided to leave.
My notice period is 12 weeks, and I'm due to finish in mid September. This week though, I went off sick after being given yet another set of unrealistic "urgent" deadlines on top of everything else. It all became too much. I was feeling overwhelmed, upset and completely fed up, so I removed myself from the situation.
I told my manager that I'm severely burnt out and that it's now affecting me physically. I've been seeing a chiropractor for ongoing issues caused by stress and muscle tension, and my GP has now signed me off sick until the end of my notice period.
The part that's really upsetting me is my colleague's reaction.
He's stayed at work this week, but he's now completely ignoring me. We normally get on really well, so it hurts. I understand he probably feels like I've left him to deal with the mess on his own, but the situation isn't my fault or his, it's the company's. I even messaged him to explain that this wasn't personal and encouraged him to look after his own health too, but I've had nothing back.
To make things even stranger, I heard he didn't turn up to work today and didn't call in or let anyone know.
He's always been quite moody and emotionally unpredictable since I've known him, but I honestly thought he'd be a bit more understanding. Instead, I just feel guilty and awful about the whole situation, and like everyone at the company hates me.
Work have now suggested that I work from home next week to write a handover document and attend a Teams meeting about it. They also said they'd then consider letting me leave earlier. To me, it feels like they're trying to get me to work while I'm signed off sick, or potentially avoid paying me if I leave early. My doctor has signed me off because I need to recover, and he told me they should respect that rather than asking me to work.
I think I'm mostly posting because I feel really isolated. I feel guilty, hurt by my colleague's reaction, and I don't really have anyone to talk to about it.
I know my health has to come first, and deep down I know I made the right decision. I just never imagined my employment would end on such an uncomfortable note.
I can totally understand why my colleague may be on the back foot, but to just completely ignore me after this feels really unfair. Am I overthinking this?
Thanks for reading.
Hello,
My boyfriend of 6 years has Aphantasia and I have Hyperaphantasia.
I only found out recently he has it.
Could this be why he is a lot less emotional or empathetic than I am? As he can't picture situations as graphic as I can?
It would make more sense to me now if that's the case, however I would like to understand it from others experiences.
He also finds grief very non emotional and more organic, whereas I picture the whole thing, so I find that strange as he has a lot less emotion to death or illness compared to me.
Edit: Me and him are very close and in love - engaged now. So this isn't to do with 'us'.
Landed a major role as an SQS at a large international consultancy, coming from nearly 15 years as a fully qualified SQS from commercial admin at the start to SQS at a MC, please give me any tips you can.
Hi all,
I'm starting an SQS role at a large consultancy firm in a few months, moving from 15 years at a main contractor.
I'm trying to brush up on my NEC4 knowledge and I was wondering if anyone has any sources that contain handy notes on certain clauses or situations.
I often make notes, highlight relevant texts and chuck sticky notes everywhere but I am sure someone has a different way of doing this or is aware of reading material that could be helpful.
Thanks
I'm making the move to the consultancy side soon as an SQS after over a decade of main contractor experience, also at SQS level.
I understand the NEC and contract / commercial management and have practiced it for years, also working alongside consultants of my clients, but I want to brush up on as much as I can before I start my next role.
Can anyone suggest helpful reading material to help me prepare for the PQS side please? I read RICS guidance notes and CECA documents etc but I wanted to reach out for some solid recommendations or suggestions that might be really good for the consultancy side that I may not be aware of.
Thanks in advance.
I am curious about the connection to spirituality and the effects from the hadron collider.
Lee Harris discussed this on a recent podcast and I realised they are due to switch off the collider today, for 4 years, until 2030.
2030 is apparently significant in terms of spiritual awakening of humankind.
Apologies if I have misunderstood any of this. But I find it a fascinating concept and thought to reach out and ask others on their view of this.
I'm looking to get into the consultancy side of the industry as I very much enjoy working with contracts and advising.
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I've got 13 years of main contractor experience across tier 1 and tier 2 companies and projects. I've covered a lot of sectors and I am qualified.
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I have a job offer at a large consultancy and I do understand a bit of how it works, but I guess I can't 'picture' it enough.
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I assume you get secondments with a client and it can vary what they need from you. But do they always need you? I understand some will more than others but how does the workload form? Do they assign you things to look at when they're stuck etc?
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The consultants my current client has seem to be assigned things to review, rather than actively monitoring the project for example.
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I guess I just want to picture how it could be so I understand what I might be signing up for.
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What would an average day in the life be like for an SQS working at a consultancy?
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Thinking of making the move from Main Contractor side as I've been doing that for nearly 15 years, currently at SQS level. It's extremely high pressure and deadline focused which I am used to, but I am cautious to move over without understanding the ins and outs and if it will be more stressful etc.
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I am interested in the NEC and advising on contracts and have good experience with this, and have worked with and at a lot of different Tier 1 companies.
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Thanks
I've been on 60mg Elvanse for months now and it is the right dose for me.
I've forgotten to take it today and I've felt extremely anxious and very depressed all day (usually I'm fine). I have this feeling of dread and like I can't enjoy anything. For context I am on a 4 day weekend so was expecting to enjoy some gaming today but I'm just in bed feeling really low.
Does this happen to anyone else?
Hi all, I was wondering if I could get some advice please.
I've taken over a framework and I am working with the client to tie up old final accounts.
We have one project where some scoped works weren't completed that were priced up as part of our target cost, however at the time neither the client or the contractor (us) issued a PMI or a CE to adapt the target cost.
This is an NEC4 Option C task order, with no Z clause or mention in the framework agreement that would change the original NEC4 clauses.
The client is now trying to disallow the value of these items in the target cost at final account review.
Can I dispute this?
Thanks
Not sure if anyone else feels the same but since I've been taking Elvanse (since December), I've noticed time is going really fast. I've had this week off for annual leave and it's been going so quick. I sit there and feel like I can't control it like I could when I wasn't on medication.
Is this just an ADHD symptom in itself? I've always been quite time aware / anxious.
I work for a MC on multiple frameworks, therefore we usually have around 80 CVRs to do per month between two of us. Not everything is live boots on the ground cost and value, as some are for pre construction, final account and whatnot.
Currently we add a little narrative box at the bottom to explain to the head of commercial the project position, we don't do monthly cvr reviews here. (I think these are going to start soon though which I am glad about)..
We also have a situation where once the CVRs are done, we release value to what we believe is realistic, but then our HOC changes it when he does his reviews with the director and the next month we see it's different.
I've tried to ask him for an explanation as to why he is declaring value over the order value on an Option A for example, where we wouldn't be expecting any further payments. Is this common practice? - I assume that because it's a framework this is how he balances out projects that aren't looking healthy?
I am an SQS now and leading the department so my intention is to make the CVRs as robust as possible.
I wanted some advice on how people are managing their CVRs and any tips, it's not something I've had massive exposure to as I've always worked on large projects where the Senior QS would do them or smaller highways projects where it's minimal change.
Thanks
Hi all,
We manage a range of frameworks across different clients but are usually all set up under NEC4.
We have so many spreadsheets which we cross reference and it feels extremely unproductive and the amount of manual input is wild.
The amount of orders we have also are in the hundreds so manual management of each one is difficult. They can range from 1k to £1.5m.
I'm trying to build a business case to our directors that would propose a CMS which could act a bit like an internal version of FastDraft etc, where we could have a live order value, subcontractor section, forecast section which could manually be tweaked as the project progresses, a paid Vs certified area and a programme area with a document section too.
I was wondering if anyone has this type of thing at their workplace and would like to know it's name and if it is beneficial, how you use it etc, with any pros and cons. So I can try to get something in place for our company .
Thanks in advance.
I am dealing with a late ADHD diagnosis 29(F), which I am now medicated for. However my job is full on and very stressful so I feel like my cortisol levels are through the roof, at first I thought my ADHD was part to blame but even on the medication I am struggling. I need to do a test for this and it is something I am hoping to speak to my doctor about.
Other than the usual techniques to try to de-stress which I am trying to do actively, is there such thing as a supplement or anything that could reduce cortisol? Or is that a bit placebo?
I had last week off work due to a separate illness but I am back today and feel ill again from stress and my head is very cloudy and my neck is in agony again.
Ultimately I believe I need to leave my job but it isn't possible at the moment so any advice for anything I can do in the meantime would be appreciated.
Thanks
I understand people need certain supplements due to deficiences compared to other people so it can be case by case, but I have a large stack of varying supplements each day at the moment, and I was wondering does anyone just take one multivitamin and feel like this is better than a mountain of individual pills?
I know some multivitamins have lower values of certain vitamins and whatnot and that a multivitamin won't provide creatine for example, but I am wondering whether it is better to have individual pills to allow for more absorption over the day or if one tablet would be fine?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Hi all,
I have now found that 60mg Elvanse with a 5mg Amfexa top up when needed is the right dose for me after months of titration trials. I have been referred to Shared Care now.
I was wondering if anyone has found taking certain supplements alongside the medication has made any difference to the effects and has helped further? I understand we all have different requirements for nutrition/or have deficiencies others may not.
I haven't got any deficiencies at the moment so I wanted to ask if someone with a similar situation has had any benefits from other supplements.
Thanks
I know part of the SQS role is managing a team and line management but do any others in this position feel like you spend all your time dealing with people and drama rather than actually doing much quantity surveying? This ontop of the day job is a lot.
My team has a variety of different personalities and sometimes I find it so exhausting managing them all. One of them seems to think he does all the work and I've heard that he has been going around saying I don't do anything, I used to get upset with that but now it goes over my head, but all in the same it's still exhausting.
Has anyone got any tips or experiences to share?