CTC Helpdesk

[greatwhiterabbit]

Should the CTC 'helpdesk' be available outside typical Mon-Fri 9-5 office hours?

[Paul Smith SRCC]

No; mind you I don't believe in Sunday trading either.

Interesting to note that many French retailers close for two hours at lunch time and work through until 6.00pm instead of 5.00pm, a stark contrast to here in the UK where retailers (including us) often work 9-6 and are often so busy we do not even have time to eat lunch let alone take a lunch break, the pace of life seemed much more relaxed than here in the UK.

Sunday closing made also made a Sunday feel like a Sunday (most closed Monday as well), where as by contrats, here in Surrey with everything open it feels just like another day, with everyone rushing around at a million miles an hour; it really was like stepping back in time twenty years or so to when the same was common place here.

Paul Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk

Should the CTC 'helpdesk' be available outside typical Mon-Fri 9-5 office hours?

[greatwhiterabbit]

OK, not Sundays (maybe) but the UK's largest organisation representing cyclists should cater better for members who...

[Paul Smith SRCC]

I still would not like to see longer hours implemented, I always look at it not only from a consumers point of view but from an employee; most of who do not want to work unsocial hours, but are almost falsed to do so where longer hours have become the norm'.

One fear is that once the CTC have gone down that route the level of service will deteriorate, in part as recruiting quality staff would become much harder. Knowing the CTC Staff as I do (I got to know them when I ran the CTC Shop franchise from here before it moved to another retailer) I can assure you that everyone I had dealings with were passionate about their role in the CTC. For sure you may not agree with everything each individual may say or do, but the very fact that they believe what they are doing is correct is always worth a lot as far as I am concerned, especially when their decisions are often made with years of experience to draw from.

Once the CTC have implemented working unsocial hours where would it stop, perhaps they would out source the help desk to another country, I for one would rather make the effort to contact any organisation during business hours and receive a good service than at a more convenient time to me and receive a poor one.

A lot of information is available via their web site, emails can be sent that can be responded to during business hours, I agree that some need to contact the outside business hours but I personally feel that the long term negatives relating to this out weigh any positives

Paul Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk

OK, not Sundays (maybe) but the UK's largest organisation representing cyclists should cater better for members who...

[Mick F]

I agree, Paul.

[Graham]

Should the CTC 'helpdesk' be available outside typical Mon-Fri 9-5 office hours?

No. The additional staff cost would have to be spread across the whole membership. I cannot think of any need for urgency of contact that would justify extended hours.

[Oracle]

Totally agree with Paul regarding hours of opening and Sundays. When touring in France this summer we had to do a little more planning to ensure we had rations for Sunday, but it was nice to see a day where the family could be together.

Also agree with comments reagrding the Helpline.

If people are not happy, then propose a motion at the Agm that involves extending the Helpline hours and funding it directly from increased membership fees. That has ensured that one is dead!

[eileithyia]

I guess this fascinates me from a different perspective. I work in a job that requires 24/7 cover 365-6 days/year as do so many people. It greatly amuses me that as soon as any nice comfy 9-5 job is threatened with different hours of working everyone throws their hands up in horror.

Having tried 9-5 for 2 years I cannot imagine anything more like torture. Travelling with everyone else, shopping when everyone else does. Ugh Ugh.

I can work my hours around my social life to give me a better social life, having finished my last shift at 3pm Weds of last week and now have one weeks holiday, but do not need to be back at work until the end of the week following my holiday, it actually translates into 2 weeks holiday. Weekends are often 3-4 days long even if I did have to work the previous one.
More and more consumers are demanding fascilities to be available out side of the usual 9-5.
You only have to look at this site to see that people ask for advise out side of the usual "office" hours.

[Mick F]

The "operators" at a communications centre I worked at once had interesting working hours:

1 week of mornings
1 week of afternoons
1 week of all nights
2 weeks off!

It had much to commend it.

[Ben Lovejoy]

BA engineers have a 10-day pattern of 6 days on, 4 days off, and that always struck me as a pretty good compensation for working some weekends.

Here in the small business world, hours depend entirely on the work. I work some weekends, and do some 12+ days, but then take time off between projects. I wouldn't change it.

Ben

[drossall]

Although of course things like the traditional club run, the kids' Saturday football or anything else that depends on everyone else being off at the same time as you are harder to organise.

[manybikes]

eileithyia
For many years I worked a pattern of Mon to Sun Nights 2200 to 0600, finishing at 0600 Monday
Mon & Tues -days off ! Wed & Thurs - 1400 to 2200; Friday to Tuesday 0600 to 1400.
Wed & Thurs - days off; Friday to Tues 1400 to 2200; Wed & Thurs 06000 to 14000.
Friday, Sat & Sunday off -- start the whole round off again
So only one weekend off in 4 and a couple of "quick swings"- and I can tell you it was very debillitating
Once we ask support staff to work "flexible hours" to accommodate our need for instant gratification then the bosses could enforce very unsocial hours.
Do you really want to have this happen

[eileithyia]

Like I said, manybikes, I already do it and have been doing so for many years, I wouldn't change it even if I did get exasperated with a former club mate who thought it ok to ring me at 12midday "cos he knew I would be around as I was on nights" The explanation that it was the equivalent of me ringing him at 12 midnight did seem to elude him.
Perhaps if more people worked outside of 9-5 then there would be a bit more appreciation and understanding.

Why do people think it ok to dig up a road at 2pm but not at 2am?

[Oracle]

Why do people think it ok to dig up a road at 2pm but not at 2am?

Better not dig up the road outside my house at 2am unless it is really important!

I am also 24/7 for 365 (and 366 every 4 yrs!). However, I don't think the CTC Helpline really warrants such a service. I’m sure that if we really wanted that we could provide it and all we would end up with is some very bored people and increased membership fees.

I’m sure very flexible hours is good news for some, but for others a set regime of hours, be 9-5, 8-4 or whatever, does meet their needs and so I don’t think we should knock this and suggest people do this just to be in some sort of comfort zone. After all, we’re all in a comfort zone compared to what some people do in the Armed Forces where 24/7 has real meaning as they really are subject to danger at any time in certain areas of the World and don’t benefit from long weekends, or indeed any such thing as a weekend. Also, I’m sure there are many in a 9-5 regime who would like the flexibility to work outside that regime and would very much like 4 day weekends.

[Paul Smith SRCC]

For sure working flexible hours will be preferred by some, although I stand by what I wrote above, I feel that the times I use facilities outside business hours I have received a far inferior service than I had previously received; to the extent that the service was now so poor it is unaceptable.

We are all different of course, to some the modern 24/7 lifestyle is not seen as an improvement; myself as you can tell included. As such I would not like the additinal cost of funding such a change to be funded by my membership fee.

Many already work longer hours than ever before, we for example do 9 hour days and all work Saturdays and I assume like many in the private sector I personally put in many unpaid additional hours and have not been able to take the majority of my annual leave for many years. So for me it is not about to an extent it is not about feeling that my "a nice comfy 9-5" lifestyle is being threatended as I don't enjoy that anyway; it is about saying enough is enough.

Paul Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk

I guess this fascinates me from a different perspective. I work in a job that requires 24/7 cover 365-6 days/year as do so many people. It greatly amuses me that as soon as any nice comfy 9-5 job is threatened with different hours of working everyone throws their hands up in horror.
Having tried 9-5 for 2 years I cannot imagine anything more like torture. Travelling with everyone else, shopping when everyone else does. Ugh Ugh.

I can work my hours around my social life to give me a better social life, having finished my last shift at 3pm Weds of last week and now have one weeks holiday, but do not need to be back at work until the end of the week following my holiday, it actually translates into 2 weeks holiday. Weekends are often 3-4 days long even if I did have to work the previous one.
More and more consumers are demanding fascilities to be available out side of the usual 9-5.
You only have to look at this site to see that people ask for advise out side of the usual "office" hours.