What Do You Like & Don’t like about your Job?

[Theodora1983]

I enjoy making people feel better about their job. The Thing I don’t like is people complain the program I make for then they don’t follow. Wondering why it’s not working.

[Skinhead-1979]

I was a Chef (Unfit for work now); while I was most certainly no Michelin-Star Chef, I could manage a kitchen and I have been Sous- and Head-Chef. Because I am unfit for work now, I will stick with Chef in general, and 1 work place specifically (describes the general work environment UK)

I used to love cooking; it's sadly not something I do anymore, I am alone... So I don't see much point in spending time nor energy on it anymore. I enjoyed the mis-en-place ('Set up') more, but as long as it was busy, so also service time, I was in my element.

Best places I have worked were an Irish pub with traditional Irish 'Pub Grub', and 2 Care Homes which are specialised in Dementia; I probably liked the Care Homes more, I felt I had a purpose cooking for elderly people who are nearing their lives and suffered from some bloody awful conditions.
Of course it was difficult, at least for me it was, I can get attached to people quite easily. So when residents passed away, especially the ones I had some form of relationship with, I struggled.

Some of the residence felt really safe with me, others only listened to me and no one else... and then of course some residents you build up some 'friendship' with (The carers are constantly on their 'case' throughout the day; because I was a chef, I didn't 'bother' the residents and thus some drew more to me than the carers).
I made a habit of it to bake cakes and decorate them for the residents on their birthday and I would go sing 'Happy Birthday' for them; would it be a bit quiet for me, I'd do my 'rounds' visiting people in their rooms to have a little chat with them.

Meals were being cooked from scratch, of course, using only fresh ingredients; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The residents had 2 choices for Lunch which was their hot meal of the day (sometimes 'Tea Time' also included warm food but was generally just a light meal before bedtime) which meant that I was really busy from the moment I walked through the door at 8 am. I had no breaks; my shift was a split-shift (So an employer doesn't have to pay for a break) and I had 1.5 hours off in between the 2 shifts... Not really enough time to go home, but too long to stay. Often I worked through my 'breaks... but towards the end of my time there I had found a bed on the attic and I collapsed there for an hour. I did the whole cooking side alone; I did have a kitchen assistant working for me, but he/ she was too busy washing up and had to do some minor other chores.

Needless to say, in the end I burned myself down... It was too much for 1 person, long shift 10-12 hours, not including my 'break'; pay was shite, just about above minimum monthly wage (UK)

So I loved that job, as a (Head-) Chef at that Care Home because I felt useful... but it is too much; I am not a machine. Management had the option to hire more staff, but that would mean the manager's bonus would be removed so of course they didn't. Family members of residents pay a small fortune for the care of the loved ones, but the living conditions of the residents was just shocking; tiny rooms, and often they were not allowed to stay in there. They were being herded into 'community areas' which stank like pee and the furniture, carpets, walls... it all looked... old, worn down (grey, dreary looking place; depressing). Caring staff did their best, but they were not enough in numbers and overworked. They do not have the time to properly care for residents and mistakes... rarely really bad ones, but they do happen... are being made.

The only good thing I can say it is that I had a good budget with which I could do every I felt a need to, and still have some left for extras... So at least managers did not

The 2nd Care Home I had worked was slightly better... but not by much.

I don't exactly have any aspirations to become old anyway... but 75-80, if I can still do the things I like to do... sure fine. If I start to show any signs of Dementia, please sedate me with pills and run my wheelchair off the Cliffs of Dover. I am not going through that horrible condition and then get locked up in a home which only cares about profiting from me.

[Skinhead-1979]

So at least managers did not 'fiddle' with the daily intake of nutrients needed for the residents to stay as healthy and well fed as possible*

[jennifer_bloom]

I write self help books for a living. My job is only moderately difficult but requires over 20 years of training to do, and you always have to update your knowledge cause you are competing with billions of others for a share of the readers market.

[Booklover_90]

I’ll just say this. I don’t like the stupid rules. Actually, there are certain rules I don’t agree with.

[Nikki1989]

I love meeting people, so working in real estate is a win-win for me. The downside is they like to hammer me with extra shifts.