Working with a PDA?

[micktheframer]

Hi All

The company I work for are about to introduce PDA's into the company, we will be getting our workload for the day on the PDA and will be expected to fill in the necessary details onto the PDA about the job when it is completed, apparently, the system will increase productivity....
Now, I have been hearing rumours about we, the workforce, might have to "sign" for the PDA's, this I can only imagine that if say I drop and break the PDA or lose it, then I will have to pay to replace it.
The question is, If I refuse to "sign" for it what would be the implications, ie. disciplinary wise?
I would imagine the company would have insurance of some kind to cover such times?

Does anyone else work with PDA's?

Cheers Mick

 

[skyboy]

Oh crap you are fooked...

Last company I worked for had blackberrys on issue my supposed 9-5.30 working day then became 6am . . YES 6am - 11.30pm as my line manager emailed me and requested responses..
I left the company and I heard that my line manager was sacked 4 weeks after I left.
Not before time I wished she had been sacked first then I would have stayed..

 

[Whitespirit66]

What's a PDA?

Also Skyboy - would it have been impossible for you to only turn the blackberry on between 9 and 5.30?

Had to go self employed years ago - the older I got, the less I could control my need to do physical harm to numpty managers.

 

[crank39]

A company i worked for introduced them to streamline the job, must say it was one of the best things they did which is good as they didn't do many, won't say too much about that as i left with a big fat pay off and a signed compromise agreement

As for the PDA's, the work was downloaded during the night, you logged on in the morning and saw what you'd got booked in that day, you then opened each job and accepted then one at a time, the office instanly knew then that you'd received them, then you opened up the first job of the day and clicked 'en route', this job then turned orange on the computer screens up at head office, once on site you clicked 'on site', the job would then turn green at head office, once finished you clicked job complete, the job would the disapear from their screens, you'd then start the process again till you'd done all your jobs and dead on your feet

There was no hiding, they'd got got you every which way.....................that is unless you turned 'flight mode' on, you could then carry on your days work, submitting all your work but it was stored in the PDA until you got home and took it out of flight mode and it would dump all your work in one great big dollop on their desks and they didn't even know you'd started your days work

At least when i got home i'd finished, no surveys to fill out and post, no emails to send, just wait till the morning to log on again

As for signing the forms, they tried to do do it with us and were going to charge us for breakages or losses, well the unions soon put an end to that idea, the PDA's were their idea, they were required for you to carry out your work that they've given you, you didn't ask for them.

So long as they're not being unreasonable though i wouldn't have a problem signing, just make sure of a few things ie that theres no cost to you in case of breakage, loss or damage, just promise to look after it

 

[wotan]

Whats a PDA?

 

[Whitespirit66]

Whats a PDA?

Still don't know what PDA stands for, but from Crank's description it sounds like a spy-in-the-cab computer system.

Big Brother!

 

[crank39]

Whats a PDA?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=w7SyT6mQIsmChQeu0LXdAg

 

[Steve]

Our fridge engineers have them now. But they still spend an hour each side of doing the job sat in their vans. I dont know how they get away with it.

They come in, look at what needs doing, go sit in their van doing "paperwork" or on the blower, then come do the job. Then they go sit in the van again, on the blower or tapping on the PDA, stare into space for a bit, eat something, then come and get a signature off us.

The bad thing for us is that they solely use them. We no longer get a written report, which is bad for us because we relied on them to see exactly what they have done, and could refer to it if something went wrong again. All we do now is sign the PDA.

 

[crank39]

Whats a PDA?

Still don't know what PDA stands for, but from Crank's description it sounds like a spy-in-the-cab computer system.

Big Brother!

Vans were tracked anyway, they knew where you were, what time the ignition went on, how many miles you'd covered, how fast you went etc etc, the funniest thing was if you went over 90mph the little picture of your van on the tracker screen turned into a rocket and automatically emailed a tracker report to the MD and transport manager, following day you'd have a phone call for either a rollocking or a request for a meeting up at head office, they were usually for disciplinary , lost count how many i had, just had a good shop steward who tied them in knots, they soon got fed up with calling me up

 

[joinerjohn]

Only worked for one company where we were all given Blackberry's (for communication) a fookin cheap mobile would have been just as good. I used to forget to charge mine up for a few days so the battery ran out. They then used to phone me on my own mobile to find out where I was/how the job was going, etc, etc.

 

[Steve]

the funniest thing was if you went over 90mph the little picture of your van on the tracker screen turned into a rocket and automatically emailed a tracker report to the MD and transport manager

If it were up to me, in my company burning my diesel, I'd have it set at 65mph. All vehicles reduce in efficiency at speeds more than this, and it would be a fantastic cost-saving measure. This is the speed I drive at on the Mway, and I get far better MPG than doing 70.

 

[joe-90]

Me too. I sit in the middle lane on 65 and pass the benefits on to all those behind me. They often thank me when they overtake. I can't hear what they say but they seems very animated.

 

[Steve]

Me too. I sit in the middle lane on 65 and pass the benefits on to all those behind me. They often thank me when they overtake. I can't hear what they say but they seems very animated.

Still up to your old tricks eh Joe.

 

[crank39]

the funniest thing was if you went over 90mph the little picture of your van on the tracker screen turned into a rocket and automatically emailed a tracker report to the MD and transport manager

If it were up to me, in my company burning my diesel, I'd have it set at 65mph. All vehicles reduce in efficiency at speeds more than this, and it would be a fantastic cost-saving measure. This is the speed I drive at on the Mway, and I get far better MPG than doing 70.

It was some years ago and when fuel was well below a quid, the company i work for ATM are pulling their hair out at the cost of diesel, they also have trackers but don't know to what extent they use them

If they had any sense they'd get bigger vans instead of lumping everything around in an under powered citroen despatch thrashing the nuts off it. If i have a real busy week with loads of driving i'll fill up everyday and thats usually £105 to £120 depending how empty it is, my patch is from Derby right the way over to the east coast and all the way down to the M25 including Norfolk, i even go up as far as Yorkshire. Today i had 1 in Newark on Trent, then Doncaster, then Hull, down to Saltfleet near skeggy and the 1 in Lincoln

 

[Steve]

Doncaster

I hear thats a very nice place! Loads of nice people live there.

Thats a massive area! What's tha do?