As I work for what was a fairly large business with several offices now downsized to one large head office, one of the few pleasures I get is seeing staff from different areas being forced to merge and the ‘interesting’ culture clash this causes.
Ricky Gervais’ The Office really did have it spot on.
Our head office in Luton drew most of its staff from the ‘innit’ kids – the students and early school leavers.
Our Dudley branch was filled with overly conscientious Midlanders. The Plymouth office was a weird mix of ex-pat Londoners and surfer kids.
The other main office in St Albans had been a long-standing business in its own right. The average employee there had worked for various guises of the same company over 20 years.
Now most of them have relocated to Luton.
Shanelle is working next to Barbara. Alfred is working with Tyrone.
The older staff are used to being able to come in nice and early and leave nice and early.
Tea run times are set in stone and catch ups with the girls at the local Harvester were a fortnightly thing.
Obviously, this cosiness has been stomped on by my boss.
The clock watching beady-eyed foreman of the air conditioned pit has gently introduced rigid break structures.
One minute late and it needs to be made up; 9am prompt start and no leaving early; doctors’ visits are frowned upon.
The culture shock has proved a bit much for some of the older staff who are obviously used to being treated urm… well.
Added to the fact that they no longer have fluffy shopping to do on their lunch breaks (the new office is located in a dusty business park inaccessible by foot), mutinous mutterings have been overheard.
A fair number of the older staff have ebbed away, retiring, moving jobs or, in one very sad case, passing on altogether.
The ‘innit’ gang of early school leavers and students have been getting on with it. It hasn’t really bothered them.
They have absorbed those that have adapted and not paid attention to those that haven’t.
One of the advantages of being young, I guess.
Click here for previous columns from The Insider
