Working to a different pattern

Everyone in the Services essentially works a nine-to-five job. Before the outcries of outrage and derision from the Middle East, the Balkans, Germany and throughout the UK hole us below the waterline, what this means is a traditional working pattern, with one employer, tax and national insurance deducted at source, pension contributions paid, and reasonable job security until retirement.

It does not mean there are not huge swings and variations in work performed, overtime (in the case of the Services, unpaid), separation, hardship and the rest.

Many people continue to work in similar patterns when they leave the Services. But even the most traditional organisation is likely to have part-time staff, working fewer than full-time hours each week. These are quite different to Forces ‘part-timers’ – Reservists who work full-time for the period they are with the Regulars but then generally revert to civilian employment. Legal, social and technological changes have driven this process.

Increasingly the law recognises the rights of such workers and protects them, while employers are adopting more ‘worker-friendly’ employment policies, which enable workers to achieve a balance between work and life that suits their individual circumstances.

The empowerment of women in the workplace has exploded traditional employment patterns. Many men, too, now wish to arrange their whole lives in a way that is best for them. Forward-thinking employers have encouraged this trend, while all have had to go along with it.

Part-time workers simply have a contract to work for a certain number of hours each week at the same salary rate as a full-time worker but paid for hours worked. This arrangement often suits people involved in caring for children or other family members – traditionally the wife’s role but now increasingly taken on by husbands and grandparents. Conditions of employment – holidays, sick pay, notice periods and the like – are usually the same as for full-time staff, while pension and other financial areas will reflect the hours worked.

A variation on this theme is job-sharing: two part-timers doing a full-time job between them. This requires a high degree of co-ordination and carefully matched skill sets if one person is to be able to pick up another’s work seamlessly and pass it back to them at the end of a shift. Nevertheless some very successful job-sharing partnerships are reported.

Contract or term employment simply means that the individual is hired for a specified period of time or to fulfil a specific purpose. Contract lengths vary, and interim management is simply one form of contract employment. Contractors will usually be entitled to fewer benefits than permanent staff and, if they have several employers simultaneously, may be responsible for their own tax and national insurance. They will often not be paid for holidays or sickness, but many people enjoy contract working for the variety and freedom it provides.

Temping is a form of contract working, although the individual will usually be paid by the agency rather than the employer. Many people enjoy working for various employers for periods from one day to several months or even years; others prefer a more settled regime. However, temping does have the great advantage of being able to fit work in round other commitments.

Portfolio working involves working for more than one employer, often in different areas; like acting as book-keeper for one company, teaching business courses at a college, acting as a health and safety adviser for two clients, and running yoga classes at a local gym. This is different to running your own business making widgets for a number of different customers. It is an interesting way to work, but demands good self-organisation.

All of these options, and many more, are open to the Service leaver; but the safest transition is to stay with secure employment until you know a little more about the commercial world. Make your mistakes at someone else’s expense before setting up on your own, unless your business idea is so good or so immediate that it is vital to take it to the market immediately.

In this issue, we examine the qualifications that people looking for a career in the security industry now need. Door attendants, wheel clampers, CCTV companies, private investigators and bodyguards all need to attend approved training courses and wear a badge to show that they are licensed. Inevitably this costs money, but anyone embarking on training in this field should check that it will result in gaining the correct licence.

The railways are crying out for recruits – especially in the signalling arena and as on-board train staff. Engine drivers also earn a fair wage, so this industry merits some serious consideration. Franchising, too, has its attractions for the person who wants to run their own business, but please contact the British Franchise Association and do your homework before starting. The sharks may be circling out there, looking for some fresh meat.

Enjoy the articles – it is never too early to start planning what you are going to achieve with your life.