Linn - is the end near?

[savvypaul]

In life, as in hi-fi...the measurements do not tell the whole story.

Zero hours contracts are counted as 'employment' in the figures. Many of those who are counted as employed are in part time roles but need full time roles and others are on temporary contracts. Leading academics reckon the unemployment rate would be double that counted today – with one in 13 Britons unemployed – were underemployment taken into account. Most zero hours or temporary positions come with virtually no career prospects and usually pay minimum wage. Millions are now living with economic insecurity. Wage growth is zero - the lowest in over 5 decades.

Lots of jobs? Yes
Lots of good jobs? No

Back to the topic - I reckon anyone in a good job, like those at Linn, would be very upset to lose it.

[Lurcher300b]

In life, as in hi-fi...the measurements do not tell the whole story.

Zero hours contracts are counted as 'employment' in the figures. Many of those who are counted as employed are in part time roles but need full time roles and others are on temporary contracts. Leading academics reckon the unemployment rate would be double that counted today – with one in 13 Britons unemployed – were underemployment taken into account. Most zero hours or temporary positions come with virtually no career prospects and usually pay minimum wage. Millions are now living with economic insecurity. Wage growth is zero - the lowest in over 5 decades.

Lots of jobs? Yes
Lots of good jobs? No

Also, lots of unemployed are pressured into becoming "self employed" with some sort of part job that gets them off the books, and also allows the government to crow how many are now self employed as if that’s some automatic panacea into becoming Richard Branson.

[Lindsayt]

Docfoster, if you have a different perspective on the current UK job market to me, that's fair enough.

I have a 21 year old step son. A month or 2 into every job that he gets, he starts pulling sickies. This inevitably leads to him getting the sack. He's always gotten a new job within a month of him starting to look.

A proportion of his mates have a similarly unprofessional approach to work. They all get new jobs easily and often enough.
It's like a soap opera. I can't keep up with their latest jobs. And what they've been doing to get sacked.

All of this is anecdotal evidence. However the UK unemployment statistics - current rate 3.8% - seem to back up my anecdotal evidence.

Anyone that's worked at Linn for a while would have a good entry on their CV for finding alternative employment.

Alternative employment as a shelf stacker or Amazon delivery driver you mean. Not so easy to get skilled work as companies are over picky while claiming there is labour shortage. I might be a dyed in the wool conservative voter but even to me your analysis is insulting bollocks. Lot's of graduates having to take menial jobs. Of course with the dot com economy young and cheap unskilled workers may find it relatively easy. Getting the job you want to do were you are committed to a career is far from easy and next to impossible for older workers. If you are in electronics might have to move to China.

I am an older, skilled, worker.

I have been able to find non-minimum wage work over the last year without too much difficulty.

I have even been offered work when I wasn't looking for it.

Again, all anecdotal evidence.

However, my views on the current employment situation is based on my experience.
If you wish to treat my views that are based on my first and second hand experience as insulting bollocks - then that is entirely up to you.
I will base my views on my experience.

You may have different anecdotal evidence to me. In which case feel free to share it.


The Internet, email and wide availability of word processors has made it easier to find employment now than when I first graduated. Due to the quantity of applications that anyone can make in a short space of time.

This is 2019. Jobs for life no longer apply. Losing one's job is now a part of working in the UK. You can embrace redundancy with optimism or with pessimism.

[savvypaul]

This is 2019. Jobs for life no longer apply. Losing one's job is now a part of working in the UK. You can embrace redundancy with optimism or with pessimism.

I think even the most 'optimistic' of us can imagine that some face much tougher circumstances than others when redundancy occurs.

You can 'embrace' that with empathy... or, not.

[slinger]

...I can't really get concerned about anyone else losing their job now.

We are, it seems, quite different people, Lindsay. Losing one's job can be quite traumatic (speaking as someone who was made redundant twice) and I'll continue to feel sympathy for anyone who it happens to. I've never subscribed to the "I'm all right Jack" attitude, and hopefully I never will, but that's me. Obviously you're your own man and entitled to your own world-view.

[Lindsayt]

...I can't really get concerned about anyone else losing their job now.

We are, it seems, quite different people, Lindsay. Losing one's job can be quite traumatic (speaking as someone who was made redundant twice) and I'll continue to feel sympathy for anyone who it happens to. I've never subscribed to the "I'm all right Jack" attitude, and hopefully I never will, but that's me. Obviously you're your own man and entitled to your own world-view.

That is selective quoting.

I said "I wasn't concerned when I lost my job in Decmeber 2018. I can't really get concerned about anyone else losing their job now."

Would you have felt sympathy for me 12 months ago if I'd publicly declared that I was losing my job? If you would have, your sympathy would have been entirely missplaced.

It's not so much that I have an "I'm alright Jack" attitude, it's more a case of me having an "Everyone's alright Jack" attitude.

For anyone facing redundancy, what would be more beneficial to them to hear?
Rhetoric along the lines of "You poor thing. You have my deepest sympathy."
Or rhetoric along the lines of "There are plenty of jobs out there. You'll do fine. I was made redundant recently and found getting my next job not too difficult at all"

Also, what mindset, a positive optimistic one or a negative pessimistic one is based on a more realistic view of the world for any given employee of Linn?

[savvypaul]

For anyone facing redundancy, what would be more beneficial to them to hear?
Rhetoric along the lines of "You poor thing. You have my deepest sympathy."
Or rhetoric along the lines of "There are plenty of jobs out there. You'll do fine. I was made redundant recently and found getting my next job not too difficult at all"

Also, what mindset, a positive optimistic one or a negative pessimistic one is based on a more realistic view of the world for any given employee of Linn?

Different people face (often, very) different circumstances.

"There are plenty of jobs out there. You'll do fine. I was made redundant recently and found getting my next job not too difficult at all"... may be just what one person needs to hear and go forward with positivity. Or, it may be just what one person needs to hear to go forward with a right hook to your boat race.

It would be great if everyone were able to welcome redundancy as an opportunity to move on to better things, but they don't, and often for reasons that are completely understandable. Empathy is a valid response, it doesn't cost anything and it doesn't exclude positivity.

It would be great if everyone were able to welcome the giving of empathy to others as an opportunity to help others move on to better things, but they don't, and often for reasons that are completely understandable.

[NSNO2021]

As a brand Linn have had a really good run for their money and nearly every major brand eventually has to move on from their flagship product, some do it well, others don't, time will tell with Linn.

As for the subject of losing jobs, well I wouldn't wish it on anyone. There are so many factors involved in how easy it is too find alternative employment. In our here today, gone tomorrow gig economy finding hourly paid work is probably relatively easy however finding comparable employment is an entirely different debate. In my case its my age thats the problem, I have a very strong CV in an area of technology thats still growing. I have outstanding references but once you hit your late 50s if your made redundant in the hi-tech space you have a fight on your hands.

Yes I know its illegal to discrimanate based on age but people always have and always will, its the way it is and saying its wrong or illegal changes nothing. I know this only well from first hand expereience, the other problem is the older you get, the smaller your active working network becomes. The very best and a few not so good but lucky people retire early, as early as in their 40s, most of the people I worked around had called it a day in their mid 50s, others sadly had to retire because of ill health or even worse died all too soon. Fwiw I think the UK is in for a very tough time and I fear as the have and have not divide grows ever wider there will be a violent backlash in the years ahead. Lets hope I'm wrong on this, but stories like this are likely to become more frequent.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... even-years

Finally back to the original point of the thread, I hope Linn change their business model to better reflect the times we live in and their workforce remain happy, healthy and fully employed.

[Ordinaryman]

On a personal note I have always been lucky with employment, maybe because I am/was a simple builder? Indentured by the people I worked for in my early years. My expectations were simple, keep working. Didn't give a s..t as to what I was asked to do within reason just had to pay the bills! I really feel sorry for those who's expectations we're higher and led to believe that if they trained and trained life would be better. Many years ago that may have well been the case, unfortunately the requirement of a degree and expectations superseded The the need to just work? Got a music degree! not about to work in McDonald's! I hope for linn and there employes that they continue. I won't be buying anything from them and I hold nothing against them. being made redundant I believe is a different thing, people, some people believe, feel comfortable just working for one company and believe they will be there till they retire. When that turns out not to be the case it must be a considerable blow.

[zebbo]

Oi ! We are NOT "simple builders" ! Without us there is nothing.