Monday morning at 9'o'clock as the day begins...
Oh what a way to start a week.
There is a possibility that the ODPM will be relocated out of London, but details are thin on the ground. So far it's been reported as a possibility in the Guardian, but there's been no comment from the management board. This means that the rumour mill is running above capacity and the only source of information (should that be informed speculation) is the union.
The situation has got to the point that the Director of Housing has emailed Division Heads asking them to poll members of staff for views, but the only information he could give was to forward a union bulletin.
These attempts at relocation surface every few years and then die off again. But it would be untrue to say that I'm not worried. Most of the people I know these days live either in London and the South East, or the West Midlands. Any move out of London is only viable if the relocation packages are worth it, and the Civil Service is notoriously stingy in this area.
A move from central London to somewhere in the Home Counties would be unfeasible: I'd lose my London weighting and then have to cope on a reduced salary in an area only marginally less expensive to live in and with poorer transport links which means that my current and prolonged car-less existence would be threatened. I'm quite happy to have a car if I need one, but it's more expense and less money.
Beyond that, the West Midlands is just about a viable proposition despite the hassle. Again, it depends on the relocation package.
The other option is redundancy. I don't fancy that. Oddly, there have been some attractive redundancy packages offered up in the past, but I'm less than clear on what my re-employment chances are as I approach 45 and anyone over the age of 30 is considered ancient by most employers. Add to that the fact that most of my experience is in admin and policy work...
And just to add to the fun of it all, I'm down to the powdery dregs of Old Holborn which means that the ciggie I'm just about to take down to the smoking room will have to be held at full elevation for me to get a smoke out of it.
Fabulous Monday mornings....
There is a possibility that the ODPM will be relocated out of London, but details are thin on the ground. So far it's been reported as a possibility in the Guardian, but there's been no comment from the management board. This means that the rumour mill is running above capacity and the only source of information (should that be informed speculation) is the union.
The situation has got to the point that the Director of Housing has emailed Division Heads asking them to poll members of staff for views, but the only information he could give was to forward a union bulletin.
These attempts at relocation surface every few years and then die off again. But it would be untrue to say that I'm not worried. Most of the people I know these days live either in London and the South East, or the West Midlands. Any move out of London is only viable if the relocation packages are worth it, and the Civil Service is notoriously stingy in this area.
A move from central London to somewhere in the Home Counties would be unfeasible: I'd lose my London weighting and then have to cope on a reduced salary in an area only marginally less expensive to live in and with poorer transport links which means that my current and prolonged car-less existence would be threatened. I'm quite happy to have a car if I need one, but it's more expense and less money.
Beyond that, the West Midlands is just about a viable proposition despite the hassle. Again, it depends on the relocation package.
The other option is redundancy. I don't fancy that. Oddly, there have been some attractive redundancy packages offered up in the past, but I'm less than clear on what my re-employment chances are as I approach 45 and anyone over the age of 30 is considered ancient by most employers. Add to that the fact that most of my experience is in admin and policy work...
And just to add to the fun of it all, I'm down to the powdery dregs of Old Holborn which means that the ciggie I'm just about to take down to the smoking room will have to be held at full elevation for me to get a smoke out of it.
Fabulous Monday mornings....