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Boss slammed for demanding an employee complete work during annual leave

<p dir="ltr">A boss has been dubbed an “abysmal manager” for demanding his employee join a video call for work, despite being on annual leave. </p> <p dir="ltr">Businessman Ben Askins, who has dedicated his TikTok account to calling out unacceptable workplace behaviour, read out the text exchange between the man and his boss, who quickly became unreasonable in his demands. </p> <p dir="ltr">The first message came from the man’s boss, who asked “Where are you? Haven’t seen you at your desk today? I need to run something by you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The employee responded, reminding his boss that he was off on pre-approved annual leave, and was enjoying a holiday abroad in Spain. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite his holiday, the employee still offered to help, saying he could “probably jump on a quick call when I am on the bus from the airport if it is really urgent.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2QFCsgtSoS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2QFCsgtSoS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ben Askins (@benaskins.official)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Unhappy with the compromise, the demanding boss then asked if the employee would “jump on a Zoom call when you get to the hotel” as he would “prefer to do this in person”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Sorry, not really possible, we have a really packed schedule,” the worker replied to his boss, to which the manager hit back with, “Damn, wish you had told me that you were on annual leave.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The man reminded his boss he had signed off his leave two months prior and it was “in the system” but he came back saying, “Lol as if I would remember that. It is poor form for you to not remind me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As Ben continued to read the text exchange, he added his own commentary on the situation, saying, “It's your job to remember that, it's not his fault you're just being unbelievably shocking at yours.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is so bad, this poor employee has done everything right; he's got it signed off two months in advance, he's done all the handover, he's done everything he could have done,' Ben ranted. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Because the manager is shocking, it's now impacting the employee's holiday. I just hate it when that happens.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ben, a self-described “champion of younger gens in the workplace” said the heated chat showed the boss's “really poor” form and “abysmal management”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“What are you doing being so unorganised? Because the problem when an unorganised manager happens it hits down to the team below him - what the hell he's playing at? I have no idea,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ben's clip was viewed more than 2.3million and had users fired up, with thousands of comments flooding in in support of the burnt out employee trying to enjoy his holiday. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p> <p> </p>

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Cruise ship employee caught filming women in bathroom

<p>Some people are determined to ruin everything for everyone, but these adamant cruise ship passengers were not about to let that be the case for their holiday. </p> <p>While onboard what should have been a relaxing cruise with MSC, female passengers made the horrific discovery that a member of staff was hiding in a women’s bathroom stall and recording those who were in there. To make matters worse, the bathroom was located next to the ship’s Kid’s Club. </p> <p>One of the passengers, a woman named Saja, shared footage of the moment she and some others - along with a member of the ship’s housekeeping team - confronted the Peeping Tom.</p> <p>In the clip, the housekeeping employee can be seen knocking on the stall’s door, but after backing away, another passenger took it upon herself to continue the work of trying to lure the man out. </p> <p>It worked, and the man - dressed in an MSC employee uniform - eventually cracked open the door, admitting “I was wrong.” </p> <p>“You need to call security,” one passenger said, “because he’s an employee.” </p> <p>“He was filming you?” another passenger, who had come upon the scene, asked. Saja confirmed that he had been. </p> <p>“I just saw a camera pointing at me,” she went on to explain, before the footage wraps up after it was suggested she “get the guy’s name”. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to the text across the video, this was the third incident of unauthorised filming to occur that evening.</p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620.262px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7204687670193163563&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40sajac4%2Fvideo%2F7204687670193163563&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2F465b5429788641eaa988928e37f0ba1d_1677472083%3Fx-expires%3D1679050800%26x-signature%3DVsmd8k6pQzjCJ97oY%252FPC5fkh9H8%253D&amp;key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Saja later shared an update to her TikTok account, writing that the man had been removed from the ship, and that her goal had not been to bring shame down upon the cruise line, but instead to raise awareness, in the hope of protecting anyone else who might consider such a situation on their next trip.</p> <p>“I have been contacted by authorities and have been informed that the gentleman in the video has been deported. My goal is NOT to disgrace a cruise line for the acts of one of their employees,” she stated, before going on to stress that she and her companions had had a great time otherwise, and that the rest of the ship’s crew had been wonderful, as “some of the best staff I had the privilege of meeting.”</p> <p>“I have not been compensated in any way shape or form, or had contact with the cruise line,” she wrote for the update, “nor am I interested. Just wanted to spread awareness.”</p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Cruising

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Employee reveals “creepy” cruise ship facts

<p dir="ltr">A former cruise ship employee has opened up about some secrets that people might not know about cruise ships. </p> <p dir="ltr">Lauren worked on cruise ships for two years and shared a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@laurentalkssmack/video/7104262853795843371?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;q=laurentalkssmack&amp;t=1657168956193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> about the “creepy” rooms onboard. </p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s some crazy stuff about cruise ships you might not know as a guest,” she said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I used to work on a cruise ship and I find it so interesting... like all these little things that are kind of creepy. There’s a morgue on board and there’s a jail on board.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that anything could happen on board cruise ships and it was important to be ready. </p> <p dir="ltr">If someone dies, the person is placed in the morgue, and if a traveller breaks the law or causes any trouble they are taken to the jail on board the ship. </p> <p dir="ltr">Lauren went on to explain that there’s no “deck 13” onboard cruise ships either due to superstitious reasons surrounding the number. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a superstitious thing. Sorry, that’s weird. We’re on a cruise ship and you’re making me feel like superstition comes into play.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The now viral video has been viewed more than 850,000 times with many saying they didn’t know about these tiny details. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t know if it’s just me, I thought if someone died on board they would throw them off,” someone said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Death is everywhere and inevitable. It’s better to have a place to process grandma Ruth who had a heart attack at sea rather than having to go to land,” another said. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Cruising

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Boss’ unethical demands to employees

<p dir="ltr">A boss who demanded his employees clock off every time they’re away from doing their job has been called out. </p> <p dir="ltr">The vegan bakery in Oregon, USA, had the list of demands stuck to a door and a photo of it was shared to Reddit. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Always clock out when passing this door,” a bold line heads the note. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Including bathroom breaks, 10-minute shift breaks, lunch breaks, questions regarding personal requests.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Questions regarding production should not require leaving the production area, please see floor manager on duty.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Paid break times will be added to your paycheck in accordance with hours worked.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Reddit users slammed the boss for the inhumane demands, saying it’s an easy way to get your employees to leave.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you want to buy my body for 8 hours, you will pay for its needs, too,” someone wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“How to lose 1/4 of your staff in one go,” another commented. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I need water and food to get through a work day. That means I need to get rid of that water and food during the work day as well. Don‘t like it? Hire a robot,” someone else wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Reddit</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Boss threatens to sue employees over wage talk

<p dir="ltr">An employee has called out her manager after he threatened to fire staff for talking about their wages. </p> <p dir="ltr">The business owner of Planet Fitness gym in Kentucky, US, hung a poster on the wall informing staff not to talk about their wages because it is illegal. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, under the National Labor Relations Act, employees are entitled to speak about their wages freely. </p> <p dir="ltr">“ATTENTION ALL SUBORDINATES,” the letter, which was shared to Reddit began.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Effective immediately, conversing about wages (both on duty and off duty) is strictly forbidden,</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is considered proprietary information and as such, it is protected legally.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you are overheard speaking (OR LISTENING TO!!) a conversation in which wages are discussed, you will receive disciplinary action up to and including termination.”</p> <p dir="ltr">One of the gym’s employees, Shelly, did not accept her boss's premise and decided to get back at him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another photo shared to the post shows multiple hammers and sickles drawn on it - representative of the communist party.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Seeing as you’re a manager in the great illustrious word (sic) of Planet Fitness gym franchises, it may behoove (sic) you to become familiar with the laws pertaining to it,” Shelly wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sprinkling legalese and word-salad across an 8.5x11 paper you printed does not make a legal doc.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Needless to say, you can’t legally tell us not to discuss wages in the good ol’ U.S. of A. We will continue to do so.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She ended the note with “Love, $10.50 an hour Shelly” which then saw her colleagues write their own wages. </p> <p dir="ltr">Viewers commended Shelly for the move which showed a united front against the boss who was very much in the wrong.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I LOVE $10.50 an hour Shelly!" someone wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Long Live Shelly. I hope she is $25.00 an hour Shelly very very soon,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of SHELLY SHELLY!" another joked.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Reddit</em></p>

Money & Banking

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CEO fires 900 employees over Zoom right before holidays

<p dir="ltr">Better.com CEO Vishal Garg informed more than 900 employees that they were being let go from the company, which provides digital mortgage services for prospective homeowners, just weeks before the holidays in an online video call last week.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Wednesday, Garg informed the employees on the three-minute-long Zoom call that, "If you're on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off. Your employment here is terminated effective immediately."</p> <p dir="ltr">He added that employees could expect an email from HR detailing benefits and severance. According to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/vishal-garg-better-ceo-fired-b1970887.html" target="_blank"><em>The Independent</em></a><em>,<span> </span></em>terminated employees will receive a month of severance pay, a month of full benefits, and two months of cover-up during which Better.com will pay the premium.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement to<span> </span><em>CNN Business,<span> </span></em>CFO Kevin Ryan said, "Having to conduct layoffs is gut wrenching, especially this time of year. However a fortress balance sheet and a reduced and focused workforce together set us up to play offence going into a radically evolving homeownership market."</p> <p dir="ltr">The mass layoffs came just one day after it was revealed that the company, which announced its intention to go public in May, would be receiving a $750 million cash infusion from its SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) backers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Garg cited market efficiency, performance and productivity as the reason behind the firings.<span> </span><em>Fortune<span> </span></em>later reported that he accused the employees of “stealing” from their colleagues and customers by being unproductive and only working two hours a day.</p> <p dir="ltr">On the call, Garg said, “This is the second time in my career I'm doing this and I do not want to do this. The last time I did it, I cried,” while remaining emotionless throughout. Among those fired were the diversity, equity and inclusion recruiting team.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: YouTube</em></p>

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Ex-Apple employee shares mind-blowing iPhone hacks

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A former employee at Apple has posted a series of videos sharing handy hints that iPhone users never knew they needed. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Canadian tech expert Sabrina Badin knows a thing or two about Apple devices after her time working for the tech giant, and is now emparting her wisdom. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing the videos on TikTok under the username @sabbadz, she has garnered thousands of views with hacks she learned from her time as an Apple Genius. </span></p> <p><strong>Move multiple apps at once on the Home Screen</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s an easy way to move multiple apps at once rather than dragging them one at a time. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To move one app, hold the icon down until it starts to juggle. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can then move it to another location on the same page or somewhere else on your phone. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not many people know that you can move apps at once, as Sabrina has demonstrated in a video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First, you tap and hold one app you want to move, and then tap around the other apps you want to move with it. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can then move them across your Home Screen as a group, and then letting go will drop them in a line into the empty area of your choosing.</span></p> <p><strong>Play music while recording</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s an easy way to jazz up your videos with a fun soundtrack. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Simply play music through your iPhone speakers with your preferred music app, whether it’s Spotify or Apple Music. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While your tune is still playing, open up the camera app, but make sure your camera is set to photo mode and not video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then, tap and hold the shutter button and drag it to the right. Your iPhone will begin recording a video while your music continues to play in the background. </span></p> <p><strong>iMessage tricks</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In order to send weird animations to your mates, all you need is a secret codeword for each effect to activate. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For instance, sending the words “pew pew” will trigger a laser effect, while the words “happy birthday” will make balloons float from the bottom of your friends’ screen. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When January rolls around, sending the words “happy new year” will trigger fireworks to burst across the message. </span></p> <p><strong>Scan real-world text in seconds</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your iPhone is loaded with a handy tool that will allow you to load the content of a menu or newspaper on your iPhone instantly. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tech, caled “Live Text”, allows you to point your iPhone camera at a real world object and quickly copy and paste text on it onto your handset. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Grab an object with text you want to scan and open the Camera app on your iPhone. Point the camera at the object and then tap the indicator that appears in the lower right of your display. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It looks like lines of text surrounded by a box. When you tap it, the text jumps out on your display and you’re given the option to copy, select, look up, translate or share it. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can then copy and paste this information into an email or Note, as well as any messaging social media apps. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Technology

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African-American Google employee mistakenly escorted off premises

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angel Onuoha was innocently riding his bicycle around the Mountain View, California, Google office where he worked as an associate product manager.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He was shocked and confused when he was stopped by security and asked to provide proof of identification, after being reported by someone who thought he was trespassing on company grounds. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Riding my bike around Google’s campus and somebody called security on me because they didn’t believe I was an employee,” his recently shared viral tweet read. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Had to get escorted by two security guards to verify my ID badge.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">A lot of people keep DM’ing me asking for the full story…<br /><br />They ended up taking my ID badge away from me later that day and I was told to call security if I had a problem with it. And that was after holding me up for 30 minutes causing me to miss my bus ride home <a href="https://t.co/UBzHDC1ugG">https://t.co/UBzHDC1ugG</a></p> — Angel Onuoha (@angelonuoha7) <a href="https://twitter.com/angelonuoha7/status/1440727156896661511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angel’s ID badge was taken off him, as he was instructed to take up the matter with the campus security. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And that was after holding me up for 30 minutes causing me to miss my bus ride home,” he wrote. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost 2,000 people responded to his original tweet as they expressed outrage at how such an incident, largely presumed to be racially motivated, had played out in 2021.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One response was from a black man who said he previously worked in security at another Google campus. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Dawg I worked as security at Google and got security called on me,” he wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angel was inundated with messages from individuals who had faced similar acts of discrimination in the workplace. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A spokesperson for Google told </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johanmoreno/2021/09/23/black-google-associate-product-manager-detained-by-security-because-they-didnt-believe-he-was-an-employee/?sh=1ee730742349"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Forbes</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">the company was taking Mr Onuoha’s “concerns very seriously”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We take this employee’s concerns very seriously, are in touch with him and are looking into this. We learned that the employee was having issues with his badge due to an administrative error and contacted the reception team for help,” the spokesperson said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“After they were unable to resolve the issue, the security team was called to look into and help resolve the issue.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The incident comes after Google’s public support for the Black Lives Matter movement, as they vowed to double its black workforce by 2025.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since its pledge however, black employees have increased by just one per cent, while white employees have declined 1.3 per cent.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Twitter @angelonuha7 / Shutterstock</span></em></p>

Technology

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Former Kmart employee shares store secrets

<p>A former Kmart employee is sharing the company's biggest secrets and revealing the hacks that every shopper should know.</p> <p>The video has gone viral with more than 22,000 views.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H1EcAGvq4q8"></iframe></div> <p>She also explained why checking barcodes is VERY important while shopping at Kmart.</p> <p>"The last digit on the barcode changes after every new season," she said.</p> <p>"So if there are two toasters that look exactly the same and the last digit of one barcode is eight and the other is nine, the one with the eight should be cheaper.</p> <p>"It has to be the same model, they just tweak the product and the price I found doesn’t come up straight away on the system."</p> <p>She also revealed the best time to go shopping, which is between 8 am and 5 pm.</p> <p>“This is when the full-time and very experienced staff members are working, so they are more able to answer your questions," she explained.</p> <p>The best time for bargain hunting is right after Christmas and Easter.</p> <p>"On Boxing Day there’s a whole section that drops down to between five cents and $5 but it is usually wiped out on Boxing Day by customers so it’s good to come in early.</p> <p>"In between campaign periods like “Back To School” they would mark things down because it’s not as busy but a lot of the times, quite randomly, they will slash the prices of a bulk number of books, clothes or appliances.</p> <p>"It’s usually when a newer model/garment has been updated, fixed or isn’t selling.</p> <p>"The price will drop down drastically but the item doesn’t really change by much."</p>

Money & Banking

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The one quality Steve Jobs always looked for in employees

<p>Do you have what it takes to land a career that can make you a millionaire before you retire? Sure, you can perfect your resume, dress to impress, and nail the trickiest interview questions. But odds are, you’re probably forgetting one rather underrated quality – and for the late Steve Jobs, it mattered much, much more than a polished CV.</p> <p>In a rarely seen interview, a then-young Jobs revealed that when he was first hiring professional managers for Apple, he quickly learned that “most of them were bozos.” “They knew how to manage, but they didn’t know how to do anything,” he added.</p> <p>So, from there on out, Jobs began to value a different trait in job candidates. “We wanted people who were insanely great at what they did, but were not necessarily those seasoned professionals,” he said. “But who had at the tips of their fingers and in their passion the latest understanding of where technology was and what they could do with that technology.”</p> <p>In other words, forget job experience; Jobs wanted passionate people on his team, instead. Why, you ask? Not only can enthusiastic employees manage themselves, but they also understand the company’s mission – and strive for that common goal with earnest.</p> <p>To find employees with this type of passion, the Apple team interviewed each job candidate by presenting a Macintosh prototype and noting his or her reaction. “We wanted their eyes to light up and to get really excited,” Andy Hertzfeld, one of Apple’s first software engineers, said. “Then we knew they were one of us.”</p> <p><em>Written by Brooke Nelson. This article first appeared on </em><a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/what-steve-jobs-looked-for-in-an-employee"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.co.nz/subscribe"><em>here’s our best subscription offer</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Retirement Income

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Former royal employees reveal Prince Andrew’s huge ego and massive meltdowns

<p>Following a painfully awkward interview with the BBC where Prince Andrew said a number of odd things, royal ex-staffers have come forward to talk about his “incredibly rude” demeanour and arrogance.</p> <p>The Duke of York has reportedly burnt many bridges throughout the years, including with one former aide to the British family, who confided to<span> </span><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/"><em>The Sun</em></a> they’d seen the royal treat his staff in a shocking, appalling way.</p> <p>“He’s been incredibly rude to his personal protection officers, literally throwing things on the ground and demanding that they ‘f***ing pick them up’. No social graces at all.”</p> <p>The anonymous source may not have come forward with their name, but other ex-staff members have, including a former royal protection office, Paul Page.</p> <p>Page said Prince Andrew likes to get his own way, even if it means hurling abuse at innocent bystanders or well-meaning staff, and recalled a moment where the royal screamed at a member of security after investigating an intruder in the corridor near the Queen’s bedroom – whereupon finding the shadowy figure, consequently found out it was actually the Duke.</p> <p>“This is my f***ing home, I can go where I want, now f**k off,” he allegedly yelled into the face of a number of officers.</p> <p>Unfortunately, these are not the only people to face the royal’s wrath.</p> <p>Sir Ivor Roberts, an ambassador to Rome between 2003 and 2006, revealed Prince Andrew “rubbed people up the wrong way.”</p> <p>According to Roberts, when a head of a major fashion house introduced herself, he rudely responded: “Never heard of you.”</p> <p>Sir Ivor said it was down to his team to clear up the mess Prince Andrew had made.</p> <p>The Duke of York is not in the good graces of people he is supposed to be courting either, including Tatianna Gfoeller, Washington’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan in 2008.</p> <p>In 2010, Wikileaks revealed a secret cable from a US ambassador who described Prince Andrew’s bad behaviour that “verged on rude” during an official engagement.</p> <p>Gfoeller had written of “rude language a la British” and stated how the royal had  railed against the Senior Fraud Office and journalists.</p> <p>Not only does he have enemies on the ground though, it appears he has offended people for his rude habits in the air too.</p> <p>Dubbed “Air Miles Andy,” for his incessant jetting around the world, the Duke apparently had a meltdown in Melbourne Airport in 2005 and refused to go through the normal security procedures like everyone else did.</p> <p>Thankfully, airline officials did not step down and later complained of his attitude.</p> <p>“Who does he think he is? What a pompous prat,” an indignant official told reporters after the ordeal.</p> <p>“Everyone has to go through security screening. He should be happy to do so and set an example.”</p>

Travel Trouble

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The secret “kit” cruise ship employees bring to every job

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cruise ship employees have revealed their own “life saving” kits to deal with the pressures and demands of staff life. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One former worker, Joshua Kinder opened up about life onboard a cruise after more than five years of employment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Working as a drummer, Kinder revealed there is a “kit” to brighten their day or make it just a bit better. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With us we would bring the lifesaving first-aid kit that every forlorn crew member aboard a ship of darkness needs,” he wrote in his book </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Worker. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A red satchel filled with positive attitudes and optimistic outlooks, a sturdy hand powered bilge pump, a couple of gas masks hooked up to oxygen tanks, diving gear in case we found ourselves with unexpected reef in our crew quarters, a lifetime supply of coconut and pineapple scented air fresheners to mask the smell of our cabin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"A warm wool blanket for when the ship thermostat gets stuck on the setting labelled ‘ice cream freezer’.”’</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The former employee also added: “A thin sheet for when said air conditioning breaks down, horse tranquilisers to be used when the ship is placed in Red Alert, the obligatory bottle of haberno hot sauce to mask the otherwise unpalatable foods served in the crew mess.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joshua then humorously wrote every employee would need a life raft in case they need to jump ship. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite there being a few “essentials” you could probably skip out on, there are some that are absolutely crucial to get through ship life. </span></p>

Cruising

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Cruise employee reveals all: The codeword you do not want to hear

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As cruise ship holidays become more popular each year, more cruise crew members are hard at work ensuring travellers are having the trip of their dreams. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, there are always unpleasantries at every workplace, and holiday resorts are no exception. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One industry insider has revealed the one cruise codeword staff use when describing an unfortunate event. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brandon Presser, temporary director of Royal Caribbean’s largest ship, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Harmony of the Seas</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bloomberg</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> there are codewords centered around passenger illness and ship emergencies. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Presser’s time working with over 2,200 crew members, he said there was one codeword that no employee ever wants to hear - which is “PVI.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Presser said it means “public vomiting incident” and unfortunately happens more than we would like to think. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In just five days while travelling, the former cruise director said there was a record of three PVI’s in that time. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While this is no reason to rule out a beautiful cruise holiday, it might be the codeword to keep an ear out for so you don’t ever have to see a “public vomiting incident” while trying to enjoy your trip. </span></p>

Cruising

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This airline has just instructed "obese" employees to lose weight

<p>Pakistan’s national flag carrier has reportedly told “obese” flight attendants to lose weight or risk being grounded.</p> <p>The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) issued a memo to its 1,800 staff that cabin crew with “excess weight” will have six months to slim down or they will not be given clearance to fly.</p> <p>Aamir Bashir, the airline’s general manager, said any crew found to be above 30 pounds from the “desired weight” after January 31 will be grounded and referred for medical evaluation and treatment until “weight is reduced up to desired standard/BMI”. The excess weight limit will then be cut down by 5 pounds per month.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Lose weight, or lose your job: Pakistan International Airlines 'tells overweight cabin crew they need to shed up to 30lbs by July or face being grounded' <a href="https://t.co/iGf0sUgKVM">pic.twitter.com/iGf0sUgKVM</a></p> — ABC (@farhanjamil1975) <a href="https://twitter.com/farhanjamil1975/status/1082252961747734528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">7 January 2019</a></blockquote> <p>PIA also issued a suggested weight chart according to the crew’s height. For example, the guide for a woman of 5 feet 7 inches height (1.7m) is 133 to 147 pounds (60 to 67 kilograms).</p> <p>Around 100 of the crew will need to lose all the excess weight by July 1 to avoid being grounded, according to PIA spokesman Mashhood Tajwar.</p> <p>He told CNN that the policy was to ensure that the cabin crew remain “slim, smart and fit”, following apparent complaints about “obese” flight attendants. “No one would like to have shabby crew in the aircraft,” said Tajwar.</p> <p>This is not the first time an airline has applied weight standards for its aircraft employees. Air India grounded its flight attendants in 2006 and 2015 for being overweight. In November, India’s aviation regulator set a Body Mass Index (BMI) norm of 18 to 25 for pilots and crews.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Grandmother’s remarks about her “rude” grandson goes viral

<p>A grandmother’s comment about how she wished her grandson was more like a worker at her local grocery store has gone viral after the store put it on display.</p> <p>The woman wrote to the store to compliment employee Nathaniel Hunter, who helped her when she visited the store when she was having night cravings for yoghurt covered cranberries.</p> <p>“I was having one of those late night cravings, you know how it is,” she wrote.</p> <p>The woman explained she “could not wait till the next day” for her cranberries and upon entering the store and looking for them, Nathaniel offered to assist her</p> <p>“Instead of merely pointing me in the direction, he walked me over to the trail mix machines. He then helped me navigate those darn contraptions. He even put in the number so I could print out my barcode,” she continued.</p> <p>The woman, who confessed she has “trouble with this new technology”, added that it is nice to know “there are bright young people out there that will stop and help an old lady like me.”</p> <p>After experiencing Nathaniel’s helpful assistance, the grandma started to compare him to her own grandson.</p> <p>“As I was leaving the store I couldn’t help but wish my own grandson could be more like Nathaniel. I know that’s terrible of me to say as a grandmother,” she said.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="499" height="665" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/39668/in-text-letter_499x665.jpg" alt="In Text Letter"/></p> <p>“Don’t get me wrong, I love my Tyler to death but he is so rude to me sometimes. Whenever I ask for computer help he just tells me to Google it. He dresses in all black and it really disturbs me. His mother says it’s only a phase, I hope so.”</p> <p>"Perhaps I’ll see Nathaniel again and I can ask him to be friends with Tyler so that he has a good influence." </p> <p>The woman’s letter has gone viral after it was put up in the Kentucky, US, grocery store for two weeks.</p> <p>There is a good chance Tyler is reflecting on his behaviour to his grandma as the letter has been viewed almost 175,000 times on Imgur. </p>

Art

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Employee-less self-driving supermarkets are here

<p>The team behind the world’s first employee-less supermarket, has created a 24-hour self-driving convenience store designed to come directly to shoppers.</p> <p>The solar-powered prototype, which you can see in the video below, is summoned with a touch of your smartphone and drives directly to your door.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W9IqJOpfa5c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, and with supermarkets increasingly looking for ways to cut down on labour costs it does raise some interesting moral dilemmas.</p> <p>What’s your take? Would you appreciate the convenience of a supermarket that came straight to you, or do you prefer traditional brick and mortar outlets?</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: YouTube / <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9IqJOpfa5c" target="_blank">Wheelys Cafe</a></strong></span></em></p>

Money & Banking

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5 secret confessions from cruise ship employees

<p>Life aboard a cruise ship seems pretty idyllic at times, a cruise members sail in state of the art, luxury ships, stopping in a fascinating ports all around the world. But there’s another side to life on the high seas that doesn’t generally make the travel brochure.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://touristmeetstraveler.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tourist Meets Travellers</span></a></strong> has shared a series of secret confessions, taken from a group of anonymous cruise ship employees. You won’t believe what goes on behind the scenes!</p> <p>To see the confessions, scroll down.</p> <p><strong>1. There’s a secret bar</strong></p> <p>According to one employee, “We don’t want you to know that we actually have more fun than the guests. Sure we’ll work the big white hot party that you’re all going to, but once we finish our shift all hell is breaking loose in the crew bar.”</p> <p><strong>2. The stool-softening technique</strong></p> <p>Another cruise ship employee made quite an interesting confession regarding the food. Apparently, “The food has an extra bit of oil and fat in it to make your bowel movements soft. This is done to reduce the strain on the ship’s plumbing.”</p> <p><strong>3. Recycled jokes</strong></p> <p>This one might not come as too much of a surprise, but another employee added, “We don’t want you to know that all those funny jokes we tell you at bingo? Yeah… Same ones are said every. Single. Cruise. That really funny answer you gave us about your wife during the happy couples game? Heard it. It was said last cruise and the one before that, and the one before that…”</p> <p><strong>4. Brutal honesty</strong></p> <p>One employee (who must’ve been caught on a particularly bad day) said,   “I don’t want to talk to you in port. I don’t know you. This is the only time off we have all week, and you’re forcing me to smile and pretend I give a fluffy bunny about your twelve-year-old getting her hair braided or your husband getting ‘lost’ while you were shopping in Mexico.”</p> <p><strong>5. Final destination</strong></p> <p>And finally, the last cruise ship employee noted something that many comes as a surprise to many casual cruisers, saying, “There are morgues below deck and a jail cell. We get at least 3 deaths onboard a month. Some people go on a cruise to die.”</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/06/things-not-to-pack-on-a-cruise/"><strong><em>5 things NOT to pack on a cruise</em></strong></a></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/06/this-man-has-been-living-on-cruise-ships-for-20-years/"><em><strong>This man has been living on cruise ships for 20 years</strong></em></a></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/06/family-band-together-to-give-grandmother-trip-of-a-lifetime/">Family band together to give grandmother trip of a lifetime</a></strong></em></span></p>

Cruising

Over 60

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