Why on earth should one care about a company they used to work for after they leave? Unless you leave in fantastic admiration for your previous employer, love everything they stand for and worship the way they do business, you shouldn’t look back.

Pizza Express; five good years spent there for me (3 years whilst at uni, 1 year whilst running a record shop). It paid me well (the tips were great) and I loved the people I worked with and it was fantastically flexible. However, it was thoroughly over-bureacratised and most middle-high management were incredibly anal; and pretty much lacking in any sort of ethical or moral soul:

Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “make sure you ask everyone if they want olives or nuts before you take their order, Ian”.
Ian: “But I should let them know they are not free right?”
Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “Of course not, then they won’t buy them”.
Ian: “Well, that’s not right”.
Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “It’s not as if you are telling them they are free. If a mystery diner comes in and you aint offerred olives and nuts, your job is on the line.”

There is always a way around these things and most customers just appreciate good, honest service and fairly prompt, fresh food; which was why I seemed to do well. The management hated it; we were everything they didn’t want us to be yet the customers loved us, so they were stuck in a bit of a quandry - the waiters ruled the roost.

Looking back, they really were terrible. Literally an entire wheelie-bin full of glass bottles thrown away every night (much to our protest - Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “We can’t afford to recycle, it’s just not possible with Sheffield Council”). The staff were treated appallingly, especially the Chinese or Polish guys we got in; 10/12/14 hour shifts day in, day out.

So, on Saturday, for Rachael’s dad’s birthday - why did I offer to take us all out to Pizza Express in Buxton? Two years have passed since I ate there and many many years since I paid for one. So what’s going on? I think sneakily, inside, I wanted to have a bitch and a moan and just see if it was the same for these guys as it was for me.

And it was. Pretty terrible. And I was embarrassingly obsessed

Slow service, burnt and late food, lazy supervisors, stressed waiters, angry chefs, lipstick-stained glasses, uncleared tables everywhere - aaaah it felt so good to be back.

I think Rachael’s family wanted me to shut-up after the 4th time of mentioning that the waiter should “probably have poured our drinks for us” or that “that supervisor should use a tray and she should certainly get stuck in more”, etc. Every little detail consumed me.

That’s the last time I do that. Not ever gonna eat there again, and certainly not going to think about it anymore!

The best bit though was when I went over to the till and mentioned to the waiter and supervisor I worked at Pizza Express Sheffield for 5 years - they were so chuffed that they could have a bitch and a moan. 10 minutes of pure, impassioned hatred for the company they worked for and the day that they had had. It was like the good ol’ days

Why on earth should one care about a company they used to work for after they leave? Unless you leave in fantastic admiration for your previous employer, love everything they stand for and worship the way they do business, you shouldn’t look back.

Pizza Express; five good years spent there for me (3 years whilst at uni, 1 year whilst running a record shop). It paid me well (the tips were great) and I loved the people I worked with and it was fantastically flexible. However, it was thoroughly over-bureacratised and most middle-high management were incredibly anal; and pretty much lacking in any sort of ethical or moral soul:

Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “make sure you ask everyone if they want olives or nuts before you take their order, Ian”.
Ian: “But I should let them know they are not free right?”
Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “Of course not, then they won’t buy them”.
Ian: “Well, that’s not right”.
Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “It’s not as if you are telling them they are free. If a mystery diner comes in and you aint offerred olives and nuts, your job is on the line.”

There is always a way around these things and most customers just appreciate good, honest service and fairly prompt, fresh food; which was why I seemed to do well. The management hated it; we were everything they didn’t want us to be yet the customers loved us, so they were stuck in a bit of a quandry - the waiters ruled the roost.

Looking back, they really were terrible. Literally an entire wheelie-bin full of glass bottles thrown away every night (much to our protest - Unnamed Sheffield Manager: “We can’t afford to recycle, it’s just not possible with Sheffield Council”). The staff were treated appallingly, especially the Chinese or Polish guys we got in; 10/12/14 hour shifts day in, day out.

So, on Saturday, for Rachael’s dad’s birthday - why did I offer to take us all out to Pizza Express in Buxton? Two years have passed since I ate there and many many years since I paid for one. So what’s going on? I think sneakily, inside, I wanted to have a bitch and a moan and just see if it was the same for these guys as it was for me.

And it was. Pretty terrible. And I was embarrassingly obsessed

Slow service, burnt and late food, lazy supervisors, stressed waiters, angry chefs, lipstick-stained glasses, uncleared tables everywhere - aaaah it felt so good to be back.

I think Rachael’s family wanted me to shut-up after the 4th time of mentioning that the waiter should “probably have poured our drinks for us” or that “that supervisor should use a tray and she should certainly get stuck in more”, etc. Every little detail consumed me.

That’s the last time I do that. Not ever gonna eat there again, and certainly not going to think about it anymore!

The best bit though was when I went over to the till and mentioned to the waiter and supervisor I worked at Pizza Express Sheffield for 5 years - they were so chuffed that they could have a bitch and a moan. 10 minutes of pure, impassioned hatred for the company they worked for and the day that they had had. It was like the good ol’ days

Helping to reduce the number of cars in city centres is the goal of vert-i-go: how do you go?!

Helping to reduce the number of cars in city centres is the goal of vert-i-go: how do you go?!

Last night on Newsnight, Jeremy Paxman and his team provided a fantastic report and discussion on the recent UNICEF report condemning the UK for its treatment of children.

The Newsround presenter on the show, Sonali Gudka, presented a phenomenal short of animated reports (from the Wrong Trainers series) of children living in poverty. By using real interview footage from children, but presenting the children as animated characters, we see some incredibly moving and poignant shorts.

Well done the BBC.

Dillon’s Story - watch it here:

All the other animations are available by following the image links below:

Last night on Newsnight, Jeremy Paxman and his team provided a fantastic report and discussion on the recent UNICEF report condemning the UK for its treatment of children.

The Newsround presenter on the show, Sonali Gudka, presented a phenomenal short of animated reports (from the Wrong Trainers series) of children living in poverty. By using real interview footage from children, but presenting the children as animated characters, we see some incredibly moving and poignant shorts.

Well done the BBC.

Dillon’s Story - watch it here:

All the other animations are available by following the image links below:

Friday, 9th February 2007 - The Workstation, Paternoster Row, Sheffield

What a treat! On Friday, staff at the Workstation were treated to an all-day bonanza of Sheffield street artists spraying and sticking inside the main atrium. The Flat Black exhibition was being prepared all day and was pretty impressive. Despite the headaches suffered by the TechnoPhobia staff (we are on the mezannine), we witnessed some amazing local graffiti; most impressive was the work of Phlegm Comics and Kev Grey. See the full set here:

Friday, 9th February 2007 - The Workstation, Paternoster Row, Sheffield

What a treat! On Friday, staff at the Workstation were treated to an all-day bonanza of Sheffield street artists spraying and sticking inside the main atrium. The Flat Black exhibition was being prepared all day and was pretty impressive. Despite the headaches suffered by the TechnoPhobia staff (we are on the mezannine), we witnessed some amazing local graffiti; most impressive was the work of Phlegm Comics and Kev Grey. See the full set here: