West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Not just doors! One young volunteer was recently completely phased by an old fashioned telephone - the sort you had to dial using your finger in the hole next to the number needed. He had to be shown how to use it having only previously seen one with buttons to press.

 

Nowt to do with the water just poor management. Hopefully common sense will rapidly prevail on this issue. Robin has provided a very sensible solution.

 

It is sensible for any heritage railway to have a policy. It is sensible for that policy to be sensible.

 

Railway Wars – Episode VIII

‘The Last Volunteer’

On a Railway long, long ago and far far away… (and definitely nowhere near Somerset)…

Rebel forces have been attacking the Empire by making helpful suggestions about improvements such as better locations for Imperial fighter refurbishment bases and museums of empire.

This has enraged the 5-member ‘Council of the First Order’ which rules the Empire since deposition of its last popularly-acclaimed ruler in mysterious circumstances. The Council have determined to silence all resistance by interfering with rebel communications. They have published an Empire-wide 'social media acceptable use policy' written in Navii so no-one can understand it (wrong film franchise). This is being rigorously enforced by blue serge clad Empire storm troopers wielding blasting policies. Strangely, though, although their shots never hit home, one only has to quietly raise a truth against them and they fall over.

The heroine of the resistance, known only as ‘R’, is holed up in her mountain retreat on the sparsely populated agrarian planet of Kingswoo, gathering rebel forces to her… She is especially hoping for help from her mentor, Liked Signalwalker.

The Last Hope is that this is all sorted out long before May 4th…

Merry Christmas (or whatever the Jedi festival is).

 

Were I the board, I'd be asking "why are people saying things we don't like on social media?" rather than "how do we ban them from doing so?" Any other course just feels a bit like squeezing jelly - squeeze too hard in one place and it just pops out unexpectedly elsewhere. (There is also the significant risk of throwing out the baby with the bathwater by restricting the ability of people to post and comment on "good news" stories).

That said, within that overall context, I can see the point of a policy that proscribes as far as possible comments directly demeaning of individuals (as opposed to roles, accepting that in certain cases the distinction is essentially meaningless); and secondly I can understand the logic of restricting usage while involved on rostered duties, though I'd place that more in the context of safety than reputation.

Tom

 

A facility should be provided for members and staff (paid and volunteer) so that they can expresses their concerns etc freely without worry of discipline and be away from the public domain.

 

What is 'rostered working hours' does it include breaks or not?

 

I’d love to comment but I’d better not as that is likely to be too specific to one of the Railways on which I volunteer.

Robin

 

Perhaps it would be wise to rename the title of this thread, to avoid direct reference to the particular railway.

I assume that it is perfectly okay for anyone who is not a member or volunteer to say whatever they wish about the WSR, but anyone who is connected in anyway shape or form cannot praise or defend it? If that is the case the world has gone mad.

 

Missed the most obvious one of all, telephone conversation when on duty unless it is company business. 'Alert at all times' surely must be in the general terms somewhere and if you are on duty the mobile must not be a distraction.

 

This thread's going to go quiet, then...

To be quite honest that policy reads pretty much like a standard boilerplate corporate social media policy. From memory, my employer's policy prohibits me from even saying who my employers are on social media. In any large company the PR department will carefully guard all media and social media interaction and all other employees will be told they are not allowed to do so. It's a normal part of corporate life.

Whether it's appropriate for an organisation that depends on volunteer goodwill is another matter entirely. I can see why the WSR management would be unhappy about the existence of many of the posts on this thread, given the impression of never-ending fratricide it gives the world, but I would have thought some sort of compromise policy would have been possible, and indeed, advisable.

 

I think someone needs to see a doctor to get their medication changed.

 

Presumably they have none with a steam heating boiler available? I certainly don't want to sit in an unheated train at this time of the year.

 

That would be my reading of the policy, whatever Railway it applies to.

Robin

 

I once attempted to teach one of my friend's children (at secondary school by then) how to use a clock with hands.

 

Very happy with my (Thatchers) meds, thank you.

There may, of course, be others...

Robin

 

There was a discussion about diesels and steam heat back on page 461!

 

So does this mean that Staff & Volunteers cannot use their Personal Mobile Phones when on duty? That will upset a lot of people who can't seem to live without a phone glued to their ears!

 

One of the problems with Social Media policies is that you will almost certainly get people who see it as a deliberate challenge to their basic right of free speech and this may in fact cause them to post anyway, in defiance of the policy. I couldn’t possibly comment whether this has already happened on this thread...

That being said I agree that the policy as pasted is somewhat arbitrary.

That also being said, my sympathy goes to the directors and indeed directors of all heritage railways. Very rarely is the sheer hard work involved and burden of responsibility acknowledged. Equally by putting yourself in the hot seat you are apparently accepting all responsibility for all the ills of railway. Maybe in the season of goodwill we should remember just how much work goes on “behind the scenes” so that your railway can firstly run and operate (an achievement in itself) and secondly survive and prosper.

Regards

Matt

 

Absolutely agree.

The heritage railway world is full of folk with amazing knowledge and talents.

It is easy to reach out, include them and make use of that resource.

Or not.

Robin