Genealogy Chat

I received a Cert today despatch date 6/7/06 which is not bad, but noticed on the bottom of the Form that came with it there is a TEAM 3 stamped on do you think maybe they have Teams now to get them out quicker

Oh Valerie, now I have this picture in my mind of teams of searchers at the GRO wearing running shorts, spikes and coloured team bands and lined up in the morning ready to race off to find our certificates. Do you think the winning team gets presented with a cup and medals?

I know what's happened. The middle management (those with a named parking space and an extendable lunch break in the local) have realised that if they make the workforce into teams they can challenge each team to be better than the other teams and get more certs issued. Earning the middle management member a four figure bonus come next April. They will all now be dressed like Challenge Anneka lookalikes - each team will get more certs issued, but will make more mistakes in their rush. The winning team, each month, will be awarded with an extra luncheon voucher between four of them! Merry

Probably allied to some hi-tech glossary of teams/duties. CAT=Cert Acquisition Team PAPS=Procuremant and Postage Staff CRAP=Cross Reference Acquisition Personell SOD (IT)=Send Out Date (ignore tenaciously) So the CATS will produce CRAP for the PAPS and SOD IT. Glen

******Middle management put in an expenses claim for using their liquid-lunch-two-hours to invent ridiculous acronyms with which to wow the juniors with when they come back sozzled from the bar****** **Juniors suitably unimpressed** Merry

It's more than likely one of two options 1,A stamp that shouldn't be on the cert,but on some allocation/collection list issued to the searchroom staff 2,Heaven forbid a stamp we will all see on a cert,and quoted in some annual report about performance levels and pence per transaction statistics. I can't say i have any but my last cert was two weeks ago. Glen

very funny you do make me laugh what a lovely lot you are, I just rang them because I could not read the cause of death and they said they have caught up now and they will be going out a lot quicker.

I work in a Govt dept and can relate to what Merry Monty & Glen have to say. I recently went to a training session for a new computerised system and the trainers spoke purely in acronyms, it was absolutely ridiculous. They even gave us a foolscap sheet of the acronyms so that we could hopefully follow all the c--p they were talking!! On the subject of certs, I have nothing but praise for GRO, they sure do get the certs down under so quickly. Lyn

At this point someone will point out (ok i will then) t,that working for the government will never make the underlings rich. To enhance productivity music is beneficial and will lead to Securing Upper Performance Pay Enhanced Rates So it it true,you will have to sing for your supper! Seriuosly though,whenever you start getting near a government/council website you always get the annual reports available,showing how well our money is(n't) being spent. Glen

Hello from down under My husband was seriously 'peeed' off because his Certificate was ONLY team 2 and took 4 days longer to arrive than mine,which was applied for on the same day, and mine did not have a team at all.I hate this ''Team' thing very American Sheila

We've had Teams and Team Leaders for a few years now. (Financial Services / Stockbroking) Just been changed again, Team Leaders are now called Managers (wasn't that what they were called 10 years ago?) and team members executives. We wating with bated breath to hear when the Vice Presidents are going to arrive.

i used to work for a major charity in the 1980s and every 3 years or so we'd get a new director - the post gradually morphed into Chief Executive. He (never a she) would breeze in, get a lot of outside agencies to come and talk to us, produce reports on what we said and then re-organise the organisation before going elsewhere. It looked good on his cv 'completely restructured organisation' but just got in the way of us doing our jobs. By the time I'd left, the current chief exec had remodelled it so that it was the same as it had been when I started. People often confuse activity with achievement. I now work in a local school as a teaching assistant. Fortunately I don't go to the after-school staff meetings as they are full of new initiatives/directives etc from the county ed dept and the govt - all full of jargon and signifying nothing. nell

Aww, i upset now, i didnt get a team stamp on the little slip of paper that came with mine today, but happy coz they are all mine, all 4 of them Sylvia

Hi Send ONS email the other day complaining about time delay and in particular the length of time they have our money before processing. Have received a reply, waffle waffle, about the money - I will be emailing them again. Dog with a bone - me Also they told me they are having to work evenings and weekends to meet their turnaround dates - I dont think so - they seem to me going from bad to bad. Have not as yet tried local register offices, but I think I will do for this months allocation. Jan

hi ! I got a customer survey with my last lot of certs. As they 'want to provide a quality service that we strive to continually improve' Lots usual consumer questions, age group, country of res, how you order certs, do you find it easy to order in your method, how do you rate the service 1 - 5, Why did you apply for certs, how did you pay, how many did you order, what season did you order, whats the biggest influence on the timing of you order (including the BBC prg, WDYTYA) (lol), how did you find out about our services, quality of certs, do you think the price paid was value for money, why not? where did you get your index no. from, what website is your source of index no., any other comments. I have to fill it in by 1st Aug. Results will be on their web site. Wonder if I get a free pen? Voucher? Trendy Mouse mat? Timeshare?.... Oh well...keep 'striving' GRO! Karen

You were lucky Sylvia, I seem to still be getting some wrong ones. Thats interesting Karen I wonder why I didnt get one though !!!!!