Size does matter …………….

Big is not good, believe me. And, I am not referring to male or, for full qualification, the female appendage(s). On those matters I am too old to worry and besides which I am British.

Public –v- Private

There is in all public/private services debates a failure to recognise that large is bad, whether it is public servants or the private sector that delivers our services. There are of course crap and sometimes dishonest ‘rogue traders’ who run small business concerns, but generally it is the large corporations (UK and international) and government (local and national) agencies who f**k up and eventually become entirely dysfunctional, serving not the customer or constituent but themselves.

Large business and government agencies are on the whole self-serving and it is the smaller private sector business’s that drives the economy and actually keeps the country functioning. The Government and local authorities should be restricted to commissioning services and not delivering services directly.

Your honest to goodness sole trader (the self employed) or small business is the backbone to the UK economy – it might be that plumber or electrician that you call on to do you a piece of work, does the business, charges you a good rate and then goes away, hopefully having solved your problem or delivering the service you specified. If he/she did the business you will call on them again – simple. It might be the guy that devised and manufactured with absolute expertise this very website, at very reasonable cost it must be said, on which you read these ramblings. By the way, he cannot be held responsible for the content of the same – that comes down to yours truly, regarded by many as a few pence short of a pound. Anyway, back to the basic message………

Oh, and I have forgotten the Voluntary sector, a private business by any other name. They milk the public purse with huge tax concessions beyond belief. They are worthy of an article in their own right.

Employee –v-Contractor

Here I am running a small business – even if I had enough business to need it I would never employ anyone. If I cannot do the work offered I pass it on to a select group of other consultants I trust. Employing people is a nightmare.

As a business person Wilt gets paid by the hour or contract. If he does not get work or is off sick or on holiday, Wilt does not get paid – simple. Wilt pays for his own office and all its contents, heating/cooling, community/business rates, lighting, telephones/internet and all the other stuff needed to run a business is also paid for by Wilt – these are offset against tax.

Wilt also needs to pay for his personal pension plan, and supply his own car to go about his business.

Compare the above to your average employee who only has the cost of turning up for work. If you work in local government you get:

• Six months sick leave at full pay
• Six months sick leave at half pay
• Up to six weeks holiday
• Various other additional bank holidays
• A gold plated pension
• Paid maternity/paternity leave
• etc., etc., etc.

Those are but the basic examples. Those in the larger corporations of private business envy their public servant peers but are not entirely without facilities such as sick leave payment.

Oh Wilt, what on earth were you doing in giving up all those benefits? Did you take early retirement Wilt?

No!

Did, as some others did/do take your quota of sick leave?

No!

On the Employee –v-Contractor debate it is clear that private is far more cost effective except that benefit is lost when business becomes large corporations.

Of course another aspect is that in the public sector when you have a service user knocking on the door it is difficult to turn them away – in private business, and like Wilt, it is possible (indeed necessary) to say ‘thank you but my diary is full’

So imagine if local authorities commissioned work only, they would have to find a contractor who would (if he is wise) be very clear how much he could do – after that the local authority would have to find someone else. Instead what happens is that they juggle priorities on a daily basis and allocated their resources almost by the hour in some busy children and family’s teams. Wilt knows, he managed in children’s services for the majority of his career, and has since done so in interim management roles in some fairly hair raising inner city environments, and elsewhere equally challenging. However, do not under estimate more rural working environments – they can be equally challenging, believe me.

Wilt never had a sickness record of any note as an employee but as a businessman it focuses the mind on maintaining an income, and because of working independently there is huge flexibility that on the whole better serves service users, contractors and indeed the contractor as he/she can juggle various items of work with other personal commitments.

However, before rushing off to become independent, be reminded seriously that on top of doing the professional work you also have to run a business – and that means everything, including all the finances (e.g. invoicing, paying bills and making sure you have your office stocked with everything you need). However, you eventually take it in your stride and everyone I know who works independently have said, ‘I wish I did it years ago.’ However it does not suite all, but there are small businesses or consortia of independent workers who will manage the business side, or you could work for an agency – and there are some excellent agency workers and a few good agencies, but beware some of the crap ones. Seek wilt’s advice on these if you want.

Work Ethic-v-Benefit Dependency

Wilt learned at an early age that you worked for your bread. Wilt discovered equally early that you could milk the ‘system’ if you were so inclined.

Who is it that has the highest sickness rate – those nice people in the public sector, particularly social care workers. Is it because of stress- sometimes without any doubt. Is it because of culture – you bet it is. Of course the majority are reasonable people who try to do an honest day’s work, whilst others take the proverbial. It is true that some people think in terms of using up their sick leave, although a small minority.

Nevertheless sickness absence is considerably higher in the public sector, and it is too simplistic to base it on stress. In the public sector there is also too much tolerance and after all if it were their money they were having to manage most people would take a very different and more grounded attitude to sickness absence.

The welfare state is a wonderful thing that had its roots following two world wars and at a time when there was real poverty, real avoidable ill health, poor housing and the concept of the deserving and undeserving poor. It was a product, necessary and ground breaking, of its time. That time has passed and it is important to move on. Not least as a country we cannot afford it and a bit like local government and public service conditions do encourage rogues to exploit relentlessly as much as possible with the smallest of effort (perhaps a bit like MPs) and generally take the piss. Now, I do not mean the severely disabled or ill but you know that person or persons we all know who need some incentive to work – it seems to run in some families, as it is core to their culture e.g. the state owes them a living. Well, excuse me but it does not, and I am fed up of you taking the piss.

Save rambling on, the basic message is that well intentioned (and at one time necessary) welfare services and indeed exceptional public service conditions of service need to be seriously reformed. What was a ‘safety net’ and what compensated hitherto poorly paid public servants needs very serious reform, and it needs it now. The safety net has for some become a welfare ticket offering no incentive to work and for public servants (now exceptionally well paid) an equal incentive for a minority to do as little as possible within a culture where the public serve them and not the other way around. Besides which we cannot afford it. I fall short however of reintroducing the workhouse!!

Public-v-Voluntary Sector

The UK has a proud history of philanthropy and voluntary work, and it has its place still. The State cannot manage or provide for everything – indeed its capacity to maintain its current commitments is well past its sell by date. In the field of social care there are numerous charitable institutions and individuals of merit – in itself it deserves its own article here on Regulator Watch and it is on Wilt’s to do list.

Among those that come to mind are Barnardo’s who remain an excellent agency despite its long history and at times pretentions of Thatcherism business plans. On the other hand you have firkin dorks like the NSPCC. In my long years of professional work I have never known of a time when the NSPCC were respected by anyone other than the twin set and pearls set in suburbia who cleared their conscience by doing a little fund raising and attending a committee or three.

Reference to Thatcherism is no idle comment. During the 80’s and 90’s most voluntary agencies took on with relish the ‘outsourcing‘ and the compulsory competitive tendering that Margaret introduced to try to break up the monopolies of local government. Although painful at the time (even to Wilt), it was, remember, embraced fully by the majority of the voting British Public.

In effect, this emancipation of the voluntaries (among others) and the eventual growth in the private social care sector resulted in voluntary agencies selling their services to the public sector. Then Wilt felt aggrieved at their presumptive and blatantly commercial approach and recalls that they (the voluntaries) were less philanthropic (and partners) and more like going commercial concerns with potential share options!

On reflection Wilt accepts that commercial issues are in reality a fact in social care, even though the GSCC has a blind spot on that issue – they appear to think everyone is philanthropic (or should be) and not profit from social care work, even they do daily at a very inerasable price. Well, we know the GSCC aint got a clue, so what do we care – that is another story (on the list to do).

However, what does piss off Wilt is that these (so called) voluntaries and I do admire some of their current and certainly historical interventions, is that they attempt to straddle both the voluntary and business status consecutively, thus profiting in selling their services (to the public sector at exorbitant rates) and claiming poverty in needing public donations and then further, taking the piss completely, in reclaiming tax breaks at the public expense. Well, either you are a voluntary service (free of charge to all) or you are a business and pay all business expenses/rates! Which are you, exactly – either way is fine by me? You cannot be both, and especially the NSPCC who when their Full Stop! advert comes on the TV I need to vomit – what exactly did the NSPCC do for Victoria Climbe, apart from attempt to falsify records to cover up their total failure to add a Full Stop! to child abuse? They were proven then to be complete liars and remain very much the same today.

It must be acknowledged that there remain very honourable (usually very small) voluntary agencies and a host of voluntary workers who just get on with the business. And, historically, some voluntary/philanthropic organisations who have thrust forward personal social services to the great advantage of the most needy in our society, and I tip my hat to them and pay homage to their resilience and often challenging (very often against majority public opinion) work to represent the enduring quality of compassion – good on you, and (whoever is your) God bless you – however, can I please have some of my tax ££££ returned, please – I am a needy case, honest Guv!

In Conclusion

Size does matter – the TRUE philanthropist, the ENABLED individual, the WISE small business , the EFFECTIVE  contractor (all need to live, pay the mortgage and eat) will take less sick, holiday or other leave and be focused on delivery of service – otherwise they do not eat and become homeless – a good incentive for those, who by need of circumstance, can and should embrace the work ethic and  CONTRIBUTE to society.

Wilt