Do any ROV companies really care about ‘their’ teams ?

[James McLauchlan]

I dinna know why you all greet so much.. The more experienced guys all think they should be paid extra just because they have been in the industry a few years and then just sit around surfing the internet all day..
meanwhile we have lots of new trainees willing to work very hard. They are happy to do extra weeks and don’t complain about the food, cabins or going to dangerous worksites.. really starting to think that we’d be better getting rid of all the ‘experienced’ crew and replacing them with younger, keener recruits.. maybe they’d be satisfied with a wage well beyond what the average man gets…

3 0f "d’s"
I can only hope that you are using irony as a tool to generate debate (but I’m not sure, 😕 ).

I would suggest that that 3_Of_Diamonds (Who only joined today – I have withheld the information which shows me, as admin, who he works for) may be taking the piss as everything written is almost a total opposite of the general feeling.
It appears to be nothing more than a lame attempt to rev people up.

Something that I am not missing is that the terminology is in the third person [‘they’] which, to me, disconnects the person from actually being offshore themselves or, if they are, they are living an aloof life viewing those on deck simply as ‘they’.

The text is too slick also…. A spilling mostake or too mite have been a good idia 😉

[Savante]

frankly, I think the real irony is that a decent onshore manager wouldn’t bother posting innane tripe on a public domain to be read by his comrades!

Once again, a sad reflection and a disservice to those guys onshore who genuinely do a decent job and keep their blackberries on 24-7

[yeeyo]

I dinna know why you all greet so much.. The more experienced guys all think they should be paid extra just because they have been in the industry a few years and then just sit around surfing the internet all day..
meanwhile we have lots of new trainees willing to work very hard. They are happy to do extra weeks and don’t complain about the food, cabins or going to dangerous worksites.. really starting to think that we’d be better getting rid of all the ‘experienced’ crew and replacing them with younger, keener recruits.. maybe they’d be satisfied with a wage well beyond what the average man gets…

Fits up min???, has the 7k nae got a happy crew at the mo??? or is it the 3K???

[Savante]

yeeyo did you scan his IP? 😆

didn’t think you could do that from a phpnuke 😆 tsk tsk

[Anonymous]

This may buck the trend of responses on this thread but I have to say the company I work for DO care about their offshore crews .

I,ve only been in the ROV buisness for 9 years as oppossed to some of the " I,ve been in this game for 24 years " responses .

-The Crews we have are vastly experienced & the office always puts thought into crew selection based on a good mix of experience, skillset & overall abilities .
-Hard work & work achievements is rewarded by consistant pay rises & thanks from the office.
-If any guys have serious problems at home , the company flys them home , at the company expense & pays the full rate for travelling.
-If you are flown home this is followed up by phone calls from the office to check if they can be of assistance.

James you can check my IP if you like as I,m sure you will , but you’ll find I,m offshore right now , so these comments from a guy out there doing the job.

Bottom line is , we all like to moan now & again , offshore life wouldnt be the same without it .But if your unhappy in your work / situation be it pay , leave time , conditions , then best advice I can give is your future is in your hands , leave & find something better .

I also understand some people wanting unions in here ( although off subject ) But in my past experience they are a waste of money & time .

Crew we have here right now . 7 man team
1 trainee

Total years experience on this crew = 72 years

[Ewan McKen]

Firstly welcome 3 of Diamonds.

As regards the general debate:

The Oil Price being high does not mean money suddenly appeared to Gold Plate Cabins and fly out fresh Jelly Babies every day.
The Oil Companies were keeping a very tight rein on procurement costs when they major contracts we are working on now were awarded.
How much money the ROV Contractor gets paid is more about how little any other ROV Contractor is prepared to do the Job for than the Oil Price.
Individual ROV Contractors cant just keep throwing money at improved Pay and Conditions, because such spending eventually has to be recovered (in the bid prices) and the Client will go elsewhere.

Pay and Conditions are always going to be determined by these market forces.
If you are not happy with your current Pay and Conditions move on to something better.
When you find something better, someone worse off than you can move up to your place, etc. etc., so you are doing everybody a favour.
If you cant find something better, you best accept you reached your level before the Green Eyed Monster eats you up.

Regards,
TOD
(Three of Diamonds)

[Andy Shiers]

So there you have it folks 🙂
As far as people with hardly any experience goes ………………..
The pay is good, they get treated very well as the Management can see ‘Potential’ and they are willing to do extra time in the shift and extra days to gain the experience and so are treated very well 😀
The ‘Old and Bolds’ on the other hand with many years experience are living with the ‘old ways ‘ which is not accpted practice in flying ROV’s and should be put out to pasture or forced retirement to let the ‘Newbies’ take their place as they have a ‘Better way’ of ROV flying !
The People with many years experience can be treated like S@*te and abused with accomadation , food and travel 🙁
A bit like an old peoples home really 😆

[3_Of_Diamonds]

Firstly welcome 3 of Diamonds.

Pay and Conditions are always going to be determined by these market forces.
If you are not happy with your current Pay and Conditions move on to something better.
When you find something better, someone worse off than you can move up to your place, etc. etc., so you are doing everybody a favour.

Regards,
TOD
(Three of Diamonds)

Sounds like you are just reinforcing the gyst of my original (tongue in cheek ) post. (It wasn’t meant to be taken seriously Jim) As has already been mentioned in another post many companies can only see their business model in terms of getting the work done for the cheapest price

Other companies (mostly ones run on a more modern business model) see the value in training and nurturing staff and then doing their best keep them happy and prevent them going elsewhere. When staff leave they take their knowledge and experience with them. Guys feeling that they are expendable and easily replaced only causes resentment. This in turn stops them feeling ‘connected’ to their company and usually means they are less willing to do ‘that bit extra’ They get a ‘couldn’t give a fcuk’ attitude and are a drag to the other guys.. of course once a companies experienced guys leave.. ( and newbies are promoted to quickly) That’s when the fun starts.. Lost vehicles, damaged equip and lost revenue.. Worse the companies reputation suffers and getting contracts becomes harder and harder.. It’s a vicious circle.. Paying well and looking after your staff is the best investment a company can make.. remember the phrase pay peanuts, get monkeys? It’s very apt in the offshore World.. As for If you ain’t happy, you can leave……… I already did.. (Done it several times in the past and doubt it will be the last) payrise and better conditions already sorted.. Only wish a few more fellas would vote with their feet. Unfortunately the entrenched blokes with mortgages and debts help support (unintentionally) bad management and greedy companies simply because they aren’t able to change their employers that easily.. If they all buggered off where would that leave the companies.. Oh yeah I forgot 😯 Open another box of ROV guys 😆

[Andy Shiers]

A fresh box , unwrapped 😆

[James McLauchlan]

I would suggest that that 3_Of_Diamonds ………….. may be taking the piss

No too serious though 😉

[luckyjim37]

It would appear then judging by the reactions to this thread that there is a totally mixed opinion on this subject. Obviously one guy with his 72 years of experience on the team is happy where as others are not to impressed. I am sure Lostboy is not happy but then after reading many of his comments I think that he never will be.

Personally I find the company I contract to at the moment to listen to the supervisors offshore and communicate with them. Maybe if the guys offshore spoke to the office like the grown ups they are and actually had meetings like real line managers would then they could highlight the problems from offshore and also gain more insight into the office side of things.

As for and I apologise for slightly going off track, the "fence sitter" comments I take offence at that. I do not wish ever to join a uni0n due to seeing what the uni0ns have done to this countries industries over the years. They are in my opinion one of the many and complicated reasons why we have no manufacturing industry left in the UK today and after the fireman strikes where young kids on less money who are willing to die for there country had to fight fires for people on a decent wage who as I understand it work about as many days as offshore workers led me to believe that greed starts to play a big part in the uni0n movement.

I am sure most senior staff in the offices try to do the best to support the crews but unfortunatley there just are not the experienced guys in the industry any longer.

So maybe we need to stop spending time on computers complaining and get back to some good quality as-laid survey.

[3_Of_Diamonds]

Problem is that many of the supt’s and snr supv’s don’t live near the office.. they onlly have contact via phone/email and mostly it’s very one way.. the office sends and email with a question..the bloke offshore answers it..

As for experienced guys in the office.. Very few companies have realy experienced and useful guys as project managers/ ops managers (there are some exceptions) Many of the guys are in the office cos they were either useless offshore, made a huge fcuk up or only stayed offshore for long enough to get the office job they actually wanted..

If a guy is really good at ROV’ing the company don’t want to ‘waste’ him in the office where anyone with some computer/mangement experience will do.. The only time you get a decent guy in chargeis if his circumstances have changed ie. he wants to spend time with his family everyday or he has decided he’s done enough time offshore and is willing to take a paycut to work on the beach..

As for the rest well political, self agrandising brown nosers or power hungry pencil necks just about sums them up…

Sorry to say but I’m very suspicous of guy who did 18 Months or so offshore then land up in the orifice as a ‘manager’

I’ve had great relations with op’s mangers in the past and they’ve been very willing to take on suggestions.. usually cos they see it as beneficial to everyone involved.. But seems to me they every company gets at least one guy/gal in the office who resents the offshore guys paypacket and does their very best to hold them back or start lots of petty shite to anno them.. facking with your flights/ hotel res’s/ expenses etc..

It was much simpler when fewer people were involved .. now evey company seems to have more bodies on the beach than they actually have doing offshore work… Kinda funny when its the blokes at the coalface who are generating the revenue..

[Andy Shiers]

Bloody hell 😀 My sentiments exactly 😀
Of course it’s not just experience that alot of ‘Managers’ are lacking .
And some are not just ‘Brown nosed’
The Orifice also needs Good bullshitters to smooth the clients complaints 😀 So even if the guy is useless offshore , He may have the gift for diplomacy and that rides high with the Orifice.
Six of one and a half a dozen the other unfortunately 😕

[Savante]

room in this industry for people of all talents!! 😆

[Andy Shiers]

What a diplomatic way of putting it 🙂
You working in the Orifice by any chance Savante 😆

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