Date:	2007-04-28 06:40
Subject:	Moving On Up?
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

An interesting couple of days; I had my Competence Assurance on Thursday, followed by my P&D [Progress & Development?] on Friday.  The first is a series of questions and observations to make sure I know what I'm doing, the second is an interview to find out how well I'm doing in the job and where I'd like to go from CSA.  I've only been on the job for about six weeks so it was rather early to have it, but the DSM had asked me how things were going and I'd told him a little too frankly that I frequently found it dull and felt like I had nothing to do.  He'd suggested this as a way of finding more things but, to be honest, it didn't help much in that regard, since everything he mentioned that a CSA ought to be doing 'between customers' as it were I was pretty much already doing to some extent or the other.  Check for litter?  I went one better at Arnos on Monday and actually picked up all the large pieces.  Of which there were maybe five.  Check leaflets are full?  How long do they think looking over at a leaflet rack takes - especially at 11 o'clock at night when there are no customers, and the few who are coming through are generally on their way home?  Active queue management?  Not much you can do with one ticket window and one ticket machine at your disposal beyond helping those at the machine, which I do.  Ask if you can go down to the platforms to do PA's - uh, no, not when there's only me and the supervisor on the station. 

On the bright side I'd mentioned that I'd prefer to move into operations as soon as possible - train op if possible, but if not some other operational role - and he said he'd see about trying to get a day where I could go down to the Earls Court control room to see what goes on, and another where I could maybe shadow a train driver for a while.  Both of which sound extremely good fun and are things I'd quite happily not be paid to do. 

However, it'll have to wait a bit, because today's my last day before two weeks of annual leave - hurrah!  Don't expect much from this journal in the meantime.  *g*