Vodafone you've done it again - John Reader (johnr) is leaving

Forums › Vodafone New Zealand › Vodafone you've done it again - John Reader (johnr) is leaving

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# 1718120 10-Feb-2017 10:16

chiefie:

freitasm:

@joker97:

coffeebaron: Really sad to hear of his departing. 17 years service. A big loss to Vodafone NZ.

how come you have geekzonemail email? do i have one too?

Off topic, but... Many years ago we could have Microsoft Custom Domains with Microsoft Hotmail. I created geekzonemail back then and Geekzone users could create accounts. It works just like outlook.com or hotmail.com these as a full Microsoft account. Microsoft is no longer offering the Custom Domains service and accounts can no longer be created - whoever got one is in, whoever missed, missed.

OT: I just went and checked my GZmail :-D Still active! #WIN!

Feel left out in the cold now....

hio77

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# 1718122 10-Feb-2017 10:21

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Certainly a huge loss for vodafone...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

Finch

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# 1718185 10-Feb-2017 10:55

networkn:
Thankfully for John, he will not likely have ANY difficulty finding another role, given his skills and experience.

It's a shame they didn't return some of the loyalty I know he showed them over the years.

Don't get me wrong, hope he finds another job. However you hear time and time again that employers don't hire somebody because they are "over qualified".

Lias

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# 1718202 10-Feb-2017 11:30

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+1 to the various "Vodafone must be smoking crack" posts.

Hugely smart and talented chap, and a genuinely nice helpful guy online and in person.

Madness.

Information wants to be free. The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.

surfisup1000

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# 1718221 10-Feb-2017 11:42

While I do not know john or what he actually does, I wonder how internal IT support departments are faring as technology progresses.

Given the move toward cloud based systems and the simplification of networking via powerful routers / switches and wifi I can see the traditional IT department is not so relevant as perhaps in the past.

Even things like printers are not really needed so much these days. I remembers the thousands of pages of reports that we used to print every week --- no longer needed.

Anyway , good luck to John for the future. I myself am looking at a possible career change at this stage.

Jaxson

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# 1718222 10-Feb-2017 11:42

All the best for the future John, and thanks for your help over the years.

nathan

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# 1718232 10-Feb-2017 11:57

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Corporations are loyal to their shareholders not their employees. Just like HR departments are there to stop the company getting in trouble not helping staff.

nate

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# 1718252 10-Feb-2017 12:24

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Considering all the out of business hours support johnr did here and on the official Vodafone forums, this is a ridiculously bad move. I know people would sign up to the forums just so they could message him for help cause they were so frustrated with the official crap Vodafone support.

On a side note, thanks John for all the help you've given me with our various clients on Vodafone and with our business account. It's been very much appreciated. Good luck with the future career.

Vodafone NZ = dumbasses.

jmosen

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# 1718257 10-Feb-2017 12:28

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It's hard to put a cost on institutional knowledge, and on the good will generated by someone who goes out of their way, well out of their way, to help customers out.

So in other words, it's impossible to put a cost on the significant loss John's leaving will be to the business.

Knowing that John was there when I hit a telco brick wall was a huge incentive to stay with Vodafone. Now he is going, the incentive is going too.

Most important of all though, events like these are tough for all affected. Best to John and all others made redundant for finding gainful employment elsewhere, and sincere thanks John for caring about what you do and showing it.

Jonathan Mosen

Mosen Consulting, for advice on web and app accessibility

http://mosen.org

Horseychick

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# 1718259 10-Feb-2017 12:29

Oh bummer! I'd also like to thank John for his patience and help when I was at Voda. May he find more lucrative and less stressful work at some other company.

Voda is definitely not the company it used to be 4-5 years ago, either as an employer or as a supplier.

BurningBeard

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# 1718286 10-Feb-2017 12:43

Technofreak: I'll bet it was an accountant driven decision. They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

Outsourcing, - the best way to lose control of your business.

I work in publishing and this absolutely rings true to me.

It's all well and good for a few weeks until clients get sick of sloppy work and they start dropping off. Any money saved by outsourcing soon gets overtaken by loss of business.

My very metal Doctor Who theme

cr250bromo

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# 1718330 10-Feb-2017 14:24

surfisup1000:

While I do not know john or what he actually does, I wonder how internal IT support departments are faring as technology progresses.

Given the move toward cloud based systems and the simplification of networking via powerful routers / switches and wifi I can see the traditional IT department is not so relevant as perhaps in the past.

Large organisations are like a huge ocean liner - if you want to turn the ship you can only do it slowly. While cloud based systems and improved networking are happening, you'd be surprised how much legacy stuff large organisations have that is so embedded it is just too hard/expensive to change. On top of strict change control processes and the need to keep the current systems running, my view is it will be many more years before the cloud brings the benefits promised to these organisations.

Of course if you are starting a new company from scratch it would be different - you could be cloud from day 1.

xpd

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# 1718338 10-Feb-2017 14:38

My last position was outsourced last year. Its now been handed to a company who are sending someone in 2-4hrs a week to do my job. The job that was taking me 40hrs a week to do. And no, I wasnt useless :) Local management were gutted I was out the door and couldn't understand how someone was going to condense my work to 4 hours.

Its not like technology was assisting with making my job easier either, if anything I was working harder to keep everyone else in the loop with the new tech.

The way I see it, its my ex-employers loss (I've heard they've had issues with the "new guy" already) and its Vodafone's loss they're letting someone with Johns experience go.

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

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MikeB4

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# 1718342 10-Feb-2017 14:50

JohnR was very good. He helped me on more than one occasion to sort out the odd issue with VF. I am sure he will pop again soon in a new role. This serves as a reminder that no one is indispensable and one should always have a contingency plan.

Mike
Retired IT Manager.
The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

Using empathy takes no energy and can gain so much. Try it.

dafman

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# 1718396 10-Feb-2017 18:12

All the best John for a new role, look forward to your continued insightful input into GZ

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