Really MBIE, Spending $400 on a hair straightener

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Geektastic

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#1326996 18-Jun-2015 08:28

timmmay:
Geektastic: What are the consequences of not straightening hair?

Ask your wife. If you don't have a wife, then that may be your answer ;)

I have one. She does not own a hair straightener.

Geektastic

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#1326998 18-Jun-2015 08:30

MikeB4:
Geektastic: What are the consequences of not straightening hair?

Ummmm curly hair

And why is that a problem?

And for what percentage of females?

Just curious.

MikeB4

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#1327011 18-Jun-2015 08:48

Geektastic:
MikeB4:
Geektastic: What are the consequences of not straightening hair?

Ummmm curly hair

And why is that a problem?

And for what percentage of females?

Just curious.

Its just so hard to manage :)

TBH I have no idea I have never been attached to my hair, err I have but I haven't so i cannot relate to it.

frankv

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#1327029 18-Jun-2015 09:09

gehenna: I don't have a problem with the hair straighteners. You can't push for more people to walk/bike to work without giving them the means to get themselves straightened (no pun intended) up when they get to the office. Especially in Wellington where a brisk walk in the breeze will give you 50 different hairstyles in 10 minutes.

Perhaps it would be sensible for people who live in Wgtn to accept that on a few days of the year no-one's hair will be perfectly straight, and move on? Rather than expect the rest of us to pay for their personal vanity?

There are days when it rains here... Can I expect my employer to provide me with an electric shoe drier and polisher?

old3eyes

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#1327033 18-Jun-2015 09:12

scuwp:
langers1972: Sorry but why do employers have to provide hair straighteners, I wouldn't expect an electric razor?

Because employers (esp government departments) are doing their bit to promote alternative (healthy) transport modes, health and well-being of staff, and efficiency of the transport network in the cities by providing staff lockers, showers, dryers, changing rooms, cycle racks, hair straighteners..whatever. So staff have the choice of running/cycling etc to work.

Big picture people!

No doubt some silly choices have been made in this building, but this one is just a media beat-up IMO.

So when the staff arrive at work for say a 8.30am start they spend the first hour showering, drying there hair then straitening it so they may be productive if your lucky by 9.30 am.

Regards,

Old3eyes

andrew027

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#1327040 18-Jun-2015 09:19

alasta: The CEO said on the radio this afternoon that they have 850 female staff, so that's about $0.50 per staff member.

Dividing cost of the straightener by the total number of female staff in MBIE is a bit misleading though. Do all 850 women work in the same building? And do they all have a need to use a hair straightener at work? If they did, MBIE would need to buy a lot more than one.

I admit I have made up some numbers here as (a) I have no idea how long it takes a woman to use a hair straightener - my wife doen't use one - but I guess it depends on how long and/or thick your hair is and what effect you're going for, and (b) I don't know how many women use hair straighteners anyway - again, my wife doesn't. But... 850 women at (say) 5 minutes per person is 70 hours and 50 minutes, not counting "change over" time, so women would only get to use it once every 10 days or so. You should really divide that $400 between the number of staff who need to use a hair straightener at work, e.g. it may only be women who cycle or run to work (5%? - 42 women), and need to use a straightener (10%? - 4 women) so now you've spent $100 each.

In general I have no problem whatsoever with an employer spending $400 on something that could improve staff morale, wellbeing, etc., even if they are using my tax dollars to do it. The problem is that the other 846 female staff are going to be wondering when they get $100 worth of something to make them happy, then the male staff will want their share. It's a slippery slope, I tell ya!

But seriously, $16,533 on tables and soft furninshings, $74,833 on a desk and $140,747 for the screen - that's a $232,133 reception area. That does get my goat.

From Stuff: ...the screen was designed and manufactured in the United States ... it was the only one that met advice from architects to have a flexible screen that could fit the curved design of the main reception desk.

If they had put a large flat screen up there, absolutely nobody (except architects) would have walked into that reception area and thought "Oh no, that monitor doesn't follow the graceful line of the reception desk frontage. What were they thinking!" Or put in a straight recepton desk and save money two ways...

You know what we have in the reception area of the government department I work in? Two couches, two arm chairs and a coffee table (total cost <$2,500) plus a water cooler.

MileHighKiwi

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#1327050 18-Jun-2015 09:24

It really isn't a big deal. My work place (Govt funded) provides showers and hair dryers. We're a bit old school so I'm sure hair straighteners are on the wish list.

Soft touches like that make a difference when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff.

We can all moan about the need for them but the fact is many women use them, whether you like it or not, and for women (and men!), looking good and feeling confident goes a long way.

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andrew027

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#1327053 18-Jun-2015 09:27

old3eyes: So when the staff arrive at work for say a 8.30am start they spend the first hour showering, drying there hair then straitening it so they may be productive if your lucky by 9.30 am.

I cycle to work. I leave home at 6:45am, arrive at work around 7:20, and have a shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and am sitting at my desk with a coffee by 8:00. I take one break during the day (around 30 minutes for lunch, a couple of days a week it's spent at my desk) and leave work on the dot at 5:00pm. That's not unusual in most government departments these days.

BigMal

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#1327059 18-Jun-2015 09:36

I have no problem with the hair straighteners. The $140,000 screen is a bit excessive though, as is the $40,000 sign.

Small things like hair straighteners, shower blocks, fruit, coffee tea, biscuits etc all contribute to an inviting and healthy workplace. I think it should be encouraged.

Geektastic

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#1327072 18-Jun-2015 09:53

My wife asked why women who wanted to curl their straight hair were being discriminated against by the non provision of curlers and tongs....

trig42

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#1327073 18-Jun-2015 09:53

The hair straightener thing, while undoubtedly a beat-up, could be seen as indicative (along with a $140,000 screen...) of the attitude of those working in bureaucracies that 'It isn't our money, so who cares how we spend it'. The media will now be going over this with a fine tooth comb (because they haven't got anything better to do now that JC has been farewelled) to find all sorts of other frivolities. 3 Ply Toiletpaper will be next (*only partly joking).

As for the Hair Straightener, I have never used one, but like a razor, how would you feel about sharing one amongst all of your colleagues?

DonGould

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#1327102 18-Jun-2015 10:22

Geektastic:
MikeB4:
Geektastic: What are the consequences of not straightening hair?

Ummmm curly hair

And why is that a problem?

And for what percentage of females?

Just curious.

It's about having people with a very high standard of attention to detail.

We've been debating this police license document thing this week. The original document was clearly written by someone with poor attention to detail.

Personal presentation is one of the key measures that you consider when looking at this stuff.

Personally I don't get why they're not just providing power points. I wouldn't want to use a hair brush that's shared with everyone else, why would I want to use a hair appliance?

But I can see the point.

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nathan

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#1327140 18-Jun-2015 11:09

i imagine the heat from the straightners kills bugs

unlike those stupid shared cycle schemes with shared helmets that no one uses, because the council didn't think to buy 20c disposable hair net caps for people to wear

Smithy100

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#1327196 18-Jun-2015 12:03

As a former employee (who was "restructured" out earlier this year) the hair straighteners didn't bother me at all... the two signs (particularly the reception one) are a little OTT... I was there this morning having a coffee catch up with some old colleagues and it really is a waste of money which adds little value.

The new building is a decent place to work; in the context of what it is. And sure, they've made some poor decisions with the fit out, but overall it's a pretty good result.

Nothing and nowhere is perfect, though there should certainly have been some smarter choices made, innovative perhaps.

Rikkitic

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#1327246 18-Jun-2015 13:00

langers1972: Sorry but why do employers have to provide hair straighteners, I wouldn't expect an electric razor?

Typical chauvinistic reply. Normally you would shave at home before leaving. Long hair can get tangled in the wind on the way, especially on a bike or scooter. From a woman's perspective, the hair straightener is a nice touch. Maybe not absolutely essential, but thoughtful. Personally I have a much bigger problem with the stone monument and signage. That is a slap in the face to employees who are being told to get by with less, not to mention monumentally stupid.

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