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Resource Operations Controller

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GLENMAYE77

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Can anyone on here expand on a Resource Operations Controller role?
Shift patterns? what’s a typical day?

Particularly interested in anyone who does this for Virgin trains

Thanks
 
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pompeyfan

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I would guess it’s a generic resource manager role.

If I’m correct I’d say that you are the first contact point for traincrew across a certain patch, juggling crew in terms of disruption. It’s a constant firefighting type job, and I’ve known there be a queue of up to 50 crew trying to contact said resources manager. Usually a 24 hour job, and paid less than the traincrew they are juggling, you need a strong mindset.
 

tiptoptaff

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I've also applied for this. As a resource manager already, I'd hope I'd have a decent chance
 

tiptoptaff

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Train Crew Resourcing is very different to anything else. It is a constant fight, that ever changes. WE are responsible for the day and the next 48hrs. Sometimes 60 or 70 vacant turns to cover. At my place we rotate around a 7week pattern, a couple of long weekends, 12hrs on weekends. Earlies, lates, nights and a forward planning shift. 1 week of spare where you can pick up anything.

It is not relaxed, it is highly pressurised and stressful. The money often doesn't warrant the work we do. No thanks or reward for doing the near impossible. We get noticed only during crew shortages, and even then, coverage isn't the fault of crews not doing overtime, moving shifts, or just generally not being enough of them, its ours for not making a patchwork miracle to cover it all.

At times it's great, at times its not. And the times its not far outnumber the times it is. I enjoy it, but it gets hard to enjoy when you cannot successfully do the job you're there to do, through no fault of your own, with zero support from anyone.
 

tiptoptaff

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Doesn't sound a great gig going by that post. Sounds tough.

AS much as it can be a varied and enjoyable role, it is very tough, mentally. I try not to over stress about it, but you do feel somewhat responsible when there's swathes of uncovered work and you're pissing in the wind
 

tiptoptaff

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For clarity I should say the main reason I've applied for this to leave my current TOC is relocation. Mrs TTT's family is from the Fylde. As my username may suggest, I am not!!
 

tsr

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Between the parallel lines
If I’m correct I’d say that you are the first contact point for traincrew across a certain patch, juggling crew in terms of disruption. It’s a constant firefighting type job, and I’ve known there be a queue of up to 50 crew trying to contact said resources manager. Usually a 24 hour job, and paid less than the traincrew they are juggling, you need a strong mindset.

"Up to 50 crew" at once sounds tough, even for this sort of work! But it can indeed be stressful or at the very least "challenging". Moments of peace and quiet are to be treasured!

It's a pity there are so many permutations, shift patterns and pay levels for train crew controllers across the fragmented swathes of the industry. Some of the pay can be reasonable - no less than guard/train manager money, sometimes between that and driver pay. Other companies, on the other hand, may pay less. It's often hard to know which jobs compare exactly with others, as each company has its own job titles for this sort of thing, not to mention varying areas of responsibility and suchlike.

As for shift patterns - personally, for this sort of stuff, I'd personally look for an earlies/lates/nights system rather than 12hrs. The point of 12 hour shifts on weekends will allegedly be to allow more weekends off - but when you are on duty, it's one hell of a long time to be sitting at a desk in front of the same computer screens and phones - and when you're on nights during the winter months, any block of shifts involving a weekend will mean you don't really see daylight for days on end. Also bear in mind that taking of breaks during duties tends to be "as and when possible", even if they are encouraged and/or technically there in the contract or whatever.

There are rewards (as tiptoptaff says) in terms of the quiet satisfaction you get when all the plans pull together and you manage to put the finishing touches to a plan which is actually quite good in the end. Sometimes you will also get people call you in a blind panic when they actually need help from someone else (train service controllers / signallers / emergency services, you name it!) and you can work out a decent plan to get them assistance during their duties, even if (in some of these grades) dealing with incident response is not your core remit.
 

tiptoptaff

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To counter TSR's point - our current roster may soon be changed and we will not give up our 12hr weekends. They're hard going during but the fact it gains us an extra weekend off over the course of our link (3out of 7 vice 4out of 7) it's worth doing. Thankfully I've never had 50 crew trying to call me at once!!

It can be a decent job but I will not apologise for my overly negative post. It is not all drinking tea and surfing RailUK (he says, sipping tea, surfing RailUk while Saturday's diagrams print off....) it is hard work, tough going and can be stressful. These are parts of the job you need to know about. We've lost potential recruits and a new starter as the job was "harder than we thought it would be reading the job description"

It does also require you learn in detail crew Ts+Cs, and have VERY good knowledge of the operation you're resourcing and the geography you cover. It's not impossible, but it can be very tough for someone outside the railway, who doesn't know or fully understand how the railway works. You also have to build a rapport with your crews. Get to know them as best you can (difficult when you manger over 600crew) but it helps. You know then what makes them tick, and what suits them better than doesn't. I know the drivers who will jump for an open late turn off a stupid early, or will go from 0800 to 0300 book on as they're a bit of an early bird and like to get away by 1130!! You also come to know the ones who won't do a thing! You know the ones who can be bought and will do anything if the price is right. You have to know the diagrams. Not in detail to the point you can real off the content of any diagram given to you, but you need to know how they're made up so that anything that doesn't look right can be solved before it causes issues.

I want to wish you all the luck in the world applying for it. But as I've said, I've applied as well to move Mrs TTT towards her homeland, and I'm selfish, and I don't want anyone but me to get the job!! <D<D
 

pompeyfan

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I should probably clarify where I got 50 from.

During the unexpected* snow last month, no one knew who was doing what or where. When contacting said resource manager, it apparently went to engaged, which means the 40 holding lines were all occupied.
 

tiptoptaff

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Had an email overnight inviting me to do a video interview - anyone else?
 

Tom Quinne

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To counter TSR's point - our current roster may soon be changed and we will not give up our 12hr weekends. They're hard going during but the fact it gains us an extra weekend off over the course of our link (3out of 7 vice 4out of 7) it's worth doing. Thankfully I've never had 50 crew trying to call me at once!!

It can be a decent job but I will not apologise for my overly negative post. It is not all drinking tea and surfing RailUK (he says, sipping tea, surfing RailUk while Saturday's diagrams print off....) it is hard work, tough going and can be stressful. These are parts of the job you need to know about. We've lost potential recruits and a new starter as the job was "harder than we thought it would be reading the job description"

It does also require you learn in detail crew Ts+Cs, and have VERY good knowledge of the operation you're resourcing and the geography you cover. It's not impossible, but it can be very tough for someone outside the railway, who doesn't know or fully understand how the railway works. You also have to build a rapport with your crews. Get to know them as best you can (difficult when you manger over 600crew) but it helps. You know then what makes them tick, and what suits them better than doesn't. I know the drivers who will jump for an open late turn off a stupid early, or will go from 0800 to 0300 book on as they're a bit of an early bird and like to get away by 1130!! You also come to know the ones who won't do a thing! You know the ones who can be bought and will do anything if the price is right. You have to know the diagrams. Not in detail to the point you can real off the content of any diagram given to you, but you need to know how they're made up so that anything that doesn't look right can be solved before it causes issues.

I want to wish you all the luck in the world applying for it. But as I've said, I've applied as well to move Mrs TTT towards her homeland, and I'm selfish, and I don't want anyone but me to get the job!! <D<D

Coming from traincrew, and from TTT’s current operator I can vouch for how hard being a resource controller is !

They realty don’t get paid enough for the downward pressure they have to deal with.
 

tiptoptaff

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Didn't especially like that all that much. I thought phone interviews were bad....!!!
 

GLENMAYE77

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Seems like you’re the only one who has had any contact from them taff.
 
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tiptoptaff

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re-bump

Not heard anything since doing my video interview - anyone else heard from them regarding this?
 

GLENMAYE77

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Did anyone ever hear anymore on this? My app says “withdrawn”...although I didn’t withdraw it!!
 

tiptoptaff

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Had a formal rejection a couple of days ago. Seems like the job is filled
 

C J Snarzell

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I appreciate this is an old thread from last year. Cross Country are presently advertising for two RC roles based in Birmingham. Very interesting job - I applied for a similar role with Northern earlier this year and was invited for interview but sadly lost out to another candidate. Does anyone know what the XC salary is for this role as it is not mentioned on the job description?
 
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