The Man's Message
Established 2003 | "Tetritus fortis sine gym"
Friday, September 05, 2025
Crew Of The Weeks
This edition's best duo worthy of high praise is easily Walsh & Walshe, whom have put their heads together to write, shoot, produce, edit, narrate, and star in a series of excellent training videos this fortnight. They are being submitted to the OHS committee for the next meeting for consideration being added to training so we can all be better movers.
Not only that, but this scribe has heard a rumour that even more videos are in the works so MWAV can pivot from a moving company to a fully fledged leader in occupational training seminars.
Excellent work, you two. Jack Tandy is hunting you down to reward you with something from the top shelf.
Top Tipsters
AFL tipping is over for another year and what a see-sawing season it was. Thanks to everyone who took part in a memorable and fun season of lighthearted water cooler banter and serious tipping chat.
Jack "Tandyman" Tandy was the overall winner on 160, Thom "North Flag by 2030" Lidgerwood was a steady runner up on 156 and Sam "NothinbutaGTrain" Haughton-Greene stormed home stronger than Nasiah Wangeneen-Milera vs Melbourne to round out third place on 154.
1st Prize: Meat Tray 2nd Prize: Slab of Asahi 3rd Prize: $2,000,000 a year for two years and a four-pack of Love Shack - Extra Special Bitter.
A full breakdown of the table is listed below. The Man can't wait to see you all and others again in 2026.
AFLW tipping is currently three rounds in with Jesse "JBusiness" Burge streaking ahead of Jake "MimimymyHero" Joyce and Jack "Roy Boy" Tandy for now... The winner will be publicly venerated in this very rag in November.
Ace of Cades
"Good things come to those who take no prisoners." was the only post poker advice dished out by Tuesday night's winner, Cade Harrison.
The respected player did it by playing out the masterstroke tactic of personally knocking every player out of the tournament himself; something he took great delight in. "I knew tonight would be my night. They (the competitors) took the easy road but I took everything. Sleeping in the penthouse now! YOU CAN'T LOOK AT MY FACE BECAUSE I'M TOO BRIGHT!"
Mr. Harrison or "Big Cheesecake" as he now wishes to be known, wishes to remain humble but he has since taken to travelling to and from the depot strictly riding atop the roof of the 109 tram wearing a 10 gallon hat and carrying what looks to be a trident.
Congratulations on a superb victory in a night of team bonding.
*The Man's Message was unable to verify the accuracy of parts of this report prior to publishing.
Wanna come to the next MWAV Poker Night? Tuesday, 21 October.
>>RSVP right here<<
Double O...MG
Double O received a nasty knock on the head during a wild and windy storm at 1:26am on Saturday morning and has since entered concussion protocols.
Named after MWAV alumni, Reec Fleming, Double O has unfortunately been whisked away to the truck hospital for injuries sustained from a falling tree but is expected to make a full recovery. No definite timeline on the reliable Medium has been given but Dr. Diesel M. Canick reckons it should be in the vicinity of 6 weeks.
The wind is a foe whose destructive power is often underestimated. just ask Dorothy Gale.
Have a chat Save a life
Next Wednesday, 10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day, and Thursday, 11 September is R U OK? Day.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–44, and 1 in 6 people will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their life. Here at The Man, we know that every mover, manager, and phone slinger will face tough times. World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK? Day are reminders for all of us to look out for each other around the depot and on the road.
If you notice your offsider’s vibe is off, don’t hesitate to ask how they're doing. You don’t need to give life-changing advice — listening to someone's struggle with an open mind and checking in regularly can make a world of difference.
You don’t have to go through tough times alone. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 – available 24/7 for anyone who needs to talk.
If you ever want to talk to someone within the organisation: Drizzy Evergreen, Sarah Fraser, & Jack Tandy have already completed their Mental-Health First-Aid Training. Your Health & Safety Reps - Thom Lidgerwood, Lance Gannon, & Graeme MacLean - Union Delegates - Alex Morris & Paul Deakin, & General Manager - Matt Windsor are all accessible when you need.
Swoop there it is!
Spring has sprung which means that the magpies are about to begin nesting and defend their territory like a paranoid doomsday leader fending off the zombie invasion. Remember to look up, look out and protect those noggins.
That being said, if you'd like to see what it's like to live as the black and white enemy in the sky, check out this online game - >>Pie In The Sky Game<<
It's like Tony Hawk’s pro-skater only you chain together magpie swooping combos instead of grinds.
Tommy's Tales
Another one hot off the damage-report presses this timber table had an unfortunate run-in with a snagged blanket, pulling the connecting bolt loose and damaging the leg. A certified banger of a damage report was submitted with plenty of helpful photos from up close, slightly further away and the item as a whole.
The customer - understandably keen on a repair - was connected with fixy-time specialist Tobias "Tiji" Priddle who has since restored the table to it's former four-legged glory.
Watch out when unpacking/unwrapping items for any potential booby-traps you may have set yourself up with earlier, especially when items are stacked high or supporting the weight of another item. Sometimes a little extra force is necessary to lodge/dislodge things though be sure to take a moment and assess if that final shove could cause potential damage to the item or items around it.
The Vibe
Broadly positive vibes over the last fortnight though a few unfortunate less-than-stellar surveys have made their way through.
Customer feedback primarily centred around damage and our handling of it. Remember to always report damage no matter how big or small and speak to your customer about it, they would much rather hear it from you directly than discover it later on their own. When you have caused damage, please remember to always let the customer know it is their responsibility to contact the office and discuss potential resolutions.
Suggestion Box
Suggestion: Did you know it's an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false or misleading representation about the workplace rights of another person? Why do you keep telling casual staff members it's their responsibility to cover a shift they can't attend?
Response: Dear reader, Thanks for the questions! Let’s unpack them, as I believe at the heart of this matter is a difference of opinion, rather than a reckless misrepresentation of workplace rights.
1: From Fairwork: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/protections-at-work#misrepresentation“
Misrepresentation "Misrepresentation is when someone knowingly or recklessly makes a false or misleading representation about workplace rights, or the exercise or effect of exercising a workplace right to a person who would likely rely on that representation. It’s against the law.” Your first question is absolutely correct. It’s against the law to knowingly tell an employee something that is untrue about their workplace rights. However, our difference in opinion is around which workplace right are we talking about, and what is its meaning?
Casual workers can indeed reject shifts offered to them by their employer - that is the nature of casual employment. Alongside this is the right of the employer to offer or not to offer shifts to casual employees, in a way that they cannot if the employee is permanent. In many workplaces, the way that casual shifts are offered (and then accepted or rejected by the employee) is that the employer will set out a roster with dates of work offered. The employee can then accept or reject those shifts. The roster is set, as is the expectation to work. See: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/starting-employment/types-of-employees/casual-employees
At Man With A Van, this process is reversed. Each week, employees are offered the opportunity to offer their availability, which Man With A Van then accepts (rosters you on to that available day) or rejects (doesn’t roster you on to that available day). This is the opportunity to either “accept” or “reject” the offer of 5 days per week of work.
The internal procedure then sets the way this occurs (ie via text message each week indicating when shifts will be confirmed). From this point, Man With A Van’s expectation has always been that once an offered shift is accepted (by the employee) and confirmed (by the employer), it is the employee’s responsibility to work that shift or find a replacement.
This is clear in our policy : https://sites.google.com/mwav.org/wiki/pp/misconduct/non-attendance-of-rostered-shift
Our policy is that: “It is each staff member’s responsibility to either:
1. work the shift as assigned, or
2. find a replacement member of staff to work the shift.”
Nonetheless, Man With A Van always attempts to engage with and find a solution with staff who have issues that arise that preclude them from being able to attend a rostered shift. In the recent EBA negotiations this issue was discussed.
The outcome is that Man With A Van has moved to a weekly roster (confirmed 2 weeks in advance) rather than a monthly roster confirmed up to 4 weeks in advance. In addition, there is now a minimum 12 hour notice period of shift cancellations - this is a new workplace right at Man With A Van that is not covered in the National Employment Standards or Award. If you’re free for a chat, please call past the office and we can discuss it further. Cheers! Matt.
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Suggestion: Can we add a 2nd log in screen after the survey to avoid customers getting click happy and sending themselves paid invoices when they haven't paid? Absolutely fine when they can make payments but when not it turns into a whole thing involving managers and phone calls and time lost when we could be driving to the next one or coming back for some snags and beeers
Response: This a common problem for the green-button-clickers and has been sent to the IT Dept. for deliberation. In the meantime, watch for when they sign with their finger and get ready to snatch that phone back before they go rogue.
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Suggestion: Can we get some uniform that's not labeled 'Human' back. I think it's fair to say the most employees at MWAV identify as men / males.
Response: It is true that the majority of MWAV employees identify as men/males but there are a clear minority who do not. MWAV wants to remain an inclusive and respectful workplace that allows everyone to feel rightfuly part of the team. The Man absolutely will not exclude staff based on their gender identity. We all fall under the umbrella of HuMan (for now at least) so the new uniform reads "HuMan" logo on the chest and classic "MWAV" logo on the back.
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Suggestion: I'm certainly guilty of forgetting the odd band I've snailed under a door at the pickup address.. So my idea is to add a text box on the site above the drop off address (or a popup in the coming soon app) that says something like "LEAVING SO SOON?! Check again for bands, tools and straps that will be left behind". Because that's the time we'll likely see the reminder on the app. Or maybe a sticker with that reminder on the truck dashboards near the phone mount.
Response: Great idea! Perhaps we could have silhouettes on the walls of the truck like you would in a tool shed like this?
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Would you like to send in an anonymous suggestion to make MWAV a better place to work? Please do so with complete anonymity right here:
tny.mwav.org/report
Stibsi wrote a book
Gabe Stibio declares: My first book is coming out; it’s called Zugzwang! Buy it!
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Gig Guide
YesYesYes
Award winning comedian and featured background extra of "The Twelve" (streaming on Binge), Stuart Daulman, also hosts Melbourne's best alternative character/stand up show YesYesYes.