How would you handle this work issue?

[jaminmd]

I wouldn't send that Email. I would request a face-to-face meeting instead. During that meeting, I would get clarification on what the expectations are for your schedule.

FWIW, I worked a little over 3 years part-time in a hospital. (I'm not a nurse, but an admin person.) When I took the job, I was assured that my hours would be flexible. About a month into it, I found out that the only flexibility was on their part, not mine. Obviously, I stayed there so it wasn't all bad, but my experience there was that hospitals do not treat their employees very well.

Boy did you hit the nail on the head!

Can you tell I'm not feeling love for my hospital right now?

NPM, I started out with flexibility as well, then the boss wanted total control. It will be easier for you in the long run if you pick a set schedule & stick to it.

I also see how I'd be upset over the written counseling as well. It's not like you ever had an issue before and suddenly, because she's ticked, she's writing you up for it.

 

[quentina]

So I have a part time job, I see patients in a nursing home to manage their psych meds. so when I took the job I stressed I needed flexibility in scheduling, and was assured this is flexible, can make your own days etc etc.
so I have been working one or two afternoons in the week, when hubby gets home and sometimes one weekend afternoon, usually saturday after he gets home.
so last week , i worked the sunday before christmas, i had planned to work wednesday but because of the holiday and everything going on i decided i would work the weekend.
i check my voicemail on christmas eve. there is a message from my boss, apparently from the day before, I had checked my voicemail the day before and did not have any message, so she must have called after i checked which would have been late afternoon.
anyway she wanted to know if i was going to the home that day because there were cases for me to see. one of the cases i had seen in the book on sunday but didn't see the patient because i was told not to see BCBS patients because they won't pay for an NP. so i didn't. the other 2 were not in the book, at that time. when i went in and saw the book this past weekend they had been added the day after i was there.

so because i didn't get the message, i didn't go and went over the weekend and saw that she had gone in and saw the patient the wednesday that she called me.
so now i get a scathing email from her basically blasting me, and saying how the expectation was a weekday had to be done, ( she never told me this )
and how it was unacceptable that I didn't get her message. how wednesday and thursday are my days to be available and I have to be flexible too.
also she goes in to how DPH requires a weekday visit, again she never told me this.
so now she says she has a "written counseling document " for me to sign so there is no more confusion and she wants me to email her my schedule.

so of course I am annoyed because of this misunderstanding, and it was christmas for petes sake and the whole reason i dont' work in a hospital anymore is because I don't want to work holidays!!!

so I emailed her back tell me if its too snarky, hers to me was coldy and very snarky




Hello,
Regarding last week. No I did not get your message, it was a holiday week, my phone is reliable, I did check my voicemail on Wednesday the message was not there. Sometimes I can't be so flexible that I can receive a call in the day and go right out that same day. Some days I can. I am sorry about that. I did not know that was an expectation. I guess I wasn't clear on expectations. I assumed my weekend visits were fine.
I also did not know that DPH required a weekday visit. And in my defense one case outstanding was BC BS which I was told not to see, and the other 2 I did not know about. When I saw the book over the weekend and saw the dates, if I had known earlier in the week ( Monday ) especially since it was a holiday week I could have tried to rearrange something, but 4 days of that week for me were booked with other commitments. 2 being the holiday.
I was at the nursing home on Sunday, I had a scheduling conflict come up on Wednesday and Thursday was Christmas eve. I knew I was going back on the weekend.
Wednesday or Thursday are the days I can do during the week.This week I will be going out on Wednesday. The weekends, I have been going Saturdays, but sometimes I go on Sundays.
Maybe I should change my schedule and not do any weekend days. That seems like it may be best. Right now my schedule is Wednesday and Thursday available, that may change to Wednesday and Friday.
Thank you.

I oversee 140 C-stores and I need to say, this email lost me. I had a hard time following it. It seems like a bunch of words all running together.

If you didn't already send it, I would re-type in paragragh form. If you did send it, my guess is that she knows what you are trying to say and hopefully will understand it.

 

[npmommie]

If you are reviewing or prescribing psych meds twice a week, it wouldn't make sense to go two days in a row. You should spread those visits out. Just apologize and stick to a written schedule that includes hours and days.

I have 2 homes I cover, so I wouldn't go to the same place 2 days in a row.

As an outside observor, it looks like this was the agreement until Christmas week when you decided not to work at all.

i worked sunday and saturday of christmas week ( sunday before and the satruday day after xmas)

I oversee 140 C-stores and I need to say, this email lost me. I had a hard time following it. It seems like a bunch of words all running together.

If you didn't already send it, I would re-type in paragragh form. If you did send it, my guess is that she knows what you are trying to say and hopefully will understand it.

yeah it was a bad email! LOL
i was annoyed as heck when I wrote it and my mind was racing a mile a minute.
i did not send that email.
i shortened it to basically apologize for the misunderstanding, and let her know where and when I would working the rest of this week.

thanks for all the advice, I will most likely see her tomorrow, I am assuming she is stopping in where I will be tomorrow afternoon.
So I can have a face to face conversation with her.

she actually responded back to my email this evening, thanking me for letting her know when I am working and to tell me about two patients in the book to be seen.
I am going to suggest to her that the nursing home be able to call me directly as well, if there is someone that needs to be seen.

 

[shellybaxter]

I supervise a position that has flexible hours. My definition of flexibility seems to be different than some on this thread - including the OP. For my position the flexibility is that the employee can set there own schedule - but they have to set a schedule. If they want to work their twenty hours four mornings a week - great, two mornings, two afternoons, great. One morning and three evenings - fine - whatever works best for them. There are only two rules - which they know about at the beginning. First, the have to decide when they are going to work and stick to that schedule unless they clear a change (perm or temp) with me and second, they have to work at least one day during regular work hours each week so that we can meet and discuss their program on a regular basis. I consider this very flexible, but I wouldn't be okay with them just picking different days each week. OP - perhaps your boss has a different definition of flexible than you do. Maybe she hasn't been okay with you switching your days in the past but hasn't been good at letting you know?

 

[npmommie]

I wouldn't be okay with them just picking different days each week. OP - perhaps your boss has a different definition of flexible than you do. Maybe she hasn't been okay with you switching your days in the past but hasn't been good at letting you know?

This is a good point. I have been pretty much doing 2 days sometimes 3 and doing them between sat/sun wed/thurs........
some weeks sunday then the following saturday ( the work week is sun - sat)
sometimes sun and wed, anyway, she has never said anything and she has had the opportunity.
in fact she mentioned how much the nursing home "loves" me and my work is good.
so I had no idea.
I think what happened last week is that DPH came into that nursing home and that is where the problem happened. ( they had previously had a bad review and I think dph was following up)
I had no idea they would be there and again if I was notified I could have rearranged my conflict to at least pop into the nursing home while dph was there.
but that is water under the bridge, when I see her I will be discussing my concerns.
when I was approached by this company for the job, I stressed I needed flexibility, I had already turned down an offer by a similar company because they require all visits to be done mon thru fri standard business hours.
I told this company I needed the flexibility to work late afternoons/evenings and weekends.
and she assured me that was no problem, I could make my own schedule, never saying anything about not changing it.

So now that I am clear, I will be emailing her my plans each week, just so she knows and there is no conflict and if there is she can let me know right away.