not sure if I should say anything or not (work related)

[Dznypal]

I retired in 2016 from a local hospital--I wasnt really ready to retire but we were taken over by another healthcare and I didnt want to go with a new company
but I was able to arrange to come back as pool which means that they can call me if theres a sick call or another tech can call if they need a day off I can fill in for them
this is only for my orginial dept not the whole hospital
also we have whats called a short list--if there are any hrs not covered by regular staff my director sends what hrs are open to us pool at this time there are 6 of us but Im the only one that picks up hrs since I dont have another job or kids at home

with the short list the director would send it out to us before he needs to post the schedule we then let him know what we can pick up and he finishes the schedule

lately I noticed that he post the schedule without sending a short list out==I only see whats open when I work which lately has been hardly at all=
also there are 2 techs that somehow out of a 4 week schedule somehow are working 2 weeks where they have 6 days which of course is overtime for them
not sure how this is even allowed since any openings are supposed to go to pool first then regular part time then full time
a recent example was the last time I worked was 11/8 at that time I saw he had need for the 17 on the bottom of the schedule so I texed him and said I could work it and he answered back he would check into it and let me know what the hrs would be---well he nver got back and no one called me to say where are you--your on the schedule for today so not sure if they still needed anyone any more or how things went that day

my issue is I really dont want to open a can of worms but I would like to work more then just 2 days a month if that Im not even sure when the next time I do work
again he has need for 12/ 7 which I texted on fri (I knew he was working that day) and still havent gotten back to me but I have time but I would like to know

I really dont want to make a fuss over this but I do like the people I work with and the job itself

somehow I feel like Im forgotten about

so question being--what would you do
say something and hope for the best
say nothing and see how long before they contact me
any other ideas
sorry this got rather long
oh we really dont need the money but I said earlier its nice to get a checkand see the people I used to work with
just wondering how I should go about this
thanks for listening

 

[fla4fun]

Perhaps approach it by asking if there has been a change in how the extra hours are distributed because they used to be in advance of the schedule and now they appear to be afterward. If they say there has been no change, then ask if there is any way you can be considered for more shifts. Have a number in mind, such as if you want to work once a week or twice every other week. If you approach it as simply being curious about the change, you may get a more positive result. It could be that there has been a change regarding overtime which allows the regular staff to pick up more shifts. At least if you ask, you will know. If you remain silent, they may feel you are okay with things as they are. Good luck, and I hope the situation improves for you.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Why not ask if there has been a policy change? If nothing else lets the powers that be know you are paying attention and are available.

 

[AprilsZoo]

I assume the “how-hours-get-assigned” rules are in place hospital-wide, i.e. they are the same in all departments (obv. with slight differences to account for licensure/cert. requirements, etc)… then if it were me, I might try to schedule a face-to-face or zoom meeting one-on-one with the “boss” (supervisor, whatever) and voice your concerns.

If nothing changes, or they just won’t respond to meet with you, then take it up the chain to HR.

In the meantime, can you get a friend in your dept, to send you screenshots or pictures or whatever to document that there *are* open hours there, and show that “pool” employees are NOT getting offered those hours in the manner they should be? I’m afraid the onus is going to be on you to be able to show there’s a disconnect in how hours are being assigned. Then TPTB will pull overtime records, etc to show that what you say is happening actually is.

Which isn’t to say it’s not, but it’s possible something else is going on that you aren’t privy to now that you’ve moved into “pool” status. Maybe they are trialing something different, or maybe they found too many hours were still remaining open because of not a large enough “pool”, or maybe…. Well who knows…? But my point is there may be an explanation you don’t know about because you aren’t officially with the organization/department anymore.

But if you just sit on your hands and wonder, then you’ll just get saltier about the situation and that won’t really help your own or anyone else’s situation. Perhaps you and the other pool employees can arrange a meeting together with the boss, if they’re seeing the same patterns you are?

 

[sam_gordon]

I retired in 2016 from a local hospital--I wasnt really ready to retire but we were taken over by another healthcare and I didnt want to go with a new company
but I was able to arrange to come back as pool which means that they can call me if theres a sick call or another tech can call if they need a day off I can fill in for them
this is only for my orginial dept not the whole hospital
also we have whats called a short list--if there are any hrs not covered by regular staff my director sends what hrs are open to us pool at this time there are 6 of us but Im the only one that picks up hrs since I dont have another job or kids at home

with the short list the director would send it out to us before he needs to post the schedule we then let him know what we can pick up and he finishes the schedule

lately I noticed that he post the schedule without sending a short list out==I only see whats open when I work which lately has been hardly at all=
also there are 2 techs that somehow out of a 4 week schedule somehow are working 2 weeks where they have 6 days which of course is overtime for them
not sure how this is even allowed since any openings are supposed to go to pool first then regular part time then full time
a recent example was the last time I worked was 11/8 at that time I saw he had need for the 17 on the bottom of the schedule so I texed him and said I could work it and he answered back he would check into it and let me know what the hrs would be---well he nver got back and no one called me to say where are you--your on the schedule for today so not sure if they still needed anyone any more or how things went that day

my issue is I really dont want to open a can of worms but I would like to work more then just 2 days a month if that Im not even sure when the next time I do work
again he has need for 12/ 7 which I texted on fri (I knew he was working that day) and still havent gotten back to me but I have time but I would like to know

I really dont want to make a fuss over this but I do like the people I work with and the job itself

somehow I feel like Im forgotten about

so question being--what would you do
say something and hope for the best
say nothing and see how long before they contact me
any other ideas
sorry this got rather long
oh we really dont need the money but I said earlier its nice to get a checkand see the people I used to work with
just wondering how I should go about this
thanks for listening

Regarding the bolded... is that in writing anywhere or just an "understanding"? The answer to that would affect how I approach it.

If it's in writing, then I would refer to it and ask if there's been a change.
If it's just an understanding, then I would reach out saying "Just a reminder I'm willing to pick up a shift." BUT, know, maybe they don't want you to work there (could be a lot of reasons). Then you tell yourself that you made the choice to retire (nothing wrong with that) and then enjoy retirement.

If you want to see old coworkers, send a message and see if you can get together for lunch or coffee once a month or so.

 

[tvguy]

Are the people that are getting the hours at a lower pay scale? I can see that, it's only good business to find the lowest cost way to get a shift filled.
Certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
When I first started at my last employer in 2005, I was freelance, zero hours per week at a lower pay rate than anyone else. I was the first person they offered hours to. In 13 months as a freelancer I never worked less than 40 hours a week. And I was willing to work all shifts, split my days off, and work more than 40 hours or work double shifts because officially I didn't know week to week if I would have any assigned hours. So I can see people like that getting first dibs on extra hours.

 

[Dznypal]

Forgot to mention we’re a union hospital and the healthcare now does not like unions were the only union hospital in thi s com

Also it’s in the union book how hrs are supposed to go
Should have mentioned this sooner

 

[focusondisney]

I retired in 2016 from a local hospital--I wasnt really ready to retire but we were taken over by another healthcare and I didnt want to go with a new company
but I was able to arrange to come back as pool which means that they can call me if theres a sick call or another tech can call if they need a day off I can fill in for them
this is only for my orginial dept not the whole hospital
also we have whats called a short list--if there are any hrs not covered by regular staff my director sends what hrs are open to us pool at this time there are 6 of us but Im the only one that picks up hrs since I dont have another job or kids at home

with the short list the director would send it out to us before he needs to post the schedule we then let him know what we can pick up and he finishes the schedule

lately I noticed that he post the schedule without sending a short list out==I only see whats open when I work which lately has been hardly at all=
also there are 2 techs that somehow out of a 4 week schedule somehow are working 2 weeks where they have 6 days which of course is overtime for them
not sure how this is even allowed since any openings are supposed to go to pool first then regular part time then full time
a recent example was the last time I worked was 11/8 at that time I saw he had need for the 17 on the bottom of the schedule so I texed him and said I could work it and he answered back he would check into it and let me know what the hrs would be---well he nver got back and no one called me to say where are you--your on the schedule for today so not sure if they still needed anyone any more or how things went that day

my issue is I really dont want to open a can of worms but I would like to work more then just 2 days a month if that Im not even sure when the next time I do work
again he has need for 12/ 7 which I texted on fri (I knew he was working that day) and still havent gotten back to me but I have time but I would like to know

I really dont want to make a fuss over this but I do like the people I work with and the job itself

somehow I feel like Im forgotten about

so question being--what would you do
say something and hope for the best
say nothing and see how long before they contact me
any other ideas
sorry this got rather long
oh we really dont need the money but I said earlier its nice to get a checkand see the people I used to work with
just wondering how I should go about this
thanks for listening

Is there a hospital wide policy on scheduling, including for pool staff? The hospital system I am retired from has been unionized for almost 40 years. Everything involving staffing, schedules & overtime is covered by the negotiated contract. I was a union delegate for several years. If managers weren’t following written policies, the employee needed to discus it & try to resolve it themselves first. If things didn’t change, the employee would talk with a union delegate who would meet with the manager & discuss the problem. Grievances & meetings with the manager & HR would occur if the manager didn’t make the necessary changes. There were also hospital wide management/ union committees that would monitor issues like this.

I agree with @AprilsZoo’s suggestions. You do need to speak to the manager & try to find out if there has been a policy change. Having a friend/ coworker send you copies of the schedules as they come out will help you be proactive in asking for time & support your claim you aren’t getting the hours you previously did. How is your relationship with the manager? I would say try to see him in person or on the phone first. Yes, email will give you a paper trail. But I think talking personally seems less threatening to the manager. Any number of things could have caused the scheduling change. Remind him you’re available & how much you would like to work if possible. Sometimes managers are just busy & rushing with the schedule last minute. Maybe instead of the back & forth with emailing the schedules, he could just give you a quick call with some dates he needs you. Might be quicker for him than waiting for an email reply.

If talking to him doesn’t change things & you’re sure the hospital scheduling policies haven’t changed, you will have to move up the chain, to HR or a union delegate if you’re unionized. Good luck, I hope you get some resolution.

 

[sam_gordon]

Forgot to mention we’re a union hospital and the healthcare now does not like unions were the only union hospital in thi s com

Also it’s in the union book how hrs are supposed to go
Should have mentioned this sooner

Does the union have a policy on how you should handle this? I assume you're still a member of the union.

 

[focusondisney]

Forgot to mention we’re a union hospital and the healthcare now does not like unions were the only union hospital in thi s com

Also it’s in the union book how hrs are supposed to go
Should have mentioned this sooner

Yea, that’s important. Do you know who your union delegate is? You could talk to that person first, before you talk to the manager. Just to get some guidance. But I would still talk to the manager before the union person does & try to resolve it on your own. Some managers get upset if the first time they hear of a problem is from a union rep. It’s definitely better to talk to them yourself first.

If the manager is definitely violating contract rules & it has cost you money, a grievance may be able to get you that money. For example, you said you told the manager 2 different days you saw the department was short & you could work. If it’s found he violated the contract & someone else worked hours you should have been given, they can request you be paid for those days as a resolution to the grievance.

 

[tvguy]

Does the union have a policy on how you should handle this? I assume you're still a member of the union.

Sounds like something that the Shop Steward should be handling.

 

[goooof1]

Yes, contact the union rep. !!

 

[Allison]

Maybe they prefer to ask others over you and they are getting hours. Do you get any vibes about that?

 

[cayennews]

I would call the manager instead of text at this point. Be direct. If you get the run around, go to the union.

 

[Dznypal]

in answer to some questions here
even with pool they have to go by seniority and I have most of the pool
there have been days were another tech and myself put in for the same day
they had to give it to me since I have the seniority
out of 6 pool Im the only one that usually pick up any hours
its also in the contract that pool is to pick up 3 days a schedule which runs for 4 weeks
yet since the other 5 either have other jobs or kids at home and since I remember the days when
I was regular full time and if we were short how miserable it was to work being short
so I would pick up more then the 3 days just for that fact

its funny cause I really dont like to cause waves over this since Im there so little now
I think the biggest thing is paying the 2 overtime when Im available and willing

good advice on talking to the director--hes a pretty laid back guy still maybe thats the problem
so I will talk to him

its funny cause if there were no hrs available then there wouldnt be a problem but even with espeically the one working 2 weeks of 6 days there were still 6 days total that said needed
thanks for all the advice and listening

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I work in a hospital with a system like this. We are pretty desperate for help (and from what I hear, so is everyone else), so I’m a little surprised they wouldn’t immediately and enthusiastically take you up on your offers to work those shifts. I’d say you definitely need to have a chat with the manager, preferably in person, if possible, first, and take it from there. Also keep screenshots of everything.

 

[tony67]

Id start with a simple - id like to pick up a few more shifts.
Probably best to do it in email so you have a record of it and don't get into the rest of it and annoy co-workers etc..
Be sure to let them know how many you want to do as well and maybe work in you have seniority.
It may also be that those folks who are doing a lot more work are getting the time because they know they can count on them for 40 hours a week and they need that.
They seem to be using you to fill gaps here and there and as long as you don't complain to the union rep its good for them.

In the end I'd go to the union rep - that is almost always the correct course of action in those cases and you did try up front before going to the union.

They may have you file a grievance - and you may get money out of it - I know folks that make more per year in grievances than their actual pay - but you may also ruffle some feathers so be ready for that.