Job Postings....senority vs performance

[FutureNurse2005]

so an upsetting situation has come up at work. a friend of mine applied to a job posting, but it was awarded to another person based on senority. my friend is terribly upset because almost everyone agrees that it should have been based on performance instead. (this other girl is a good worker, but not an excellent worker like my friend is)

anyway, what are your thoughts? is this the policy in other places as well?

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

You know...all positions should be based on performance, but the real world respects and rewards experience/loyalty/seniority. As a "seasoned" nurse, I can see it both ways, and actually respect experience above many things.

[FutureNurse2005]

In this case, my friend has been a nurse for 22 years, but in this job only for 3. The other girl has been a nurse for 5 years and in this job for 4.5 of those years. Everyone knows my friend is the right one for the job, but she lost it only because she hasnt been there long enough.

thats not right or fair! Is this standard in hospitals?

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

FutureNurse you will find in health care, as in other disciplines, the person who actually "gets" the job isn't necessarily the best for the position, nor the most qualified. Sad but true.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I don't think seniority should count over performance, but it should carry a lot of weight. Someone with a lot of senior is invested in the place and is likely to remain loyal. Perhaps the position became open because of someone without loyalty.

From what I've seen where I work, it's more a matter of "who you know" and that could be based on seniority or performance, or neither - just being at the right place at the right time.

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

There are more issues to deciding who gets the job than seniority or performance. There is staff fit-does one person fit with the current staff of the unit better than the other. There is absenteeism/tardiness. Ability to take direction and/or ability to act without a lot of direction. Some of these things just arent able to be based on seniority or performance in one job, but are based on personality and flexibility too.

I know it is hard to swallow a decision that seems not to be just or appears to be decided for the wrong reasons. But sometimes there are unspoken reasons for making the decisions that are made. Sometimes its just fate plain and simple. Maybe your co-worker will fall into something else soon that really clicks her heels and will be glad she didnt get the other job.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

Try being beat out for a position by a high school educated former drug addict because Mommy has seniority! :angryfire This happened to me in a clinical health care setting. Don't worry, it was an administrative position. I was still angry none the less.

However, I came to understand what some of the other posters have mentioned, promotions and jobs are based on who you know and not necessarily about what you know. With that said, I agree that what happened was unfair. On the other hand, I doubt the people who thought that your friend was perfect for the position would have felt OK with your friend getting the position.

I believe lots of people are not the best performers. Only one nurse can be the best. The others will be "very good" or "OK". Plus, most people want another way to get a job to give him/her an edge over more or equally qualified applicants. Now the unit knows that being a good nurse, knowing the right people, and having seniority is the way of getting promoted.

On the other hand, if your friend had gotten promoted over the other nurse it might have set a bad tone for the unit and caused moral to drop. The unit may have felt that he/she does not have a shot because he/she is and will not be the best nurse no matter how long he/she works on the unit.

I also agree with the above poster that there may be other factors at play about which your friend may never know. Just some thoughts.

:smilecoffeecup:

[epg_pei]

Given two candidates, one with less education but significantly greater seniority, the other with specialty education but little experience, seniority will win. Life sucks.

[GardenDove]

Often promotions are based on who has the brownest nose.

I work in a unionized hospital, and seniority bears alot of weight within a unit, as to who gets an open shift, such as going to days. But, if you want to change units, then it's more based on the discretion of the manager. If you want to get into management, it's a matter of kissing the tush of the Chief Nursing Officer, who is a real piece of work.