Interpreting New Director Behavior/Personality

[mermer_rn]

My unit has it's 3 rd director in not quite 2 years. We are still reeling and recovering from all the COVID chaos and are no longer serving as the designated COVID unit. The hospital restricted many things and became for profit. Took away shift diffs, incentives and for part time, like me, holiday pay.  I was picking up where I was needed and wasn't asked for my schedule more than a couple weeks out and was not being asked to work holidays. Now comes in the new director...right off the bat she starts sending out constant emails about things we aren't doing correctly and the verbage comes off very patronizing like we are children being sent to time out, she has reprimanded 3 nurses and given them "retraining pathways", handed out write ups like candy and has fired a nurse for arguing with her "amongst other numerous issues". Now I'm being told I have to work 2 major holidays a year despite no holiday pay like full time employees receive and I have to give my schedule 3 months in advance. I feel very uncomfortable in her presence, yet she constantly "hangs out" and "chats" with me...but I can't help but feel I'm being watched when the next email comes out. I asked her if she felt that her requirement for working the holidays was fair and if she herself would accept that and she got visibly upset said "I think it's more important to function as a team then worry about what is fair and I only want team players". I'm just not sure what think of this woman. I don't understand her behavior....she jumps the gun with getting upset about things before she's even talked to everyone and I can't help but feel she knows it's not right to ask these things of us. Thoughts? How should I interact with her?  I feel like I want to jump ship but I actually really like most my coworkers. 

[mermer_rn, BSN]

18 hours ago, Been there,done that said:

 

No matter how much you like your coworkers... it's time to move on. Don't bother trying to analyze the director's behavior.  That's a lost cause. 

 

I think you are correct. I always try to stick it out, analyze and find a way to work peacefully with everyone....but hind sight of many of those times: I should've left right away. 

[mermer_rn, BSN]

9 hours ago, JKL33 said:

 Of course she did! That's what they do! One set of rules for themselves and a different set for everyone else. ?

People like this are intellectually, emotionally and morally unfit to proclaim who is a team player; they themselves are NOT. They are not leaders. 

 

Listen to others' advice. Get the eff out of there.

 

That makes sense, no she is not a team player, at least not on our team! I just have a difficult time understanding that...but I think I need to stop wondering what her motivations are and just take it for what it is: the writing on the wall ?

[mermer_rn, BSN]

3 hours ago, Closed Account 12345 said:

You could always call in sick on the major holidays, and when reprimanded, you could say "I was under the understanding that this was a routine work shift for part time employees, not a major holiday."

No? Just me? Too petty? But for real... You wouldn't catch me missing holidays with my fam for an ungrateful employer who doesn't acknowledge the sacrifice.

I want to be petty and I have lots of ideas for potential pettiness, but I also don't want to find my head on the chopping block next.  ? 

I do think I will bide my time for a bit and browse around as I'm very leery of just making a snap decision and God forbid longing for this job back ??

And thank you for pointing out that I've got some time before major holidays, duh, I got so upset and frazzled I didn't even think about that fact. I think I will grin through my teeth and try to leave without destroying bridges. 

 

[TriciaJ, RN]

Let me interpret her behaviour for you:  she's a *****.

Hopefully all of you can run her off before she runs you off.  If all your coworkers start jumping ship and the director seems stuck in, then you can start looking for the exit.

Do check with your state's labour board about working holidays without holiday pay.  The law might not be any different whether you're full or part time.

Did the hospital lose money during covid?  Sounds like they hired her specifically to pinch pennies.  Hopefully she runs away screaming before too long.

[CABGpatch_RN, BSN]

UNION.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I'm surprised there is not a hospital policy about how per diem staff are paid, as well as holiday pay. I don't understand how she can just change the rules willy-nilly. I mean, what do the other departments do?

4 hours ago, CABGpatch_RN said:

UNION.

Meaning, what? This one per diem employee should rally the masses and form a union? Do you have a suggestion that's a little more realistic?

[NurseBlaq]

I'd give those coworkers my number on the way out the door. No way I'd stay there for that. And I hate when people are trying to mistreat me and smile in my face. She's a snake, don't get bit!

[mermer_rn, BSN]

5 hours ago, klone said:

I'm surprised there is not a hospital policy about how per diem staff are paid, as well as holiday pay. I don't understand how she can just change the rules willy-nilly. I mean, what do the other departments do?

I live in a fire at will, do pretty much whatever you want to your employees state and unless you work for a federal employer you do not have to be paid holiday pay or shift diff or anything else ? When I went OPT the requirement was 2 shifts per month no more than 36 hours per week unless approved by your director. We had a director that basically disappeared during the pandemic...like we legit thought she just left because we just never saw or heard anything from her, but she was apparently still our director. We were lucky enough to have a good supervisor who would work with us in order to keep things running and retain nurses (who has now left and we do not have a new one) and they have now slipped this "all employee schedules are at the discretion of the unit director" phrase into the employee types policy. 

[mermer_rn, BSN]

10 hours ago, CABGpatch_RN said:

UNION.

I wish. They shut that down quick and even have an entire policy about Unionization that includes that you may be reprimanded and even dismissed for talking about, recruiting or organizing a union during "company time" aka when you're clocked it. Supposedly you can do it on your own time and they have no problem with it...but it is a fire at will state, so you'd be putting a target on your back and you'll likely be fired for somethig else after they watch you extremely close and write up numerous things.  I've seen it happen. 

[mermer_rn, BSN]

6 hours ago, NurseBlaq said:

I'd give those coworkers my number on the way out the door. No way I'd stay there for that. And I hate when people are trying to mistreat me and smile in my face. She's a snake, don't get bit!

I think so...I think my gut is telling me this since I squirm in her presence and if I've learned anything from nursing it's to trust that gut feeling even if you can't put a name to it.  My personality is the rat (my lucky year and the year of the nurse were 2020 how sadistic ?)...and maybe it's telling me to run because there is a snake ?

[mermer_rn, BSN]

13 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

Let me interpret her behaviour for you:  she's a *****.

Hopefully all of you can run her off before she runs you off.  If all your coworkers start jumping ship and the director seems stuck in, then you can start looking for the exit.

Do check with your state's labour board about working holidays without holiday pay.  The law might not be any different whether you're full or part time.

Did the hospital lose money during covid?  Sounds like they hired her specifically to pinch pennies.  Hopefully she runs away screaming before too long.

Checking the laws was the first I did when that email went out....no luck. The state I live in does not have many laws protecting employees ☹️

Yes, supposedly they "almost had to close the doors" and that is why they went for profit...but they did it so quickly that I have to wonder if they had been planning it before the pandemic. They also slid in last second before going for profit and claimed a lot of federal aid, which I have no idea where that went; there was talk of pandemic pay/bonuses and that never happened. ?‍♀️

Id like to think we could run her off, but our strongest, most thick skinned, been at this hospital the longest, been there done that, not her first rodeo with a new director nurse already tried and she was fired. ?

[TriciaJ, RN]

2 hours ago, mermer_rn said:

Yes, supposedly they "almost had to close the doors" and that is why they went for profit...but they did it so quickly that I have to wonder if they had been planning it before the pandemic. They also slid in last second before going for profit and claimed a lot of federal aid, which I have no idea where that went; there was talk of pandemic pay/bonuses and that never happened. ?‍♀️

 

I once worked for a hospital that had nurses parroting "Oh, we're so over budget!".  No one on our section of the food chain ever laid eyes on any budget.

Your hospital sounds similar.  They use the pandemic as an excuse to go for profit (the pandemic benefitted a lot of people and entities) but still manage to score some federal aid before the ink dried.

I suppose it never hurts to start looking around to see if the grass is greener anywhere else.  When your coworkers start an exodus you might consider joining them.