Just went through a lay off, more trouble ahead. (sorry, long)

Nurses General Nursing

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Please, please, bare with me. This is a horribly long rant. but I would really appreciate your opinion.

A year ago there were staffing cuts in the hospital that I worked at at the time. I survived the lay off, but it were the two nastiest, most stressfull months in my life sofar. Eventhough I did not get layed off, I ended up leaving that hospital a few months later, because the working atmosphere there never really recovered and was more than grimm... Everyone there seemed tense, stressed and cranky all the time. Not a nice place to go to work every day, really...

Anyway, now I've worked in a SNIF for over three months and I enjoy this job very much. A few days ago we were informed by our DNS that there will be cut backs. we will go down from three nurses on night shift to two and there will be a change from 12 hour shifts to 8 hour shifts. she gave us the option to come up with a schedule by ourselves by a certain deadline or she will implement a rotating four on, two off shedule.

Yeah, it looks like, there will be lay offs again. :o It seems to be following me around like the plegue... I'm scared. Since I'm currently working there only two days a week, I'm scared that I will get left out somehow and that I will be pushed out by more pro-active people. It might sound funny now, but eventhough I've only been there for three months, there have been so many changes lately, that on my shift I am the second most senior person. However this is not a unionized work place. The DNS told me, that she'll go by seniority, in case she needs to let someone go, but in reality, she can do anything she wants. And she's been known to change her mind in the past...

I really don't want to leave, I don't want to get etched out. This morning I called the DNS to get updated on what's going on over there, since I'm not back till next thursday and I'm so affraid to miss out on something and consequently get walked all over by the other nurses that are there daily and - I can imagine in such a situation - kissing up to the DNS. She wasn't available, so I talked to the staff coordinator. She didn't really want to say much, she only told me, that there is a deadline for the night shift staff to come up with a schedule and that this one nurse who's only been there for about three weeks by the way, but is very ...you know... "active and involved" in this (hmmmm, wonder why:uhoh3: ) is working on creating a schedule. When I asked her again, if it'll go by seniority, she didn't confirm it. She said that it is really up to the DNS.

I told her, that I don't want to bohter the DNS with lots of phone calls regarding this issue, but that I don't want to miss out on any information or meetings and to please call me, if there is any news. I also told her that I would like to emphasize, that I really like to working in this facility and that I definitely don't want to leave. I also told her that eventhough there are schedule patterns that I am not particularly fond off, for the sake of stayng, I am willing to adjust to whatever is necessary, as much as I can. she said that she'll be sure to relay it to the DNS, but who knows? Maybe they really don't give a damn... I want to be pro active and do what I can to protect my status there, but I also don't want to be the one, who calls the supervisors every five minutes and is up their you know what all the time...

Oh I'm so anxious now. These things really upset me. I'm affraid that if I don't stand up for myslef I will loose out. It's a pride issue as well as an issue of not wanting to lose this particular job. :crying2:

I'm really sorry that this is so long and sort of ranting, but I'm so nervous. Can anyone give me some advice? Any personal experiences? Any feedback? Am I doing too much or too little to protect my own status in the company? Arrrrrgh, how I hate job politics!!!

I thought I owe you guys an update...

I just spoke to our DNS yesterday to hear what's new. According to her, out of the seven nurses that were on night shift, two are moving to evenings and two are looking (or allready have) new jobs. Which leaves me and two other nurses, which is the amount we need. "It seems to be working out nicely", the DNS said...haha. Isn't that kind of telling of what the strategy was? Let's slam them with the news and then wait it out and see who bails and who prevails. But I guess that on the management level of a company it's the thing to do and one would get rewarded for a great move... Afterall it makes them look much nicer than if they had to fire people, right? ...Still can't help it though and as a common floor nurse, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth either way. But that's the nature of the game, I guess... Afterall we have to be managed and as I allready said, better this way then by handing out pink slips...

So, now that we're down to the "final three", the battle for the schedule begins. The DNS again handed the resposibility over to us nurses: "If you guys can't come up with something, It'll be simplest for me to implement a 4 on 2 off rotating schedule for everyone." Well, in my opinion, 4 on 2 off on NOC shift sucks. all the other nurses seem to agree with me, however everyone is incredibly passive, shrugs their shoulders and doesn't try to come up with anything. so I sat down and figured out a set (non-rotating) schedule, that accomodates the other two nurses wish to work full time and my wish to actually work less than full time with as little need for day care for my kids as possible. I presented it to the DNS and she said "Oh, yeah! That would work. Thanks for doing the work!" I presented it to my co-workers and they again shrug their shoulders and said something to the effect of "yeah, sure...whatever... as long as I get my 40 hours."

So now, we have to have a meeting about it with the DNS to see if everyone officially agrees with my proposal so that the DNS can officially implement it. Again, she for now refuses to set a date for this meeting herself. "It's up to you guys, i'll come in any time of day and night." My colleagues, yet again are shrugging their shoulders.... I'm tired. I hate this. I honestly hate to be the one who pulls and pushes everyone else along, yet somehow I find myself in that position a lot. At work AND at home. (I'm sure there is some kind of a Freudian explanation for that.) I kind of feel like I've done my share, I'm not goint to be organizing a meeting now too. Somebody else can do that... :madface:

Hey, I have a new name for this way of management: Let's call it The SURVIVOR method or The BIG BROTHER method! Can you tell I'm a big reality TV fan? :chuckle

Man I'd make a great manager! Unfortunately I would probably hate every minute of it and with my other traits like sensitivity, tendency to take things personally, anxiety, fear of the unknown and strong need for structure and predictability I would probably also go crazy in a very short amount of time. :lol2:

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

I figured that this was the way things would kind of go. Continue to hold your ground and just stand back and watch what happens. Come in to work, do your job, go home. Don't let your anxiety (and emotions) get the best of you now. Stay cool and calm. Part of your boss' strategy, whether conscious or unconscious on her part, is to create havoc, panic and upset among her workers. Watch how she does this because she is probably going to do it again and again--this is her style of management. I don't think it's a very good style, but that's just my opinion.

Man I'd make a great manager!

You probably would. You should think about it. There are ways to cope with sensitivity, a tendency to take things personally, anxiety, fear of the unknown and a strong need for structure and predictability and turn them into positive attributes that work for you.

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How wonderful! I am so glad that things have worked out, and kudos to you for taking the initiative. I can assure you that things like that may be overlooked by your coworkers but will NOT be overlooked by management. They are very lucky to have you.

Lori

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Estrogen,

Sure seems like she is having you do her work - you should be getting a little extra in your paycheck!

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How wonderful! I am so glad that things have worked out, and kudos to you for taking the initiative. I can assure you that things like that may be overlooked by your coworkers but will NOT be overlooked by management. They are very lucky to have you.

Lori

...Not quite yet, but keep having your fingers crossed for me :wink2:

Thanks!

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
I've had this happen in my previous career. What burned me was it made me look like a job-hopper or a screw-up, when I was really just a pawn in their game. The discharge interview was really unpleasant; they told me I had screwed up so they could show they had a legal reason for firing me (they were already being sued for this). Fortunately, I said, "Why don't we just say I was a consultant, rather than an employee?" They went for this and later gave me a good reference.

Yea, it's a game all right. And since I last posted on this thread, things have really gotten strained between me and my supervisor. She is nit-picking at everything I am turning in. And when I asked her Manager for clarification on a project I was asked to complete by today, she jumped on me, telling me to get the information I needed from another source. I turned in the project to the requesting Manager today...and guess what?: You guessed it; it was done wrong, and now I have to do it ALL over again. What really ticked me off after that was the e-mail I received from my interfering supervisor, giving me the "correct" information! "Here you go", she says in her e-mail. :angryfire

I wanted to send her a reply and tell her to go straight to hell after that. I had worked my heart out on that project for three days...only to be told afterwards that it was wrong...and it would have been right, had I been

allowed to obtain the information that I needed!

I dare either her or her Manager to set me up with a derogatory exit interview. They'll be defending their actions in front of an ALJ at the Labor Board, if they do! :angryfire

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

Man I'd make a great manager! Unfortunately I would probably hate every minute of it and with my other traits like sensitivity, tendency to take things personally, anxiety, fear of the unknown and strong need for structure and predictability I would probably also go crazy in a very short amount of time. :lol2:

Honey, you probably would...and be a much better one than the ones you are having to put up with, now. The problem is, once you become a manager, the company you work for owns you...and you will have NO peace from that day forward. Take a tip from one who knows: stay where you are...and stay focused on the reason why you chose to be a nurse to begin with. Otherwise, you'll wind up like me after 18 years of management: burned out and with little marketable clinical skills.

Good luck to you!

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....Take a tip from one who knows: stay where you are...

...And that's exactly what I'm planning on doing. I have a quite consuming life outside of the facility. Thanks!!

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