Manager wants us back in office...

[rn30]

We have been working remotely since Jan 2021( we call pts at home to do a preop assmt), yes, it took a while for our admin to get work from home in place. Our manager now states she wants us back in the office( without reason). There is no reason for us to be in the office as it will be overcrowded. I asked if we as nurses could be part of the conversation with the upper nursing administration as this decision is finalized and was told "NO". Should we pursue with the nsg director as she has the final say and always tells us her door is open? We don't feel our manager will convey the positive points that work from home has provided. And there have been absolutely NO negative issue/problems in the last 6 months we have worked from home and our productivity has increased! Thoughts?

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Speaking from a patient perspective (but yes, I am a nurse) I have found nurse via telephone extremely impersonal and frustrating. In preparation for a procedure that included so-called teaching, it was treated almost as a joke. When I tried to ask questions I was shut down, or I could hear audible sighs, as if I was wasting their time and cutting into productivity. 

There is much to be said about in-person contact, especially when speaking about sensitive subjects, teaching, and/or using an interpreter. One person's productivity may be another's frustration and lack of understanding.  

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

24 minutes ago, nursej22 said:

Speaking from a patient perspective (but yes, I am a nurse) I have found nurse via telephone extremely impersonal and frustrating. In preparation for a procedure that included so-called teaching, it was treated almost as a joke. When I tried to ask questions I was shut down, or I could hear audible sighs, as if I was wasting their time and cutting into productivity. 

There is much to be said about in-person contact, especially when speaking about sensitive subjects, teaching, and/or using an interpreter. One person's productivity may be another's frustration and lack of understanding.  

Absolutely. Our providers are really being resistant to in-person visits for things like discussing lab results. They say “It’s so much easier and faster on the phone!” But that is not what many of our patients report— they want to see the provider and sit near them while they talk about something concerning. 

[rn30]

1 hour ago, CommunityRNBSN said:

An office job is a cushy nursing job. Complain about if if you want but there are scores of burnt out hospital nurses who will happily work at your office while you stay home in your pajamas. 

I worked in an inner city ER for 25 years prior to my “cushy office job”. I certainly, as you will one day, deserve a cushy job. Not one ounce of guilt here. 

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

29 minutes ago, rn30 said:

I worked in an inner city ER for 25 years prior to my “cushy office job”. I certainly, as you will one day, deserve a cushy job. Not one ounce of guilt here. 

Oh, I have one. I work in an FQHC. I guess I don’t “deserve” it (I mean, weird word choice but whatever) because I skipped the hospital. Ah well, they still pay me! 

[SmilingBluEyes]

3 hours ago, CommunityRNBSN said:

An office job is a cushy nursing job. Complain about if if you want but there are scores of burnt out hospital nurses who will happily work at your office while you stay home in your pajamas. 

Reading on FB, I would say thousands are ready to jump in. There are entire forums dedicated to nurses seeking help to get away from the bedside into an office job. There are many more nurses than such jobs;  It's astounding.

[SmilingBluEyes]

2 hours ago, rn30 said:

I worked in an inner city ER for 25 years prior to my “cushy office job”. I certainly, as you will one day, deserve a cushy job. Not one ounce of guilt here. 

Speaking for myself, I have no issue with a nurse having a "cushy" office job, per se, but to complain one has to go back to the office is a bit over the top for many nurses who have not had such an opportunity. An office job is that-- an office job. Not a home job,  unless the status was promised to change permanently. Many non-nurses worked from home during the height of the pandemic, only to have to return once the crisis has lessened. This is not a unique situation.

[Wuzzie]

11 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

Speaking for myself, I have no issue with a nurse having a "cushy" office job, per se, but to complain one has to go back to the office is a bit over the top for many nurses who have not had such an opportunity.

I think this is the issue in a nutshell. People have also had the audacity to say it solved their child/elder care issues (ummm they aren't paying you to take care of your kids), they don't want to have to commute anymore and it isn't "convenient". Well no, adulting is pretty inconvenient for the most part. For those of us who couldn't work remotely and have to work with people who do it's a giant pain in the rear. That 5 minutes you take to let the dog out (which we all know is more like 15) is when I'm trying to get hold of you for an urgent issue and the only access I have is by phone.  It makes my job much harder so it's difficult not to be a little bitter about it. 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

19 hours ago, rn30 said:

I worked in an inner city ER for 25 years prior to my “cushy office job”. I certainly, as you will one day, deserve a cushy job. Not one ounce of guilt here. 

Wow, your entitled attitude at "deserving" a cushy office job is amazing.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

On 6/26/2021 at 2:09 PM, rn30 said:

And there have been absolutely NO negative issue/problems in the last 6 months we have worked from home and our productivity has increased! Thoughts?

I think that it comes down to perspective. You and others working from home may perceive that there have been no negatives to the work from home arrangement, however, it clearly has a negative side for someone, and it can't just be your one manager, because if the organization as a whole found a benefit they would not allow one manager to make that decision. There have been reports that productivity has increased for some, however, there are also a number of reports (mean articles and anecdotal evidence - I don't have EBP) that there is often an increase in miscommunication and time required for communication when employees are working in a remote situation. Perhaps there was feedback from patients that they preferred an in person interaction with the nurses they were dealing with. We have all had meetings we were glad to attend from our living room over the course of the past year, but sometimes a face to face meeting is preferred by some. 

I'm sorry you're disappointed. Since this position has been remote the whole time you have had it I can see where that's a frustration. When you initially took the job was there any mention of the intention to transition back to onsite?

[SmilingBluEyes]

On 7/9/2021 at 6:50 AM, Wuzzie said:

I think this is the issue in a nutshell. People have also had the audacity to say it solved their child/elder care issues (ummm they aren't paying you to take care of your kids), they don't want to have to commute anymore and it isn't "convenient". Well no, adulting is pretty inconvenient for the most part. For those of us who couldn't work remotely and have to work with people who do it's a giant pain in the rear. That 5 minutes you take to let the dog out (which we all know is more like 15) is when I'm trying to get hold of you for an urgent issue and the only access I have is by phone.  It makes my job much harder so it's difficult not to be a little bitter about it. 

You bring up an excellent point. Our doctors are doing remote-only visits w/patients via I-pads. The inconvenience on us is unreal. First, the patients can't hear them half the time. So I have to sit there, hold the I-pad so they can see,  and translate or repeat. 2nd, they are charging them the same as if they were at their chair side. Patients definitely don't appreciate this.

It's been a huge chunk of our time facilitating these "visits" and I have had my lunch interrupted because a doctor wanted to do rounds "right now" on our patients.

It's been anything but easy or convenient for us.

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

On 7/9/2021 at 9:50 AM, Wuzzie said:

For those of us who couldn't work remotely and have to work with people who do it's a giant pain in the rear. That 5 minutes you take to let the dog out (which we all know is more like 15) Is when I'm trying to get hold of you for an urgent issue and the only access I have is by phone. 

No need of that. One of the first things I got when I got out of the office and into my home office was a wireless Panasonic headset that plugged into my desk phone. It has a decent range so I can go out in the yard, downstairs to do the laundry, or whatever… and a mute for those annoying times when you call me and I’m just about to flush. 
Nowadays I use Bluetooth earbuds and those I can pair c my iPhone so I can answer the phone at the grocery store or the beach. Forward desk phone to cell, done. 

[SmilingBluEyes]

17 minutes ago, Hannahbanana said:

No need of that. One of the first things I got when I got out of the office and into my home office was a wireless Panasonic headset that plugged into my desk phone. It has a decent range so I can go out in the yard, downstairs to do the laundry, or whatever… and a mute for those annoying times when you call me and I’m just about to flush. 
Nowadays I use Bluetooth earbuds and those I can pair c my iPhone so I can answer the phone at the grocery store or the beach. Forward desk phone to cell, done. 

That sounds so cool. I just have one question. Are you being paid to be at the beach? Just an earnest question, not being snarky at all.