Not receiving desired assignments but receiving unwanted assignments?

[SilverBells]

Any tips for receiving more desired assignments at work instead of unwanted assignments?

At my workplace, we have gone through many adjustments, including a change in leadership. I am one of 2 managers for our rehab/LTC facility. Lately, due to low census, my duties change from day to day. Because many staff have left, there have been gaps in certain roles to be fulfilled, such as infection control, risk management, chart auditor and admissions coordinator. What is confusing is that every time I am approached about possibly taking on these roles and I enthusiastically volunteer, they are always delegated to someone else.

Meanwhile, I have consistently expressed disinterest in assisting with COVID patients and that task has been delegated to me three times now. I am frustrated that I am consistently receiving undesired/unwanted tasks despite showing interest in many other assignments. There doesn’t seem to be an apparent reason for why certain people have been delegated certain things.  

Any tips for approaching leadership who says one thing, but does another? 

[Robmoo, ADN, BSN, RN]

On 12/22/2020 at 7:52 PM, SilverBells said:

Meanwhile coworkers who don’t seem to mind working with the COVID patients are being delegated tasks I’d rather have

It sounds like the person making your assignments does not much like you.  Try to appear happy with COVD patients and quit asking for other assignments.  If your assignments suddenly change you'll know.  Or you could take the direct approach and ask the person making the assignments why they keep giving you COVID patient care.  It might be as simple as them having the perception that you have more skills in this area.  Good Luck!

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

On 12/29/2020 at 8:53 PM, SilverBells said:

 

Unfortunately, the atmosphere on the COVID unit is rather depressing and there’s not much opportunity to complete the things I enjoy.  The isolation from the rest of the work place is depressing. It feels as if you are cut off from everyone.   Many of the patients on the COVID unit are too fatigued to do anything other than stay in bed all day.  There’s not as much follow up with providers, orders to review, etc.  And the teamwork aspect just isn’t the same with fewer staff around.   I’m finding it hard to be positive about working a unit that is so miserable.   Not saying the work isn’t important, but it certainly doesn’t make me want to get out of bed in the morning 

 

SilverBells:

Perhaps take on the task of seeing how you could improve the morale and ways to make it positive. See if there are ways YOU could make it better for the staffthere, perhaps showing how you improve morale, improve the isolation feeling (obviously you can't change the isolation), and ways to improve teamwork.

I bet if you implement something and it remains and is successful they might start seeing you in a different light

[beachynurse, ASN, BSN]

I believe that you are fairly new in your leadership role. Unfortunately, when you are new you tend to get the undesirable assignments due to being the low man on the totem pole.. 

Remember the Rolling Stones song-- "You can't always get what you want" Sometimes you just have to pay your dues.. 

[T-Bird78]

I don’t work in a hospital setting, I’m in a physician’s office, but we are on standby to be redeployed into a hospital setting to help ease the burden some. My manager told me yesterday that the plan for me (LPN) is to be in one of our larger hospital’s ED—doing nasal swabs for COVID testing. The original plan was to put us in lower acuity units or be a tech so the established hospital nurses could focus more on COVID units, but I’m going to be literally front and center.  Plans and assignments change sometimes. 

[SilverBells, BSN]

On a side note, maybe it's just as well I'm not involved with the admissions role.  The person involved has been highly criticized on a daily basis and has already been called into the supervisor's office for "additional training."