What do you think of nursing soliciting at work for things like Mary Kay, and other businesses like that? Is it appropriate to do so during work time?
We have a per diem nurse in our department. Her main gig is Mary Kay and she supplements her income with nursing. She has recruited people at work, and is constantly promoting May Kay while working, hopefully not with patients, but most certainly at the nurses station.
Some people are annoyed by it, others like it and have signed on. What do you think?
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
To those that are fund-raising at work, please stop. It is annoying, against the rules, and most of the time you put your co-workers in a bad situation. For example, most of your co-workers have his/her own expenses and many may not have a dime to their name to give away for your kid's expensive garbage, but feels obligated to do so! Plus, even if your co-workers have the money, he/she may prefer not to purchase your kid's expensive garbage and will do so only because he/she feels obligated. This is because in less mature work enviroments, nurses and techs retaliate against co-workers that do not make purchases, which is wrong. On the other hand, it should not matter that your co-workers feel obligated or pressured by you to make a purchase, you should be grown-up enough to leave work for work.
By the way, I pay out-of-pocket for my fundraising obligations because I choose schools and activities I can afford. If you cannot afford to send your kid to whatever school or afford to have him/her participate in whatever sport or activity by basically paying the fund raising costs yourself, then look at sending him/her to another school or participating in other activities. Please stop passing the cost of your bad financial decisions onto your co-workers.
Well, my preceptor's big thing was 31. I was with her for 2 weeks and she approached me to buy a good 5 times. I found the whole thing annoying, plus I didn't see anything I was willing to spend upwards of $50 on, so I didn't buy any of the crap she was selling. Don't worry- for her trouble I did buy her a nice gift at the end, which she seemed to like a lot.
I went to Catholic school, and I was a Girl Scout, so I did a lot of fund-raising as a kid, and I hated it. The schools in my area stopped encouraging door-to-door sales after a kid in New Jersey was murdered while selling wrapping paper door-to-door. I'd rather have the kids wash cars or do yardwork, since they get to keep most of that money. When kids sell wrapping paper and cookie dough, only about 25% of the money actually goes to the school.
Oh, did this bring back those memories! Remember those holy stamps we were supposed to sell? I hated it too.
And the ubiquitous Avon catalogues that seem to have unprotected Avon-book sex as they seem to be in multiples all over the units! Like 3, sometimes 4 staff are selling Avon.
Anyone seem to notice who sells what? I observe that CNAs freq are the Avon ladies. I realize that many of them do try to make an extra buck to supplement their CNA wages. The licensed nsg staff tend to be the sellers of the Girl Scout cookies, Mary Kay, and the school fundraisers.
Even when there are facility rules prohibiting soliciting, they are rarely enforced. So why even bother making a rule if it's not being followed?!?
And I have no intentions of hijacking this thread but PPs MBARNBSN and Not_A_Hat_Person bring up a significant related point esp for all the NEWBIES just starting out ---
Be prepared for the onslaught of the numerous hit-ups for donations for other staff. Someone always collecting money for something - another person's wedding, new baby, new house, death in the family, death of distant family, death of a dog (YES!), so & so is in the hospital, resignation, etc etc etc. These are the tough ones to avoid, esp when you barely know the recipient (or you dislike the recipient) or the reason is quite stretched (DIVORCE?!?!).
Occasionally the collection will be for really heart-breaking reasons - a CNA whose house burned down, a young nurse whose husband was killed in an sudden on-the-job accident, or when a gal's military son died (all true). I will donate to these causes.
Use your discretion and decide how you will respond. I'm not hard-hearted but just be aware that this will FREQ occur as you start working.
OK, back to the original post...selling stuff at work.
"School fund-raisers tell students to ONLY sell to people they know; family, friends, immediate neighbors they know very well and NOT to go door-to-door."
T-Bird 78,
I couldn't get the "reply" or "quote" button to work, but this is in response to your above reply, that you posted to me.
When I was a kid selling stuff for school fundraisers, I WALKED door to door. Obviously, in close proximity of my house. Therefore, the folks that I was selling to WERE friends, close neighbors, and extended family who happened to live in the area. I never suggested that I approached strangers, and wasn't advocating for others to do that. My point was, that I was the one that had to the selling. It was MY assignment to do for school and my responsibility. My parents never took the merchandise to their jobs to sell to their coworkers, for me.
Had a coworker bring her son and some friends in to do a presentation for one of those pyramid scheme-esque multilevel marketing companies. She asked is to attend at work in our one break room and I obliged out of courtesy, not knowing it was some MLM scam. I left in between "gotta go give an antibiotic thanks!" and never looked back. Looking back this sort of crap should never take nurses from their work.
To those selling stuff, or collecting money for the "life events" on the unit. Please be mindful of who you are talking to and their lives.
I am a (almost) 50 year old and been in health care 25 of those years. My child by guardianship is grown, I am single and have never given birth. I do not sell stuff to my coworkers. I donate at least a small amount for most (almost all ) life events and have bought tons of useless crap (yes, ugly holiday paper, cookie dough and caeser's pizza kit that I will never use) for your kid's events. I do it because I care for you and love children.
But don't give me the stink eye when I decline to give for your third marriage( divorce d/t incompatibility), 3rd child (baby showers traditionally held for the first child and one gave a lot of gender neutral supplies/clothing that could be used for future babies), "gender announcement" parties (who the h$&@ came up with that one), etc.
And don't whine when I do donate. At Christmas (and I am not Christian), the unit adopted a family. I bought an nice outfit, inexpensive gift card, candy for each of the kids, and some listed things for the parents, and wrapped them with beautiful hand tied bows. Do you not know that I had coworkers whine about me doing that for a less fortunate family, but not buying more for their kids fundraising. And these are coworkers that have birthday parties at theme parks, restaurants, and fancy everything for their children. They also call in "sick" to the unit and attend each other's kid parties, if they cannot switch off for a party. So the single and the childless work short.
Add in that I will never get the quid pro quo, that goes along with buying that stuff. You know, the old "I buy for your event, if you buy for mine."
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
To those selling stuff, or collecting money for the "life events" on the unit. Please be mindful of who you are talking to and their lives.
I am a (almost) 50 year old and been in health care 25 of those years. My child by guardianship is grown, I am single and have never given birth. I do not sell stuff to my coworkers. I donate at least a small amount for most (almost all ) life events and have bought tons of useless crap (yes, ugly holiday paper, cookie dough and caeser's pizza kit that I will never use) for your kid's events. I do it because I care for you and love children.
But don't give me the stink eye when I decline to give for your third marriage( divorce d/t incompatibility), 3rd child (baby showers traditionally held for the first child and one gave a lot of gender neutral supplies/clothing that could be used for future babies), "gender announcement" parties (who the h$&@ came up with that one), etc.
And don't whine when I do donate. At Christmas (and I am not Christian), the unit adopted a family. I bought an nice outfit, inexpensive gift card, candy for each of the kids, and some listed things for the parents, and wrapped them with beautiful hand tied bows. Do you not know that I had coworkers whine about me doing that for a less fortunate family, but not buying more for their kids fundraising. And these are coworkers that have birthday parties at theme parks, restaurants, and fancy everything for their children. They also call in "sick" to the unit and attend each other's kid parties, if they cannot switch off for a party. So the single and the childless work short.
Add in that I will never get the quid pro quo, that goes along with buying that stuff. You know, the old "I buy for your event, if you buy for mine."
Say WHAAAT? Totally ridiculous. Some people have no filter.
Specializes in Emergency Department; Neonatal ICU.
When I was a kid selling stuff for school fundraisers, I WALKED door to door. Obviously, in close proximity of my house. Therefore, the folks that I was selling to WERE friends, close neighbors, and extended family who happened to live in the area. I never suggested that I approached strangers, and wasn't advocating for others to do that. My point was, that I was the one that had to the selling. It was MY assignment to do for school and my responsibility. My parents never took the merchandise to their jobs to sell to their coworkers, for me.
I walked door to door too to sell my Girl Scout cookies (age 8). I went all over the neighborhood by myself and I sold a lot. Then I loaded up my metal red wagon with cookies and delivered the cookies, again by myself. It was the early 80s. My mom would never have taken anything to work. She was kind of old school :) I have an 8 year old now and I would not allow him to do that other than the people we know in the immediate area. I've never taken anything to work either. Happily, two years ago his school did away with most fundraising and they now ask you to write a check to cover it (not required) and they have a suggested amount for each child in the school which is a reasonable amount. I much prefer that.
People put forms in the break room and I buy if I want to. It doesn't bother me. Some nurses at work promote their Mary Kay type products on Facebook but never at work.
Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN
11,305 Posts
My place of business has a no soliciting policy. I agree.
We don't do the fundraisers at school. We just pay the money up front. So, for Science Camp, we just paid the money and didn't sell cookie dough.