Threats from Management

spidermonkey · Jan 6, 2006

We're expected to attend a minimum of 1/2 of the staff meetings. "Mandatory" meetings are scheduled so ALL can attend, even if several meetings have to be scheduled. Never heard of disciplinary action for not attending though. Jeeze.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2006

I especially loved mandatory meetings when I worked night shift.

Fortunately we don't have a lot of them, just when we're updating computers and stuff like that.

They have to pay us for mandatory meetings, but they don't have to pay us for non-mandatory meetings. Thus our monthy staff meetings are not mandartory.

pickledpepperRN · Jan 6, 2006

I stayed until 10:00 am for a staff meeting after working 7:00 pm to 7:30 am. (I was on "allnurses.com")

When I got to the room there was a note on the door the mandatory meeting was postponed!

I was written up once for not doing mandatory weekly audits when on vacation.

I was written up for four sick occurances in a year. Their "year" started when I called in the first time. I only called in four nights in that "year".

Two previous calendar years I had zero sick calls but only got "meets standards" on my evaluation.

Because I'm on a union committee at my hospital I know my CNA reprersentative who talked me into filing a grievance on these write ups.

My manager, who I respect, blamed human recources strict rules.

By the end of the meeting the write ups were out of my file. My manager privately apologized. She seems intimidated by HR.

anissa · Jan 6, 2006

We have monthly mandatory meetings scheduled. This year they are on Fridays. The meeting I need to attend is at 3:30 pm. Considering that I work 7p-7a and live 46 miles away from work I can't just attend a meeting and turn around and go back home until it is time for work. The early morning meetings at 7:30 a got cancelled with the excuse that many did not attend (well, if you have kids to get to school that's a bit difficult even for the nurses living 10 minutes away).

The threat is that for every meeting missed there will be a deduction on your performance rating on the next evaluation.

This is just the last straw for me...I'm looking for another job!

fluffwad · Jan 6, 2006

Our management started doing this because we has a lot of problems with people never showing up for meetings, never reading the newsletters that came out with the paychecks then claiming that no one ever told them about this or that policy, etc, etc.

We're expected to attend 50% of the monthly nurses meetings, but they save the mandatory threat for issues that are really important, and schedule lots of opportunities for folks to attend, and pay htem for the time they are there.

fotografe · Jan 6, 2006

I would hope they pay you overtime from coming in on your day off! If they don't like that idea, then scheduling multiple meetings so everyone is covered on a working day would seem logical.

Hey, I just wanted to know if anyone else has had threats from management for stupid stuff, like not showing up for "Mandantory Meetings". I just started this job and have noticed that at the bottom of all the flyers it states "if you do not show up disiplinary action will be taken". I've worked for 40 years (15 in nursing) and have NEVER NEVER NEVER once been told that I would have disiplinary action for not showing up for one of their meetings that was scheduled on my day off. Is this standard practice in healthcare now or are these people just predatory violence seekers. And isn't this considered "horizontal violence" (or maybe lateral, lol)

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jan 6, 2006

OK. Here's my pov: If the meeting is held on my shift, I frequently am unable to make it b/c I have no coverage for my pts. My supervisor is good about scheduling meetings during all shifts, but does she REALLY want to pay me OT for a staff mtg? I don't think so. If it is on my day off, sorry. I am not going to make a special 30 minute trip in just for that, when I can read the minutes later. I really do like to attend the staff mtgs, but I often don't have the chance to.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 7, 2006

Where I worked, they usually held the staff meetings at 0730 and 1930, which worked well since both day and night shifts could attend without having to worry about coverage for their teams. The only thing wrong with this was that management wanted us to clock out and then clock back in under the 'education' classification, which I flat-out refused to do.......if I'm going to attend a required meeting at the end of a long hard shift, I'm going to be paid OT for it.:stone I never did get in trouble for doing that, either........the NM would just roll her eyes at me, but she knew I was right.

Barb2000 · Jan 7, 2006

I have frequently done night shifts, always 12 hr. I remember having those mandatory mid-day meetings, and basically having to wake myself mid-day to go, then somehow try to get back to sleep for a few hours (usually impossible). I would think management would take this as a safety issue, as lack of sleep can cause impairment on the job. I know my job requires DR's approval, etc, when a nurse is taking certain meds, to make sure they won't cause impairment, yet lack of sleep due to mandatory meeting times never seems to be a concern. Once I had to go in so they could discuss safety issues, like how leaving bread crumbs in toasters in lounge could be a fire hazard.

pickledpepperRN · Jan 7, 2006

I think 2:00 am is a good time for mandatory meetings. With relief nurses to assume responsibility for patients during the meeting.

grammyr · Jan 7, 2006

I think 2:00 am is a good time for mandatory meetings. With relief nurses to assume responsibility for patients during the meeting.

AMEN!!!

Pete Venkman · Jan 15, 2006

This post really worries me. I was an NDE inspector for 20 years and left the profession over these EXACT same practices. When my company was aquired in '90 I made roughly 30/hr, managed a department, traveled the world on per diem and a first rate compensation package. After my company left I was offered many jobs at less than 1/2 my former pay. I took a position with a high tech ceramics manufacturer and was surprised to find my boss was a punk kid who didn't know JACK about the business and constantly threatened those of us with the knowledge about attending his little sappy meetings. He kept loading more and more work on while cutting back on the hours. After a couple of years of looking for a suitable replacement ( now armed with pertinant questions designed to reveal the TRUTH about an employer from an interviewer ) I decided to go where the money is: Health care.

I thought surely they won't treat their skilled help like dirt. There won't be a bunch of additional work heaped on every week. There won't be any cost saving measures...surely not when were talking about human beings LIVES.

I'm almost through with LPN school and I can see skeleton crews working mandatory overtime while patients pay the price. My potential co workers mostly fall into one of two catagories: Veteran; not happy about the situation, glad to throw off all the really crappy jobs on someone else.OR Gullible young woman who have been raised and trained in this client hostile environ. They're mostly happy in thier naievete because they have yet to attempt to raise a family and juggle a life where other humans depend upon you for things.- Thats OK someone has to be satisfied.

I'm seriously dissapointed and not feeling very secure in my decission.

One thing this board KEEPS reinforcing: I will NOT work in any hospital or nursing home... I just wouldn't last