We are so short today that I have a bucket next to me to pee in.

[carebear01, BSN, RN]

Seriously. I started a WFH job months ago as a transfer/admission nurse which is staffed at bare minimum. We are short today (again) and I will be my myself for four hours due to a call in. Last time I worked (we were short as usual), I sat at my desk for 12 hours straight without going to the bathroom or getting a break. So I have a bucket and wipes next me to in case the phone lines are off the hook today. The good thing is is that I have six more shifts left in this department and I’m gone. I realized early on in this job that it wasn’t the type of working environment that I wanted to deal with day in and day out. I deserve much better than this. What I’m trying to say is don’t settle for less. 

[Wuzzie]

Seriously, get a bluetooth earpiece and use the toilet. 

 

But I feel your pain. 

[TAKOO01, BSN]

Its is interesting to hear this perspective.  I mostly hear people raving about working from home. Several nurses I know really want to work from home. But I don't think they realize that  wfh is a mixed bag,very much depending on your employer and specialty (just like working outside the home). There are employers who take advantage of people's desperation to wfh, setting ridiculous standards, scheduling pee breaks, and monitoring every key stroke. As you say, don't settle for less. Just curious--Will you go to another wfh or will you go outside of the home?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

3 hours ago, carebear01 said:

Seriously. I started a WFH job months ago as a transfer/admission nurse which is staffed at bare minimum. We are short today (again) and I will be my myself for four hours due to a call in. Last time I worked (we were short as usual), I sat at my desk for 12 hours straight without going to the bathroom or getting a break. So I have a bucket and wipes next me to in case the phone lines are off the hook today. The good thing is is that I have six more shifts left in this department and I’m gone. I realized early on in this job that it wasn’t the type of working environment that I wanted to deal with day in and day out. I deserve much better than this. What I’m trying to say is don’t settle for less. 

You are working from home. You are in control. Who cares if you are alone.. and need to pee.  Let the phone ring. Let the caller stay on hold. Get control of your time!!

[carebear01, BSN, RN]

4 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

Seriously, get a bluetooth earpiece and use the toilet. 

 

But I feel your pain. 

If I was planning on staying longer, I might have invested in a Bluetooth headset. I think the real frustration is that I shouldn’t have to work like that. I shouldn’t have to take a Bluetooth headset with me when I go to the bathroom. I was speaking to a nurse today who was going to be receiving a patient and I could hear something crunching in the background. I told her that I didn’t mean to interrupt her break and she said, “Oh sorry, if you heard me eating a cookie real quick. No break for me today”.  Of course we both chuckled but is not the first time I have spoken to a nurse who didn’t get their break or answered my call when they were on the toilet. A coworker of mine just hopped on the phone line on her day off to help relieve us for a break so thankfully I did not have to use the bucket or eat at my desk while working today ?

[carebear01, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Been there,done that said:

You are working from home. You are in control. Who cares if you are alone.. and need to pee.  Let the phone ring. Let the caller stay on hold. Get control of your time!!

I wish it were that simple. Lots of calls coming in for stat transfers ie strokes, brain bleed, trauma, etc. All our calls our recorded and our manager receives statistics on how long we take to answer a call, etc. I get tired of working at the bare minimum, that’s all. Reminds me of working on the floor when I would try to take a poo in the bathroom and the phone keeps ringing because bed 210 is due for his pain medicine in 5 minutes. Sometimes you just want a decent break.

[Wuzzie]

5 minutes ago, carebear01 said:

Sometimes you just want a decent break.

By law you are owed a break.

[Davey Do]

5 hours ago, carebear01 said:

I have a bucket and wipes next me to in case the phone lines are off the hook today.

Well, as the old saying goes, at least you "have a pot to (pee) in or a window to throw it out of".

[carebear01, BSN, RN]

3 hours ago, TAKOO01 said:

Its is interesting to hear this perspective.  I mostly hear people raving about working from home. Several nurses I know really want to work from home. But I don't think they realize that  wfh is a mixed bag,very much depending on your employer and specialty (just like working outside the home). There are employers who take advantage of people's desperation to wfh, setting ridiculous standards, scheduling pee breaks, and monitoring every key stroke. As you say, don't settle for less. Just curious--Will you go to another wfh or will you go outside of the home?

Yes, I would consider doing another WFH position but it would be a position where I am not tethered to the phone all day. All of our calls are recorded and our manager listens to our recordings  (not all of them obviously). I have younger kids at home so when I go to break in the evening, they want to play outside, play a card game, make food etc even though my husband is home. It can be kinda exhausting because sometimes you just want to clear your head. I have way less autonomy then I did as a nurse on the floor. All of our charting is audited by our manager. That was a very big adjustment. There are many other factors that made me decide that this is not the job for me so I am so happy to be leaving. 

 

[JKL33]

3 hours ago, carebear01 said:

I wish it were that simple. Lots of calls coming in for stat transfers ie strokes, brain bleed, trauma, etc.

But see, if there is some standard that these things should be taken care of urgently, then others need to participate. They need to pony up resources.

 Even with you working as long and as fast as you humanly can, there are calls waiting longer than they should. What are you doing about THAT? And what happens when you're off the clock??---Rhetorical questions!!---You can't take responsibility for everything. So why not go ahead and take care of your bodily needs.

Let your boss listen to your recordings and time you all s/he wants to, who cares!! You are in control here.  Let them go ahead and send an email stating you are not allowed to take a break.

Trying to deliver their fantasies is a fool's errand. It's so disgusting that they try to make people just like you, feel....exactly the way you feel.

Glad you are out of there soon, at your next gig put your foot down immediately.

[sleepwalker, MSN, NP]

On 8/22/2022 at 6:40 PM, JKL33 said:

Let your boss listen to your recordings and time you all s/he wants to, who cares!! You are in control here.  Let them go ahead and send an email stating you are not allowed to take a break.

LOL...you sound like me! An email is just a papertrail/documentation I can use to later on to make life miserable for those choosing to ignore the rules

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

I’m glad you’re quitting. As someone else said, set boundaries from day 1 at your next job. No manager is going to tell you in print that you can’t take a break. So emails saying “I will be unavailable from 9:00 to 9:30 for my required half-hour meal break” can go a long way.