What does seniority mean at your facility?

[AJ_427]

I've worked at my facility for over a year now and I finally got some seniority at my work. Not many people last at that place. You will find aides who've worked at my nursing home for 5-20+ years. And there are those who can't make it past the first few weeks.

So I'm interested to see if seniority plays as big of a deal at your LTC facility as it does at mine.

These are the pluses (in my opinion) that go with working at my facility for a long time:

- Aides get to choose or get permanent assignments/residents. Most go for the easy ones, obviously. Either way, the assignment/schedule maker gives them easy residents (I've asked and I see a pattern).

- They get to pick which holidays they want to work.

- They can choose to never work during weekends.

- People from all shifts know their name.

- New aides always ask for their help. Especially with difficult residents.

- Nurses don't say anything bad to them.

- Bosses don't care if they're late, they call-off or not show up.

- They are less likely to get fired.

- The shift after them never complains about them.

- The aides that have worked here for a really long time are supervisors.

- They've been through it all. Even having 30+ residents won't move them.

- They don't need permission to work overtime.

- Residents listen to them. Those residents with behavioral problems are easy for them to manage.

- Nurses trust them.

I can definitely put my name by many of the things that I've listed.

So, what about your facility? Is everyone treated equally? Maybe you have something else you want to add.

[yousoldtheworld]

The only real benefits I get from my seniority at my facility is that I got the permanent assignment of my choosing, and the nurses trust me/listen to me. It also has drawbacks - they're more likely to give me a heavier workload when we're short, because they know I can handle it.

It's a union facility, so most other things are required to be fairly even across the board.

[nguyency77, CNA]

The ones that kiss the administrators' butts the most are the ones with "seniority." They get the most privileges, including misuse of PRN staff like me.

CNA 1: "I'm bored, can I go home?"

Supervisor: "Okay, let me call everyone who's off today. Or, let's make [this 50-something year old CNA] work a double shift!"

The people who matter, like this lady I used to work with who moved back to her home state last week, just do their work and help us younger CNA. To me, she has seniority because she knows what she's doing and the residents really trust her.

[northernguy]

If you are in a union it has concrete benefits. Otherwise it probably depends on your personality. Some people are able to milk their seniority more than others.

[nguyency77, CNA]

I agree with northernguy, hahaha.