What's up with Human Resources

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jan 28, 2005

I am totally with you there! I too won't go to certain hospitals/clinics because of the way I was treated, and sadly the one hospital is the closest one to me (guess I won't have much of a choice if an emegency happens...and it is the ED I have the largest probelm with! EKKK!)

But on the flip side, it is kind of nice to be in a position where you can see the 'behind the scenes' and really know what is going on at local healthcare facilities. Or at least I have told myself that trying to be positive when I have gotten that lovely "oh...two years in assisted living...you have no skills then" from some pencil pushing nonmedic behind the human resources desk.

Gives me insight to the company, and being a nurse I am the one telling their potential customers where they should or shouldn't go! Guess they don't remember that when they are interviewing nurses...I am a customer, I deal with your customers, and word of mouth via a nurse is rather influential .

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Jan 28, 2005

They probably want to get you used to how you will be treated as an employee. I would look for work elsewhere.

I understand the frustration though. Why should they get to be immune to butt-kissing, oops, I mean customer service?

RE Agent · Jan 28, 2005

I'm venting here. As nurses we are expected to bend over backwards for the public and we all know that "customer service" rules.
Why can Human Resources get away with treating potential employees like crap. I refer to not returning phone calls, not answering an email. or a simple question..
I don't think there's a department in the entire hospital or business that can get away with that.
We are potential "customers" too. I will think long and hard before I use a certain hospital for future care for my family because of the way their HR treated me. I have heard that this happens here to other nurses so I am not just some anomaly. I am thinking of letting the Vice President of HR know this as I wonder if the upper ranks know how the front line perform. Your comments
Thanks for listening.

I applied for a position at a certain hospital, had my interview, and agreed to take the position. Then along came HR. They were so rude, and the treatment was real bad. I changed my mind about working for this place. A couple of weeks later I was terminated, and told I could go collect unemployment. I "DID NOT" WORK FOR THIS HOSPITAL FOR ONE DAY. I was also told that I will never be able to work at any of their hospitals. I have tried to resolve this issue with the head of HR, with no luck. These people could care less. I have a lawyer, and I don't pay the lawyer the hospital will have to, per judges ruling. I'm not a nurse any more, but it will be a cold day in you know where before I let them get away with this.

I hope you can find a way to hold them(HR) accountable at your workplace as well.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jan 28, 2005

LOL, in a meeting I just had with my nursing staff and admin, we had a huge lecture on "the customer is always right". I stayed quiet for quite some time...and no matter what was thrown at the admin...like noncompliance with meds being wrong, or a patient being abusive being wrong...she came back with "no..the customer is always right so live with it".

I finally muttered...'well that makes staff always wrong then, because you can't have it both ways'. That one flustered everyone...because I was very right...me..a staff!

I suggested that we don't go with the mindset of the 'customer always being right', but instead to say 'our customers deserve respect, dignity, autonomy and the rights to a supportive environment by professional staff'. Then they said that was too much and would never work...

So I grabbed the mission statement off the wall of that very room, put it down and said...hmmmmmm...so this too is wrong! Written on it were my exact words!

Okay it didn't go anywhere..but I think I proved my point rather nicely! And for me...a little win in the ongoing saga of "as the administration turns". LOL!

fergus51 · Jan 28, 2005

I have never had good experiences with HR. I almost quit my current job before I started because of them, only an apologetic phone call from my manager changed my mind.

RE Agent · Jan 28, 2005

LOL, in a meeting I just had with my nursing staff and admin, we had a huge lecture on "the customer is always right". I stayed quiet for quite some time...and no matter what was thrown at the admin...like noncompliance with meds being wrong, or a patient being abusive being wrong...she came back with "no..the customer is always right so live with it".
I finally muttered...'well that makes staff always wrong then, because you can't have it both ways'. That one flustered everyone...because I was very right...me..a staff!
I suggested that we don't go with the mindset of the 'customer always being right', but instead to say 'our customers deserve respect, dignity, autonomy and the rights to a supportive environment by professional staff'. Then they said that was too much and would never work...
So I grabbed the mission statement off the wall of that very room, put it down and said...hmmmmmm...so this too is wrong! Written on it were my exact words!
Okay it didn't go anywhere..but I think I proved my point rather nicely! And for me...a little win in the ongoing saga of "as the administration turns". LOL!

Good for you!!! That did go somewhere, and I'll bet it got attention. More nurses should be doing this kind of thing. If the patient is abusive, or their family call security. You can also call social work, or hve a psych consult written up for them. We did this at one hospital I worked at. We also would visit that patients room in numbers. Nurses are not anyones doormat, to include admin.

TracyB,RN, RN · Jan 30, 2005

Some HR staff members can be downright rude & nasty, just like any other employee in any other setting.... That said... I can't get my boss or HR, to let me know what kind of light duty options will be available to me, once my surgeon releases me back to work. At the rate I am going in therapy, I probably won't be back to work for a loooong while... If I can't pick up a gallon of milk w/o pain, how the hell am I gonna push a pt on a cart to the OR, position, prep, assist, or what not.... I see my future in actual hands on pt care going quickly down the toilet.....

allnurses Guide · Jan 30, 2005

I have heard some not so complimentary things about our HR, but I do have a success story (well, so far). My hosp. is selfinsured, so my health insurance is totally through them, and HR farms out the administration of it to a private company. I've had a bunch of stuff called out of network, and huge copays demanded, so when I went to HR yet one more time, the head of the insurance stuff sat down with me, did a conference call with the private company, and told them to fix all the problems, in my favor! Waiting to see how much I get refunded.......

PamUK · Jan 30, 2005

Seems HR is the same all over the world... we call them Human Remains over here and they are dispised by everyone!

If they are renowned for not returning phone calls, put your questions in writing, keep a copy for yourself and circulate a copy to the Vice President of Human Remains (I would also let the VP know the reasons you are sending them a copy of your letter).

Same if you send an email... send a copy to VP of HR. And set your email up so that you receive a "read receipt" when it is opened. Then they cant deny receiving the email. Just a thought... and it bit of ammunition if you decide to take further action

And, as an employee, you are not a "potential" customer of HR... you are an actual customer.:)

alintanurse · Jan 30, 2005

It makes me wonder about the "nursing shortage", shouldn't HR being trying to entice you to work at their facility rather than discouraging you? I don't get it.......and it seems to happen everywhere.It takes alot of time and energy applying for a nursing position, the least they could do is treat prospective employees with a little respect----especially if you're so needed!

payday · Jan 30, 2005

In my next life, I want to come back as a inHuman Resource person. Then, if I don't feel like answering a question or the phone, I just won't. Talk about stressfree. And no weekends to boot.

Plan to let some higher ups know what is going on when time is right.