The hospital that I work at recently started a website just for employees, so we are able to sign in from home and check our email, etc. They just sent out a memo saying that now the mandatory education requirements we have to do yearly are going to be on the same portal, available for us to do at home. In the past, we have always done these requirements at work while being paid. I feel this is something we should be paid for while we are completing them, (they are quite long--some take over an hour to do, and there are probably 10-15 of them required per year) and I don't think we should be able to do them from home. It is difficult to complete them at work (in the past I have always come in early or stayed late to complete them, since we don't have a lot of downtime on our med/surg floor) and so we are being encouraged to complete these at home 'at our leisure.' I feel like this is basically encouraging/asking us to work at home for free! I don't appreciate it one bit, and if my co-workers are willing to do them from home on their own time, that's fine for them but I will continue to do them at work, on the clock, since I consider it work!! I don't like my hospital putting it's employees in this position. Has anyone else had the same experience? What do you think?
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
I have to agree with NurseRatched here, regarding the "give 'em an inch" reasoning. There are advantages in the corporate world to "going along to get along" and playing the political games, not the least of which are financial in nature. Nursing offers no such incentives, and when I worked hourly, I made sure I was paid for every bit of time I spent doing my job. I always felt that the people who didn't insist on being treated fairly were making it harder on all of us, because mgmt knew they could pull stuff like this and there were those who were going to let them.
Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.
Hey, I don't know if they are computer savy enough to do this, but through the portals in my school (back in 1998-2000) we did web assignments but they were timed, we were given so many 'minutes' for how long they thought it would take (incase of probelms...but were still quite liberal), and they could access how long it took for us to complete the assignment...
Maybe if they do that for your CME they can find a way to pay you for this...I know it can be done, it is just how that is the probelm.
Or cut that out all together...just give them a copy of your work and get paid a said amount for that CME.
I would love to do my CME this way vs going in for a dull boring lecture each payday (yep they snag us EACH payday and you can't get your check till you attend..nice huh?!?!?). It would save me a drive, save me from being seen and asked questions (whether I am in uniform or not, people still treat me like I am on duty), and I can chill out at home...I love it!
But sure as heck pay me for it, I don't 'work' for free anymore!
I agree with the "give 'em an inch" reasoning as well. I think this is why we still don't have time clocks as my work. How many of you have time clocks? The hospital knows that all those extra 10 minutes or so that people give and don't handwrite on their time card would add up and cost a pretty penny. Every minute of work they can get out of you without having to pay you really adds up over time.
Just like if a store rings up different prices then posted those difference can amount to a lot.
I agree with the "give 'em an inch" reasoning as well. I think this is why we still don't have time clocks as my work. How many of you have time clocks? The hospital knows that all those extra 10 minutes or so that people give and don't handwrite on their time card would add up and cost a pretty penny. Every minute of work they can get out of you without having to pay you really adds up over time.
Just like if a store rings up different prices then posted those difference can amount to a lot.
??
How do you document your worked hours without a time clock? Ours works on the traditional 15-minute block. 7 minutes before and 7 minutes after the quarter hour clocks you in or out for that 15-minute block (clocking in between 6:38 and 6:52 clocks you in for the 6:45 time block, or clocking out between 7:08 and 7:22 clocks you out for the 7:15 time block, etc.)
LydiaNN
2,756 Posts
I have to agree with NurseRatched here, regarding the "give 'em an inch" reasoning. There are advantages in the corporate world to "going along to get along" and playing the political games, not the least of which are financial in nature. Nursing offers no such incentives, and when I worked hourly, I made sure I was paid for every bit of time I spent doing my job. I always felt that the people who didn't insist on being treated fairly were making it harder on all of us, because mgmt knew they could pull stuff like this and there were those who were going to let them.