Unfortunately, I have to work on Christmas Day from 2 to 10:30pm (my regular hours.) I knew this was inevitable, as I've only been here for 5 months and I'm still considered "the new guy." I've been told that everybody has to work the holidays their first year here. I'll have Christmas off next year for sure, but that doesn't really make it any better. To make things a little nicer, Christy and the kids are planning to visit me during my lunch/dinner break at work, and we'll have leftover turkey, stuffing, etc. That should be nice.
Starting on Friday the 26th until Sunday, I have to go "on call." This is something that every employee has to do one weekend per year. I have to carry around a pager for 72 hours, and if they call me, I have to report to work right away, and at whatever time they happen to call. It's very possible I could work some God-forsaken shift like 6pm to 6am. It's entirely dependent on the other people that work here. If everyone shows up and works the shift that they're supposed to, I won't get called. However, this being the weekend right after Christmas, I'm expecting to get called, as this hospital is filled with slackers. Actually, I find it kind of amazing just how many slackers work here. (actually, no, I don't find it that amazing. I forgot I was back in America.) People are getting fired left and right for not reporting to work, and not calling in. They're just not showing up regularly. Frankly, I just don't get it. You would think that with the economy the way it is right now, people would be afraid of losing their jobs and be a little more responsible. Unfortunately, many here don't seem to give a damn.
After five months working here at this hospital, I've found it to be simply okay. It's not a great job, but it's not the worst I've ever had either. The pay is a lot higher than I expected to make in Austin. The hours are convenient. As I'm not a doctor or nurse, it isn't particularly high stress, and the patient load lately is pretty low, so I find myself with a lot of free time for reading, writing, or just going for long walks around the hospital grounds. So yeah, it could be a lot worse.
The negative side though, is the lack of having any time off other than weekends. We have what is called PTO, which is "Personal Time Off" that we accrue every pay period. We have to use these hours for sick time AND vacation time. They're not separate. Like I mentioned before, we have to ask for this time a month in advance. If something comes up, and you need a day off, and you haven't given the proper notice, you'll get written up. If you get written up 7 times in a year, you're terminated. I could really do without this type of management style.
I also have to deal with supervisors who like to micro-manage a bit too much. For the most part, they don't bother me, but I'll often get emails from them with ideas that are just not practical. I guess this comes with the territory. Once you enter the white-collar world of office work, you have to deal with irrational management. C'est la vie.
Starting on Friday the 26th until Sunday, I have to go "on call." This is something that every employee has to do one weekend per year. I have to carry around a pager for 72 hours, and if they call me, I have to report to work right away, and at whatever time they happen to call. It's very possible I could work some God-forsaken shift like 6pm to 6am. It's entirely dependent on the other people that work here. If everyone shows up and works the shift that they're supposed to, I won't get called. However, this being the weekend right after Christmas, I'm expecting to get called, as this hospital is filled with slackers. Actually, I find it kind of amazing just how many slackers work here. (actually, no, I don't find it that amazing. I forgot I was back in America.) People are getting fired left and right for not reporting to work, and not calling in. They're just not showing up regularly. Frankly, I just don't get it. You would think that with the economy the way it is right now, people would be afraid of losing their jobs and be a little more responsible. Unfortunately, many here don't seem to give a damn.
After five months working here at this hospital, I've found it to be simply okay. It's not a great job, but it's not the worst I've ever had either. The pay is a lot higher than I expected to make in Austin. The hours are convenient. As I'm not a doctor or nurse, it isn't particularly high stress, and the patient load lately is pretty low, so I find myself with a lot of free time for reading, writing, or just going for long walks around the hospital grounds. So yeah, it could be a lot worse.
The negative side though, is the lack of having any time off other than weekends. We have what is called PTO, which is "Personal Time Off" that we accrue every pay period. We have to use these hours for sick time AND vacation time. They're not separate. Like I mentioned before, we have to ask for this time a month in advance. If something comes up, and you need a day off, and you haven't given the proper notice, you'll get written up. If you get written up 7 times in a year, you're terminated. I could really do without this type of management style.
I also have to deal with supervisors who like to micro-manage a bit too much. For the most part, they don't bother me, but I'll often get emails from them with ideas that are just not practical. I guess this comes with the territory. Once you enter the white-collar world of office work, you have to deal with irrational management. C'est la vie.
(Picture: this is the type of pager I have to carry around all weekend.)
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