Re: gainful employment/burnout

When I joined the Army (during Vietnam), it was with the understanding that my salary was based on 24/7. There was no such thing as an 8 hour work day, there was no overtime, there was no "comp time". We did it because we were committed to a cause we considered greater than ourselves, and to our comrades.
Cathy
On Monday, August 9, 2004, at 01:00 PM, Kitty wrote:

I fail to understand how
paying 2 or 3 nurses overtime is cheaper than paying an extra assisitant.

Most likely it's the benefits costs.

Judy,
I do not think this is a fair thing to do to an employee, especially under
stressful conditions. Expecting someone to work an extra half hour because
someone else is running late is not out of reason, but 2 to 3 more hours
after a grueling 8 hour shift is nonsense. Must you accept this or are they
asking? In either case, I might be inclined to say, "OK, but my lunch hour
comes first."

Yours is just a typical example of our "better economy". They say it is
getting better, but that's because companies are making more money. But
they aren't necessarily employing more people - they are just making current
employees work that much harder, and often for little or no extra pay. They
circumvent any extra cost they can at the expense of worker morale and
well-being, while the number of unemployed continue to peruse the want ads.
Oh, but the headlines say unemployment is down? Those numbers don't include
those who no longer collect unemployment. If they counted everyone who is
looking for a job, the percentage would be much higher.

How's that for soapbox. No apologies here, but thanks for letting me vent,
too.

Kitty


----- Original Message -----
From: "Judy L Browning" <judybrowning@lewiston.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 12:05 PM
Subject: [CHAT] gainful employment/burnout


Well folks, in the last 3 days, my so called 8 hour shifts have stretched
to
9-11 hours with no time for a lunch break. 5 hours overtime, or about an
extra day's pay for the 3 days. Not sure it's worth it. They staff by
algorithm at this hospital rather than by acuity. I fail to understand how
paying 2 or 3 nurses overtime is cheaper than paying an extra assisitant.
I
can afford to work only 6 days every 2 weeks, and can't afford to work
more, 
emotionally or physically. A lot of nurses choose to take other, less
lucrative work because of the killer stress involved.
Getting off my soap box, thanks for letting me vent.

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