update: my manager posted a “wall of shame” of people who didn’t volunteer to work more

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past.

Remember the letter-writer whose manager posted a “wall of shame” of people who didn’t volunteer to work more? Here’s the update.

I wrote in a few years ago about a new supervisor and her approach to mandated “voluntary” overtime as a registered nurse in a hospital. Since then, that supervisor has stepped back into a staff nursing role and she’s happier for it. We’re still friends so I’m also happy about that! She’s a great nurse who tried a new role that wasn’t right for her. A new supervisor was hired from outside. She was a little rocky – first management role — but I think she’s doing well and we get along.

All that said, I still was looking for other positions because I was tired of my 10-hour shift becoming an 11-hour, 12-hour, 13+ hour shift. It’s hard because patients need procedures, insurance companies are beyond infuriating to deal with, and staff are overworked when cases are not scheduled appropriately. There’s a lot of “Well, this type of case normally takes two hours and this one takes three hours, but if we squish them each down, we can fit this extra two-hour case in addition to this other six-hour procedure!” Done regularly, it’s clear they’re trying to squeeze 13+ hours of work into a 10-hour day. It’s not sustainable and, frankly, not safe.

Honestly, as an RN with 25+ years of experience, do not get me started on the debacle that is the U.S. healthcare system. I wish we could scrap it all and start again.

When I job shadowed for this new role (pretty standard in health care), I asked a lot of questions about the providers in the department, work-life balance, schedule, etc. I feel like between my experience and what I read here at Ask A Manager, I had a lot of wisdom and knew what to look for. My new job is with the same organization, so there’s no pay change, but the hours are better and everyone said that the number of patients scheduled to be seen is entirely reasonable. You’d better believe I asked multiple times! I also feel confident because I’ve been looking at internal job postings for two-plus years and this is the first time this particular department has had an opening. I asked about that at my interview and this position opened because someone retired and someone else wanted fewer hours after starting a family. All good signs!

I think part of the reason I was offered the job on the same day I interviewed/job shadowed was because the interviewing manager mentioned a few people we both knew from other units we worked on. I happened to run into one of those people last week and she said that the manager had called to ask about me and was told to “snatch [me] up!” It just goes to show how having good work ethic and not burning bridges can help in the future!

When I let my medical director know that I was leaving, he and I had a long talk about the culture of the unit. I am one of the staff that has been there the longest, so he was understandably concerned that I am leaving. It was a really good discussion and I hope that he’s able to make some cultural changes to increase job satisfaction and decrease staff burnout. I’m staying what’s called UBR or Unit Based Resource, so I can pick up shifts whenever I want. I still love the team and the work, so I’m glad I’m not leaving entirely.

On another note, Alison, I just want to thank you for your site and all the work that it entails. I am not in management, but the Q&A and the scripts you give for having professional conversations is immensely helpful for me. I’ve used your verbiage in sooo many conversations and I truly appreciate the work you do here.

The post update: my manager posted a “wall of shame” of people who didn’t volunteer to work more appeared first on Ask a Manager.