advise

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:42:46 GMT

The latest----- both have back tracked their gripe as have realised they will be worse off, what a total waste of everyones time!! so all is staying the same.

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:55:54 GMT

thanks for all ur input guys, hope we can sort it, but dont think she realises now that by splitting them up shel actually be doing more, as before we all shared the xmas, so we did one xmas evry 4 yrs but by splitting it shel be doing every other year!! we'l see

Re: advise

Susan Jackson — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:09:28 GMT

A really hard choice for you.

I think the main thing is to make sure that everyone is doing their equal share of the reponsibilities, there's nothing worse than recieving your rota and finding your weekends seem to fall on several bank holidays and other people get none.

I do find that some people don't realise that you have to be fair and do your work otherwise if you don't someone has to take the slack. Head nurses still have to do the things that they would ask someone else to do. Mopping the floor and cleaning out cages should not be beneath them (though they do have other responsibilities) or it creates resentment within the team. The important thing is working as a team.

I would try to resolve it but your right to worry about 'giving an inch and taking a mile'. Be honest but diplomatic, if you don't say anything you'll chew it up until something else happens and then you might not be so tactfull.

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:13:26 GMT

It is a good place to work!!

its going to be hard to sort as its two for and 2 against, and its not the first gipe thats been made by newbie, just feel that we have all had the same to do in past few years and all got on with it, we have all been there many years apart from one, and always worked ok in the past, i just think that if we bow down on this then where does it stop, any how i offered to do the weekend , but was told we need to stop giving in !!!!

Re: advise

Tracy Windler RVN — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:30:00 GMT

I can see this from both sides, but I do agree with Sal, that for the sake of working relations, it might be worth trying to resolve this. I would feel a bit under-valued if I had an issue as new member of staff and was told to "like it or lump it". On the flip side, I dont think I would start making complaints when I hadn't been somewhere very long, and perhaps the management should consider the happiness of their long-term workers before upsetting the balance- after all, she might not stick around as long as more established members of staff.

Would it be worth seeing if someone would be prepared to take over some of the long weekend for her-perhaps just the Monday or Friday, as a good will gesture, then otherwise leave the rota as it is? Surely if she sees the bigger picture of less weekends worked in the long run, but gets support from her colleagues in this way, she'll be more willing to put herself out for colleagues in the future?

Re: advise

Victoria Nielsen RVN — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:06:23 GMT

The new person should have been told how the rota system works before joining the practice so as part of her contract, she basically agreed. And really, she should settle in for a while longer before starting to try and change things! Personally, if it works in the practice now, I don't see why it should be changed because one person is complaining about doing a 4 day on call! You all end up doing it eventually and it's part of the job of being a vet nurse, so like I said earlier, either like it or lump it!

Re: advise

Jacquelyn Smith — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:18:11 GMT

Surely this new nurse was informed of the lay out of the rota at interview, let alone when signing her work contract. one would assume that she would realise that at somepoint she is going to have to work a weekend and bank holiday in unison at some stage... its just logic. admittedly the rota at the lab dealt with over 180 staff so one persons gripe didnt even ripple the water, but if you are made aware of the rota before you start the job, if you dont like the rota you dont take the job.

i guess it all comes down to how democratically decissions are made within your practice. its unfortunate that something which works needs to be upturned because of one persons unwillingness to accept what they signed on for, but if you dont get a fair say then you just gotta bow down or move on (th latter of which is not advisable in the current economy )

you have my greatest sympathies if this doesnt pan out as it should

Re: advise

Sal the 1st — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:09:37 GMT

sounds a really happy place to work!

You have to take into consideration that the decision made last year went through because the staff there at that time it was what they wanted. You dont have the same people working there now and not everybody wants the same things anymore. if you have a person or people in a team who is /are unhappy then to get the best out of the team you have to start looking for ways that will keep everbody happy. It might be that everybody will have to make compromises, but the chances are if you dont come up with something between you you could end up with something you really really wouldnt want if your boss has to get involved in sorting this out for you.

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:47:16 GMT

so head nurse gets her vote, and rest have to put up with it, even if she was in on the agreement that was laid down in first place?? where does that then leave all the other gripes others have, do we re vote all other rules?? not sure thats going to be wise! just feel whats the point in having these votes and meetings, then just change them all around when some one gripes, think thats going to cause more probs, i know ive got the bit between my teeth on this but, feel its one rule for one and then change if someone else is against it!! can see it opening up a tin of worms

Re: advise

Sal the 1st — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:39:46 GMT

well like I say it looks like your boss is giving everybody the chance to sort this out among themselves. In the situation you have just described maybe the deciding vote should be with either the boss or the HN because from what you are describing it isnt a minority that is wanting change it actually half your staff rather than a single person.

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:22:38 GMT

because origanally there was 5 of us, and the vote was 4 against one, the one being the head nurse, now there is just 4 of us and 2 want it to stay the same and the head nurse and now the new person has head nurse as alli,!! so it will be a no voter 2 against 2!!!!! i just think that if u start changing it then whats to stop us re voting all the rules!!

Re: advise

Sal the 1st — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:08:14 GMT

well if a revote is being offered it would be in your interests to use your vote - by not voting it wont stop a vote going ahead but it will stop you expressing your choice. It might be that there are others who think differently now and would welcome a change too? or it could be that most people vote to keep the status quo. I feel that your boss is being pretty fair in offering a revote as they are giving you all the opportunity to sort it out between yourselves rather than coming in heavy handed and saying right I want this done and this is how it will be done......

If everybody truly wants things to stay the same then i dont see a problem with a vote because if that is the case everybody will vote to keep things the way they are, - so what exactly is the problem with that?

Re: advise

Steph Worsley — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:56:36 GMT

was she made aware that this was the system when she got the job? is it written into her contract?

To be honest it is current working practice and should not change on the complaint of one person who has joined after it has all been put into place.

our bank holidays are kinda on a tough luck basis.....if your weekend falls on the BH then you work the weekend as per the rota, except easter which is split between 2 nurses, fri&sat/Sun&mon but even then it goes as per our weekend rota. We do have the option to swap/give up our weekends though (mind you there are plenty of us!!) The main exception is over xmas and new year where we "shut down" basically on skeleton staff for the period (the length of time depends on when they fall) say for this year we are all working up till the 23rd then "off" till the 3rd Jan for the nursing staff over this time names are putin one hat and dates an shifts are put in another, the nurses who have worked xmas day/boxingday and NY day can actually put their names down for days/shifts prior to the lucky dip so effectively taken out of the rota for those days again until we have all worked those days (if you get what I mean) I actually volunteered to do xmas day this year so it's out of the way.

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:12:48 GMT

whats the point now in ever having nurse meetings , discussing things, agreeing withe rules and regulations, then a few months down the line when sonmeone decides its not what they want, its all changed, think this is so unfair and so wrong, to me they have gone back on their word and one rule for one and one for all others!! we all know what we sign up for with the job!!!!

Re: advise

Victoria Nielsen RVN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:43:52 GMT

Exactly!

Re: advise

Jacquelyn Smith — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:14:36 GMT

I am with Victoria. When I was working at the lab we had similar rotas. And I regularly ended up working weekends and bank holidays in combination, and ours weren't on calls, we had to go in 6am-6pm(sometimes even staying later than that or coming back in at stupid times for scheduled ooh) as there were animals to dose, sample etc. I am a strong believer that if you want to work in animal care of any kind you have to be prepared to work days when the rest of the country is having a day off. We as humans domesticated and caged these creatures so its our responsibility to provide everything their wild ancestors were stripped of in their domestication.

Re: advise

FINNIGAN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:10:30 GMT

exactly my opinion, weve all done this in turn, its been taken to the boss and hes ok a revote, im very much against this to the extent of telling them, dont include me in this as im in disagreement, so now how can they carry out the vote??

Re: advise

Victoria Nielsen RVN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:48:48 GMT

And I've had a couple of situations where I've been working the day shifts and I've been on call as well. My last on call, I got called out in the early hours of the morning for a GDV and then had to work my day shift after! God I was dead by the end of my shift. But like I say, it's part of the job and gotta just get on with it!

Re: advise

Victoria Nielsen RVN — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:47:27 GMT

Well you all will end up doing 4 days on call anyway, and it's part of the job unfortunately so she has to have her turn. It will be your turn soon enough. It's unfortunate that it falls on her weekend on call anyway, but you can't help it.