Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We work 35 hours per week.
They are asking us to do 34 visits in those 35 hours.
That is not including, of course, staff meetings, supervision, required conference call supervisions, collateral contact, and PAPERWORK (which takes up about 40% of our time, unfortunately).
We can't shorten client visits because insurance requires that they be at least 45 minutes. Otherwise the visits are not billable.
you only work 35 hours a week, what you beeching about
everybody else does minimum of 40 and most are in the 60.
it must be unique to your state, or unique to mine that we have so few unions...and none related to soc. service or state/gov run agencies, with the exception of teachers.
I would think that you and your co-workers could figure out how to see one more client a day even if it meant doing a 40 hour work week. Or, did you deduct your lunch hours when you stated 35 hour work week?
Advocate for yourselves and your clients and convince your employers if you truly believe it is detrimental.
We are not permitted to work 40 hours per week.
The union contract states that we are only allowed to work 35 hours per week.
The management also holds us to that, because they realize they can get in trouble with the union if we have to work late.
I'm confused by the numbers ... if it's 6 extra visits and it's now 34, that means it started at 28. That's a 21.4% increase. (I don't mean to be pedantic, but I had figured you were going from 24/week to 30/week, which would have "fit" with the numbers you gave. I also assumed a 40-hour work week, which most professional jobs are -- actually, most professional-level jobs in the private sector are exempt, which means they are often MORE than 40 hours/week.)
Sorry, yes it's from 28 to 34.
So that's a 21.4% increase.
So it's an extra workday of work.
Most professional jobs are 35 hours a week, 40 hours in the office, 1 hour for lunch.
Ha, I'm not criticizing you, I'm just a bit jealous.
I hear it's nearly impossible to get a public sector/union job unless you know someone though.
Anyway, maybe you could mention that the client services would suffer if more clients were squeezed in, because it's logistically impossible to prepare for them and see that many in one workday. Mention the billing requirement of at least 45 minutes per client. Don't mention your concerns about staying late, only the client experience.
Again, we can't stay late even if we want to.
The union does not allow us to work more than 35 hours/week.
Personally I'd say "Pay me 25% more and I'll do my best"
Betting it's just management being jerks...
So, you think it is all right that the OP is capable of 25% more work, but has just chosen not to do it? Unless he is doing piecework and gets paid by the number of files he handles, how does what you say make sense?
If an employee is working hard and not malingering, doing 25% more is either not possible, regardless of the pay, or the quality of his work will go down. If he is doing just enough to get by, and can easily increase output by 25%, then he doesn't deserve a raise.
But to answer: a lot will suffer.
We may have to stay late to get paperwork done (which the union doesn't allow actually).
We may not be able to adequately prepare for sessions with clients, since we are asked to see basically one client per hour (even more on some days).
Therefore the quality of client services will suffer of course.
My point is:
Ok, so the paperwork/reports will be late as a result. Is there a performance standard for filing/completion of reports that you must abide by?
As far as prep work, wouldn't only the initial client sessions be negatively impacted? I mean, I assume the client visits are appointments scheduled well in advance?
If you did increase client visits, what would you have to cut down -- less meetings, less conferences, less supervision, etc -- and what will be the impact ?
Most jobs are a 35 hour workweek - 40 hours at the job (9-5), and one hour for lunch.
That's 35 hours of work time per week.
Well, no, most professional jobs in the private sector require at least 40 hours a week (and often lunch is at your desk). And private-sector jobs definitely do not all pay more than public-sector jobs; the big salary differentials happen further up in the ranks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shoshanarose
Most professional jobs are 35 hours a week, 40 hours in the office, 1 hour for lunch.
Um, again, no, they're not. I've worked in the private sector and basically if you were exempt you worked however long it took to get the job done. Some weeks I worked 40 hours, some weeks I worked 80 (luckily there weren't too many 80-hour weeks). I could also take an afternoon off if I wanted to without having my pay docked or having to take "sick leave."
BTW, I am NOT saying that you should be working 80 hours a week even in a professional job -- just that your idea of what constitutes a "work week" for professional jobs is a bit skewed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shoshanarose
Sorry, yes it's from 28 to 34.
So that's a 21.4% increase.
So it's an extra workday of work.
Again, it's NOT an extra workday of work. PLEASE stop saying that. You're not working ANY extra hours. You're not now going to be required to go in for a full day on Saturday. THAT would be an "extra workday."
Being asked to do more visits within the same work week means that each visit will be shorter and/or more efficient (within the 45-minute limit, as you mentioned). I don't know if that is feasible, which is why I asked in an earlier post what your employer had said about how you can do 34 visits in 35 hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shoshanarose
My position is exempt, by the way.
You're "exempt" (i.e. according to your job classification) -- but you can't be asked to work more than 35 hours a week, per the Union? That seems odd to me (i.e., contradictory). Not saying it's incorrect -- just odd (and again something you would not see in private-sector jobs).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shoshanarose
We are not permitted to work 40 hours per week.
The union contract states that we are only allowed to work 35 hours per week.
The management also holds us to that, because they realize they can get in trouble with the union if we have to work late.
Are you sure the union contract didn't change? And again, I'm still wondering about what the employer says about doing 34 visits in 35 hours. (I am assuming you are an LCSW doing therapy or something similar for 45-minute "hours." I DO have a hard time understanding how you could do 34 visits [plus prep, meetings, etc.] in 35 hours -- but I also find it bizarre to think of a "professional" working just 35 hours a week and her Union saying she can never work "late.")
I am very curious to find out what the contract actually says.
We work 35 hours per week.
They are asking us to do 34 visits in those 35 hours.
That is not including, of course, staff meetings, supervision, required conference call supervisions, collateral contact, and PAPERWORK (which takes up about 40% of our time, unfortunately).
We can't shorten client visits because insurance requires that they be at least 45 minutes. Otherwise the visits are not billable.
Now we're finally getting down to the numbers. This is where you need to do the statistics that show what can and can't be done in a work day. Then you can stand a chance of showing if the numbers can't be met. Otherwise, it's moot.
OP, they're "forcing" you (not you personally but those in your role) to assess your work habits/processes and become more efficient (i.e. cut down on staff meetings, conferences, etc that don't pertain to direct client services). If you can prove with numbers that you are already at 100% utilization, then you might have a point but to say right off the bat that they're making you work more hours is incorrect.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
