Hi all,
Thanks for hearing me out (reading this).
DO NOT share this anywhere in media; My position and what I’m talking about is not fodder for you to use.
I’m a casual worker for a company who provides high/critical care for critical clients that can be/live at home. I’m not a nurse, or medically qualified (but I may as well be in these homes/situations specifically) what I am is somebody that wants the best for whom I’m caring for, and I make sure you’re still breathing.
Because I’m casual I will receive phone calls at 05:30 to be at work at 07:00 on my ‘apparent’ days off. After a year, I no longer answer these calls, but as recently as this morning I had one.
To the situation:
This morning I had 3 missed calls with 2 voice messages, and 2 text messages within an hour. We’re short staffed, like the rest of the world, I get that, but I didn’t respond straight away. If none of us care workers are available to attend, our company HAS TO send a nurse to the job. That was all followed up with a couple of more phone calls and text messages that were capitalised. Long story short, I responded saying I was free, but let’s negotiate the set rates. These shifts are outside my work times for the week.
All I wanted was and extra $10 to cover petrol to get to work. $20 for 2 nights.
My immediate coordinator says: “you know I can’t authorise that. I’ll have to speak to upper management and get back to you”. This conversation was at 13:30. It’s Friday. She never called me back.
Obviously, not taken care of, not approved for $20.
Then I get a phone call tonight from the on-call evening staff, after standard work hours, asking if I can do these shifts. And I just let it all out. In 3 minutes. Explained everything; I’m not trying to hold you over a barrel, but you’re a for-profit company, I’m casual so really, I will work when I want. I told Dee (who called me to fill these shifts) that obviously the responsibility has been shifted to her, she sighed (I heard the eye roll). I explained, all I wanted was an extra $10 per shift. In the space of 10 seconds Dee is telling me that an extra hour of payment is being added to my schedule and don’t worry about repercussions, it’s all being taken care of.
I can’t believe that I have to fight for $10 extra for shifts I don’t normally work from my immediate supervisor, but then someone else who covers the evening/emergency shift coverages can simply click a couple of buttons and I’m being compensated.
What really gets to me is that this company will provide $20 Taco Tuesday, and $30 sundowner Fridays for office staff, but as a casual, I get little pissy nothings every 3 months for my efforts and have to fight (or simply not take a shift) for a little bit extra.
I’m so frustrated. I thoroughly enjoy working with my clients, but me liking my clients doesn’t pay my bills. Sweeten the deal corporate!!!
Thank you for reading.