I work in direct care for mentally ill/developmentally disabled people. It can be a really hard job and requires extra training, an expectation of potential violence (my nose got punched in and broken like a week & a half ago, not uncommon), very underpaid/understaffed, and it's really emotionally hard work. Its base pay is 15$ an hour, which is about the same as any retail/fast food job in the area. They give raises by the year, at about 20¢ a pop. In spite of this, I LOVE my job and I have high regard for the population I work with. Even with how hard it can be some days, I never considered quitting until around 2 weeks ago. It's more of a passion project, because I'm definitely working for less than I'm worth with training and a college degree.
Enter Armageddon: Management made a post that they are “excited!!!” to be changing the schedule for everyone in my department, moving us from 8.5 to 12.5 hour shifts, with a set schedule that we supposedly don't have much control over. It has absolutely blown up work since it was announced. The proposed schedule is horrifying, and they didn't speak to a single person who'd be working that schedule before announcing it.
While 12's are common with this kind of healthcare work, my place has offered (& is STILL offering on Indeed) a flexible schedule with 8 hour shifts. People mainly take the pay-cut of working here for the flexible shifts (15$ base pay versus 18/19/20$ base pay at any other facility in town). Many of my fellow direct care workers are students, parents, or disabled and cannot make the schedule change work. Some of my coworkers have been at this place for years and are watching administration/corporate push them out. Most of us are hoping it doesn't go through. People are scrambling for medical exceptions or any way to stay. They're STILL hiring new staff for 8 hour shifts who won't be able to stay past November when the 12.5 hour shifts go through. It's an absolute mess.
As another thing, I wouldn't be working in blocks. I'd work two days on, one or two days off. I'd be flipping my night sleep schedule twice a week. I'd see my partner for one day twice a month. If you've ever worked nights, that is the absolute worst. One night off isn't a day off, and two nights off equates to one day off. I'd be in a coma or at work nearly all of the time.
They are offering ZERO pay raise for this, confirmed, no shift differential for nights, and aren't trying to back down yet. There's already a belief among management that they're paying direct care staff “too much”. Technically I would get a shift diff for 4 hours of the 12 hour shift, which is about 12 bucks a day or a 1$ pay raise (16 an hour? Lucky me!). They did at least give us a few months of warning to look for new jobs & to hire new staff, which I appreciate.
If I stayed, I'd be working wards with mainly newbies or people that aren't used to the shift. That can be REALLY dangerous, as new staff often don't step in when emergencies occur, and I'd end up being in more danger trying to compensate. If I leave, there's every chance they'll not be able to find staff, go back to the old schedule, and I would've quit a job I love for no reason. But I'm scared to play games with higher-ups concerning my ability to pay my rent.
I made up my mind to leave no matter what, because I can't work for a company that would fuck with my life like this. If they offered a reasonable work/life balance, better pay, or some plan to guarantee we won't have massive amounts of injuries when this starts, I'd take them up on it. But they're just making everyone work even more to cover for the fact they already can't keep staff.
As for who to blame for this, it's really hard to say. Staff are angry at administration, administration is blaming corporate, corporate says it works well at ~other~ facilities. I don't even know what to think or where to direct my frustration.
It's also mind blowing to me that a job as important as taking care of vulnerable people at a dangerous time in their life is so underpaid and written off. We NEED people to do this, and if you have a talent for it a company should do everything in their power to keep you, including allowing you to have a life and a wage that lets you grocery shop more than once every two months.
I've been on the verge of tears this whole time because I genuinely don't want to leave, but I can't live on the new schedule either. This is just a rant, or maybe asking for advice on the best way to leave/where to look next. I'm already cashing in my PTO and looking for a part time in-between job. It's rough out here.