I stopped skipping breaks several months ago when I found out my claims for pay for the half-hour weren’t honored. I just tell them I’m taking a break and walk off the floor. Most of the nurses who habitually skipped breaks continue to do so, though, even though I tell them the company’s stealing from them. And they don’t bother putting in for the half-hour’s pay–they’re too whipped to bother any more. The orderlies fight back with heavy absenteeism and turnover. It’s a lot easier to call in sometimes than it is to get off the floor once you’re there. And given the turnover and the horrible understaffing, we know we can call in or show up an hour late with minimal understaffing.

The one thing that would surely get us fired is open union activity, or anything like concerted action that resembled union activity. I’m usually the one to make sure everybody hears about any case of management skullduggery, and I’ve distributed flyers on my floor about hospital understaffing killing patients and actually raising costs. And I’ve repeatedly called the Ethics and Compliance hotline at corporate HQ to report on staffing issues and management lies about it. Of Course Compliance conducts an “investigation” which consists of asking HR about it and taking their response as gospel truth.

But actually making an appointment with a hospital administrator to complain? Here’s what would happen. They’d give me the Stepford Wife smile and repeat the policy about taking breaks, and say “Thank you for sharing your concerns. Please feel to drop by anytime.” Then they’d write down “troublemaker” next to my name, and say “Aha–that’s the guy who’s been complaining to Ethics and Compliance.” And I’d be under closer surveillance by people looking to create a paper trail, and probably wind up fired.

So I do a lot of Wobbly “open-mouth sabotage” with the patients and their families. And I have other ways (ahem) of by God guaranteeing that they lose more money from waste and from not charging patients for supplies.

Contacting doctors sounds like a good idea, but I’d have to do it anonymously. A mass circular mailed to all the doctors who work through the hospital would surely have the administration messing their drawers.

I think it would be great to utilize flex vacation like you’ve noted. If they were willing to spend the money on the technology, it would not be difficult to allow an employee to work from home for a day, allowing them to take care of personal issues. Unfortunately, companies large and small, just don’t see the value in that.

I think it’s this simple: Choice is always a good thing, so long as you’re not intimidated by having the freedom to consider all kinds of alternatives. Any company (or individual) that empowers others – assists them in finding their own, unique way – whether that be through flexible work arrangements or wellness programs or personal coaching, is doing the next right thing.

http://www.probobo.com/blog/2007/07/11-hungry-thinkers.html

I think having flexibility at work would be fantastic… but yes, the business would have to ensure that it is hiring “hungry thinkers” (otherwise, the system can indeed fall over into a heap with it becoming new ways for one group to take advantage of the other).