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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be so fuming about this email from my boss

133 replies

ScrambledEggAndToast · 28/02/2015 07:32

I have a slightly odd job, there are hardly any people in the UK that actually do it. It's a support worker role in a sense but quite specific. Anyhow, no-one ever seems to know what I do despite me constantly telling them in the hospital Angry

Consequently, I keep getting jobs dumped onto me are are absolutely nothing to do with my role that basically either no-one else wants to do or has no time to do.

I have been trying to expand the service and now my "proper" job needs to take precedence. Yesterday, really was the last straw though. I'd already told my line manager that they had to take one of the big jobs away as it's eating up 30-40% of my time. However, yesterday, I got an email saying I had to create 118 letters for patients. Last time this job was dumped on me, I had 50 and it took 3 hours so you can imagine how long this will take.

The part I am so annoyed about is when I said to my line manager that unfortunately I wouldn't be able to help on this occasion. She replied with "I think we need to work things out so that the patients are not disadvantaged" I.e DO THE LETTERS Angry

Well what about my patients, won't they be disadvantaged if I'm so bogged down in other people's work. Apparently there is a meeting with some of the managers next week to discuss this but I'm not holding out much hope. I am being made to feel as though I'm pitting them out when in actual fact, they have been putting me out for 9 months as I haven't been able to give my patients my full attention. Really, they need to employ someone else, maybe three days a week, to do the jobs I have been given.

Sorry rant over. Bloody NHS.

OP posts:
ragged · 28/02/2015 08:38

I am wondering if I would start creating a paper trail, a daily email to show boss to list how I spent my time every day, divided into which jobs I did that were core duties & which were the extras.

And then if anyone says "Why didn't that get done?" I could point at the email trail and say "Well my boss knew exactly how I was spending my time and didn't object."

Yes it's covering your arse.

MrsTuppence · 28/02/2015 08:39

I agree with some of the previous posts who say you need to make it crystal clear to your bosses the impact that taking on all these extraneous tasks is having on your patient care.

I have a colleague who deals with this kind of thing by having a quick weekly meeting with her line manager to which she takes two printed lists, one with the things she will have time to do and the other with all the other things on her to do list that she will not have time to do that week. She shows the two lists to her boss and asks if there are any tasks the boss would like moved from one list to the other - obviously then adjusting both lists to account for the new tasks. This gives her boss absolute clarity that if they ask her to do something new, then another thing will have to move on to the 'not getting done this week' list.

I feel for you OP, this kind of thing is crazy and ignore the people saying suck it up or do extra hours. Pass the resourcing problem back up the chain where it belongs. You can do all this in a perfectly friendly and helpful manner but there's no merit to disguising a resourcing issue by taking on work that's not yours to do.

bakingaddict · 28/02/2015 08:41

I have read the thread scrambled....I get you have a patient based job but to expect just to do that when you are only a Band 4 and no other admin type work is ridiculous. Your service is clearly not working effectively if a extra task on top your usual workload is causing a 7 week delay for patients although this isn't solely your responsibility as just a Band 4.

Have a meeting with your immediate line manager and formalize what the priority tasks are and what you can comfortably accomplish with a less immediate timescale. Instead of being passive aggressive you need to be working with management, complete some audits to find the bottlenecks in your service which may then be used as a way to hire extra staff

ginmakesitallok · 28/02/2015 08:41

So what is the big bit of your work that they are taking from you? I'd be a bit concerned about a band 4 "expanding" the service they provide. You shouldn't be "expanding" anything?

Original poster
ScrambledEggAndToast · 28/02/2015 08:42

Email trails sound like a great idea. I'm so glad I didn't send the one I was going to yesterday at about 5pm. I drafted it about 3 times but couldn't work out how to get my point across without sounding bitchy or sarcastic. Thought it best to leave it for a face to face conversation.

OP posts:
diddl · 28/02/2015 08:42

When you put that you have been trying to expand the service, I assume that you are supposed to?

Original poster
ScrambledEggAndToast · 28/02/2015 08:45

The "expanding" is to do with advertising the service, working with charities who are providing us with a new volunteer/s, trying to get more referrals (this will only be doable of I have less other work to do though). We are a department of two and my colleague, thankfully, is able to concentrate fully on the service as she doesn't get given these other tasks.

OP posts:
londonrach · 28/02/2015 08:45

You using rio? As not worked out if you can mail merge on that. I have to fit that around my patients.

londonrach · 28/02/2015 08:46

Sorry i should put i sometimes have to send gp letters before the fitting it around my patients.

Original poster
ScrambledEggAndToast · 28/02/2015 08:46

Maybe "improving" would be a better word than "expanding" Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
ScrambledEggAndToast · 28/02/2015 08:46

What's Rio?

OP posts:
ginmakesitallok · 28/02/2015 08:48

What is the big job that you think needs taken off you? Seems madness to be increasing demand when you are already struggling to meet the demand you currently have?

Mia1415 · 28/02/2015 08:48

My suggestion would be to base your response in facts I.e I am happy to help however the letters will take X amount of time to do, I had planned my time to do A,B, C which will take Z hours. Please can you clarify what you would like me to not do in order for me to do X. & do this is writing. That way you are shown to be being reasonable & it puts the manager in a very difficult position. Plus you are absolutely covering yourself!

youarekiddingme · 28/02/2015 08:48

Yanbu. I agree that taking on extra where you can within yiur working day is expected to some degree as an employer. But to be spending a third of you day doing another job role affecting your actual job role and then being given more is poor management.

And why oh why should the OP stay on and do extra unpaid overtime. I have no idea of op situation but I wokr a role which fits into the school day. Unpaid overtime would result in paid childcare. That's not realistic when wages are not increasing with inflation as it is in the public sector.

The op took on a job for x amount of money. Why does she owe more for nothing?

I also like Jennifer's letter.

QueenBean · 28/02/2015 08:50

SinglePringle if you are frequently working 8am-midnight and can't see that it's an issue then you have your own employment problems

Original poster
ScrambledEggAndToast · 28/02/2015 08:52

Gin- Sorry to be annoying but I can't really say in case anyone from work is reading this. I've already said a few things that are identifiable and that would be the last straw Grin

I heard a couple of months after I took it on that the last lady who had it asked for it to be taken away because she couldn't cope with it on top of her role. So it's not just me. I wish I'd know that Hmm

OP posts:
londonrach · 28/02/2015 08:52

Rio is computerised record system that the nhs trusts i work in use. Allows you print letters etc. the fact you answered what is it means you dont have it. I was going to say with rio i think its individual letters and you cant mail merge but not relevant to you. Agree with others re talk to boss about what he. She suggests you do as priority. However do wonder if this fails in the other tasks part of your contract. X

Mrscog · 28/02/2015 08:54

Fucking hell, just set a mail merge! It shouldn't take more than an hour to do what you've outlined! If I was your manager I'd be seriously questioning your competence.

Hotbot · 28/02/2015 08:56

Your job is what they make it,, but if it's outside your job description that that needs to be discussed properly .
As an nhs manager I wouldn't be asking a band 4 to perform a band 2 job, that to me is a waste of resources .
Good luck , I like the letter posted earlier

LaurieMarlow · 28/02/2015 08:57

I think you're being precious - sorry. You've clearly got a lot invested in what you call your 'real' role. That's fine, we all have bits of our job we find more fulfilling. But that doesn't mean we can opt out of the boring stuff. Even at the most senior levels, there's dull grunt work to be done.

Ultimately, your superiors think it's a better allocation of your time to do the letters and spend less time on your 'real' role. By all means be clear about the implications this has, but they may well decide this is a compromise that has to be made. The NHS is under a lot of pressure right now.

Do the letters. Think about it, if not you, who?

DeliciousMonster · 28/02/2015 09:02

Download your patient details into Excel from whatever system you use. It might already be in excel.

Copy your standard letter and make it 'letter master'.

Open it in word, go to mailmerge wizard and insert the address lines after linking to that excel spreadsheet.

Go to ABC in the mailmerge menu and it will show you the first letter with the actual address etc. Adjust to fit.

For each person you are writing to - if not all of those on the excel spreadsheet are needed, press print then go to the next one by pressing the advance arrow. If all of them need the letter, merge to document and then you can print the lot at once.

Literally takes about 15 mins if that to set up.

TendonQueen · 28/02/2015 09:08

But Laurie the 'if not you, who?' question is unfair. That's a decision a manager should make. And as I and others said earlier, I don't think it is the case that they've decided it's a better use of OP's time. I think they just want it done but don't want to acknowledge that it will disadvantage other patients (OP's own) so they're saying fuzzy things about 'putting the patients first' (which ones?) and hoping she will just suck up extra work in her own time.

SinglePringle · 28/02/2015 09:09

Nah Queen it's just how it is in my industry. We deliver something daily or weekly and you only go into it if you accept that.

Mrsstarlord · 28/02/2015 09:10

Scrambled, is your service a commissioned service? This will have a huge impact on the outcome. The NHS has historically relied on the goodwill and initiative of staff to see gaps and fill them, this has historically evolved into services. Now that the commissioning processes have changed and money is tight the focus comes back to the core services that someone has chosen to buy - if other services exist but pull resources from the commissioned services it's common practice now to pull them and redirect resources.
If it is a commissioned service you need to start gathering the information your commissioners are asking for and demonstrate to your managers the impact of these additional tasks on your patients.
Sadly the times have gone where patients are the priority for managers in the NHS. The focus is now on meeting contracts and prioritising resources so that customers buy your service again. If this means that the services valued by patients disappear that doesn't matter as long as the ones holding the purse strings think something else is more important.
It's sad and one of the reasons I left he NHS, however it's still a fucking amazing resource because it's free to access and it gives people access to skilled and caring professionals. I am surprised to hear however that you won't do extra hours, in 20 odd years in the NHS I never met anyone who refused to do extra hours for patient benefit as they weren't paid for it.

Lloydgeorge · 28/02/2015 09:10

Mrscog- RTFT. The OP has said on more than one occasion that it's not this task that causes the 7 week delay that's impacting her service. So even if she does 'just set a mail merge' then there are still issues that need to be dealt with. Sounds like this is the straw that broke the camels back.