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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ignore work when they tried to call me in

134 replies

Ihavehadenoughalready · 17/04/2023 02:37

Just worked the weekend, both days, first shift. Relaxing now, relaxing on my day off tomorrow, then work Tuesday through Friday.

Call comes I ignore it as I do when I don't know the number, listen to voice mail; they want to know if I can come tonight on third shift because X has called in again, leaving one person to cover our hospital department.

Company has told us last week that there will henceforth be no more call-in pay, no more incentive pay (we were getting that for being soooo short-staffed), and the only incentive left is if the extra day happens to make the week over forty hours, thus time-and-a-half. Which this would be for me.

But X keeeeeps calling in on third. X is not ill. X is burnt out because of working full time plus attending school. X has overbooked himself. Too bad for X.

OTOH, I feel sorry for the person left to fend for themself.

OTOH (I think I'm up to three hands now), I'm tired of the fact that we are so thinly staffed that one call-in makes for a catastrophic situation.

But I seem to have lost all incentive.....because our incentive and call-in pay was taken away.

So I thought about going in, such is my feeling of guilt, but dag nab it, I deserve days off. I ignored the voice mail and if anyone asks, my phone was on silent (it wasn't) and I didn't see that they called (I did).

When will our Overlords understand if they want hospitals to function, they must increase staffing or increase pay?

OP posts:
LadyJ2023 · 17/04/2023 02:59

Yes if my hubby ignored his calls or the rest of the staff you would have no supermarkets and thats for basic pay!

Nightlystroll · 17/04/2023 03:05

Do you think your hospital is deliberately not staffing to the correct level?

Emerald95 · 17/04/2023 04:36

I would answer the phone to let them know you won't be coming in. You don't get any incentive and you need the day off. By letting them know at least they can move on to harassing the next person and you've made jt known you're not a push over who'll just accept these real term pay cuts

Wilburisagirl · 17/04/2023 04:37

I had this type of issue years ago when I worked on a crisis helpline. I was getting calls nearly every day to extend my shift or do an extra shift. I was burning out but felt guilty leaving the phones unmanned. Eventually my supervisor said to me that if I keep plugging the gaps, the higher ups won't realise they have a problem. He said the responsibility doesn't lie with me to solve the issues and that if I burn out and am unable to work, that is a much worse outcome.

Disco2023 · 17/04/2023 04:41

Honestly I’d have just answered/replied and said No rather than it lurking over me.

I’m a healthcare worker so I get the guilt trip and shocking staffing but sometimes it’s ok to look after yourself! Sounds like you do more than enough.

Pippa12 · 17/04/2023 04:42

I did the same for 12 months after our incentive pay was taken away but I didnt ignore the calls as that will get you nowhere. I simply said that my time off was worth more to me than the pay they were offering.

It took 12 months but they did reinstate incentives. It’s not as good, but it’s enough to tempt me into those shifts.

If you don’t say anything they’ll assume you don’t want overtime regardless.

Original poster
Ihavehadenoughalready · 17/04/2023 04:53

Nightlystroll · 17/04/2023 03:05

Do you think your hospital is deliberately not staffing to the correct level?

Our absolute minimum staffing has become our default amount of staffing. I think it's very much on purpose.

OP posts:
yoshiblue · 17/04/2023 04:54

Sorry I think you need to put yourself first. No way I'd be doing a shift like that after incentives have been taken away.

Original poster
Ihavehadenoughalready · 17/04/2023 04:59

Pippa12 · 17/04/2023 04:42

I did the same for 12 months after our incentive pay was taken away but I didnt ignore the calls as that will get you nowhere. I simply said that my time off was worth more to me than the pay they were offering.

It took 12 months but they did reinstate incentives. It’s not as good, but it’s enough to tempt me into those shifts.

If you don’t say anything they’ll assume you don’t want overtime regardless.

Good point. I did calculate how much I would get for the extra hours and decided it wasn't worth it.

But yes, they should know enough money would motivate me.

OP posts:
NumberTheory · 17/04/2023 05:34

As others have said, I don’t think you should go in. But unless you are contractually obliged to come in if asked, I would respond to their request with a no and state that the reason is the lack of incentive pay as it’s not worth it.

The more direct feedback they get on the issue linked to an inability to staff shifts, the more likely they are to reinstate the incentive pay.

ButterCrackers · 17/04/2023 05:35

No extra pay for covering and you’ve already worked long hours. Answer is no.

Overthebow · 17/04/2023 05:38

Tell them you’ll come in if they give you the incentive pay.

Kittycash · 17/04/2023 06:00

LadyJ2023 · 17/04/2023 02:59

Yes if my hubby ignored his calls or the rest of the staff you would have no supermarkets and thats for basic pay!

Or perhaps the supermarket would give your dh better pay and staff properly.
There won't ever not be supermarkets they make huge profits.

Stripeybluetop · 17/04/2023 06:05

I wonder are they jealous of your career and want to put you in your place?

Augend23 · 17/04/2023 06:06

Worth noting as well that they need to rota in a minimum of one day off in 7 (or 2 in 14 depending on shift pattern) which working a shift tonight would potentially prevent by the sound of it? Which then puts the hospital in breach of the working time directive (you can't opt out of that part of it).

TheHoover · 17/04/2023 06:07

They cannot have skeleton staff, no temporary backup and have lowered incentive pay for perm staff to do extra shifts. It’s downright unsafe.

I would definitely not go in; tell them you are exhausted and the financial incentive is making it not worth your while. Someone upthread made the very good point that if you keep doing this they will not think they need to change anything.

AuContraire · 17/04/2023 06:10

Stripeybluetop · 17/04/2023 06:05

I wonder are they jealous of your career and want to put you in your place?

Wrong thread, Stripey.

(but yes, they probably are)

Museya15 · 17/04/2023 06:15

Don't feel guilty, the clipboard warriors don't lying in bed with a secure £100,000 salary. There the people who make the rules, they can deal with ..oh yeah they dont though. You take your day off and enjoy.

Stripeybluetop · 17/04/2023 06:16

Thank you @AuContraire ! I've no idea how that happened mumsnet? I hadn't even looked at this thread!

SoCunningYouCanStickATailOnItAndCallItAFox · 17/04/2023 06:17

Emerald95 · 17/04/2023 04:36

I would answer the phone to let them know you won't be coming in. You don't get any incentive and you need the day off. By letting them know at least they can move on to harassing the next person and you've made jt known you're not a push over who'll just accept these real term pay cuts

This

Casuaala · 17/04/2023 06:30

Yes if my hubby ignored his calls or the rest of the staff you would have no supermarkets and thats for basic pay!

I don’t get this. Would you elaborate?

Ludicrousness · 17/04/2023 06:34

I don't work in the NHS so I am not in a job with a vocation, but I hear you.

My pay is meagre, and I know for a fact others earn more than me, as they have loose lips. That said, my company has decided that many of us are defacto managers, who are there to run the place, train others and make management decisions because they slimmed down the management levels to save money. At the same time, they took away performance-related pay as it was "unfair" to those who may not be able to perform well due to illness, long covid etc. I've been told I do 3 people's jobs and yet still, despite being 25% up on budget from last year, they can't afford to pay me more.

I used to work in HR in my younger years, and I have seen and heard enough to know that NO company gives a shiny one about their staff, and everything is about the bottom line and they come up with every excuse under the sun not to pay or treat you properly. So, you don't owe any loyalty to anyone, except the people you like who you work with.

I want to stay in my job because it suits my childcare situation and my lifestyle. I am getting a new manager in a few months, and once they start, I will not be doing anything above my pay grade.

Don't feel guilty. It's not your job to fix the situation. It is the responsibility of those paid to manage.

MrsMullerBecameABaby · 17/04/2023 06:34

Ihavehadenoughalready · 17/04/2023 02:37

Just worked the weekend, both days, first shift. Relaxing now, relaxing on my day off tomorrow, then work Tuesday through Friday.

Call comes I ignore it as I do when I don't know the number, listen to voice mail; they want to know if I can come tonight on third shift because X has called in again, leaving one person to cover our hospital department.

Company has told us last week that there will henceforth be no more call-in pay, no more incentive pay (we were getting that for being soooo short-staffed), and the only incentive left is if the extra day happens to make the week over forty hours, thus time-and-a-half. Which this would be for me.

But X keeeeeps calling in on third. X is not ill. X is burnt out because of working full time plus attending school. X has overbooked himself. Too bad for X.

OTOH, I feel sorry for the person left to fend for themself.

OTOH (I think I'm up to three hands now), I'm tired of the fact that we are so thinly staffed that one call-in makes for a catastrophic situation.

But I seem to have lost all incentive.....because our incentive and call-in pay was taken away.

So I thought about going in, such is my feeling of guilt, but dag nab it, I deserve days off. I ignored the voice mail and if anyone asks, my phone was on silent (it wasn't) and I didn't see that they called (I did).

When will our Overlords understand if they want hospitals to function, they must increase staffing or increase pay?

Sympathy - you aren't unreasonable not to work a 7th day in a row.

We used to have this too (healthcare, not NHS) when I worked shifts.

Similarly I knew the colleague who invariably called in sick wasn't ill but at the end of her coping ability simply due to trying to combine full time work with her personal life (largely from being disorganised and a tendency to take on "project" friendships/ romantic relationships with people with massive issues, who burnt her out emotionally! She went down to part time periodically and was more reliable, and was more reliable in between these intense relationships she was addicted to, but she couldn't manage on a part time wage and couldn't apparently manage without someone to rescue in her private life! So she always lurched back into crisis mode leaving the team to pick up the shifts she couldn't cope with).

We also had a collection of team members with special arrangements meaning they got preferred shifts due to mental health, physical health and personal situations and in the end it made the role untenable for the couple of us left who were always called on.

I left for a non shift role, though there's still an issue with certain team members calling in sick very frequently and making it very difficult to manage short staffed, at least there are no extra shifts - we just have to work short staffed and hope we get a bank worker...

Starhead69 · 17/04/2023 06:52

LadyJ2023 · 17/04/2023 02:59

Yes if my hubby ignored his calls or the rest of the staff you would have no supermarkets and thats for basic pay!

@LadyJ2023

oh my god that is nowhere near the same thing and you know it. Try harder

Ionlydrinkondaysendinginy · 17/04/2023 06:55

My old job used to do this all the time and I'd say yes through feeling guilty. Then the 1 time I said no the manager completely turned on me, she hung up on me and then gave me the silent treatment for days until she needed me to cover a shift again then suddenly started acting like my bestfriend I of course said no and never did overtime again. My point is don't feel guilty, it's not your problem and I really wouldn't worry about your managers opinion of you