Work colleague thinks it’s ok to steal my job because I’m “just” bank!

[fib88]

I work in a hospital and been in my job 2.5 years - I am on a zero hours contract (bank staff) and as such considered a temporary worker (so basically have no employee rights). The hospital are making 500 redundancies and looking at which staff to get rid of with bank employees being first in the firing line.

A permanent staff member, being a woman that I work closely with, who sits next to me (and I considered a close friend) has gone behind my back and offered to do my job resulting in her being allowed to do part of my role at weekends and is being paid overtime for this. She has made my position even more vulnerable now. To say I’m devastated at her betrayal would be an understatement. Because of her actions I’m literally hanging on to my job by a thread. She is very close with our manager (go back years) and this is how she has managed to talk her away into being allowed to do this. She is lazy, constantly being complained about my other members of our team for passing her work to others, including me. She talks all day and doesn’t pull her weight. She has had at least 10 weeks of faux sickness over the two years I have known her whilst I’ve had four days in total (Covid) and work very hard with hardly any holidays off over that 2 years.

I don’t know how to handle this, she knows I’m unhappy and has said such to other employees and passes it off as “it is what it is and she need to get over it”! if I complain to our manager, he will take her side as they have a long history together. She is going on holiday and keeps complaining she needs the money badly as she in debt.

The fact that a so called friend would betray me, who incidentally I’ve stuck up for repeatedly has gutted me, my question is how do I behave going forward - if I kick off they’ll get rid of me anyway for being a troublemaker. I just don’t know how to behave and what is my best course of action?.

Needless to say she is not my friend anymore, but I still have to keep up the pretence/professional front in the office. I haven’t been able to sleep for days over this. Maybe I’m just got to accept what she’s doing is acceptable in the workplace. I feel very disillusioned with people right now.

It’s a difficult one. At the end of the day if the overtime is becoming available and she’s struggling then absolutely put your 2 pence in before someone else does.

But also very sneaky and backhanded of her to not even speak to you about it.

There is nothing you can do to change the outcome of this apart from
avoid as she is not a friend! I would however be looking for another job asap!!

This thread is an interesting contrast to the one yesterday about whether it’s better to be clever or kind, that’s for sure!

Our Trust is drastically cutting Bank and agency hours - it’s the current financial state of the NHS - and a quick way of reducing costs. Job cuts are probably coming in all Trusts.

What your friend did was harsh, but as a member of permanent staff (who also may fear for her job long term) and sees the writing on the wall for those on Bank, perhaps understandable? A lady who worked with us on Bank lost all of her hours recently and no one is being paid extra to pick them up - the role has just gone and we are just doing more for the same money.

With all due respect, why have you stayed on the bank for so long? The NHS have always got vacancies? You won’t even get redundancy pay if they let you go, despite being there over the minimum qualifying period. I’d start looking for a permanent job right now and not just sit back and let this happen to you.

Could you not go over your managers head to his boss and say something

Great idea - if she wants to be shown the door immediately.

It honestly sounds like she's not a friend. You sit next to her and because you're nice you've defended her even when it's not owed. While I understand that makes you want reciprocation you arent entitled to it.

Id try and let this go

Sounds like they’re kicking you out anyway, why not go down in a blaze of glory? Extra points if you call her a c*nt in front of everyone.

The fault is the fact you never joined the NHS. That has led to your job vulnerability and her sort of doing a betrayal to stay in her job. Horrible lazy woman but she is probably fighting to stay in a job once the first cull is over iykwim
Get a job ASAP. I'm in ireland and always said if they recruited from abroad it was game over for Agency and guess what it's happened

She was never a friend, she was a work colleague.

There's no loyalty when it comes to keeping at job. Dog eat Dog world as they say.

I think you need to think about what you would honestly do if the shoe was on the other foot.

If you were the permanent member of staff & your manager tells you they have to get rid of all the bank staff and asks you to work extra - would you really turn it down? Bear in mind there is no benefit to your friend on the bank if you say no - her work is going anyway.

You might also consider that right now the manager is worrying about how the workload will be completed without bank staff. He or she probably recognises your contributions and realises their job will get harder without your input. It doesn’t mean they can a)keep you on or b) offer you a contract. Your colleague agreeing to do extra days might look like a gift to the manager just now.

Sometimes personal circumstances dictate it, as women we get pulled in all directions, when all said and done this is mumsnet so should be understood🤷‍♀️ageing parents, children, despite so called 'equality' I can't see much of it!!
I took my NHS pension at 58, my dad was terminally ill and I needed to be flexible. People have different circumstances that means they need to be able to work around them despite loss of earnings.

Bank staff is different to agency, I am bank staff but i am NHS on my old trust's payroll with zero hours contract since 2019 (from my choice), I am not on an agencies' books. Again a lot of misunderstanding on this thread, agencies cost the NHS much more money as the agency takes a cut/payment for their supplying the staff and usually the pay for the individual is better than bank payments. Bank staff are cheap, they get paid bottom of the payband and have no security so no sick pay if off ill. However, some of us have morals and don't want to fleece the NHS.

Agencies cost more. Bank staff still cost more per hour for experience level. Even taking into account holidays. Don't forget bank staff get a fixed hourly bank rate based on years served, it is not adjusted within a band for competence.

Think for a second. Why would cost saving initiatives in every ICB choose to cut back on bank staff if they were cheaper than employees? What is more likely:
a) Collective country-wide conspiracy?
b) Bank staff cost overall comes up higher than employee cost?

You missed a really bloody huge screamingly in your face obvious c) - because others have employment contracts. And you can’t just cut their hours. But you can come in tomorrow and cut their bank staff without getting hr and legal support to performance manage them out and without getting hr and legal support to structure a redundancy program,both of which cost as much as the first 6 months saved by reduced hours, with the payouts themselves on top of that.

you said they were getting rid of zero contract first so likely you are going to lose that job anyway - why do you care that the hospital will end up with a lazy worker perhaps they deserve it. time to apply elsewhere asap

Okay perhaps not insist, but OP could ask if they would consider putting out a contracted role and apply for it. While there is a recruitment freeze there are still job roles coming up. OP said themselves bank workers are at risk so there isn't much to lose.

Are you in a union? Even if you’re zero hours, if you’ve been doing the same role consistently over a period of time you do have rights and can be considered an employee. Speak to them (or if not in a union to ACAS) to get advice

I doubt there is a case for the union

Why would cost saving initiatives in every ICB choose to cut back on bank staff if they were cheaper than employees

It's a strawman argument -the NHS has been told to cut staffing costs in admin/ estates/ non front tline by 12-15%
There are no agency/ bank shifts available, staff are not being replaced at any grade,recruitment has been halted since early spring and currently they are looking at voluntary redundancies before moving onto making staff redundant.

It's nothing to do with what's cheaper -there are no bank shifts and no substantive posts on offer .

Even if they did advertise, OP wouldn't be guaranteed to get the job. And during a recruitment freeze they're highly unlikely to go out to advert for a band 3 admin role, particularly as they have substantive staff who can take up the slack.

This country is an absolute disgrace!! Over the past few years thousands and thousands of nurses have been taken on from abroad coming here with their families. Nursing students who work for free on their placements, and having to pay huge uni fees are now ending up not being able to get jobs when they graduate. My daughter is tens of thousands in debt in student fees and is just about to go on another 5 week placement (unpaid but working full time) before graduating. She has been told there are no jobs unless she has 1 year of experience. This is happening all over the country. It’s a disgrace. And yes OP it is heartbreaking they are slashing working nurses jobs too. There is nothing wrong with overseas nurses coming, happened for years. But is not right when our own UK nurses and graduates can’t get jobs or are being fired. All graduates should have their uni fees refunded but of-course that isn’t going to happen.

OP isn't a nurse, she's admin. No b3 administrators are being shipped in from abroad.

As it said bank I presumed nurse bank. I am still leaving my post as it is as it is all so sad 😢

You've had it good for years. Bank staff costs are crippling the NHS and it's ridiculous! If regular employees can do the hours then they absolutely should and bank staff should be a last resort