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.

Withdraw your support immediately when she comes to you for help finishing her work tell her no you won't be doing that if she complains tell her she needs to get over it this is literally her job

You're right to feel upset by what your colleague has done, she is definitely not a friend. She knew she was increasing your risk of redundancy by doing this.

But ultimately, that's how reorg works and whether your hours went to her or someone else, it won't really make a difference to you.
Whether or not she is bad at her jobs isn't your concern, and I definitely would refrain to say anything about this.

Looking for a permanent position is your best option, those rolling "bank" contracts should be illegal IMO...

Unfortunately being bank with no fixed contract will always make your role very vulnerable, surely you must know this? The NHS is always looking at ways to cut costs and streamline services. Your 'friend' however is a cow and is is not a friend at all.

What is your role?
Is it Nursing or office work?

How would you be made redundant if you are Bank?

Tbh you seem far too invested in being friends etc
Just go in, be polite, do your job
Work " friendships" are usually lack of boundaries that lead to comments about sickness, who does/ doesn't do what

It's work, keep it professional

I thought they’d changed the law so that zero hours have more rights now if you have regular work? Are you a member of a union - it’s worth checking it out. Do you get paid holiday (or a holiday allowance in your pay)?

Do you work for NHS professionals? Your role as 'bank' seems a bit confusing. Who actually recruited you? The hospital directly or NHS Prof? These things might affect what rights you have.

I used to be a full time bank nurse, including once being block booked for 9 months with one team. However long you’re there you are still ‘just’ bank. One benefit is that you can just say I don’t want to work there any more and leave with no notice, the downside is that they can do the same
for you.

I assume they’re not actually making you redundant from the bank? Just the risk of not working that job again?

If clinical and want to stay banking I wouldn’t worry too much. All NHS trusts go through ‘no bank’ phases and they pass pretty quickly as they need a safe level of staff

You say you consider her a close friend but you're being pretty mean about her on this thread.
1st lesson, don't make friends in the workplace
2nd lesson, you're always replaceable

historyrepeatz

We get an allotted amount of work to get through a day, for an example she hasn’t completed her tasks so I’ve quietly taken them and done it for her. Other members of the team have repeatedly complained about her tardiness and laziness. She known for it and a department joke. I’m a softie (mug) and stupidly felt sorry for her as she’s always complaining about her family, elderly parents, husband and pressures she’s allegedly always under.

So no danger to patients as such but we do feel a great responsibility towards them. I look at it like it could be my father, mother, child or friend so take our roles seriously and do our best.

By quietly doing her tasks you’re not helping her or yourself - it makes her look capable and you never get the credit for your increased efficiency. Stop doing it, if she wants to do the job, let her get on with it but stop filling in the gaps. You can’t do anything about her behaviour about the job but you can stop facilitating her.

Update CV
Consider getting more training
Consider other careers
Get out.

She is thinking of herself and you need to, are there any permanent roles, or could your current role be made permanent for you, this is just the nature of the bank

rainbow90x -
I am because your 100% right - I’ve been delusional, she never was a friend and if the price was right she’d sell her on grandma!

Jellycatspyjamas

Thank you - I have already stopped doing her work (this week) and she was so shocked she nearly fell over. Her face was a picture. She knows I’m fed up but I’ve kept it as professional as I can but tried to distance myself from her false friendship. It’s her birthday soon so I’m sure she she’ll get the message when she doesn’t receive a card or present from me. I was even planning to offer to take her out for lunch on her b’day but she’s had that now! 😂

I know where I stand - so she’s the loser.

I understand you feel betrayed by your friend but I wonder if your manager is future proofing her team when the inevitable ‘no bank’ rule is enforced. It’s coming to all trusts and the cuts are the harshest I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve never known them so strict in my trust about absolutely no bank staff, we have all had to take on more work, or the work just doesn’t get done at all. All overtime has been cut completely, so you may find your ‘friend’ doesn’t get her money after all.

Bank is an incredibly volatile position to be in currently, I would be looking for a new role for 3 reasons.

1. Look how easy the rug has been pulled from underneath you. Next week they could just ‘not book you’ without notice. Our staff were cancelled on the day when this started. Your manager has likely been told to cut her rota spending- it’s brutal, we’ve had to save millions from just our (large) department alone.

2. Sadly your colleagues and manager do not think as highly of you as you them. Your manager has given your role away without discussion, absolutely knowing the vulnerable position this has left you in to a colleague who has a poor work ethic, is not well liked nor respected? Why would she do that?

3. The NHS is a notoriously toxic place to work. Do not think your ‘colleagues’ are not bitching behind your back. Your ‘friend’ has likely been encouraged by permanent staff to ask for those hours because ‘she’s only bank’.

underneath all this is the fact that you are bank !!
all bank staff are vulnerable to having hours / location pulled - you aren’t going to be made redundant- because you are bank staff!!
you will be able to pick up bank hours elsewhere!
bank staff get paid more per hour than substantive staff - but bank don’t have the T+C’s of a permanent contract -

it sounds like you forgot you were bank, somewhere along the line,
your managers will have been told to cut bank staff costs, by higher up -
paying permanent staff overtime can be cheaper than paying bank staff !
you need to stop hating on your ‘friend’ / ex work colleague and get organising your next bank role, or start looking for permanent roles - that’s life

It’s a job. This woman is a co-worker. She is not your friend. She is trying to survive. You should understand that this is something you need to do. I’ll spell it out for you:

Put yourself first.

Seek our work that is more stable and provides you with sick leave.

I was too invested in the friendship - she made me laugh and I thought we were good comrades.

I also really love my job so I’ve probably overlooked the vulnerabilities of being bank (didn’t have a choice) - I haven’t been let go yet but it’s highly likely plus do I want to stay sitting next to a back stabber going forward?… probably not

She’s not trying to survive - she wants spending money for her holiday. Once she’s done a few weeks she’ll stop wanting to work weekends. By that time I may have been let go for a few hundred quid! … it’s as callous as that

I work in a hospital and we have people like your friend at our place.

However my takes are these:

1-why haven’t you applied for a permanent position, that is on you and not the other person. Bank is always unreliable and should not be considered to be long term employment.
2-bank staff are being culled across the NHS as the funding this year is significantly lower. This has been in the making for some time which leads me back to point 1.
3-it’s rare colleagues are ever really close friends.
4-the perm staff who have been there for ages have a lot of protection, they get away with a lot because they know they can.

At work, people are only loyal to their need for you.
I've found that out the hard way.

You don't know her financial situation, she might need that overtime/money.

Why she should prioritise your income instead of hers? You are work colleagues, not friends. Lesson learned, at work don't try to make friends.

At least you know now that she’s not a friend. Sympathy as it’s been a horrible lesson for you :( Be extremely polite but no more helping her or doing work for her. Be as helpful to your manager as you can. There’s nothing you can do now but at least you know she is a snake.

As well as doing what you’ve done by stopping her work I’d very casually and quietly be telling everyone who knows how lazy she is what’s happened, by sharing my concerns with them about possibly becoming unemployed as a result of her actions. While you’re not directly complaining to management,’that way you’ll likely have others who highlight to management how badly she would do your work if she took it over and would be highlighting the injustice of the situation.