Money for Nothing
April 6, 2020 4:37 PM Subscribe
My hospital workplace has a policy to pay all employees until late May if their department has been affected by coronavirus. I have some questions about how they are paying affected employees during this time and whether or not I'm being unreasonable.
• I am registered nurse and work for a large "not-for-profit" hospital system.
Since coronavirus, my department, which is outpatient and elective, has been closed since mid-March.
Even though I generally work an average of 24-28 hours per week I have a full-time employee status (40-hour workweek).
• I have full-time benefits. Full-time benefits mean a lower premium on health insurance.
Since I never work 40 hours, the meager PTO time I accrue is taken from my PTO bank to true-up and pay me for 40 hours or get me close as possible to 40 hours. If I have 10 hours of PTO and only work 24 hours, that PTO will be used, and I will be paid 34 hours.
• My department is not open for 40 hours per week. The max I could work is 34 hours and sometimes I do.
For each biweekly pay period my manager gives me 10-20 hours of "zero time" so I can accrue PTO. Sometimes she forgets to give me zero time. I always thought of zero time as a perk and there is no obligation to give it unless an employee is called off.
• I am always granted requested vacation time off whether I have PTO or not.
We have a small department with my manager (salary) myself (full-time) and a part-time worker. Even though we are small, we are outpatient, and outpatient services are generally the money makers for hospitals.
My manager has told me that it’s in her benefit to have a 40-hour full-time employee who only works 24-30 hours per week. It's improves the appearance of her productivity. If she's budgeted for a full-time employee and comes under every time it looks good and she's never over budget. Managers are salaried and rewarded in bonuses if they "make productivity."
Since coronavirus there is hospital-wide policy to pay all employees their full or part-time status hours if they take redeployment. Redeployment means working in jobs that have been created around the hospital related to coronavirus or traveling to another hospital if there is a need. All employees will be “made whole” and paid for unworked hours if they take redeployment assignments. If a person is a full-time, 40 hour a week employee and is only redeployed for 24 hours, they will still be paid for 40 hours.
Policy:
Acme Hospital Commitment
In situations of decreased demand or a temporary department closure related directly to the COVID-19 pandemic, if you are in a full-time or part-time employee role and you have been told by your leader that you cannot work and you cannot be redeployed, Acme Hospital will pay your base rate for normally scheduled shifts starting March 23 through May 23, 2020.
I worked with a nurse today who has a full-time status (40 hour/wk) and usually works 36 hours per week. She worked 32 redeployment hours last pay period and was paid for 40. I worked with another nurse who worked 28 hours on redeployment and was paid for 40 and also usually works 36 hours per week.
All employees on redeployment use a special code to clock in. My manager has told me the reason this code is being used is to recoup money from the federal government. I assumed this before she stated it.
I asked my boss in an email exchange about being paid and being "made whole" and she said it would be based on my average weekly hours. I replied with, "If my average is 28 hours and I work 24 in redeployment am I going to be paid for 28 hours?" There was no answer.
She said these employees I talked to where being made whole because they are usually working full-time hours. (These nurses work three 12-hour shifts with a half-hour unpaid lunch).
I also said since my spouse is not working, I would take all of the hours I could get and would like to work 32-40. She said she might get "dinged" for giving me more hours than I usually work. I asked, "How would they know or care? I am a full-time employee”. She said she didn't know that they would.
She said I could work three 8-hour shifts (24 hours) and she would pay me for 32 hours and give me zero time to 40 hours, so I can accrue PTO. I said I would take it but now I'm wondering if I am making a mistake.
What do you think of this deal? I'm wondering if others are getting paid for unworked hours why not me, and if hospitals are going to recoup money for employee wages and I have full-time status why shouldn't I ask for full-time wages?
I realize millions have no work or pay. What do you think of this policy and my pay situation? Am I being unreasonable? Are there any questions I should be asking? I am reluctant to ask HR because I don't want to be flagged in any way. HR works for the hospital's best interests, not mine.
• I am registered nurse and work for a large "not-for-profit" hospital system.
Since coronavirus, my department, which is outpatient and elective, has been closed since mid-March.
Even though I generally work an average of 24-28 hours per week I have a full-time employee status (40-hour workweek).
• I have full-time benefits. Full-time benefits mean a lower premium on health insurance.
Since I never work 40 hours, the meager PTO time I accrue is taken from my PTO bank to true-up and pay me for 40 hours or get me close as possible to 40 hours. If I have 10 hours of PTO and only work 24 hours, that PTO will be used, and I will be paid 34 hours.
• My department is not open for 40 hours per week. The max I could work is 34 hours and sometimes I do.
For each biweekly pay period my manager gives me 10-20 hours of "zero time" so I can accrue PTO. Sometimes she forgets to give me zero time. I always thought of zero time as a perk and there is no obligation to give it unless an employee is called off.
• I am always granted requested vacation time off whether I have PTO or not.
We have a small department with my manager (salary) myself (full-time) and a part-time worker. Even though we are small, we are outpatient, and outpatient services are generally the money makers for hospitals.
My manager has told me that it’s in her benefit to have a 40-hour full-time employee who only works 24-30 hours per week. It's improves the appearance of her productivity. If she's budgeted for a full-time employee and comes under every time it looks good and she's never over budget. Managers are salaried and rewarded in bonuses if they "make productivity."
Since coronavirus there is hospital-wide policy to pay all employees their full or part-time status hours if they take redeployment. Redeployment means working in jobs that have been created around the hospital related to coronavirus or traveling to another hospital if there is a need. All employees will be “made whole” and paid for unworked hours if they take redeployment assignments. If a person is a full-time, 40 hour a week employee and is only redeployed for 24 hours, they will still be paid for 40 hours.
Policy:
Acme Hospital Commitment
In situations of decreased demand or a temporary department closure related directly to the COVID-19 pandemic, if you are in a full-time or part-time employee role and you have been told by your leader that you cannot work and you cannot be redeployed, Acme Hospital will pay your base rate for normally scheduled shifts starting March 23 through May 23, 2020.
I worked with a nurse today who has a full-time status (40 hour/wk) and usually works 36 hours per week. She worked 32 redeployment hours last pay period and was paid for 40. I worked with another nurse who worked 28 hours on redeployment and was paid for 40 and also usually works 36 hours per week.
All employees on redeployment use a special code to clock in. My manager has told me the reason this code is being used is to recoup money from the federal government. I assumed this before she stated it.
I asked my boss in an email exchange about being paid and being "made whole" and she said it would be based on my average weekly hours. I replied with, "If my average is 28 hours and I work 24 in redeployment am I going to be paid for 28 hours?" There was no answer.
She said these employees I talked to where being made whole because they are usually working full-time hours. (These nurses work three 12-hour shifts with a half-hour unpaid lunch).
I also said since my spouse is not working, I would take all of the hours I could get and would like to work 32-40. She said she might get "dinged" for giving me more hours than I usually work. I asked, "How would they know or care? I am a full-time employee”. She said she didn't know that they would.
She said I could work three 8-hour shifts (24 hours) and she would pay me for 32 hours and give me zero time to 40 hours, so I can accrue PTO. I said I would take it but now I'm wondering if I am making a mistake.
What do you think of this deal? I'm wondering if others are getting paid for unworked hours why not me, and if hospitals are going to recoup money for employee wages and I have full-time status why shouldn't I ask for full-time wages?
I realize millions have no work or pay. What do you think of this policy and my pay situation? Am I being unreasonable? Are there any questions I should be asking? I am reluctant to ask HR because I don't want to be flagged in any way. HR works for the hospital's best interests, not mine.
I'd be concerned that your normal, non-Covid arrangement here might not withstand the scrutiny it could attract if you push your luck, because it sounds like your boss is using some funny bookkeeping to give full-time benefits to a part-time employee, possibly in violation of company policy, and she's worried about getting "dinged," i.e. caught.
posted by jon1270 at 5:22 PM on April 6, 2020 [34 favorites]
posted by jon1270 at 5:22 PM on April 6, 2020 [34 favorites]
I would not compare myself to others. I would compare my situation to pre covid. Are you worse, same or better off than before? As far as I can tell, you are the same. To ask to be better off would be too much in my opinion. YMMV.
posted by AugustWest at 5:24 PM on April 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 5:24 PM on April 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
Don't worry about what they're saying this week, they'll say something else next week.
(The validity of the previous answer depends a little bit on your location/situation. I don't work at a hospital, but Mrs. Lulz does and the nearly daily gyrations regarding redeployment are something to behold.)
posted by All Out of Lulz at 5:29 PM on April 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
(The validity of the previous answer depends a little bit on your location/situation. I don't work at a hospital, but Mrs. Lulz does and the nearly daily gyrations regarding redeployment are something to behold.)
posted by All Out of Lulz at 5:29 PM on April 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
It sounds as if your usual arrangement is not actually acceptable under normal policy and she's bending rules right and left to make it happen. If you push hard on this you may get what you want now but find you don't get your old situation back when the situation stabilizes. You'll have to decide if that's worth the risk to you.
Your situation is not comparable to the people you're talking with unless they also have possibly-sketchy special accounting deals worked out with their bosses.
posted by Stacey at 5:47 PM on April 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
Your situation is not comparable to the people you're talking with unless they also have possibly-sketchy special accounting deals worked out with their bosses.
posted by Stacey at 5:47 PM on April 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
For each biweekly pay period my manager gives me 10-20 hours of "zero time" so I can accrue PTO.
this is...maybe I'm not understanding. sounds like "zero time" is time you don't work but that is recorded on your timesheet and you get paid for it?
if that's what's going on I would be as silent as the grave because how could you get a better deal? this sounds too good to be true and if you make her think about it too hard, it will turn out it really is too good to be true.
She said I could work three 8-hour shifts (24 hours) and she would pay me for 32 hours and give me zero time to 40 hours, so I can accrue PTO. I said I would take it but now I'm wondering if I am making a mistake.
What do you think of this deal? I'm wondering if others are getting paid for unworked hours why not me
What else is this proposed deal if not pay for a lot of unworked hours?
It sounds like the real threat of this arrangement is that when it comes time to negotiate a raise, you won't have any power. like, she could say Sure I'll raise your hourly pay, and I'll pay you for exactly as many hours as you work, no more timesheet-padding and there would then be nothing you could do. And the other real threat is what happens when you get a new manager. But worry about that then; don't worry about this now. Right now, you're set up really well.
posted by queenofbithynia at 5:56 PM on April 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
It sounds like your manager is pretty good at working within the byzantine hospital rules to make things work well for you and her both. I work in a hospital and this sounds like a reasonable deal to me.
(I think "zero time" means time that the OP is not paid for, but that does count for purposes of accruing PTO.)
posted by selfmedicating at 6:17 PM on April 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
(I think "zero time" means time that the OP is not paid for, but that does count for purposes of accruing PTO.)
posted by selfmedicating at 6:17 PM on April 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
Another vote for you have a really good deal that might be shady or untenable, do not do ANYTHING to jeopardize it.
posted by mccxxiii at 7:39 PM on April 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by mccxxiii at 7:39 PM on April 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
I wouldn’t personally jeopardize benefits I don’t qualify for + paid PTO I haven’t actually earned + pay for some hours I haven’t worked right now in order to be sure I’m getting exactly the same number of extra unpaid hours as someone else...in the middle of the biggest labour disruption of our time. Is this the hill you want to die on?
posted by warriorqueen at 7:54 PM on April 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 7:54 PM on April 6, 2020 [15 favorites]
You have been treated really well so far, why would you ever do anything to disrupt that? I’d just smile, nod and say thank you very much.
posted by Jubey at 10:21 PM on April 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Jubey at 10:21 PM on April 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
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Your assumption that "full time employee" is the same as "40 hours a week" may not be valid, also. You work in a very dynamic environment where a lot of people have irregular schedules. If what you really want is to work 24 hours but get paid for 40 because you are full-time, that may not be how the company sees it at all.
posted by cmm at 5:20 PM on April 6, 2020 [6 favorites]