I'M SOOOO PO'ed AT MY EMPLOYER RIGHT NOW!!!

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jcstanton
jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
in Chit-Chat
Okay, so I work for the local hospital system. I'm a records clerk at a family practice in their physician's group. I've been working here for nearly two years....part time. My regular schedule is Monday 8:30-1pm, Tuesday 8:30-5pm, Wednesday 8:30-1pm, Thursday, 8:30-5pm, and Friday 8:30-5pm. That's 33 hours per week. Since I am only part time, I only accrue about 4hrs/month of PTO (Paid Time Off). Whatever PTO we get we have to use not only for vacations, but also for holidays and sick days. Since I have two half days per week, I usually opt not to use my PTO for holidays and sick days so that I can save my PTO for one week of paid vacation per year. I don't accumulate enough PTO to cover all of it. So, instead, I just work a full day on one or both of my half days to make up for the lost hours. I've been doing this for TWO YEARS with no problem. This morning I noticed that my online time sheet has 5 hrs of PTO for Memorial Day (our office was closed). I told the Office Coordinator that I didn't want to use PTO for Memorial Day because I worked all day on Wednesday (normally one of my half days) to make up for the hours I lost on Monday. She said she was told that we HAVE to use PTO for holidays. WHAT?!!! I EARNED that PTO. I should be able to use it any way I want to. I've been doing this for two years and it's never been a problem before.

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  • guamSUPERgirl90
    guamSUPERgirl90 Posts: 255
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    I agree. If you were able to use it before for anything else, you should demand the reason to sudden changes. Get a second opinion or go to someone higher if you can't find the answer with them. I feel your annoyance hun. :heart:
  • shannonperry13
    shannonperry13 Posts: 99
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    whats the difference. take the extra money you will get and save it for when you go on vacation.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    Either...
    1) she's wrong
    2) she's right and you've been doing it wrong

    I'd find out the official company policy on this.
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
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    Either...
    1) she's wrong
    2) she's right and you've been doing it wrong

    I'd find out the official company policy on this.

    Yep.
    I don't think it's really worth getting pissed off about..
  • 42kgirl
    42kgirl Posts: 692 Member
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    While it certainly does suck, most companies don't give part time employees anything other than a paycheck.
  • MelissR75
    MelissR75 Posts: 760 Member
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    Review your PTO policy. If you don't see anything that states you are required to use PTO, you should take it to your HR director.
  • Italianyc84
    Italianyc84 Posts: 192 Member
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    that sucks. I feel your pain, I hoard my accrued leave.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    whats the difference. take the extra money you will get and save it for when you go on vacation.

    I'm not getting "extra" money. I work two half days per week and we are closed on holidays. Therefore, on a holiday week, the PTO time I'm forced into taking only makes up for the hours I would have been working if I had worked on the holiday. I'm still getting 33 hrs per week whether I take the PTO or work a full day on my second half day instead.

    Normal work week is Mon and Wed half days, and full days on Tues, Thurs, and Fri...which comes out to 33hrs/wk.

    Holiday Week Using PTO:
    Mon--off for Memorial Day (4.5hrs PTO)
    Tues--Work all day (8hrs)
    Wed--Work half day (4.5hrs)
    Thurs--Work all day (8hrs)
    Fri--Work all day (8hrs)
    Total hours including PTO=33hrs

    Holiday Week NOT Using PTO:
    Mon--off for Memorial Day (0hrs)
    Tues--Work all day (8hrs)
    Wed--Work all day (8hrs)
    Thurs--Work all day (8hrs)
    Fri--Work all day (8hrs)
    Total hours=32hrs (and I usually clock in about 10 min early every day, and clock out 5 min late every day which makes up for the 1 hour difference)

    I may be considered only "part time", but I only work 7 hours less per week than everyone else. I only earn 4hrs of PTO per month, and full time employees earn twice that (even though they aren't working twice as many hours as I am). They can afford to use PTO for Holidays and sick days and still have enough left to take a week of vacation. I don't. If I use PTO for every holiday and the two or three days per year that I am sick, I will never get to take a vacation. Oh, and I don't earn a high enough hourly wage to be able to pay all my bills and still have money left over to put in the bank to cover a week of vacation. No matter what, though, it just seems morally wrong to FORCE your employees to use PTO hours they have earned the way that YOU want them to. They've earned the hours, employers are not required by law to give paid holidays, so there's no reason to force them to use PTO for holidays.
  • rossi02
    rossi02 Posts: 549 Member
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    Ugh, feel your pain.. but can't understand for the life of me, why you have to take PTO for days the office is closed?!?!
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
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    Why don't you just go ask your boss?

    Misunderstandings happen.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Why don't you just go ask your boss?

    Misunderstandings happen.

    I'm going to ask the Office Manager (Office Coordinator is like her assistant manager), but she's not here this morning and I don't know if she'll be here this afternoon or not. I need to find out by the end of the day because they submit payroll on Monday morning. I'm thinking that this rule only applies to full time employees since they have no other way of making up the lost hours for the day we're closed. I'm not gonna argue with the OC, though (I'm constantly getting the feeling that she'd like to see me fired or quit). I'm better off taking it up with the Office Manager.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Just talked to the Office Manager, and she said exactly what I thought she'd say. That rule only applies to FULL TIME employees because it prevents them from taking extra days off all the time and then taking a week and a half of vacation on top of that. WHEW!!!
  • Italianyc84
    Italianyc84 Posts: 192 Member
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    That's just as ridiculous, whether part time or full time. Why should ANYONE be forced to use their own leave when the office isn't open? That's sad.
  • angeldaae
    angeldaae Posts: 348 Member
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    Policy is policy. I'm required to use four of my paid vacation days every year for a period when our facility closes and no one works. It's bizaare and I don't understand it, but it's policy.

    You are free to work elsewhere if you don't agree with your company's policies.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    That's just as ridiculous, whether part time or full time. Why should ANYONE be forced to use their own leave when the office isn't open? That's sad.

    Apparently, we had some full time people that were regularly taking an extra day off about every other week (which creates scheduling problems because other people have to stop doing their job to fill in for them), but they weren't taking PTO for the extra days. Then they were taking a week to ten days of vacation as well. So that's their way of discouraging people from taking whole days off when it's not really necessary (i.e., they have a Dr's appt, but they ask for the whole day off). If they have to use their PTO for holidays, sick days, and vacations, they are going to be more cautious about when they ask for extra days off or they won't have enough PTO left to take a vacation. My job is more flexible because I'm part time and no one has to cover for me when I'm not there...the job just doesn't get done and my work piles up. This alone is enough to make me more cautious as to how often I ask for days off.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Policy is policy. I'm required to use four of my paid vacation days every year for a period when our facility closes and no one works. It's bizaare and I don't understand it, but it's policy.

    You are free to work elsewhere if you don't agree with your company's policies.

    It's not really "company" policy per se, but rather exclusive to our office. The hospital medical group as a whole does not implement this policy.
  • ampa916
    ampa916 Posts: 189 Member
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    that doesn't make sense that on a holiday that they ARE CLOSED that they would still take from you PTO.I am sorry and hopefully you can get the situation fixed since you already made up the hours.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
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    bump
  • Tickateeboo
    Tickateeboo Posts: 132 Member
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    I'm a bit confused....this is a weight loss forum?

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