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Probably a stupid question, but (sm) - Questioningmyexistence

Posted: Jul 02, 2012

My inactive time is HUGE. I just came over from another company that was pretty bad about training. I learned DQS on my own without any help whatsoever. Are we supposed to clock out each and every time we leave the computer for more than a few seconds? I'm talking about running to the bathroom and getting a drink or answering the phone. I can't imagine what else is making all this inactive time for me, and I honestly have no idea if I'm supposed to be clocking out each and every time. Please help, and thank you in advance!

maybe - fadingstar

[ In Reply To ..]
it depends on who you ask and when. My CCM told me to clock out at every break, including to answer the phone, the door, go to the bathroom, have a snack, sneeze, itch my foot, etc. So I did. Then I got talked to about my timecard because with all that clocking in and out I was missing anywhere from 20-30 minutes in my shift. So, I started clocking in a half an hour early and clocking out a half an hour later to make up for it, which was not only taxing on ME and my family, but also apparently a no-no. So, you really can't win. Turn the speed on slow on a large document and hit play before you get up from your chair.

I put a big can of baked beans on the foot pedal - to cut down on inactive

[ In Reply To ..]
time!!!

Thank you both, but (sm) - Questioningmyexistence

[ In Reply To ..]
I appreciate your input. I will start using these ideas immediately. I have to say, though, what a ridiculous place to work that we have to do this. If we got paid by the hour, that would be something else, but honestly, we only get paid for what we produce, so.... whose business is it if we take a bathroom break now and then or step outside for fresh air? I seriously think I hate this place and I've only been here a very short time.

Questioningmyexistence.... - ...you hit the nail on the head! (SM)

[ In Reply To ..]
I, too, have thought this is ridiculous and is an onerous burden on the MT to have every moment of the work day monitored like this. It hits a new low that a person has to resort to weighting down the foot pedal to be able to dare be human enough to have to empty your bladder!

I've never understood why it matters if you have nonproductive minutes here and there when they aren't paying you for any time that you're not producing lines anyway. I have a feeling it's because of past lawsuits (or the threat of potential lawsuits, maybe?) that they put some of these absurd rules into place.

because of Transcend lawsuit - inactive time

[ In Reply To ..]
Transcend required their employees to punch out to check their email and research and every single time they walked away from their computer. Then they were expected to make up that time so that every last minute they were clocked in was actual typing time. The biggest kicker was that Transcend was not even paying minimum wage and that is why they got sued. Nonproductive time in this industry is a big red flag for lawyers considering we do not get paid for breaks and I am sure the 15% variance or whatever they are trying to BOOST us to is just enough to keep the lawsuits away.

Transcend.... - mouse

[ In Reply To ..]
We do get paid for our break at MModal (it's on our pay stubs), however, we should, can and will take a break as we see fit. There's not a darn thing they can do about it. It's the law.

maybe you do, but I dont - depends on state

[ In Reply To ..]
I dont get paid for any 15 minute breaks, or any 1/2 hour lunches. Some states do, but not mine.

apparently not my state either -- I barely got paid - for working --- nothing for

[ In Reply To ..]
breaks or lunch. As a matter of fact we were REPEATEDLY instructed to clock out for each and every time we were not productive including breaks, phone calls, bathroom privileges, etc.

That is not correct about Transcend. What you - are required to do SM

[ In Reply To ..]
is fudge your timecard, not clock in and out all the time. It you put in your actual time working (including research, bathroom breaks, any inactive time) and the pay equates to minimal wage or less, you have to lie on your timesheet and put in less hours worked so it equal out to more than minimal wage.

This is the reason I finally left. I even stayed - when the pay got bad,

[ In Reply To ..]
but the Big Brother monitoring was more than I could handle. I was so depressed and paranoid, I had to find another job. I can't work like that. I was a really good worker, and I didn't need the push. I wish they could have just pushed the ones who were goofing off instead of just making it a blanket punishment.

Baked Beans - ILoveThis!

[ In Reply To ..]
Hahahahahaha!!! Way to go! Way to outsmart "inactive time." I love that! You have me laughing so hard!!!

My family thought I was insane. - Baked Bean Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
There is not a person around, unless you work for MedQuist, who can understand this whole concept. My husband thought I was a paranoid conspiracy loon for putting the can on the pedal. I tried to explain about the E-Mails and the inactivity reports each week, but having a regular hourly paid job he could not wrap his head around it. He really thought I was losing my marbles. Only ya'll understand :)

My Family Thought - ILoveThis!

[ In Reply To ..]
I absolutely do understand and I think it's sheer genius! I wish I had thought of it! LOL. You made my day Bean Queen!

I thought inactive time was keyboard time - MTGrandma

[ In Reply To ..]
I thought that was what all the fuss about not using the mouse, keeping your hands on the keyboard at all times...is inactive time when you're not using the footpedal? I was told in my "mentoring" that if you had to take a short break to do it between jobs,before you had downloaded the next job, it was the inactive keyboard time when a job was on the screen that they were counting.

I thought - NoHands

[ In Reply To ..]
According to what I remember from my Boost session, "inactive time" and "production time" are two different things. A dictation is considered "inactive" if the audio is not playing. On production time you are actually typing or editing and producing lines. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Ha Ha - Nobody

[ In Reply To ..]
That's using your bean!

re: clocking in/out - mouse

[ In Reply To ..]
omg...I NEVER clocked out for nothing unless it was end of shift or bad lightening. And I took several breaks during my shift...each just a few minutes. BY law, we had to be given so much in break time for anything over 4 hours. So...if you take a few minutes to go potty or answer the phone or just get up and give eyeballs a break....that all falls within that break time that the law says we are allowed and MQ/MM HAD to give us. Screw clocking in and out! Don't clock out for anything until the end of your shift...that's crazy! And..I didn't give a crap about "inactivity." It just wasn't worth it.

That's what I do. I do NOT clock out unless it's my dinner break or I'm done for the - me2

[ In Reply To ..]
period.

I do not get paid for breaks.. - Lee

[ In Reply To ..]
I was told to punch in and out whenever I wasn't working. I guess my state is one of those that don't have to pay for breaks....cause my stub does not mention pay for breaks.

Well, technically.... - (see message)

[ In Reply To ..]
....as I only get paid for lines and not "time," I'm not making any money if I take a coffee break, so, technically, I don't get paid anything for break time anyway.

What I wonder about the baked-beans-on-the-foot-pedal trick: Do you wait until you have a lengthy report to do this? So many of my jobs are shorter than the time it would take me to use the bathroom or go get a cup of coffee for anything more than a couple of minutes! :-D

i didn't always clock out - Drone

[ In Reply To ..]
and then I got notified about a 15 minute discrepancy between time card and open DQS. Yes, that's correct. 15 minutes in a 40 hour work week. My my.

As long as the audio is playing, apparently - Bean Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
it would appear you are listening and editing. Yeah I usually tried to pick a decent length report, slow it all the way down, put the can of beans on the pedal, and even if it didn't cover the entire bathroom or snack break, it cut down on my "inactive and/or nonproductive" time!

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