A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Production scrutiny - dumbdumb

Posted: Dec 02, 2010

For the life of me I cannot figure out how they justify the manhours being spent to see if we are typing all 60 minutes of each hour without bathroom or snack breaks when we are not paid by the hour. If we are not typing for 5 or 6 minutes here and there, we are not producing, thus not getting paid line rate. It only hurts us so why do they even care? Am I totally stupid? It affects our benefit rate, still only hurting us. The only benefit left for this company that I am seeing is that we work at home. The flexibility and low stress level is totally absent now.

I agree - Old part-timer

[ In Reply To ..]
I think maybe they have some unpaid interns working for them now who they're keeping busy by having them make spread sheets on us. I make well over my required lines per hour but I admit that I'm the type who pounds away furiously for a while and then might wander away from the keyboard for 5-10 minutes here or there. I'm not hurting them - they only pay me for what I produce. This is the way I work best. In the words of Popeye, "I Yam what I Yam."

When I got my e-mail with my production numbers, all I could really do was shrug. They don't give me anything to gauge them against (what other people do or their own expectations) so I don't really know what to make of them.

that is what delete button is for - NJA Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
The report meant absolutely nothing to me and so I deleted it. You are correct there is nothing to gauge it against so what was the point? As long as I make my minimum lines per hour what do they care how many keystrokes I use or how many mouse clicks I use. Honestly, somebody at corporate has too much time on their hands. Yet another try to rile up the MTs. Perhaps this was our early Christmas present! :)

delete - nan

[ In Reply To ..]
I deleted it too after I wrote my CCM and told them how insulted I was by it and did not appreciate them telling me how many times I used keystrokes or mouse or whatever. Actually, I don't even know what the numbers were, I started reading it then deleted it without finishing it. What a joke! I believe you are right, it seems that many are very worried about the letter. If your doing your job to the best of your ability, just consider it another waste of money by the company and forget it!

My take on this....sm - mb

[ In Reply To ..]
For those of us who earn PTO and other benefits, I believe they will somehow figure out a way to use these figures to deny or reduce our benefits by stating that we were on the clock and were not working and thus, "stealing" time from the company and that will be their reason to reduce/deny our PTO, etc.

Just about have had it...might apply to McDonald's - NCMT

[ In Reply To ..]
If I make my line rate I still get below minimum wage,and if they drop the ASR rate as some people suggest will happen sometime in the future, it will be even worse. Saw an ad for McDonald's for 3rd shift, which I may apply for. I will actually make more than minimum wage and will have benefits no matter how many Happy Meals I serve or how many Big Macs I make. I have to work 3rd shift because I babysit my grandkids during the day...Ronald McDonald, prepare a place for me in the Land of Quarter Pounders and French Fries!!!

What about when you need to look up - something, go on Google, SM

[ In Reply To ..]
look in a book, etc. This sounds so ridiculous to me.

Google - nan

[ In Reply To ..]
When you need to look something up, look it up. It is ridiculous and I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep doing what your doing.

like they need more ideas to cut the pay. - look for it now.

[ In Reply To ..]
wawa

You're right - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I wonder how many people they hired to do this productivity project - and how many to do the 6.1 upgrade, and all the other Brilliant ideas they come up with!

re: scrutiny - D-Lo

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm not sure I understand all the concern about this "production scrutiny" and why MTs are so upset about it's implementation. I personally don't feel threatened by it. I've been with MQ for a long time.

I'm havent' changed a thing in what or how I do things regardless of upgrades, tools, references yadda, yadda, yadda.

I got my first analysis thingy this week and it was on par so, I'm just going to keep plugging away. I don't sit at my screen for a whole hour EVER! I'd go nuts (plus I have RLS!!) I get up, let the dog out, let the dog in, feed a cat, snuggle a cat, chat with the neighbor, clean up, do laundry, shop online and such and come back to work. I put in 8 hours, take no lunch, just the breaks above to let me move around.

Well, I'm not trying to be argumentative, just saying that I personally am still not going to change a thing I do!

I tend to agree with you - MQMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I did not see anything on the original email that says there is anything we have to do mandatory, it is voluntary whether we want to adjust the way we type.

I have not received my numbers yet, but will probably look at what they have to suggest to see if I can do better. I am a mouse-oriented person, that is how my brain is wired and so I know that will not change, but I am open to any other suggestions that may help my production. I see it as a tool with a choice to use or not use, nothing more.

and do u get minimum wage?with all that movn - surly is not productive?

[ In Reply To ..]
just wondering

They don't spend any manhours coming up with it. sm - X Mgmt

[ In Reply To ..]
It is a stats/metrics report that is available at any time. They look at it every single payperiod.

All are reviewed with specific attention paid to those who are either out of compliance with requirements, receiving minimum wage differences, etc.

There is not an expectation that you should be transcribing or active for all 60 minutes out of every hour. However, if you are only active 30 minutes out of every hour logged in, something is amiss. Especially when you are not making required line counts or are receiving a minimum wage assistance.

Virtually every company performs comparable analysis and monitoring, whether the employees are aware or not. It is about performance and production.

You are working in a high-production field. As more work is pushed into ASR, performance becomes more key for both you and the company. It pays to only retain those who meet and exceed expectations.

You don't have to like what I am saying but just be aware so you can understand what is happening and why.

X Mgmt

re: X mgmt - SooSie

[ In Reply To ..]
Makes perfect sense. I can't see how any company would want unproductive, mediocre workers. They want "the best of the best" (Top Gun... hee hee)!~

Those who can, do. - Those who cant, are in Management.

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Hehe, not for me. I left the Q mgmt team for production work. - X Mgmt

[ In Reply To ..]
In mgmt, I was working the most horrific number of hours. Pay was good but the hours were awful.

My family and I talked about it. I love being in management but, as with any position, there is a point where the money is not worth all the effort.

So, I walked away from a $54,000 salary and went to work at another company in production. Been there every since. My first year was not quite as good but I have been able to stay around $50,000 now with my production.

I agree that many in management cannot do production work but that is not always the case (smile).

X Mgmt

Good managers - Old part-timer

[ In Reply To ..]
The good managers are the ones who were on this side of the keyboard at some point! I am lucky that my CCM started out as a transcriptionist and understands what we deal with. I think a lot of the higher-ups have absolutely no clue.

Wish you could say what company. Everything - I look at would not be

[ In Reply To ..]
close to $50k a year.

re:Xmgmt,,LOL, key words "went to work at another - company" says it all

[ In Reply To ..]
hehehe

Even if we were being paid hourly, all the micro- - supervision would be a bit - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
over the top. But I agree - if we're paid on production, and are expected to "flex" our time in order to make our line counts during low-work periods, then why should they care if we leave our desks to use the bathroom, or eat?

I seriously question the legality of what they're doing. Labor laws state we get, at MINIMUM, a half-hour lunch break and two 15-minute breaks per day.

Scrutiny? - HUH

[ In Reply To ..]
Wait, are you all actually implying that you can't go pee or get coffee when you work for MQ? Someone please clear this up because I just accepted a job with them and now I'm freaking out. I have an understanding of the reasons why this company is not very popular; however, at the moment, I need a job with benefits and they offered that and a schedule I can live with. I'm continuing to look, but chances are good that something else won't line itself up till well after the holidays and that is what it is at the moment. I would love for someone to clear up this whole issue with bathroom breaks and what not because I can't imagine that it's entirely realistic to assume that people are wearing Depends and therefore going to the bathroom every now and again is simply a fact of life, as is getting coffee, or water, or lunch, or letting the dog out. SO please someone clarify these things with some objectivity for those of us that are reading this board after accepting a job that we desperately need and are freaking out over what we're reading. :(

big brother watching - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
This spying thing is new and, like most things at MQ, probably won't be around for very long. Anyone remember when we first got access to backlog/old reports and every.single.one of us got an email saying we had violated HIPAA by looking at something? That ended promptly when they figured out their software screwed up. This will be the same; here today, gone tomorrow. I doubt if they would send this crap to a newbie anyway.

At the end of the day, the work is fine (mine is anyway) and I very rarely get NJA, so I would advise you to just ignore the hoopla in here and concentrate on getting started. It is not anywhere near as bad as you would think by reading here.

Yeah, I agree with HUH. Of course, I don't - work for MQ so please SM

[ In Reply To ..]
don't flame me, but COME ON. Are you really being told that you cannot take bathroom breaks or get up to get coffee or whatever? Are they seriously watching your keystrokes to see if you are using the keys every second of every minute of every hour? For the person asking about this, the new hire, I would just do as HUH suggested, do your best and ignore this nonsense.

oh please, that is a bunch of,well boots on! - that surely stinks

[ In Reply To ..]
piled high

They are watching how many minutes out of - each 60 that you are

[ In Reply To ..]
keyboarding. So now if you are on a phone call or researching a drug or doctor or instrument name on Google, you are not being productive. Answer? Just hit a key over and over or keep foot on the pedal!! Stupid? Absolutely. I am sure they will figure out a way to differentiate if you are hitting a key or actually typing soon.

Also counting our "mouse clicks" as apparently - we are overusing the mouse

[ In Reply To ..]
and that is not productive enough either. Must use the keyboard shortcuts and we are too stupid to know which works best for us.

just ignore the reports - NJA Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
We MTs all know that we can only go as fast as the voice allows- some dictators we can speed up and some we can fly through. What keystrokes we use to fix ASR while the voice is going shouldn't matter, as long as we are keeping up. I am one that tends to keep paging down as the voice is going and fixing headings or double words or formatting lists so they probably think I am using way too many keystrokes, but if I get through the report faster who really cares?

Honestly, I believe X Mgmt who said they use these reports to see who is actually working or not. If you are putting in an honest day's work then what does it matter how many times you clicked the mouse or got up to use the bathroom. They are watching for people who only work part of their shift and stay punched in.

HUH - nan

[ In Reply To ..]
You have to understand that many people get paranoid over nothing (nothing personal against anyone, everybody is different). It is like any other job, if you have to pee, go pee, take your breaks and all the above as you would do in any other job. Just keep your production numbers up when you have work and don't worry about it when there is no work. That's all you can do. Trust me, there are many of us working that are quite satisfied with our jobs here and just overlook the studies, threats and whatever they throw at us. All companies do that and if you let them, they will. Just do the best job you can and take all the other stuff with a grain of salt. It really is nothing to get paranoid over. Don't freak out! LOL

re: Huh/scruitiny - Nail on the head

[ In Reply To ..]
Exactly. Just when I get sick and tired of reading the ranting paranoid postings of those afraid to pee or eat, the voice of reason.

This is a production based JOB. They aren't "Big Brother". The counts they are doing are in an attempt to make our jobs easier and their ASR more efficient because their bottom line is big bucks. The more efficient the machine, the bigger their bucks.

We are part of that machine. If we DO OUR JOB like we're suppose to, meeting our lines, working our schedule, adhereing to their expectations, THEN THERE IS NOTHING TO BE PARANOID ABOUT!

I got a new computer and it doesn't have a camera installed, doesn't have a GPS subcutaneous injector so they can follow me throughout my house!

Just do your job to the best of your ability and I promise, you'll be fine!

Right - nan

[ In Reply To ..]
If they want real efficiency, scrap the ASR. I have been hearing some horror stories on that stuff. Nothing can replace the human mind no matter how hard they try.

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