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

Capacity Optimization Program another name for - curiousMT

Posted: Oct 23, 2013

schedule changes. Read your email Nuancers. Another change is coming.

What do you know that we don't? nm - xyz

in the coming weeks our accounts will be monitored - curiousMT

[ In Reply To ..]
to see who is running OOW, who is OTAT and on what accounts. Schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the client needs. Strict adherence to our regular schedule. No flexing unless written approval.. Just got the email from my TSM. Maybe yours hasn't sent it yet.

I think some of us have already gone through this...sm - LoveMT

[ In Reply To ..]
In other words, some companies that were acquired or bought out by Nuance have already had these things done across the board on their accounts. The accounts I work just went through this not too long ago. And you're right, many changes coming your way.... :)

I haven't experienced much OOW situations except right at the beginning when there was lots of cross training going on. My schedule wasn't changed for me personally, but others were asked to adjust their schedules. I usually work late evenings/nights, and there's normally an abundance of work on the accounts I work. The early morning MLS and day shift were the ones most affected, I believe, for our accounts.

I guess it all depends on your personal situation whether it will be a good change or a bad change. Lots of MLS looking for ways out of the transcription industry. Some of the "changes" have been just more than I can take (FIESA is just ONE), and while I love MT, I hate what this job has become. I have my escape plan in the works. :)

Written approval for flexing? - CuriousMT (not original poster)

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm not the original poster, though I have used "CuriousMT" for a while now (and I'm sure we're not the only ones). Just want to differentiate.

Anyway, you mention needing written approval to flex. Don't we need that now? When I was hired, I was given a schedule and was told I had to stick to it. My TSM wants to know if I'm going to be late etc.

Or are you referring to when we run out of work? That whole situation and procedure is BS already, so I'm not surprised.

However, when I went over to having a set schedule, I've scheduled everything else around that. So I can't flex. If I'm OOW, I'm SOL!

This whole industry has completely been screwed up. We were moved offsite to save money and because there was no reason for us to physically be onsite. Then they paid us production because clearly we couldn't be trusted to be paid an hourly wage if someone wasn't breathing down our necks (but we were told we would make more money because when we worked more, we'd get paid more). Then we go through all these different ways of paying us from digital minutes to lines, and then the definition of a line, etc. In the end, we end up with a horrible wage that hasn't been increased in over a decade! But we still had schedule flexibility. Well, until now. So now we're on a 9-5 M-F (HA! Maybe the COM's)... but we have our schedule and have to stick to it. They want us to play by that rule, but then when there's no work, that doesn't apply.

We work in a field where things change daily. My sister is a dental assistant. Some days she works 8 hours, some days 10, and some 4. It depends on how many people are scheduled. But she is salary because they know this will flex. But for us, we have a static schedule and a set number of hours, but we have an ever-changing supply of work.

This field will never work when supply and demand aren't BOTH flexible. I know that there needs to be coverage for stats, and for specific days... so do like my old employer did... Once a month you're required to cover certain hours for stats. There are enough of us to spread it out, and then the rest of us work till we meet the production. When production is up, our required lines go up. Once it hits a certain cap, you hire more people or overflow to another company.

Can you tell I'm never short-winded? But I am so frustrated, not just at Nuance but at this entire field, at those that came before me and those of you in this same boat. Our jobs are going away, we know that. But until they do, why are we laying down and letting them run over us? I LOVE being a medical transcriptionist! I got in this field because I NEEDED to! I don't have many options (And no, kids aren't the reason. I don't have any... by choice!). But all of our reasons are valid, and there IS a place for us.

Okay, off my soapbox before I need a box of tissues!

I schedule all of my personal stuff around my "work" schedule too...sm - LoveMT

[ In Reply To ..]
And you're so right. Once you have everything else scheduled around that "8-hour shift", if you run out of work during that time, then you either have to start rescheduling all of your personal business in order to "flex" for THEM or you're just SOL. :) It is definitely BS procedure.

HAS ANYONE LOST A RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE OF TRANSCRIPTION? - ME

[ In Reply To ..]
I lived with my boyfriend for 20 years and the last 13 of those years was working at home. He hated it because I didn't just go work for 8 hours and come home, I always had the work there. If they wanted me to work longer, or later, I did. I had to work on weekends all the time and he never got to do things with me. Not only that, but I didn't have time to go anywhere on the weekends and spend time with my family, etc. Now he lives in his own place and I live in my own place. And now with the economy so bad, we need each other but we can't live together ever again. I'm not working anymore cause I got laid off and will probably never find a job now and will be living on the streets or something.

Wouldn't living together save you both money? - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
.

think I already went through this too - new but old

[ In Reply To ..]
This happened to me several months back where they were auditing all of us making sure we were working our schedule and not clocking out early or clocking in late etc. I have not received any new email in regards to this. I know that the account I am on is overwhelmed and I have been working nights for an hour or two extra just to help somewhat with the overflow.

went thru this...sm - craig

[ In Reply To ..]
My TSM told us we weren't allowed to take any time off unless she can find someone to cover our shift.

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