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KEYSTROKES TIME CLOCK - KS MT

Posted: Oct 03, 2011

It is my understanding from an attorney that if we are required to sit and wait for the work that is considered time worked. Keystrokes wants us to keep track of ONLY the time spent typing, any time spent NOT typing is NOT considered as time working according to them. You would have to rack up a lot of time just typing to get in those 40 hours in order to get paid overtime. By the way I have never been paid overtime even after 40 hours and when asked if I would receive it the anwer was no. I guess you have to be a favorite to get it.

What about those that don't have any work? - I guess we are considered not working.

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My account is over staffed and there isn't enough work to go around. There are days I only get 60 reports. It is rare these days to get 100 reports a day. So to be consdered only working when typing is rediculous.

from the email my understanding is that - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
if you are logged in to work you are considered working, whether you have work or not. What they do not want you to count in those actively working hours are any time that you log out for breaks, lunch, etc. because at that point you are not actually working.

Time typing is considered time worked. - That is a way to get away from paying overtime.

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That is the way read it.

That is correct. They can come back and say - you have not yet worked 40 hrs.

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I have been told that if we are required to sit and wait for the work, that is considered time working and we SHOULD be compensated for that time (from legal counsel).

Why do you work for KS if you are so unhappy? - sm

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KS pays better than most and do not offshore. You will be forcing them to not be able to compete in the current market, essentially shooting yourself in the foot, cutting your own nose off to spite your face.

Also, your lawyer needs to look at home worker/piecework definitions as well. We are not standard employees.

If you are required to sit in front of the computer - and wait then compensation

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should be paid. Whether it be per piece or not. If we have to wait then make sure there is enough work, not over staff.

You have the option to sign out, get up, etc. - Why should you be paid OT if you have no work??

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Talk about greedy! If you are low on work, you have the flexibility at KS to sign off, flex hours, make up time, etc. Why would you expect to get OT if you havent met your line count requirements? If I don't make my lines, I don't expect OT. That's crazy!!!!

Look around at the big companies, i.e. Medquist and Nuance, gobbling up every company they can and mostly the AMERICAN companies who refused to OUTSOURCE their work!!

Wake up people!! You are getting paid better wages than most in this industry. If you think you have it bad or you are being treated unfair, LEAVE and go somewhere else so those of us can keep making KS successful. I want to keep my job and don't want to end up like the other MTs and being employed by a company who is outsources my medical records and pays me less money!!

REALLY? I sat in front of the computer for 6 hours - on a Saturday night and only

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had 1 report. That was 6 hours of my time and made under $1. My lead wanted another person on that night. Is that fair? I gave up 6 hours of my free time for $1. There was another incident of working 3 hours and had only 9 reports and made less than $9. Is that fair? Again, after sitting all week (40 hours) to make nothing. Get real. You must be someone who is making money, not everyone is you know. Greedy? Not hardly. Why sit all day logging in and out and then get on later and take work away from someone who is scheduled for that time just to make my count? Is that fair? Or is it fair to expect us to work 7 days a week to make enough to cover benefits?

By the way I could care less about YOU!

That isn't right; you can't make a living that way. - Try acute care

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Acute care accounts are overflowing and in terrible need of MTs, particularly in the evening and night.

We are employees, not IC's. - Maybe KS should just pay

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everyone hourly regardless of how much employees type, I bet they would still come out way ahead of the game. Spread the wealth so to speak. They are essentially getting free coverage when the work is not available. While "management" enjoys time off, paid holidays, etc.

I used to be an operating tech and got paid - mttoo

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for being on call which is pretty much what it sounds like Keystrokes (and other companies) expect from their employees. Having worked for another company which overstaffed and there was no work, I filed for unemployment and got it. And boy was the company mad. But I still got partial unemployment because I was an employee and had no work. Filing for unemployment or another method to get their attention is a good thing. If we have a responsibility to show up for work, they have an obligation to supply it. And the UE office does not expect us to flex our time, an MTSO word meaning be at our beck and call.

That is exactly right we are on-call. - This needs to be brought to

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the Department of Labor's attention. Not only KS but all MTSO's. We are basically working for free just to cover the MTSO's accounts when there is no work and having to continually check back in or sit in front of the computer.

Not only that, we have a quota to meet in order to keep benefits.

Not at all, you still have choice not to work. - sm

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You aren't on call at all.

my plan - KSMT

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Usually, I have plenty of work, but I don't work 8 hours a day. I do my 1200 to 1500 lines and then I'm done for the day. I honestly plan on putting down 8 hours a day for those days. Too often, I am asked to work extra on a really crappy account, and I'm not gonna do it if I can't get overtime.

Probably not the best approach, but I am about done with their crap!

Well if you are not working your 8 HOURS A DAY, YOU DON'T DESERVE OT - UNBELIEVEABLE

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I hope they implement a time clock for people!! It's so UNFAIR for those of us who CARE! You do you lines in 6 hours and quit but then expect OT because they ask you to help out on another account when you haven't even worked 40 hours? I hope they monitor your EVERY MOVE AND EVERY SECOND. It's people like YOU that make it bad for everyone ELSE.

I work and do MORE than my fair share, MORE THAN 1500 LINES A DAY. If my account needs it, I do more than my 8 hours. I hope they get sick of YOUR CRAP!!!

Sorry if I struck a nerve - KSMT

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My account is always in turn around. Its another crappy account. I used to do that account full-time but since they cut my pay and pay me only when they feel like it and cut my insurance and are no where to be found when there is no work, but expect me to be tied to my computer all day and not pay for now work, I really don't care what they think (or what you think) anymore.

Have a super day.

Well then go find a job that suits YOUR LIFE BETTER - SOME OF US CARE

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I really do hope they implement a time clock and crack down even more! You think you have it back, go find another MT company that has better benefits, better pay, and a better account. Leave KS to those of us who are happy!!!

MTs like YOU are the ones who are driving the American companies into the ground by not caring. Go work for an OFFSHORE company, as you are helping them gobble up all the rest by your "I DON'T CARE" attitude.

You are a PATHETIC sad individual. Just find another JOB.

You go girl! Thanks for telling it like it is! - Great Post!

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nm

You don't know me - KSMT

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You know nothing about me. I do my job, do way more lines than a lot of people on my account. I'm always signed on at that start of my shift, etc. If they paid me for down time, I might be more apt to keep better time records, but they don't. When there is no work, no one is around to give you an answer or help you out.

As for people like me driving "American companies into the ground", HA! Corporate greed is driving companies into the ground. Corporations make more and more money on the hard work of their employees with no incentive for employees to produce more.

I'm leaving soon anyway, as soon as I graduate, so they can do whatever they want as far as the time clock.

I have always found that people that have to insult others have issues they are trying to cover up for. You have a great day!

Some of us - NYGal

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Have had enough of Keystrokes BS. Yay that someone is "playing the game" that KS started in the first place.

As your your name calling, isn't that a bit immature?

KS certainly has dished it out - - this is called getting even

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nm

I have seen so many on this board that got fired - and want to blame the company

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So you're "payback" is just your rage over being found out that you were dishing out slop and expecting the clients to fall for it. They monitor MTSOs nowadays and expect excellent work. They request that MTs be taken off their account. When they don't perform well on another account, they are let go. No reason for revenge since it was the MTs own fault even after being given a chance to improve.

Prior to this week - NYGal

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Before this new "timekeeping" policy, if OT was required on my account, it was paid on anything over 1200 lines a day or working outside your shift (weekends, etc.), now that incentive has gone away...

OT is over 40 hours, incentive is often for over 1200 lines. - KS Lead

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The incentive for working outside your shift will still be there, offered just like it is now. Incentive has nothing to do with OT. I checked this with my coordinator to make sure. One is not the other and neither is going away. The time is to make sure that everyone is compensated for OT, that schedules are being held and to help eliminate the no-work situation that a few accounts experience from time to time. I know they are evaluating hourly for those accounts, and have already done that with some.

why do you take it so personal? - just curious

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You act like this is a personal attack on you...hmmm

I don't blame you. I would do the same. - nm

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It is called payback.

Going downhill fast - KSMT

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Unfortunately, KS is going downhill. I used to love to work for this company, but things are getting worse. It seems like every other week there is something else. Maybe if they stopped spending money on this kind of thing, they would be able to pay their employees and provide some decent benefits as well.

I'm sorry to hear that so many people don't have work or don't get OT. I know of a couple of accounts that are swamped and they have been offering OT recently, but still can't get the backlog down. I think we are all just burned out.

In all honesty, TATs are so tight that sm - sm

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the only way to keep in TAT is to overstaff the account. MTs are fickle. They complain about no work, but when you have OT, they can't be found. We took people off the account I am on, then we ended up with more than we can handle. Now we are in the peak of the year, and it is madness, and no one wants to work. Dictation comes in waves, and it is necessary to overstaff a bit to allow for sickness, downtime, internet, disaster, vacations, and giving staff appropriate time off. It is not possible to have an even work flow. That is unrealistic. None of you could do a better job than we are doing. We tried the suggestion of thinning out the staff, now the client is angry because we are so out of TAT. Overstaffing is THE ONLY WAY to handle the ups and downs to satisfy the client. To do otherwise is suicidal from a business point of view.

I disagree, scheduling is a BIG issue - Not everyone can work bankers hours

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I love my job but I think the scheduling can be handled much better. Not everyone can work Mon-Fri 1st shift in this profession, especially acute care. You take a model of dictated lines in for a month and you take that average to see how many FTEs you need and at what times/shifts. Yes, busy times people might have to work more or you might run into slow times but you don't need to over staff all year for your heavy volume times a couple times a year!! That's nonsense if you ask me and unfair to your employees.

Actually, most MTs want to work days. - sm

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It is hard to get people to work evenings and nights. Sometimes they sign on, then when the get trained, they demand to go to a Monday through Friday shift or they'll quit.

We can't hold dictation until morning, because it is out of TAT by that time, but that is what they want us to do for them.

I agree that appropriate scheduling is the answer, but MTs don't exactly cooperate with that.

But you do have to overstaff to take care not only the ups and downs of dictation but also the ups and downs of MTs that really don't want to work. They are good when they are there, but definitely chronically ill or with crisis-proned lives. IMO, MTs are their own worst enemies by and large.

It is sad that people post without knowing the facts. Ask and you won't have grey areas. sm - KS MT2

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I emailed my boss's boss and asked about the time keeping. The only time we take off our hours is when we are taking breaks such as dinner or lunch or stepping away from our desks for more than a few minutes. It is not for when we are sitting waiting for work, that still counts in the hours even if there is no work.

Instead of assuming it's a bad thing, you should ask if you are unsure. I also found out that it so that we are paid OT when we work it, to find out where the work is slowest so that they can move people around and to better staff the accounts while making sure everyone has enough work to hit the minimums.

She did say, just like the email did, that OT has to be approved and that if you work more than 40 hours in a week, you need written approval before you do it.

I think that there are a lot of people who jump to conclusions and then start a panic without knowing the facts. I see this all the time at the hospital work at as a per diem employee, which is part of why I prefer working at home.

Agreed, ever paranoid. - MTSomebody

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nm

KS lies - they are always looking for someone to - take weekend hours and

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NOT pay overtime. I used to take the hours and when asked about being paid overtime pay it was denied. I no longer take those hours.

My account always runs out of work and it is nothing to sit for 1-2 hours waiting. Basically working for free.

You showed them, huh? - areureallyproudofthat

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nm

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