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

Really just need to get this off my chest - destinyisntfree

Posted: Jul 07, 2012

Okay, I really have to ask this and get this out of my system. As an MT, if you work as an IC, and you commit to be available during a rough time period, do you feel that it is okay not to show up when you are supposed to? I find myself very aggravated this evening. I am a QA for a company who has been beaten about on this board several times, but at the same time, if you take a job and commit to something, shouldn't you show up when you say you will? Is it right for a company to have to beg people to show up and work? I am just frustrated tonight, I suppose, but this really bothers me.

Totally agree - Trollbaby

[ In Reply To ..]
I totally agree with you! No company should have to beg people to show up when they are scheduled to work. Those people should be fired! When you commit to a schedule you should definitely be there! I work as an independent contractor and I am there when I am supposed to be and sometimes I am sitting there with no work, but I am there waiting.

Thanks for your input s/m - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
This company is all IC as well but they do ask for a rough time period of when they are available to work and can be expected to work on their line commitments for workflow purposes. Yes, it is a company that pays lower, but if a person accepts the job knowing that, I feel that they cannot use that as a reason to not show up.

Definition of commitment - Trollbaby

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, you are right. Whether the pay is low or not, they knew that in the beginning. Evidently they do not know the meaning of commitment! Another thing that really bothers me is when I am working my shift and the work volume is low and someone gets on there that is not supposed to be working and takes my work. That to me is cut throat!

It is a matter of balance, and unfortunately - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
a lot of times when companies reach out to their MTs to get them to show up when they are supposed to and they continually fail to do so, then they are forced to hire more people. After they hire more people, those same MTs who could not be bothered before are now actually showing up and they complain about low work. To me, if everyone showed up and did their job, they would not have to "overhire" and there would be no problem. This company has more than enough work to go around and yet the MTs don't show up when they are needed. It is really not that hard to have pride in oneself and do the job you are hired to do. Then, the ones who do show up produce such low quality work and then blame the low pay rate, saying "I have to get more done to make a living wage at this line rate." While I understand the need to make a living, one should not base the quality of the work they produce on how much they are being paid to do it, but that is just my opinion.

Here's what bothers ME: My company "committed" - to pay me 9 cpl when I - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
started with them. Now I'm on VR-only, making a lousy 3cpl. And I'm an employee.

I'll commit to something when THEY commit to something. Like their employees.

Always ask VR pay - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
When I recently had to change jobs, the highest for straight I was offered was 9.75 but the same company was VR for 4. Of course, I declined because we all know the majority of work is VR. If it's not, it will be. It's terrible that some MTSOs take advantage of people who don't realize this, and even worse when they pay 3 cpl! Think about it in numbers. You'd have to AVERAGE 400 lines every hour. For eight hours, EVERY day, with no breaks you'd be paid $96 before taxes, never mind insurance. I would apply, apply, apply, while you're employed. It won't hurt to try and I guarantee that you'll find a company paying more than 3 cpl for VR.

it's called "bait and switch" - nm

[ In Reply To ..]

IC or Not-nm - Yes, You Should Be Where You Commit

[ In Reply To ..]
nn

Sorry, but this is the bed many MTSOs - have made for themselves...

[ In Reply To ..]
and now we all have to lay in it. They hire workers for shifts without enough work to go around and those hired figure why show up at XXX time when there's no work. This could be solved if we were paid a fair hourly wage (and not minimum wage) with a production incentive.

See, I have to disagree with this one. - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't necessarily think it is fair to blame the company for an MT's lack of work ethic. If a line rate sucks, well, at least this company, I cannot speak for others, but this company is up front about what they pay for VR. Yes, an hourly rate with incentives would be nice, but I do not think we will see it in our lifetime.

In the meantime, in my opinion as an MT, the best way to get our wages to rise is to actually do the job we commit to and to prove our worth to the companies. This is my opinion and take it for what it is worth. As QA, I still work on production. I still have to prove myself. I am the low man on the totem pole and have to bat cleanup a lot of the time. But to have the client send 8 emails in a two hour period because NO ONE is on doing the work, that is too much for me. There are plenty of other people who will do the work for less, and if we do not keep our commitments, there is no way we will continue to keep the abundance of work. And this company has plenty of work. Of course, they have been slung about on this board because they are on the lower end of the pay scale for VR, so a lot of people will not even try to work for them.

commitment - me

[ In Reply To ..]
I struggle with those who feel they are right to not show up or to not do a quality job because they aren't being paid what they want. IMO, that's horrible.

MTs not showing up has long been the bane of MTSO existence. We wonder why they over-hire and MTs not showing up is a big part of it. You'll notice payday week, everyone wants to work.

I absolutely agree - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I see all the time on here MTs complaining about working for companies that have no work. This is not the case here. There is more than plenty of work. Just no one seems to want to show up to do it. There is no reason why we should get emails at 10p on a Saturday from a client saying that there is no one on doing their work and wanting to know why.

To clarify why I am seeing the emails from the client, I am a QA. Overnight on weekends, I am the only one working QA, so client emails are routed to me to make sure that questions are answered and STATs are taken care of.

I guess I just assume that, because I show up and do the job I committed to do, everyone else will, too. False assumption, I know. But, it does not seem like an unreasonable expectation, either.

And I gotta get this off of my chest - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Whether employee or IC, if you agree do work a specific shift, and you show up every single day as agreed, WHY THE HECK CANT THE COMPANY PROVIDE YOU WORK? I am sick to death of signing on only to get NJA message because the company over-hired or sent so much work to India that there is nothing left for me. Dont hire me to work a specific shift if you cannot provide me with work. I have bills to pay. I cannot just jump on the system on an opposite shift as mine because suddenly there is work that needs to be done ASAP. I cannot sit there for 8 hours punching in every 15 to 20 minutes to see if another job came in. I am sick and tired of wasting all day to get 5 reports!

I am frustrated also, when will it end?

I can agree with that point, too - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I can see that point, too. Not the case here, though. The clients are constantly emailing saying that there is work that no one is doing, and we cannot seem to get anyone to keep their commitments.

IC - wiseoldwoman

[ In Reply To ..]
If a company, ANY company, hires an IC and then tells them when they have to work, that makes that IC an employee. In my view, IC means said employee works when said employee wants to work. Might make me an uncommitted slob with no work ethic....just how I see it.

but does it matter that you see it incorrectly? - icmt

[ In Reply To ..]
Just because you say so or you think so, really does not MAKE it so.

There are many ways MTSOs misclassify but by asking you work a schedule is NOT one of them.

No matter your classification, if you accept a job, you show up. You do the job and you do it to the best of your ability. Anything short of that, in MY opinion does bring your work ethic into question.

ethic - wiseoldwoman

[ In Reply To ..]
I am not an IC; I am an employee. I work when I saw I'm going to work. I did NOT say that it was set in stone that is what an IC is. I merely said that is MY take on it. It's a long fall when you place yourself on that high of a horse.

To a point BUT - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
The client is not required to guarantee there is work available when the contractor wants to work if there are no guidelines. The company I work for asks for a rough time frame, morning, evening, afternoon, overnight. They do, however, ask you for a line count commitment, one that is chosen by the MT.

If you are QA, don't you have more than 1 account? - curiouser and curiouser

[ In Reply To ..]
If there is nothing to QA on that account why don't you just QA something else? Why get on this board and complain? If you are not their supervisor or team lead, why do you care and for that matter why is any of your business if they are not working. If you have nothing to QA and there's nobody on that account working, report it to the higher ups and move on. You don't control things there so it's not up to you to question why they aren't working and when they put their time/lines in.

QA - wisewoldwoman

[ In Reply To ..]
And if the IC's aren't working, and you have nothing to QA, then perhaps you should be transcribing? From what I've heard of this company, they neglect to pay their IC's. Guess I wouldn't bother showing up for work either if I wasn't getting paid.

I do transcribe when there is no QA work - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I have heard the complaints about people not getting paid, heard them over five years ago the first time I worked for this company. I have worked off and on for them when I needed some extra work since that time, and have never had a problem receiving a paycheck. Yes, they do pay a month behind, so it is five weeks roughly from the time you produce the work until the time that you receive your first paycheck, but after that, they come according to schedule without a hitch. The fact that it takes that long to get the first check was clearly stated in my contract. I do not know what anyone else's contract reads.

I know that many of the MTs that I am directly in contact with have not ever complained to me about not getting paid, and if I was not getting paid, I would not still be working here. Just my 2 cents.

Rude - Trollbaby

[ In Reply To ..]
First of all, I think that you are rude! This QA person evidently cares about the company and the client. A lot of QA people do not care at all. It is her business because if they do not show up to work then her job is in jeopardy! They could lose the account! Did you think of that?? A lot of QA people are shift supervisors.

Thank you for getting the point. - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I am the only person in a "supervisor" role that works weekends overnight. If no one shows up, there are several accounts that I become the only one working on, which will jeopardize turnaround and quality, potentially.

I am paid on production, the same as the rest of you. I do not make tons and tons of money, like people think that I might. I fight for every dollar just like everyone else. But I do not do this job because of the money. I do it because it is what makes me feel good. I feel as though I am contributing to the quality of the work. I feel like I am helping newer MTs improve their skill set. If I could find a teaching position or a mentoring position, that would be the ideal arrangement for me, but this is as close as I have been able to find to that. I do my job to the best of my ability every day. I show up when I say I will and I give my job 110% at all times. But then again, that is just the way I have always been. I feel that anything worth doing is worth doing right and to the best of my ability at all times. Maybe I am the last of a dying breed.

Well Said - Trollbaby

[ In Reply To ..]
You and I share the same work ethics!

I never said I did not. - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I am officially titled as a Lead QA, which means I am one of the ones that receives the emails from the client when they complain that no one is on working. If there is no work to QA and all accounts appropriately staffed for QA, I can and do get on and type these accounts that get behind, but I am one person. I sometimes work long days to cover for lower than usual coverage. I wasn't asking where they were or even really complaining. I was venting. Many of us come on here and do this. I am new in this role, having only taken the position of Lead QA recently, though I have done QA for quite a while. I have run my own company in the past, many years ago, early on when I had private clients that paid a decent rate and I subcontracted out work to others locally.

It was very late at night. I was frustrated and went to the one place where someone might actually understand my frustration. That was all. Sorry if that offends you.

You always post under the same name don't you? - curiouser and curiouser

[ In Reply To ..]
I have read your posts in the past and you are always saying you work weekend nights and then in another spot you say you work long hours to cover? Well, which is it? are you only part-time IC, only work weekends and nights, or do you work long hours, multiple days so that you see if these MTs are working at other times when you are not on there? Maybe there was a problem before you got on and they were told not to work? Why bash other MTs when you don't know the circumstances why they are not working? If the client is complaining about not having any work coming through and you transcribe when you are not performing QA, then I sure would not be on here "venting". I would be working on the account to get the work caught up as much as I would. That's what I'm saying. THAT is a work ethic. But to be on here bashing the other MTs for not being on the system transcribing when you don't know the reasons they are not on, that is not being a good QA/Supervisor/Team Lead/Lead QA, or whatever title you have decided to give yourself today!

Good grief - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, I do generally post under the same name. Yes, up until last Monday, I just did overnight QA on weekends. As of last Monday, I took a position as a Lead QA. Now, I work six days a week. Now, if there is QA work that is not covered beyond my committed hours, yes I do work longer days to get the work caught up. Yes, if there is no QA work to do, I do transcribe/edit. No, I was not sitting here BASHING anyone. I was venting about the fact that I had to answer all of these emails and I didn't have an explanation as to why no one was working, that was all. I was not bashing, complaining, or anything else you have accused me of. I was doing exactly what I said I was doing, venting. When I say I am going to do something, I pride myself on keeping my word and doing the right thing. Not everyone thinks that way and that is okay, but why should I have to feel bad because I came on here and did exactly what I see so many other people do when they are annoyed with their lot in life. I am actively doing something about it. I do my job. I show up. I give 110% in everything I do, home, work and play.

Again, my apologies if I have offended you. I will never understand why some people feel it is okay to come online and jump all over people like that, but that is okay. You remind me very much of someone who did this same thing on another site, and if you are the same person, then that provides a little more insight.

I don't know what you mean by that last part? - curiouser and curiouser

[ In Reply To ..]
This is the only board I come to. I'm not on any other boards.

And congratulations on being promoted. I sure would not want to be QA under any circumstances.

My apologies then. - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
Call it a case of mistaken identity then. I have recently been put through the ringer among another group of MTs, one of whom questioned and had an argument in response to everything I had to say and, for a moment, I thought you may have been the same person. Rather than asking, like you did about me posting elsewhere about my work schedule, and then this change here now, they just assumed I was lying and would hear nothing else. Thank you for allowing me to explain.

Correct, and these MTSO's are cheating the MT and - the US government. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
.

Incentive to work, cost/benefit - Leaving MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I totally agree with you. I have a very strong work ethic, and I just could not bring myself to not show up for the hours I had promised to work. With that said, however, I found myself giving up all kinds of things to pick up shifts for people wanting off, working "unpopular" hours (evenings/weekends), and barely taking health breaks when I had an account that paid well (by the gross line with a decent cpl). I was really, really motivated to work. Unfortunately, the company had overhired for that account (this company had different facilities paying at different rates), and I was low man on the totem pole and got moved to a lower-paying, more technically difficult account. I am with another company altogether that I really like, but I do not make very much there, and I find it very difficult to give up time from my personal life to pitch in and help out when they need people to work extra - mainly because the incentive just isn't there. It just doesn't pay enough to give up my social life to make $8 or $10 an hour. To answer your question, though, I do not feel that it is okay to not show up for the time period you have committed to with a company, no matter how low the compensation is. MTs should just leave and find something else instead.

Fair enough - destinyisntfree

[ In Reply To ..]
I do recognize that some companies do not appreciate the worth of the MTs that they have doing their work. Many companies do not realize that it is these same MTs who have provided them with fancy cars and nice homes to live in. I cannot speak to whether this company is one of them or not. I know they have always been good to me. I have always been paid properly and on time, with one exception. I did have one paycheck go missing, now that I think about it, but when I made the owner aware of that, it was corrected right away and rectified. There had not been a pay problem before or since, so I cannot speak to what others say about pay with this company at all.

I do know that if you are not making the money you would like to be making, there are other options. There are tons of companies out there, and I hear that there are still the rare jewels that will pay what an MT is worth (above 8 or 9 cpl). We are all free to explore those options.

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