A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
What's with the Time Clocks? - Angie
Posted: May 16, 2012
Why are some MTSOs keeping track of our time if we are paid for production only?
because of law suits from employees claiming they - worked OT and want pay for it
[ In Reply To ..]So, now we punch a clock and have to log in, log out, log in again, log out again, all not paid!!!
Unbelievable! - Angie
[ In Reply To ..]So independent contractors have to pay for this with our time? Unreal! Are the time clocks keeping track of production, i.e. if you go to the bathroom, does your average line count go down?
There is spyware - on my computer
[ In Reply To ..]They watch everything you do. Although I believe those are rigged against us. We would need an independent audit of how those things work to know the full scope of how they are screwing us, aside from the 4cpl for editing and 6cpl for transcribing and unattainable bonuses and traps they set (QA) for stealing bonuses.
They are so creative.
You aren't imagining it. They install server software: SQL, NT.... - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]Win2003, Win2008, Oracle or an Exchange client which runs quietly in the background. Well hidden on the HDD, but with full admin rights.
The way I see it, if they spy on me & see something - they dislike, they can just choke on it.
[ In Reply To ..];)
Dumb question - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I recently went with a company that was a bad fit for me, and I left after a few days. On trying to clean out this company's software, I saw 4 SQL programs on my computer that I hadn't seen before. Can I delete these without harming my computer?
You have to either reset the PC to factory default, or... - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]...call the company you left, and demand they uninstall the server software.
There is a possibility that one of the server engines was from a prior job, but each company should be responsible to fully uninstall their invasive software when employees leave for another job.
Don't try to delete it yourself; it will be a disaster unless you're above-average Windows OS savvy. It includes editing registry keys and a lot of other stuff, and once SQL is installed, rarely does the MT have full ADMIN rights on their very own computer.
Turn on UAC (User Account Control). Each company tells you to "turn this setting to 'do not notify me' with changes to my computer".
Google UAC, and how to change UAC settings to "NOTIFY ME OF ANY CHANGES TO THIS PC". You will be surprised at how many Microsoft windows will pop open asking for your permission to run.
They have us turn it off, telling us it's pesky to receive the messages. The reality is that they have us turn it off because as they access our computers, and maintain and extract logs and time stamps, they don't want you notified at all.
Sounds like 'aluminum hat' crazy sh*t, but my BSc is in Computer Science/Networks and Servers, and I have discovered SQL, NT-Server, even Windows 2008 Beta (TOTALLY not secure) being run in my "services" and "processes".
If you experience lots of ISP interruption while working for a company who uses spy tactics, it's because they're pinging your computer, sending packets, discovering in/out activity, even monitoring keyboard strokes. Most know when you log into Facebook, EBay, or any other IE site during working hours.
WOW - Good to know
[ In Reply To ..]I'm not really computer savvy, so it helps to have somebody point these things out. Thank you.
Question for Nolongeranon - MT
[ In Reply To ..]I have my company software installed on a virtual computer (VMware). Can the company put spyware on my VM? On my real computer since I do not have their software there? Would be interested to know. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
VM is easily identified & SQL NT-Admin can be deemed PC Admin remotely - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]When VR or MS/Windows Shell/PowerShell is implemented, the prime Admin account on the computer (Super Admin, or "Trusted Installer") can still by hijacked by remote push install through SQL or NT server.
...and it was NOT a dumb question. It was valid, and spot-on. nm - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]...
That kinda stuff can be subpoenaed. And I hope - it will be, in this case! =^..^= (nm)
[ In Reply To ..].
Yes and benefit rate also - nm
[ In Reply To ..]nm
....and actually ONLY paid for time fingers are actively typing/editing - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]....what they're not telling you is that the platform stops ITS time clock after the keyboard has been inactive for 3 seconds.
Yes. This is fact. eScription, MModal, ChartNet. All VR/SR platforms/engines.
No wonder my pay is so dismal. These days, - payday only serves to depress me. nm
[ In Reply To ..]:(
How can that be legal? This is MY computer and I was not told about any fricken spyware - mt2
[ In Reply To ..].
Technically, it's not legal. But check the employee handbook...it's there and we all sign - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]It's in the fine print, however, quite vague in the Employee Handbooks that none of us read because we are just so freaking grateful to find work.
We sign the handbook acknowledgement, waiving rights to privacy on our own PCs, agreeing not to "alter" the software installed.
If it was completely legal, they wouldn't be using this practice surrepticiously <---(sp?). They'd be open about it. They wouldn't be telling us to turn off our firewalls. They would not open ports on our modems (fact). They would not be interfering with our bandwidth and ISP speed.
It's genuinely not legal. I've not spoken much about it until now, because the audience here was not receptive. I was accused of wearing an "aluminum hat", searching for UFOs.
Trust me; I wish it wasn't true.
Open ports on modem - can you elaborate
[ In Reply To ..]NoLongerAnon, can you elaborate on "open ports on our modem." Implications, etc.? If I have my laptop open in the other room, say open to mtstars, do they know that? I purposely don't open personal email on the work computer, but is only that computer they have access to? Or do they have access to my laptop too? Really appreciate your sharing this info.
Not sure you are completely correct in that statement. - IAMT
[ In Reply To ..]I believe there is pay due when you are an employee and performing any work for the company including emails, conference calls, training, etc. You would be in any other job, wouldn't you? I think the greater percentage of MTs working from home have been or are not being paid correctly, told to work all ya want but just put down 40 hours, and are selling ourselves short and are only promoting the greed of MTSO's and not the profession when we don't keep accurate logs of the hours we work but just our lines for the day. When you work for a company and send emails asking for the days and times of the workweek and a company cannot or will not tell you that, RED FLAG. Went on for years, is still going on with some companies and glad MTs are finally finding out how to protect themselves.
Didn't find out until after 3 hours training: Checking email & remainder of training was &q - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]It's true. All of the companies who use VR/SR eScription, MModal, ChartNet are tracking your every keystroke...
....or soon will be. SGS made the change last November, getting rid of all hourly paid QA-Editor positions on 11/15/11 (QA-Editors were paid $16.50+ hourly). They had the new production mgr & supervisor call each and every U.S. QA-Editor one by one, giving each 60 minutes to choose between handing in their resignation (to avoid SGS having to pay UI compensation), or accepting a $0.025 - $0.03 CPL MT/Editing.
Almost all MTSOs have jumped on the "paid by keyboard activity hours" hourly state of pay.
You had to do that anyway. Now maybe you'll - someday be paid fairly for it.
[ In Reply To ..]The clocking and and clocking out wasn't caused by any lawsuit. It was caused by GREED. People bringing suit are hoping to end this practice. You clock in, you work (including lookups, VR, and all that mandatory email-reading garbage and time spent with IT techs. You clock out for your lunch/dinner/breakfast or whatever, or break during flex-time, then you clock back in. If the amount of work or time required to do it puts you into overtime, then you would be able to put it on your time card intead of just pretending it never happened, and get paid overtime pay for it.
Wow -- What a concept!
I don't think you understand.... - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]No. You don't get it. Perhaps you work for a company that has not implemented the time clock/platform clocks sync, but they'll get around to it.
The hours you log as "sign in/sign out" are turning out not to be the hours most of us are paid for. We are actually paid ONLY for PLATFORM hours logged, actual keyboard activity time, and if this time differs dramatically from the time MT is claiming to be "signed in and signed out", a red flag goes up, and it's made clear that the situation has to change.
My own supervisor changed my hours to exclude email, IT install/repair, and phone call time. I was training on a new account with a thick volume of account specifics to commit to memory, and from day one I was paid ONLY for time my keyboard was active - time my fingers were actually depressing keys on the keyboard - and this is averaged also against the actual time you're logged into the platform.
It's usually brought in subtlely, but it's in place or, for those who haven't seen it yet, it will be in implemented on all VR/SR platforms. It's built into the software.
Yeah, it's greed, and it's underhanded, sneaky, and unethical, as are most MTSOs.
I am no longer with the company.
That did not make it right and the Labor Department will confirm for you the fact. - IAMT
[ In Reply To ..]I would suggest if you kept a log of your hours that you were in training that you turn that in to your local Labor Department and they will transfer it to the Labor Department in the state the MTSO is located. Send an original log. That department will probably then call you to go over the info and then contact the company you worked for. Don't just accept this, fight it. Only way we can stand up and fight this most recent attempt with Paid for Hands on Keyboard pay determination and the MTSO new attempt to design yet one more greedy effort to take advantage of us MTs by the MTSOs. We need to nip this in the bud. Pretty sure each adn every one filing to the Labor Division will make some impact early on to stop this. It is not a correct method of paying employees. Not sure where the ICs would figure in this though.
Oh, for heavens' sake. The field has become extremely - competitive, what clients will pay is down,
[ In Reply To ..]and we DO receive benefits based on the time we work. I don't like it either, but since employees are very expensive they are just trying to get the agreed amount of work out of each employee. And, of course, document the actual hours worked and not worked for various reasons, including legal. This is only fair, whether we like it or not.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT BEING PAID ENOUGH FOR WHAT WE DO.
Are you kidding me with that comment - --NM
[ In Reply To ..]
No, and I am someone who once was systematically cheated - on line counts by one of the (previous) big 3. SM
[ In Reply To ..]I've also been abused and exploited in other ways. Such as moving me and hundreds of others to new accounts so our pay would plummet to pump up the company's balance sheet in advance of a merger. That one's happened twice, at two different companies.
The truth, however, is what it is. They are entitled to make their employees adhere to a time clock. If you're thinking that somehow equates to abuse in and of itself, it does not.
Just trying to get - the agreed upon
[ In Reply To ..]of work out of each employee! They overhire. They ship overseas. What agreed amount would that be? The "industry standard" of 200 lines an hour editing or is it 218 lines an hour, or maybe on this really difficult account it is 180. They made the whole thing up -- all of it -- however you want to describe their poor predicament -- in their favor. These are not small businesses trying to make ends meet. These are corporations stealing from us.
Angie, No. We don't like it & it's your choice to sit on your arse & "accept& - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]....but we're no longer accepting it.
It's those who have continued to accept CPLs dropping down to as low as 0.025 CPL who have cheapened the worth of the rest of us.
Transcriptionists/Editors are still vital in the U.S. and will be for the next decade - all you need to do is edit one report from off-shore to realize that this is true.
Our time to make demands is almost up - the curmudgeons who grunt and groan but grudgingly accept the heinous lowering of our pay to almost nothing, sat silently through the cutting of our benefits, rather than turn a job down by telling the offending company that the "PAY IS TOO LOW" to waste their time...
....those status-quo 'do-nothings' have played a major role in putting us where we are at this very moment.
If you like who you are, what you are doing, and the low pay for which you are doing it, fine.
...just get out of the way of those of us who are NOT willing to accept the ludicrously low pay and NO benefits. I refuse to earn the same wages as are paid to off-shore "non-MTs", whose skill level is at -60 on a scale of 1-100, and whose cost of living is a pittance compared to that here in the U.S.
Move over, or you'll get knocked down. We're fed up.
Very glad to hear it. Please specify exactly what you've - started doing, and if it sounds effective
[ In Reply To ..]I will join you. Is this a national movement, BTW, or are you speaking for workers at your particular company?
It is 'national', but not openly on this monitored, censored board. nm - NoLongerAnon
[ In Reply To ..]...
Well, hot air's never censored here, so you're free to - come blow all you want. NM
[ In Reply To ..]x
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