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Volunteer Work - Sofedup2

Posted: Jul 14, 2013

The thread on another board about letters to newspapers sparked an idea. I am putting together a letter that I will initially be sending to HR. My objective is to get, in writing, the rationale/justification behind not being compensated for the various daily tasks we are REQUIRED to do. A few minutes here and there, throughout the day, every day, over days, weeks, months and years...well, that really adds up!. If anyone is willing to take a moment to list those things you find yourself doing on a daily basis for which you are not compensated, I would truly appreciate it. I am angry. I have young children, am a single mom, help care for my ailing father, and have some health issues of my own. I don't have time to volunteer and, if I did, it certainly wouldn't be for this greedy, back-stabbing, lying, demoralizing, multi-million dollar company. I value your time and input. Thank you.

sounds like youre writing your own walking papers - not smart

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As a single parent myself, I would never do something to sacrifice my bread and butter. I think the smart thing to do would be to educate yourself in a different career that would support your family. But thats me!

Volunteer work - Former MT

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I understand what you are saying, clerical duties cut into your production time and I am sorry. However, even though I am paid an hourly wage where I work, I am asked to do things all the time that do not fit into my job description and I do not receive extra pay. In other jobs, employees make coffee, run errands for the boss and do a lot of other things without compensation. I think I should get more money, everyone does. HR is probably well aware of this. It's interesting that you have time to make the list and not be paid for it, but complain about the other things. Your last sentence says it all, and the choice is yours to go or stay.

Complaining - Sofedup2

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I have no problem doing any task that is asked of me by my employer whether it fits into my job description or not. My problem comes with being asked to accomplish those tasks on my own time, essentially working for free. A few minutes multiple times a day does in fact cut into production. I just can't seem to wrap around how this is acceptable. Making a list and not being paid for it is a choice I am making. I'm not looking to get paid for a CHOICE I make. Again, my issue is with being REQUIRED to perform duties and being expected to do them without being paid. I didn't mean to sound as though I was complaining. We all have our struggles in life and I do have much to be grateful for--including having a job at all. This just seems so unfair and I don't see how it is unreasonable to have the justification explained. Thanks for sharing your opinions.

Research is required to do - transcription job

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Oh I agree with you (and I see Ms. Flamer is back). That one does not understand that with this job there is research involved which cuts away at your time (which is DEFINATELY part of the job in order to do your job correctly). You cannot do your job without the research that is totally involved with this job or one cannot do it). The getting coffee, running errands is minicule and not part of the job description. (I hope I'm making myself clear.) :)

Research - Not an MT

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I could not tell from your post if you were referring to me as Ms. Flamer but if you are, I need to tell you that I totally understand this job as I did it for over 30 years. I don't understand how anyone can do transcription and not do research. I always considered it necessary to do my job well, and I thought it was understood that it went with the territory and did not merit extra compensation. I have worked on production and I have worked for a straight hourly wage and never was I told that I would be paid extra because I had to look up a word or do some research in order to produce an accurate report. When I had down time I was expected to make up my time, the same thing went for when there was low census or NJA. No one ever paid me for sitting at my desk waiting for work. And no, you did not make yourself very clear.

Me too. In order to keep working - I have to

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switch accounts constantly, looking for reports to edit. Their own software takes anywhere from 1 to 1-1/2 minutes to log into an account. I switch accounts some nights up to 15 times. That time adds up so that by the end of my shift, I've *given* the company over 15 minutes of MY time every day. That's 1 hour and 15 minutes of MY time every week. On top of researching for free, that's a pretty good chunk of time given away. That stinks.

I always thought this might be a good - way

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to go after MTSOs and sue them for unpaid work that is not key strokes, but they will say that you signed on knowing that some work tasks do not involve key strokes, and that is all included in your cpl rate anyway.

I really don't think it's worth the fight or complaining any more. Apparently there are plenty of people here and overseas who will do this job on MTSO terms and it is a losing battle. Better to use the energy to make over yourself than try to make over this dreadful industry.

Don't take this the wrong way, but from what you describe about your personal situation, it sounds like this is an ideal job for you, even if you do feel you are having to do a certain amount of "unpaid" work.

Doing a job on employers terms - Not an MT

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What a concept.

Concepts - Sofedup2

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Which, of course, all employees of this company are obviously doing. We wouldn't be employees otherwise.

I'm simply challenging the practice of not paying for services rendered.

Fairness. What a concept.

Considering there is a current lawsuit against - Transcend on these very

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issues, I seriously doubt they will address or touch your letter to them in any way, shape or form.

Unfortunately, you signed on and agreed to do a job based on production pay. My guess is that is where they will lead you for an answer - your offer letter and employment agreement.

HR - MT

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When I was having issues I felt instead of quitting to go to HR and talk it out. It was an extremely bad choice. A very nasty phone call and I was really given the riot act for even approaching them. I was sent the EAP brochure in an e mail. I never ever trusted a superior or HR again. So, if you do this be prepared for the worst. A word of advice. It is up to you if it is worth putting yourself and your position in danger. Don't forget they are the ones to give a reference on you once you are gone.

Offer letter - Freebie

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Come to think of it, I did sign an offer letter and they broke that agreement when they started paying me less than what I signed on for. I wonder if the lawyers could use that.

Don't work for Nuance, but... - Wondering

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The only thing I think you could call them out on is of you are required to spend time at the computer waiting for work and not getting paid for it or they ask you to fudge your hours so they don't have to pay make-up pay to you in cases where there was not enough work during your scheduled time to make minimum wage, but I think this would be only if you are employee status with set hours.

Volunteer work - Freebie

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That's where my screen name came from, I spent so much time doing off the clock work for MQ (MM or whatever now) that I felt like I was giving them a freebie. Nuance is the same now. SSDD.

Thanks! - Sofedup2

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I find it incredibly disheartening that our jobs would be in jeopardy for something so basic as standing up for ourselves. Wow. What a bummer that is.

With four mouths to feed, clothe, shelter and insure, in addition to the other circumstances, I suppose it is best not to rock the boat. Which is exactly what they bank on.

Time to shift my own perspective and focus on the positives of this situation and leave the rest alone I suppose.

Thanks to all for your input, sharing of experiences and opinions.

Forget the letter. Get a stopwatch and start - documenting. This IS a class

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action suit waiting to happen. OR, much better yet for everyone, a reinstitution of protective legislation and/or increased minimum wage levels way past due. Everyone knows it.

Document the exploitation, document, document. Keep a camera on your desk and photograph those screens.

Volunteer work? - Not so sure.

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Most every job requires extra work on your part to do the work. I would prefer to do the "volunteer" work than get dressed in business clothes, put gas in my car, drive 15-30 minutes to work, and pay for parking if necessary. I would rather get something to eat from my fridge than pay for lunch as I did when I worked outside the home.

You really have to consider all things before you get worked up over doing "volunteer" work while working at home. What are your options?

And you my dear, are one of the - reasons

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we are all in this below minimum wage situation that has taken years to develop. I used to think like you too. I loved working from home and because I got to do that, I had to make concessions...like a lower wage because I didn't have all the expenses office workers have. WRONG. Telecommuting has become one of the BEST ways to work, for the employee AND the employer. It saves the employer money in equipment, electricity, sick days, and a myriad of other costs. That's a win-win situation. Why should the at-home worker think we are worth less because we get benefits from working at home? It's our knowledge and skill that we are paid for. The "volunteer" work that is being referred to is really not volunteer work either. It's "required" to do the job efficiently and accurately. Certainly not volunteer in any way. And it deserves pay for it.

I've been an MT for 19 years. I have never been paid... - see message

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to view feedback on my corrected report, research terminology to complete a report, or look up lab value ranges etc. I've always been paid by the line, and those tasks are necessary for me to complete a report properly and to get paid for the final report.

Nothing new by any means.

But you were not paid 4 cpl (nm) - MT2

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x

And I will just bet.... - that when you

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were doing that researching you were getting paid a decent line rate, weren't you? That makes a HUGE difference. If I was still getting 10 cents on the line (which I considered fabulous 10 years ago), I wouldn't mind looking things up again either.

Precisely!! - Sofedup2

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HUGE, HUGE difference. And it isn't even so much the referencing/verifying aspect that disturbs me so much. It's all the required emails to QA and the TSM for various report situations, reading all the emails, daily documentation of miscodes and creating/submitting that list weekly, sitting here without work and the whole process of clocking out/in, waiting, waiting and waiting while being required to adhere to a schedule, etc. There is a lot we are required to do that does not directly apply to producing a quality medical document. It is right, fair and reasonable that we are paid for those things.

To the poster up there who commented about lunch...There are certainly benefits of working at home that I'm sure we all can agree on. However, I feel compelled to say that I brought lunch from home 99% of the time while working in house for 7 years. Grabbing lunch from the fridge at home, in my humble opinion, isn't some enormous perk that in any way helps soften the blow of how we are being treated. As another poster mentioned, we are the ones absorbing the overhead expenses (equipment, utilities, etc.). That we have certain conveniences does not justify unfair compensation.

Conveniences? - PineRider

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What conveniences do MTs have? The conveniences are mainly for the company.

We get to pay for company expenses (providing the equipment, electricity, Internet access and every other thing we need to do the job) as W4 employees. We provide the office space to do the job. These are things that every other minimum wage W4 employee has the company foot the bill for. There's no convenience to this job other than I don't have to drive to work. Pfft. For the difference in my paycheck I'd rather drive to work. In addition to not have to foot the bill for company expense, when I'm off work they cannot call me in to work as if I'm manning a STAT line fielding their emergencies when they get in TAT trouble.

I love transcription, but I hate VR and especially hate that when the pendulum swings it's only in one direction to the benefit of the company.

These companies will learn soon enough, you cannot go through life with a catcher's mitt in both hands, periodically you have to throw something back. If you don't - no one wants to play in your baseball game. When enough of us would rather sit on the bench than play these companies will adopt a new found appreciation for the hands that do their labor. Until then I choose no job. I might be poverty strickened, but at least I am not poor AND exploited.

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