How to complain to manager

[evedawn]

I started a new job 8 weeks ago. I work in the NHS as a medi' sec and changed jobs as I had a house move. Therefore still a medi' sec' but at a different hospital and different Dept.

I HATE this job. With every ounce of my being. Previous medi- sec' role I loved.

I have been employed in a part time (30 hour) role but have been doing full time hours and more, (some weeks 44 hours) (overtime) simply to keep up. It leaves me a) exhuasted and b) resentful as it is simply expected.

I really want to reduce my hours back to what they should be, (I took a part time job for a reason as I also do all my husbands paperwork from home)

I worry that if I reduce the hours to what they ought to be I will fall behind. IF I fall behind I will be made to look incompetent, ( I truly believe this is what will be said)

I have asked for a meeting with my manager tomorrow...any advice? I want to complain but NOT whinge!!!

FYI also: The previous sec was FULL TIME, the other secs in dept are FULL TIME but because of budgets my role was reduced. But not the role.

The dept is in chaos, things get lost so jobs end up being done more than once...other staff are darn rude, patient care is non existent I have worked in NHS for quite a long while and THIS job is the worst - ever!

Also, things got so bad that 2 weeks ago I went to my GP - he was going to sign me off (I declined) but he did put me on tabs. I don't plan to tell my manager that though - as find it a bit embaressing being on tabs for stress...even though work is a large part of the reason.

[evedawn]

^^^ typo ^^^ who "does" what? Typo= big fingers - little iPhone! :)

[China Doll]

For me, it was the introduction of other aspects of the role which I knew would up the secs already quite tricky workload. I took her off for a meeting, we had a long chat, made joint plans and agreed that we were going to review weekly in the first instance and see how she feels it all went after the first month. This is our completely informal arrangment. I write notes to keep track of how we're doing and what we've agreed.

I think for a more formal thing where the manager says they have concerns for your workload then it's the same meeting but specific areas where things are not rosey, discussion with you re what you think the problems are or if you are even aware of a problem, a work plan is agreed with set time scales (and regularly reviewed) with set goals to get things back up to standard, if it all goes tits up and then stage one disciplinaries start (I think it's stage one, might be two).

The latter doesn't apply to you anyway as it's you calling the meeting and asking for a review of your workload.

[evedawn]

Thanks china. Much Appreciated. :)

[China Doll]

So for the informal stuff I have done this so far:

Given set days for cover of the two services which sec has to report back to me if the days are not suitable and advise what will work better.

I have reviewed a weeks worth of emails to see the sort of thing she is being asked to do by her consultant (a disorganised nicompoop to say the least). I will be reviewing again this week as the consultant was off to see what else she was sent.

I have asked her to check her emails at set times during the day so she is not feeling constantly distracted by them.

I have sent her off for 18 weeks training and training on MDS forms to ensure that she understands the whole process and how it effects her, (I sent all the newbies on it).

I have arranged for my boss to shadow her to see what the complexties are of her main consultant and service (it's massive), and also to see if there's anything we're doing that can be done differently as I'm blind to new ways of running that service now as I've set the entire admin side up from scratch so can't see the flaws.

The whole department is currently doing a workload assessment on their letters as currently there's a guestimate on how many letters we do do a week given our clinic loads but clearly some people are haivng trouble wiht this so we're doing a monthly thing showing how many patients are in clinic and how many letters we're actually doing, (so my sec last week had six letters to do on one patient, if she has to do that for every patient in her clinic there she is doing significantly more than her guestimate!).

Is that the sort of thing you mean as examples?

[evedawn]

Yes china - that's great helpful info!!!

[albaqwerty]

Hope today's meeting goes well for you Eve, let us know how you get on xxxx

[boxtops]

China, you've described it so well - it's only when we got a new AD a few months back that she said to me that she had absolutely no idea of the wide range of services that my team provide - it's far more that it says in our job titles. Good luck evedawn, thinking about you today!

[China Doll]

How'd it go then?

[evedawn]

Firstly sorry I took a while to let all know how it went thur . It went kinda as expected in that (a) manager not surprised at work load (he agrees it should be full time job but says simply no funding ... Nhs u know) (b) he asks me to keep work diary of task (c) he and my consultant r very happy with my work thus far.(course they would as they are getting my OT every single week duhhhhh!) In short tho it was a box ticking meeting and I truthfully don't expect thing to get better :( ThANKS AGAIN for All the advice

[boxtops]

Sounds as expected, eve, but good that it's on record (you have written it up?) - and are you actually being paid the overtime?

[China Doll]

a) Do as he says re keeping note of workload.
b) No more overtime - time for the poop and the fan to meet. You do what you can as best you can, the NHS is full of martyrs to the cause and it changes nothing, let the problems commence which brings about change (so annoying things have to be done this way!)
c) Well done for challenging it... Set yourself a time line and if it's not getting better then get on nhs jobs or whatever, there will be something else somwhere ;o)

[boxtops]

There's a lot about at the moment, as they set up all the new organisations to replace the PCTs and the SHAs.....