obligatory I’m a German nurse living in Germany, but the German channels on lemmy don’t have as many members as this one, so I ask here.
When I work I like to do my job and then relax. To me, doing it the other way round is just stupid. I was never the kind of person that goes to work to socialize, I don’t need it and I strongly resent forced socialization.
For the last 2 years I’ve worked within the same hospital system and it’s clear to me now, nobody thinks like me: all my coworkers spend the first hour of the shift talking about their private lives, as they were looking for excuses not to work and expect anyone else to take care of patients. And because I’m the only one with this job mentality, it’s always me the one who works while the rest do nothing.
This is very frustrating and I’m now applying elsewhere, but it bothers me that my new workplace can turn out to be like this.
I’m also applying for office positions (no shifts) and wonder: does this happen there as well? Ideally I’d be completely responsible for my work alone.
I feel like a student at school again, when the teacher forced me to work in a group with the lazier ones and I ended up either doing most of the job or became as lazy as them. Why work when they don’t?
I don’t want to work with people who slow me down.
And because I’m the only one with this job mentality, it’s always me the one who works while the rest do nothing.
This is very frustrating and I’m now applying elsewhere, but it bothers me that my new workplace can turn out to be like this.
You’ll see this everywhere. If you’re not their manager, it’s not worth worrying about.
so how would a smart person react to this?
I wouldn’t worry if we distributed patients: I’d have my patients and do only them, but management expects me to cater to all patients, including the ones from the lazy ones…
Im seriously thinking about becoming like them… I jut hope management doesn’t yell a lot when I do that.
so how would a smart person react to this?
I would just start working the same way they do. If you’re the only one with that work ethic and picking up their slack you’re probably enabling them to be lazy because they know it will get done. If things stop getting done in a timely manner someone higher up may notice and do something about it then hopefully everyone will have to start contributing again. Also might be worth talking to your boss about it.
I’m not sure how common this situation is, but I’d assume different places have different work cultures. Looking for another job is a good idea, hopefully you’ll find a place that’s a better fit.
Nah, unless there’s some type emergency going on, you don’t have to worry about anyone but your assigned patients. Management can’t write you up for not catering to patients who aren’t under your care. If management complains, first of all it’s ridiculous, and second - it’s all talk. They don’t have shit. Direct other patients to their assigned nurse.
I don’t like being that person (“you’ll have to talk with your nurse”), but some workplaces require it due to lack of fairness and teamwork. Otherwise you get taken advantage of. So don’t feel bad.
And if management gives you shit and starts targeting you, talk to your union. Always have a paper trail. Or if no union, look elsewhere for better bosses to work for.
I wouldn’t worry if we distributed patients: I’d have my patients and do only them, but management expects me to cater to all patients, including the ones from the lazy ones…
Don’t overwork yourself for others. Help out if you want, but don’t feel like you have to. If your boss reacts negatively, well, then it might be time to look for a move.
Define the expectations of how many patients you need to care for in one hour. Since there is more than one employee they can’t say you need to attend to all patients. So count all the patients, divide by the number of workers. And attend to that many in an hour.
Then you won’t be overworked and management can’t say you aren’t doing your job.
You think you’re pissed off now, wait til you find out those slackers are making more money than you and will be promoted ahead of you because, well you do such good work, how would they ever find a good replacement?
This following sentences are something that took me years to fully internalize, thankfully it didn’t take more.
Nobody on their deathbed ever said “I wish I worked more unpaid overtime”. Nobody grieving at a funeral ever said “I wish I spent more time at work instead of with them”.
And nobody at your company ever said “I wish I paid you more”.
Pretty much all true. One exception was when my brother was the head of an it department. They didn’t pay him enough, he left, things fell apart. He met one of the main execs months later, can’t remember if it was the president of the company or one of the vp. Either way they said they wished they paid him more to stay , it would have been worth it.
Well, I don’t know if this will help or not, but maybe a viewpoint from the other side would help.
Now, back when I was young, I was more like you, just eager to get in there and go. So I definitely get your perspective.
For many people, a job is something they have to do, and it is often on a schedule they would never choose.
Shifting from “real life” thinking and action to “I’m working” thinking and action can take more than just walking in the door, particularly if the shift hours don’t match your internal clock (which is why I have been on both ends of your situation). Having time to shift gears into work thinking may be necessary for some people, and not a sign of laziness.
The early time of a shift is the only time it’s realistic to do that.
Now, if they’re leaving the work for others, that’s just rude, and a violation of professional ethics since the patient always comes first. You can’t putz around when patients need care. An hour is a very long time for that mental change as well, I would expect no more than enough time to drink a cup of coffee/tea/whatever.
There was one place I worked that factored it in. You start shift, then report for a sit down chart review, but were allowed to chat and socialize during that. Fifteen minutes, then you go to your area and handle the exchange of shift with the people on shift already. That usually takes about ten minutes with a realistic patient load.
Then, you go and do your patient checks or whatever other duties were in order for the shift you were on.
This was as a nurse’s assistant in my case, but the nurses and other patient care staff did the same thing.
But it is also easy enough to see why people in general would end up taking longer without someone pushing them along via policy.
In your situation, there really isn’t much you can do. You either do what you’re already doing and hope it doesn’t grind you down, or you follow the group and use the time to prepare for your shift and thereby make it so they have to step up when it’s apparent you aren’t going to cover for them. There’s obviously differences in U.S. vs German nursing, but I would be very surprised if there wasn’t paperwork or other things you could do while they socialize that would force them to do their part.
If there isn’t paperwork, or charts, there’s gotta be something like organizing and checking medications, stocking any carts with supplies, etc. That lets you do work that benefits you, while staying busy enough that everyone else will have to do their job because you’re Andy already doing something. Before I ran out of steam from the mismatch I have with the predominant shift times, I would very often be found prepping the supplies for my shift instead of wasting time, and that meant other caregivers would have to answer their own room calls and such.
Why is work so important for you? I think you’ll find that a large number of people simply go through the motions because the stakes are low and their lives outside of work are more interesting. To them, it is an exchange of labor (that isn’t valued anyway) for (not enough) money. Why push yourself at work when it simply doesn’t matter? And what will drive you nuts later is that people from that “lazy” group will eventually end up promoted over you. The work is ultimately inconsequential, but the relationships built matter.
I don’t really have an answer for you other than to introspect a little bit on your work ethic.
Unrelated to your main question: you can try !fragfeddit@feddit.org or !fragfeddit@feddit.de, and ensure you set language to Deutsch.
work is important to me because I like having a roof, food and healthcare. I don’t have the luxury of not having to work.
Are you saying that work is a place to dump your issues or what you did on the weekend to the point of not doing your job? This is something I find very odd. I don’t want to work with people with this mindset.
Are you advising me to ignore patients when they call? cause that’s what they do and if a job is simply inconsequential, why bother?
Are you also advising me to listen to them when they rant against greens (an ecologist party in Germany) or migrants? It’s tiring and closeted racist.
I don’t see how my work ethic is the wrong one, or how yours would be better. Better if I want to become a careerist? absolutely. Better if I want to feel good with myself? absolutely not.
I like having a roof, food and healthcare.
You live in Germany, you actually have the luxury to not work. Everyone gets a roof, food and healthcare, even without working.
Also, this is not an argument against your co-workers: if they do less than you, isn’t your job safe then and everything is good?
I don’t want to work with people with this mindset.
Then you should stop working, because they will be everywhere to some degree.
Are you advising me to ignore patients when they call?
If your work is done, that’s exactly what you do. Or if you’re in the process of doing something else/handling another patient, idk how it works exactly. It’s the responsibility of management to ensure that all patients get treated, not yours. You can and should of course report when this doesn’t happen and you notice it.
There is now a very common and mainstream change in approach to how those subjects are viewed (for the better). One could argue that at some (vaguely gestures throughout time) point in our history there was a “social contract” but due to greed and consolidation of wealth, it’s no longer the standard.
Some would argue that “work-ethic”, which benefits the ruling class more, is antithesis to “family-values” at this point in time. I would argue that the terms are abused too often for actual debate, what we admire is dedication and focus regardless if you’re in an office or raising a barn. Corporation loyalty and exploitative consent often gets mixed up into the definition which the majority don’t agree to so there’s push back.
Why work when they don’t?
Try focusing on the patients. You work because the work is valuable.
Or, you can become lazy like your coworkers.
Decide which of those two paths is going to feel better for you.
Mainly, stop trying to find a world where everyone else is different. That’s not going to happen, and if that’s your criterion for happiness you’re not going to be happy.
One of the most profound and useful sayings ever is:
Virtue is its own reward.
It sounds naive, but it is not. It is the most practical advice I have ever heard of.
