Thoughts, ramblings

[LAYAAN]

Last couple of weeks at work have been difficult. I have been coming home physically and mentally exhausted.

 

One really good tech is out indefinitely on medical leave. Another good tech is acting out and has been giving some excuse to leave work early every Friday and wouldn't even complete her shift.

 

A floater (buffed up short guy) raised his voice at a customer for an early fill of something and when I tried to help the situation, he raised his voice at me. Then the rest of the day, he only talked to the male coworker.

 

Another floater who frequents this place has been openly dismissive of me in front of the team. I used to work as a tech under her before. She complains about every single thing about working here. Her negative attitude is not helping us, at all. We are already in the thick of things. We deal with this every day. You come here once a week and complain and are dismissive of all of us. How are you helping the situation? I requested my boss not to keep sending her here. She wouldn't agree.

 

I met someone for an informational interview. Found out what she does, how she likes it, etc.

She said this to me about my situation "If you want to leave retail and work in hospital, you will have to do residency and get certification through BPS. You can decide if you are willing to live on $40,000 a year during residency provided you match somewhere. Also, ask yourself if you will be able to stay away from your spouse for a year to 2 years during this time. After the residency, jobs are not exactly plentiful, but you will be able to find something somewhere. Understand that you will have to take a pay-cut if you choose to work in a hospital. You can also go back to academia and teach at a pharmacy school."

[annie24]

Do you have any books on management? I never never been a manager so I don't know how to manage people, but it seems like you need to deal with these floaters being openly disrespectful. (Even if you worked in the hospital, these personalities/situations come up so it's good to manage them).

[LAYAAN]

I dont have any book on management, but I can definitely borrow one from the local library.

I mean, when you see a new gal in manager's position struggling to figure things out, almost everyone is going to take advantage of the situation. I'm not taking anything personal. Its just very annoying.

 

There are 4 parts of the work profile (broadly speaking) - 1) to do what i'm licensed to do 2) managing employees/customer complaints 3) doing regulatory work 4) inventory mgmt

Since I'm new to this work, they have let me off the hook for inventory mgmt for now.

Doing what I'm licensed to do consumes most of my time. My the staff person is slow and very anal about things instead of seeing the big picture and keeping things moving at a high volume store. Hence, I have to do the heavy lifting to clear the queue towards the end of the day. He doesn't print/fill.

Managing people is difficult. I feel that I have especially hit it at a bad time. One full-time tech used to live around the store, got hired, then changed the residence and moved an hour plus away. Now, she wants the company to move her to a store closer to her new home. She is unhappy that that isn't happening fast enough. She is at least 55+, very slow at what she does, sensitive about everything and in order to get the comany to move her fast, she complained against me to my boss that she feels I push her to work faster and I'm always ordering her around. She is my mom's age so she says that I have to be extra nice to her and I have to respect her age. My problem with her is sheer incompetence, working at slow pace, whining about not getting the other store openly. If you have been a tech for 25+ years, you shouldn't be asked to do things, you need to be able to see what has to be done and do it. Because you can't prioritize, I have no choice but to tell you what to do. You don't hear me ordering others. That should tell you something.

The staff person (my coworker) is very unhappy to be here. He is tired of the harsh winter, tired of high pressure/high volume, tired of driving about 1.5-2 hours in the traffic almost everyday. So, he has been asking to leave. He is trying everything in his ability - got doctors' notes saying his ENT infection keeps coming back due to weather conditions here. His back and neck issues are cropping up due to high volume, etc. etc. His back issue is also due to windy roads here. So, he has been emotionally out for a while.

Other tech is a cashier waiting to get tech license. She hates working weekends. When I was a tech I worked weekends, so she was happy to work here. Now, I don't allow her special privilages, so she is mad because she doesn't get to go to church. That is affecting her. She is looking to get pregnant and either leave this job or do only a part of it. She is a slow learner and if you put her as a data entry tech, she stops you at almost every script and asks you questions so you can't focus on your work. If not, she will make mistakes which you have to go back and correct.

We are somehow able to get floaters up here because the company pays them gas money to drive up here. But the company doesn't do that for the techs. And for $16/hour, no tech wants to relocate/drive 1+ hour to come to this place. Also, you either like it here or hate it due to weather. So, not everyone wants to relocate even if we are willing to offer them a job.

We are short-staffed several days of a week and the ones that we have are not competent. Hence, someone has to pull the slack at all times. In this case, it is me (primarily due to my position).

Yes, I do get stressed and tend to show it from time-to-time. I do get irritable. My coworkers want me to have patience and demeanor of a saint. I'm not there yet and doubt that I will be there in this environment.

[annie24]

arg, that's frustrating. I like the blog http://askamanager.com. There is some good advice on there. You can see if there are any similar situations where there might be advice for your situation.

[LAYAAN]

Thanks for this link. I will post my situation there and may be get some guidance there

[marshmlofluff]

Hi L. How about thinking about slightly nontraditional jobs like medical affairs, medical science liaison, regulatory affairs, consulting, etc.? Some are remote work, especially consulting, so maybe you would not have to move. It doesn’t hurt to look around.

[LAYAAN]

Hello Marsh, thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of trying to do similar kind of work as I did in my country before I came back here, but here is the issue(s). I talked to someone much senior to me in this current line of work and this is what she had to ask me.

 

If I decided to go into industry now - 1) I will have to take at least 30K salary hit. Really, it will be upto 40K. Am I ready for that?

2) Will have to rent a place closer to new workplace (because work-from-home options are fewer) and pay at least 20K a year for that and hope that my husband stays there with me when he is not working. Will he be okay with that?

3) He may ask the renter(s) to move back into this house to take care of the cat and look after the house. The cat doesn't travel well at all due to her phobia and She is 15+ years old.

4) She asked me, "Do you really have the formidable spirit and killer instinct to get ahead in the industry setting where higher salary and perks are? Because just like in your current job, you will have to work long hours. Here, you get overtime. In industry, you will be salaried."

4) After all these adjustments, there is no assurance that the new job is going to be more satisfying than what you currently do.

5) Hence, the senior that I talked to suggested that I should consider cotinuing in the same line primarily due to my age and how late it has been for me to get a real job in this country. Save that money, and use it for vacations or invest wisely and retire early. Sure, whatever no. of years I have left at work will not be comfortable/joyous, but if I'm not happy with the commute/salary at a new job, or if its taking a toll on my marriage/husband's comfort then I still wont' be happy with that change of job. So, I should be very careful about moving out of this job.

[marshmlofluff]

Make sure the senior person you talk to has actually worked in industry. It’s my experience that if you talk to people in academia, they will tell you how bad life is outside academia. If you talk to people who have been in the federal government their whole life, they will tell you how bad industry is. Sometimes people try to justify their own decisions to stay where they are.

 

I am in a little different field than you, but related. And my friends who have gone to industry do work hard, but they make good money and many work mostly remotely. And the work doesn’t involve standing all day or dealing with the public. The same is true for my friends in consulting. There is a lot of travel, but since you don’t have kids, maybe it’s not a big deal.

 

My advice would be to contact a recruiter and see what’s out there. You don’t have to take a job with a long commute or that requires you to live separately from your husband, but it’s good to know about opportunities. It never hurts to keep your eyes open.

[marshmlofluff]

Oh and many people I know didn’t start earning until mid 30s. PhD etc. take a long time. Some of those people are now buying $1m houses. If you don’t have kids, it doesn’t take that long to catch up.

[LAYAAN]

Thanks Marsh, yes, PhDs normally take longer to start making money. Sigh!

 

On a different note, I just saw that you recently changed jobs. I thought you were set in your previous government position. I'm curious to know what prompted the change? Is it because your husband moved for a new job? How are you liking the new job?

[marshmlofluff]

Indeed, my husband needed to relocate for the next step of his training. I had previously done some work with a company whose headquarters were near where he needed to move. So I changed jobs, and we will relocate to your part of the country this summer.

 

I love the new job so far, though it’s too early to really have an opinion. There is more work than my previous job, but the work is scientific, interesting and challenging and my colleagues are also extremely talented.

 

Based on both my friends’ experience and mine, many of the things your senior colleague said about industry jobs might not be true across all companies. It’s worth considering non-retail jobs, though I agree that your location makes it difficult.

 

Just yesterday someone at work mentioned a meeting that they held last year in the city you live in and asked if people wanted to do it again. They all said it was fun, but they preferred a location closer to an airport.

[LAYAAN]

That's great, Marsh!

It will be a big change in terms of weather for you if you move here from where you are at. No 4 seasons, winters are not harsh and the weather is generally good year round. So, great for gardening! Lots of entertainment options and activities around and groups you can join.

[LAYAAN]

Last couple of months have been very difficult at work. We lost a strong technician to medical leave. Some company merger was in the works around the same time. My then boss didn't care much about what we were going through. I begged her to send me extra help. She only sent a couple of emails and said to me,"Your store is too far removed from the rest of the district and with the snow and harsh winters noone wants to drive up there. I'm sorry, I can't force anyone to drive up to your store. Hang in there." Since we lost a strong tech, things kept getting worse. Nothing was ready on time. Lots of customer complaints. People got frustrated and started transferring their stuff to other businesses.

 

Feb end, my previous boss transferred from this district and position to somewhere else. I guess, that's why she was not interested in taking any major decisions.

 

Starting March we were given a pharmacist that is completely new to the retail industry. I am having to teach her every single thing. She is a sweet gal, has a positive attitude, and wants to learn. Thats great, but I need someone who can hit the ground running. Not someone who is so new that they get in our way of achieving our daily goal. When I pushed to get a different candidate, I was shut down and I was told that 'its classified information why they can't give me a certain candidate. So this will have to do'

 

We were hanging on with just 1 strong tech we had left. Starting April another tsunami hit us. Our only strong tech now has gone on disability. Now, I'm left with following people -

1 cashier

1 tech that can't process to save her life

1 tech that is so so slow n doesnt' want to work this shift and that shift and doesn't want to work weekends

1 new tech that will ask 10000 questions and interrupts your work and won't let you focus.

 

The new manager's manager called me and said "why is the business going down?" blah blah.

Me "we dont have a strong tech. We are haning on by a thread"

The manager "So are you telling me that your tech took your customers with her when she went on medical leave?"

Where do you go with this attitude?

 

On top of all this, starting middle of December I have been dealing with swollen finger. I changed the mouse so I could click with my thumb, instead. Now, the finger is going in n out of numbness.

 

Given all this, I'm seriously thinking of resigning from work.

[Jibralta]

I don't know where you are working, but it seems to me that the pharmacy industry is really going to hell. I used to have a great pharmacist who knew our family, who was knowledgeable about the medications, etc. He retired, and I started picking up prescriptions from CVS.

 

Well, I have never seen such miserable people. The first two times I went, the tech at the register was yelling at all of the techs who were getting the orders together. No idea why. But it was disturbing to see. I think that guy is gone now, but the people behind the counter just seem miserable. They're barely able to interact normally with the customers. I've honestly never seen such downtrodden people, and it makes me not want to go there.

 

But I haven't changed my pharmacy because I get prescriptions infrequently. I don't think about it until it's time to pick one up. Then I'm like, "oh no..."

[annie24]

I’d start looking for a new job, but don’t leave this one until you accept another offer. Hang in there.

[LAYAAN]

I couldn't complete typing the post due to pain.

Now, continuing from previous post...

 

So, my right index finger is in pain, on n off swollen, and numb at times. I have a hand specialist's appointment tomorrow for that. Resting it for 2 complete days has not helped with the pain. I can't put any pressure on it. I can only gently hold a pen, but I can't hold a knife to chop vegetables, I can't open medication bottles, etc.

 

As if this wasn't enough, due to working 11+ hours on most days, my left knee is acting out.

Additionally, hearing in my left ear has gone down noticeably. Not sure why, but the fist time I noticed it and got it checked was in 2011 and they said it can be because during the accident in 2009 my head hit on the bumper of the car. That can cause the hearing to go down.

 

My husband recently mentioned that I seem to be going into depression and he wants me to leave the job completely.

 

I recently had a long conversation with the previous manager (I took over from) and he said,"Just not having 1 strong tech would send me into panic. Now you don't have her and the other tech. That's an impossible situation to deal with. My worry for you is your health and your license. I'm the only bread winner in my family. If financially you have your husband taking care of you, I would leave. Leave with your sanity, health, and license intact. Everytime you work in a situation where you are so behind in the queue that everyone coming to pick up their stuff is yelling at you and rushing you to fill their stuff quick quick, you are risking your license. What if you make a mistake that is so deadly that it make affect someone and it may take your license away as well."

[LAYAAN]

I’d start looking for a new job, but don’t leave this one until you accept another offer. Hang in there.

That's what I wanted to do Annie, but I'm not sure because I routinely work 50 hours a week and there is no time to look for a job.

I'm going to request to step down, but they may not accept my request right away. I may have to wait until they find someone else. And who knows how long that's going to take? I'm going to request working only a couple of days a week and see if they agree.

[marshmlofluff]

Maybe you can go on medical leave for some time? Maybe explain the situation and about the lack of a strong technician and say that if you don’t get support, the job is not sustainable.

 

Anyway I suspect there are sooooo many jobs in the biomedical sector that are better than this.

 

Because of your location, you might consider some type of consulting. You have experience in regulatory and are board certified. You don’t have kids, so no travel constraints. Many consulting firms allow remote work with occasional trips to headquarters.

 

Sounds like a good fit to me. The company might even be based in your home country.

 

Since you don’t have time, see if you can find a good headhunter.

[LAYAAN]

I don't know where you are working, but it seems to me that the pharmacy industry is really going to hell. I used to have a great pharmacist who knew our family, who was knowledgeable about the medications, etc. He retired, and I started picking up prescriptions from CVS.

 

Well, I have never seen such miserable people. The first two times I went, the tech at the register was yelling at all of the techs who were getting the orders together. No idea why. But it was disturbing to see. I think that guy is gone now, but the people behind the counter just seem miserable. They're barely able to interact normally with the customers. I've honestly never seen such downtrodden people, and it makes me not want to go there.

 

But I haven't changed my pharmacy because I get prescriptions infrequently. I don't think about it until it's time to pick one up. Then I'm like, "oh no..."

Retail industry really is going down. There never seems to be enough help. We have to deal with incorrectly written stuff, few tech hours in help, incompetent help, insurance issues and customers who think that they can take it all out on us. If we stand up for ourselves in a dignified way, the customers call the corporate on us and we can get reprimanded for our behavior

[LAYAAN]

Maybe you can go on medical leave for some time? Maybe explain the situation and about the lack of a strong technician and say that if you don’t get support, the job is not sustainable.

 

Anyway I suspect there are sooooo many jobs in the biomedical sector that are better than this.

 

Because of your location, you might consider some type of consulting. You have experience in regulatory and are board certified. You don’t have kids, so no travel constraints. Many consulting firms allow remote work with occasional trips to headquarters.

 

Sounds like a good fit to me. The company might even be based in your home country.

 

Since you don’t have time, see if you can find a good headhunter.

I hope that the physician tomorrow can write me a note to be off work. Yes, I also hope that a lot of jobs are better than this.

Something will have to change. This situation is not sustainable for me - physically, mentally, and it is professionally very risky.

[LAYAAN]

This is very real. We sometimes go through worse than this.

[LAYAAN]

So, the hand specialist that I saw on Monday gave me a note to be off work for a week. That's not much, but that helps.

 

It has been 4 days, I haven't done much at all around the house. My finger still hurts. I don't have much of a grip with it.

[LAYAAN]

Went to see the chiropractor today. Finger was doing okay until this morning. The chiropractor wiggled it to see where it hurts and now its hurting again. sigh!

I go back to work tomorrow. Not looking forward to it. Inventory is coming up in a couple weeks. 2 good techs are already off. Third is going off because she needs a vacation and has already booked her tickets. Its hard to believe that it was just a coincidence. Its hard for me to cut my team members any slack anymore. This person (thats going on a vacation in 1st week of May around the inventory time) mentioned to someone recently "write me up all you want. I know that you are already short-staffed so you can't help, but keep me here. I'm safe. No worries with the job." Sadly, she is right.

 

I recently learned that the staff person is going to be leaving us soon in a couple of months.

[annie24]

I’m surprised they were able to take vacation without a managers approval!

[LAYAAN]

If you have accumulated vacation time and want to go on a vacation, a manager can't stop you from doing so. They can only request you to go at a different time.

She already booked her tickets 3 months ago. All the associates except managers are a part of union. They are aware of their rights and they will see to it that their rights are not violated.

 

In 1st week of April, the 2nd technician's doctor's office had just faxed us that she was going on disability. Another tech's vacation was coming up. It didn't matter to her. She still went on vacation. My new boss asked me to ask her if she can reschedule. I didn't ask because I knew what her response was going to be and more than that I knew she would take me to the union that I'm not letting her take her vacation that she has a right to. I didn't want an HR enquiry.

 

When I was taking over last year, I had already scheduled my vacation to visit my parents. My boss said "I can't ask you not to go this time, but in the interest of the situation it would be better if you rescheduled your vacation." I canceled my vacation, but I didn't have to. It was my right, but I was being considerate. Then it was too late since my immigration stuff was coming up, I couldn't go to visit my parents. So, this is how it is.