Acutally, I asked for a schedule change and they could not
Posted By: Sickandtired on 2008-07-24
In Reply to: Have you asked them about an increase for the - OPs only? (nm)
do it and so I moved on today to my next job.
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Okay. Flex your time. Change your schedule if necessary. sm
If you have been in this business any length of time, you should know how work volumes fluctuate, especially around the holidays.
I was denied a schedule change when I NEEDED it
I lasted a few months
Be prepared to be on call all weekend because you will get badgered through e-mails and constant I know you all need to make up lines, so there's no reason you cannot work....all weekend... like you shouldn't have a life on your day off.
..never had work.. was constantly harped on about my line counts, yet, they would never respond to e-mails saying that THERE WAS NO WORK and needed another account. Always ran out of work about for at least 15 hours a week (people making up their time on my time)...NO JOKE.
Was denied a schedule change... I dont know why either because I never had work on my schedule anyhow.
You need to get permission to make up time... I did that and never got a response. I QA'd at 100% on my reviews though...so I know it wasn't my work quality.
Some people have WAYYY different experiences there than I have...and I'm not saying not to work there... I am just hoping you have a better experience.
Maybe it was just my supervisor...
When hired as QA was asked when (schedule) I
to stick to that. Basically, have gotten on whenever I wanted and worked. As long as TAT is met, theya dont seem to have a problem with flexibility. And again, I was asked when I would be able to work, not told when to work.
An IC asked to commit to a schedule could...
technically be considered an employee. We are in construction, and between weather, seasonality, and our workers not showing up consistently, we always 1099'd our workers. Our accountant, however, said that if we had significant control over the schedule of our workers and directed what they do while they are working, they are considered employees according to the IRS. I think most MT jobs would reflect that same standard.
And when I asked for a change, I got an acct just as bad.
s
Acutally it's the Mass. Sten-Tel. Hmm...same state as your company. In cahoots, maybe? nm
s
They want you to keep your schedule for TAT purposes but will work with you to find a good schedule
I love working there.
When they called me and I asked them if they offshored, they asked me why that was my business!
xx
I actually switched from a M-F schedule to a S-T schedule...sm
because of the financial situation. I was offered a lot better money to work this schedule on a particularly picky account. I can live with working on Sunday evenings because that is when my 2 teenage kids, also very active in sports, band, church, driving, dating, social life, etc., etc., are vegging on the couch, relaxing for the evening before it all starts again. It was worth the sacrifice to me to be able to afford all the activities, and it really is not much different than working the M-F shift. I do have Fridays off to kind of catch my breath while the kids are at school or go and take care of business. I do not feel I have given up any of my life to work on Sundays. Most companies will be flexible on the schedule for Sunday because of church, family dinner, whatever. The way I look at it is later on, I may be able to switch to a M-F schedule if I am willing to give a little now. Even if I don't, to me it was worth it for the extra money and mommy time I get on Fridays. I am widowed so I do put a lot of time into my kids. This is just what works for me. On the other hand, it is ok to only want to work M-F, there is nothing wrong with that. You have to do what is best for you.
Nothing will change unless we make it change..SM
As long as we accept the exploitation that this MT profession has reduced us to, it will keep going on. The top of this is the outsourcing.... well, get your legislators involved....better yet, the MEDIA. How many patients know their private medical information is being outsourced to halfway around the world? The squeeky wheel gets the grease. Do the patients know that their info won't be sold by some unscrupulous MT (halfway around the globe) to insurance companies, etc., making all this Medical records privacy a joke. It's not just our T-shirts being made in other countries; it's our most personal, private medical information, of which the public is not being made aware of. Not to speak of undercutting out profession to the bare bone. Granted, most US MTs are willing to work below market wage just to have a job, especially in economically-deprived areas, where outside jobs are scarce, and kids need to be fed and mortgages need to be paid. MTSOs know this. I'll bet they'll be the first to lobby against any action against outsourcing. (Wouldn't you be...if you got people to work for pennies while you're raking in the big $$$'s ? Still, notwithstanding the outsourcing problem, we're still going along with all the BS...working for pennies, whatever the client wants, he gets... ever notice how all of the MTSO flak seems to be re. unpaid work...mostly, demographic issues we're not even paid for... bec. It has to be done.. Part of the job... The client put the wrong info but we have to correct it...all unpaid work. Just give me a job with nothing but straight transcription, w/o the unpaid/demo. flak..I'll take it even at the present, absurd pennies-per-line state of the profession.
Sad but true. You're asked to work NOW, then asked to stop NOW, then go again and then stop
If you dont get off the minute the hospital asks, even if you have no idea that they have requested that your to be off, then the hospital MTs steal your work right out of your queue and I mean reports you have already done. I dont understand the concept of having a contract with a hospital and then having to fight for work with the hospital MTs. We should have guaranteed work during our shift and enough of the the hospital wants you to help right now and then a few hours later they want us to stop working as the work is too low. It is crazy and I couldnt work like that so I had to quit.
schedule
Do you give them a set schedule or a window of when you will work? What confuses me about the "set schedule" is that we are contracted to produce certain # lines, not hours. So if you are satisfied with your line count but are scheduled for 8 hours, do you still have to complete all 8?
Also, I haven't asked them yet, but are we allowed to work extra hours/days outside our schedules?
How are they with time off? How much notice would you give for a 1-week vacation?
Right now I have no set schedule, so I will
nm
I never ever have the same schedule sm
and it's worked fine for years now. I don't know what I can do - this flexibility is the only reason I have stuck with MQ this long.
schedule
I read through all the posts below yesterday, and a couple of them mention a grid with all days and hours listed and you have to mark what hours you will work (but that this has to be approved by supervisor). It didn't sound like it had to be continuous hours and you could work several split shifts.
I agree about needing the flexibility. It's the only reason I have stayed with MQ. I am a part time SE too and I have another full time job. Half of the time I am available to work, there is no work to do, so I have had to be flexible to even get in my quota. I know if I give them a set schedule, there won't be work half the time, so what do you do then? Another thing, my schedule changes from week to week, and from what I read below, it sounds like it is just one grid, so that would mean that your schedule would have to stay the same from week to week -- doesn't work for me either.
It's too bad -- they are going to lose a lot of good MTs over this 
No, not still with them. No set schedule.
You are an IC with them. You have 24 hours to complete your work and return via FTP site. At least that was my routine on my account. Don't know if every account is the same.
I no longer work for them as I went out and got my own accounts and the account I was on with them was lost to a larger national - go figure!
They are pretty decent company, but I don't know what kind of work load they have - you will have to talk with them.
Like I said, pay is always on time, correct and accurate, and you work as an IC, last I knew.
All you can do is give them a try.
As far as work load, 1200 lines a day +/-. Not enough for me!
Not too bad, if you like a schedule
I worked for them for about 2 years. I had worked as an IC and thought I would try switching to employee status. They were great in the fact that they sent all my equipment, training was even fun (great trainers), supervisor and tech support always responded quickly. However, once you set a schedule you must adhere to it. You are actually only allowed to deviate once a month, depends on your supervisor though. For me, that was a problem. After being an IC for many years it was hard to go back to a schedule. I'm working as an IC again now and hope I never have to go back to being an employee. I wish you luck!
They ask you the schedule you will be
working. It works out well for me because I work in the morning and again at night.
MDI-MD schedule
When I was hired, I was told I could make my own schedule as long as I worked two Saturdays a month. It works for me. They get the needed coverage and I get time with my family.
Do ICs have a set schedule? sm
I've never really worked as an IC but now am considering PT IC work but honestly doubt I could adhere to a set schedule because I have a FT QA job as an employee. Are there companies that hire without having one?
Thanks!
schedule (sm)
It is really not that rigid. They would like to know when you are on; for example, should they have a stat or something and want to route it to you. I have never encountered a problem there even though I have been there less than a year. I take a lot of breaks, but not really long ones. If I have to go out for something, they only want you to let them know. I guess the main reason would be, like if you are scheduled for 5 a.m. start and you work on preops, that could potentially cause a problem if you don't get on till 7. I have never had a problem with this, though. 
schedule (sm)
I pretty much stick to my schedule also. I do take a lot of breaks, cause at my age, I stiffen up if I don't - LOL - there have been several occasions where something has come up and they have always been nice about it and let me make it up. I'm also happy there.
There's some that let you schedule...sm
8 hours in a 12-hour window. Maybe someone else knows more.
Schedule
They like a schedule or idea when your are going to be working so they can staff the account properly but sometimes I will work a few hours in the morning, take off a few hours and come back in the evening. In other words, your not tied to sitting there 8 hours straight. The jobs are put in your queue when you ask for them. They usually just come up a few at a time and say you had 3 in the queue. You finished one and had to go somewhere then it'd just throw the other two back into the queue for someone else to pick up. Not a big deal. I have never worked for a company so flexible. I love it. I get my lines in but I do it around my schedule with kids and other things in my life. Hope that helps some.
KS schedule
What is your schedule like? Do you have to work whenever they need you or do you have any kind of regular schedule?
Schedule
The schedule seems pretty flexible to me. They ask me to provide them a monthly schedule of the hours I am planning to work. This is so they can plan their workload. It seems pretty fair and reasonable enough to me. They do not dictate a schedule to me. I merely let them know when I am planning to work.
if NO schedule...sm
then why do they advertise that they want a schedule?
well, I don't think you could get a M-F schedule unless sm
it was like 3-11 pm or 11-7 am. Yes, you get raises. There are 6 paid holidays. If you work you get extra money, no PTO necessary for holidays.
schedule
might work if you can actually get to sleep when you come home and if you can really take a nap later. It's very difficult for me sleep during the daytime. I work until 12 pm or 1 am and get up about 7. Sometimes I am tired but can't nap
MDI schedule
You get a 24-hour window to schedule the line count you provide to them. They need an idea on how much we each are doing to properly staff the different accounts. I'm not sure about now, but in the past they also had p.r.n. status, without a schedule, but the work would not be guaranteed and the rate would be lower.
So it you want to get a feel for MDI, start lower to see how it goes, and then increase as needed.
Good luck!
No set schedule, just TAT that is met, is the
x
TT PT schedule
I do Sun-Thur PT, my choice, 4 to 8 pm. Some PT'ers do rotate weekends and take a day off during week.
IC with schedule also!!!
I really hate to post this because I know I will be told that I should be greatful or if I do not comply, the Indians will take my job, but I have applied to several jobs this month and each one I told I wanted to be an IC. Well, I was hired in and guess what, now they want me to commit to a schedule and even on the weekends. I have been told at this one particular company to log in immediately and the manager called today to see what the heck I was doing not being logged in. I am sick to death of this situation and I too am in nursing school and I cannot wait to be done with this because the days of being a true IC is over. I know these companies have to meet TAT, but there are rules to being an IC also. I have found that if you cannot commit, they will not hire you or if they hire you, they try to make you commit.
IC with a schedule
If I were in that situation I would remind them that one of the definitions under the United States Tax Code is that an IC sets his or her own hours. This company apparently wants to have its cake and eat it, too--if they get away with not paying you as an employee but as an IC, they CANNOT BY LAW require a schedule. Go to the IRS website and see their publications about what truly constitutes an IC.
IC AND SET SCHEDULE....SM
Of course, they know this (or should). So if the subject comes up during the interview process and they do ask for a schedule, ask them to either give you a schedule or request a schedule from you in writing, preferably in your IC contract. Betcha they won't do it! Ever notice when they ask for a IC/set schedule, it's always by phone.... they know if any sort of legal issue every came up, you have nothing to back up this demand of theirs. Of course, you can always print out any e-mail re. schedule requirement for IC from them.
You still have a set schedule and (sm)
work your 40 hours, but in order to qualify for FT benefits you must meet a MINIMUM of $900 per pay period. Depending on your line rate you figure your minimum lines over the 8 hour day. You can always do more than that when work is available and believe me, it's always available. They also offer OT sometimes when accounts are backed up.
schedule
It would never even enter my mind to approach something like that type of schedule. It is not unusual for me to work a bit on some Saturdays and/or Sundays, but especially as an IC, I would not be bound to this. I am daytime Monday through Friday from an adherent point of view. I have been an MT too long and have paid my dues. My family and time off is everything to me. Just another inconsiderate, and quite frankly, as it relates to what an IC is, corrupt approach when MT positions are being offered. Ridiculous!
When you say schedule do
you mean a straight 8 hours or promised line count? I will never work a full 8 other than when I am learning an account that is. So I need to know before applying. I don't get the required 8 hour thing that I have noticed some companies do. It does not make sense that if a person gets 1600-2000 lines done in 7 hours that they should have to work. It's time to sign off!!
There should never be a SCHEDULE
You are still missing the point. You AND the TTS staff need to become familiar with the labor laws regarding ICs. Don't worry, the labor board will be contacting them soon. lol
No schedule, but...
You do have to work either Tues through Sat or Sun through Thur. At least that is for new hires. I think old-timers may not have to do that.
I have that schedule
It's called flexibility; if I really need to take Saturday off I take it off and work another day. It's not that difficult, but I don't have kids, just a husband. :)
I think it is whatever your schedule is like..sm
Like if you are working Tues through Saturday and a holiday is on Saturday, then you would probably be required to work unless you received prior approval to be off and vice versa.
My company was bought out by them and I have since quit. To me, they were VERY hard to deal with, unprofessional, never answered your e-mails, never tried to help you in any situation at all. You are just a number to them and your number is not a top priority on their pole.
I loved my old company. It is a shame that they were bought out. Lots of people left due to their ridiculousness.
Good luck though...and hope this answered your question.
schedule
I haven't got the emails asking to change schedule exactly, just on a couple accounts where the work has been pretty low the liason will say we probably need to stagger our work time to get our lines in. My primary team has been told that we are weak on weekend coverage and we need to do better, but no one has (so far) said we HAVE to do nights or weekends if not already scheduled that way.
If you already do a weekend day I definitely wouldn't add more onto it if it was me. The email was probably speaking more to the people on your team who don't work every weekend and won't work nights.
MQ BIG CHANGE?
I just love these posters..gonna be a big change..well, what? Dont post something like that and not explain. It only causes anxiety and speculation in an already scarey field, with outsourcing, etc. Big change, well, come on now..what is gonna be the big change and where did you get your information from?
Well, then maybe that should change.
Maybe they, too, should be paid based on what they produce, with a little bonus if the person stays a year.
Sometimes you just get in a rut and need a change. Sometimes you just
get burn-out in general and think it is the company/account. I've left a position before because I thought the grass was greener, but it wasn't. Had to learn new platform, new software program, new dictators with various new accents to figure out, new way to count lines, etc. Even if the pay was a bit better I still figured I lost money and the grass wasn't greener. No company is perfect, but there are some very good companies out there, but there can still be intermittent issues with any company. Sometimes talking with management might resolve issues, sometimes taking a break will refresh you and make you see things in a different light. List pros/cons of present account and compare that what a different company has to offer. You may realize you are better off where you are and if not you can feel comfortable that you're making a change that really will be better for you. If you do decide to leave current account just don't burn any bridges so you leave with the possibility of being able to return if new account/company doesn't work out.
No. Currently, you can use your own. That may change
nm
I think so...I am not one for change tho....but there
To change
the subject somewhat. Gastric bypass and lap banding scare me to death! I personally know of five people who underwent the procedures, and all had complications, one being death. They all had excellent surgeons, one being my surgeon. Everyone responds differently I know, and that is the problem. It is too much of a gamble for me.
change
Are we all in the same boat? I work for the largest national in the country and am hoping to hear about another position with another company tomorrow or Wednesday. Many of us have been MTs for years and make less now than then we started. We get thrown into the national cesspool and may get 20 different states in 20 different reports. Impossible to make a good line count this way. I'm slow to change and always fearful, but I'm really at the end of my rope. Anyone want to add to this conversation, please feel free. Happy New Year everyone! May 2008 bring us more MONEY and more CONTENTMENT!!
have to change dsl
well just talked to Vonage and everything was fine until they tried to transfer my line. Said I have to discontinue DSL through ATT for ATT to allow it, then vonage can transfer it...
So I will change to time warner for cable and then get the adapter from vonage. Yes it is a lot cheaper, but have to work out all the transfers.
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