Two sides to the coin
Posted By: Lin on 2009-01-28
In Reply to: Phoenix Medcom?? - taking a leap
I have worked for Phoenix for two years on both their Emdat platform and a Lanier account. I am delighted with both though I will admit the Emdat was awkward to set up with expanders/autocorrect.
Nevertheless, the folks are a joy to work for, keep in touch enough to feel in the loop, and answer e-mails promptly. Pay is fair, work is steady. Couldn't ask for more.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
I love it there.. two sides to each coin.
My team is really great. I was so thankful for the nice card, handwritten, and also an unexpected gift card.
It's a coin toss
Small companies are fragile. They don't have a lot of money to get started. The good news is that they are not considered valuable enough to the big outfits like MQ to be bought up by them. The drawback to large companies is that they have often been through multiple mergers and may be quite chaotic for years. Motivation-wise, a small company will make you feel a much more important part of their success than a big one where you are just a number. What I would find out is how well the software works and whether the system works reliably. Next important to me will be whether the work is a kind I like. I happen to know I don't enjoy teaching hospitals/residents. So think about what it is that motivates you to perform at a high level. Good luck.
The other side of the coin
A company with little to no experience hiring you as an IC, then telling you the hours you will work, that you will sit for stats, and lay on a bunch of other parameters that CLEARLY make you a statutory employee and when you point this out-- THEY FIRE YOU!! So it doesn't matter that I turned down other offers or that I just loaded his crap on my PC, my notice on my current job ends Monday and I'm now jobless. I have an employment agreement signed yesterday, wonder if I should apply for unemployment.... OH WAIT! I can't because I'm an IC!
There are very few REAL independent contractor positions in existence in MT. I think a letter to the IRS this week will be just what my psyche ordered.
If you are not being paid to work greater than 40 hours refuse the hours. Wages in the cellar and services whose only bottom line they realize exists is their own.
Really? Because I see it on both sides
I see your point about some naysayers, but assuming the ones that are unhappy are job-hoppers and unhappy people isn't the nicest comment I've ever heard either.
I think this is really sad for several reasons. We're all at risk for our skill being replaced by VR and outsourcing, we ought to be supporting each other in ways we can make effective change by preventing that from happening as best we can and getting together and finding constructive solutions about proving that our value is just as important as expensive machinery or labor from foreign countries.
Many people are just realizing this,scared about the future, and trying to shop to find the best deal possible that's still out there, not realizing that they're all about the same at present, it's the state of affairs in the MT world.
If you want to stay with it and keep trying to find a way to beat VR and make a living still, that's cool, but it's okay to realize that some things are more tolerable on the job than others, and to each their own about what should be acceptable business practice. :)
Looking at both sides ..
I recruit and I see both sides of this story on a daily basis. We provide equipment and we pay very well and are employee status. I have people lie to me, hold equipment when they decide they are not interested in the job because they actually have to work, and have every excuse why then cannot work. On the other hand, I have dedicated, extraordinary people who go the extra mile, can actually figure out their own computer and how to turn it on and maintain their QA and really make my life a pleasure. I know that you cannot have it all .. but I will say this, if you are an MT who works for a company that can't get it together you might want to write to me and investigate working with our group. We are growing and have no intention of offshoring no matter what, have benefits available that are excellent and for employee reasonably price (family is terrible nearly everywhere though this actually covers you). I transcribe right along with people if need be and we genuinely care about the people who work with us. We are on dial up right now but will be going to our web-based system in September. We have more work than you can imagine and if you are willing to dial up with the rest of us for a fe months, then life will be good .. very good .. come the Fall. You must be willing to commit to your schedule and do your work .. sounds easier than it usually turns out to be I am sorry to say. Have a good holiday weekend.
There are two sides to every story. The MTs sm
that commented worked/works there. You do not. So I wouldn't put to much weight to what you say.
There are two sides to every story...
I have worked for Breitner for four years and have always been paid on time. I have never had a payroll issue with this company. Just so everyone knows...if this occurred, it does not occur across the board. Let's be fair.
Not taking sides
Actually I am in the same boat as everyone else. You have to work harder to make more money because this industry does not give raises. Our economy is hurting; however, I would NOT want live in India or any other country that is being sent work because their economy is obviously worse.
Also OFFSHORING is when transcription is sent to other countries. Outsourcing is what hospitals to when they send their transcription to companies rather than being done in house.
Lots of industries are offshoring. I just sit here in my peaceful living room and decide how much money I want to earn today and determine how hard I want to work. Some days I don't want to do it at all. Other days I am grateful I don't have to go wait tables or tend bar for a second job. As much as people complain about this industry, I can't think of anything else I would want to do to make extra money.
not taking sides but...
I completely understand what you mean about the pay...it is quite a long time to wait for a full paycheck.
But...you really should have read your contract BEFORE signing it so you only have yourself to blame for that aspect.
I understand both sides of the argument...
But I believe that a lot of the posts are from management. They really should not disguise themselves as MTs and try to trick people. Just let the truth be what it is, and if you do not like the truth, then do something at your company to change it. All the effort that is being put into posting on this forum by management from various companies should be put into different programs, incentives, or maybe just a nice word or two to their transcriptionists to try and make the companies better. I value this forum and believe that MTs need a place to communicate these things to one another to possibly prevent someone else from going through a bad situation. I do believe that some MTs do need to let it go sometimes, but when you know that it is management posting to try and prove you are wrong, that just makes you more determined to prove you are right. Just my opinion so don't jump all over me.
I never overreact. I thoughtfully consider all sides. However,
the tone of your continued arrogant, hostile, and rage-filled posts only points out that you are the OP masquerading as management in a fury about an email sent out which by no means can be construed as breeching any matter of confidentiality. Your threats were laughable as witnessed by the counterposts.
You would do us all a favor now if you would go take your medication. Dosages should never be skipped. You should know that if you are an MT.
I don't know. Still trying to figure you out. You seem to be so ugly and hateful. I bet your mama had to tie pork chops to your ears so the dog would play with you.
Agree with both sides to an extent...
I worked as an IC for years before going to work for a hospital and then am now at an MTSO for the majority of my work. I also have had my own conract on the side for over 5 years. They call maybe 1-2 times a week for a missing document. When gas starting becoming outrageous early this year, I started charging them a courier fee since I still pick up tapes and print out documents. They have no complaints and I have no complaints. Seems like a win-win for both of us....and I make great money for 8-10 hours a week of their work since he has gotten to be so easy to do. So, for extra money, this is DEFINITELY the way to go. I know a friend who started her own MTSO and it is a pain marketing/invoicing and doing administrative work and has heck of a time finding and keeping quality subcontractors. If I oould find another client like THIS one, I'd be working 20 hours a week and making full-time money!
Well, then I come to this board to get both sides of the story
and I appreciate hearing your experience. The best thing for me to do is be aware of this, keep working at my old IC job, and try this one out. If I see what you are saying, then it simply will not work out for me. What I have to decide about though is do I need the stress of even trying. It has been a bad year in transcription and I am not in the mood for many more of these types of games. Simply put. So do appreciate your feedback and I probably should have just stuck with the IC I have and increase the work load. Now I have to go through this trying out a job again, and ugggg, what a pain in the neck!
I think we DO need to "take sides" on this issue.
This lawsuit, or even the threat of one by an MTSO of an MT, is nothing more than an attempt at INTIMIDATION. It's the big companies' modus operandi these days: 'You're lucky to have a job, so accept that 3cpl and quit yer bellaching.' 'MTs can be sued for typos.' 'Say anything against us, even if it's true, and we'll sue your @$$es.'
MT has become an 'Us vs. Them' scenario, and regardless about how you may or may not feel about this one particular company is really beside the point. This is a large company that represents other large companies just like it, and when ANY company starts to throw its weight around in order to try to 'control' what MTs do, it affects all of us. We certainly wouldn't want them setting a precedent and this sort of thing becoming the norm, would we?
MTs need to stick together and support each other, even if there is some perceived risk in doing so. ESPECIALLY if there is risk. Because when a company acts in such a manner towards a current or former employee, it ultimately affects ALL of us.
There are 2 sides to every story. If you were a good employee, sm
if you called the office and told them that you had a medical emergency, there is no way on this green earth that they would lock you out of your account for that reason. Absurd. I've had to leave work due to illness. That's part of life. TransHealth is extremely accommodating.
There is more to the OP's story than meets the eye.
I have worked on both sides, Merit and dictaphone.
I think the Dictaphone is better but the account I had you could not view old reports. You could open up another text client and view them that way, but opening up 2 word documents of any kind messed things up and I had to get out of everything and start over.
As far as the dictators, I had an easy-dictator account with both Merit and Dictaphone and yes, there was more than enough work to do on the Dictaphone side but the Merit account ran out quite a bit. I had encountered 3 different team leads during my stay tere and all were as nice as they could be.
Interesting posts. It is good to hear both sides
I can understand the employees who want everything and give very little back. Very frustrating.
But then you have the situation described for the employee where there is no job satisfaction, no family/personal life allowed or frowned upon by management and no chance for promotion. And then being compared to an Indian who has a completely different social environment.
I know mothers who are IC and while they do take time off during the day for their kids (how dare they make dinner for those kids and hubby) but then they work long into the night after kids and hubby have gone to bed. There are no weekends with their family either. And the work reward is the pay will be lowered because the client wants to pay a lower rate. It is not exactly incentive to work hard without any breaks and ignore the family in favor of what the company needs.
I remember years ago working for a start up company and the manager did not want the single girls to date at night and instead work late. She thought they should be devoting their time to their career in transcription. Well a Transcriptionist could do that but whether she worked harder or not the pay would be the same and she would always be a transcriptionist. The manager on the other hand if the company did well would receive promotions and raises I am sure. So that is the difference....management perks vs worker bee perks. It was easy for her to give up a social and personal life because the rewards but the transcriptionist typing straight for hours and hours would see the same pay day in day out, no advancement or recognition for working harder other than not having a manager angry.
However after reading that post I will be aware and really give it my all. I do understand the need for a better work ethic. I see what the management wants and needs. Especially when managers are spending Thanksgiving with their families and the transcriptionist is working for 7 cpl with no break. It is the American way of doing business. 
Remember..."There are 2 sides to every story" and "you can't believe everything you read
x
|
