Why I Hate My Job

When I first applied to Beverly Healthcare in Lake Norden, I was not contacted for an interview. The second time, I was brought in for dietary aid, but did not hear back. The third time was the charm. I was handed a lime green uniform and a name badge that read "under 18". My goal was to keep my housekeeping job until that sticker could be removed. At first, I was an asset to the housekeeping department. The supervisor was freakin out because there was a short supply of workers in that department (yet this is partially her fault since she WOULDN'T HIRE ANYBODY) and she was grateful for all the days I came in to work. She considered me to be a fast learner, and loved how moldable my mind was. Everything went just great for awhile. But then, she continued to treat me like a newbie after I had been there for 6 months (longer than anyone else working under her at that point in time). She was treating me like a child, telling me things umpteen times, following me around, having other facility members check up on me every half hour or so. Worst of all was that she would get on my case about the same stupid thing every day after I worked:

THE UNIT DINING ROOM FLOOR

The Special Care Unit is a section of the facility reserved for those who need extra care/babysitting. Several have lost touch with reality and a few have lost touch with various limbs of their bodies. These unfortunate souls will spend every hour of everyday locked up here until they die. The entrance to The Unit is protected by a code, which requires routine changing whenever a certain resident figures it out. To avoid cabin fever, residents are allowed outside anytime, day or night, rain or shine, to sit in a swing and stare at an 8 foot privacy fence, if they'd like. As a precaution, the fence was been equipped with an infra-red beam that would trigger an alarm if anyone attempted to climb over. Witnessing this just might be worth getting fired for disabling the beam.

The floor in The Unit's dining room sees 3 meals per day, plus snacks. My shift ends at about 1 o'clock PM. As you know, the floor is not self cleaning or dirt repelling. If it was, I wouldn't have to clean it at all. But my boss must think so, because the next weekend, I arrive to find a note, just for me, reading something like this:

Note From Boss (condensed version)

"The dining room floor in the unit needs to be swept and mopped DAILY. This has not been getting done. The floor looked horrible this morning. As your boss, if cleaning is not done properly, it reflects badly on me. Make sure that you are sweeping and mopping the floor in the dining room after the residents finish eating."

OK, well...I know I cleaned it, so...whatever...not gonna worry about it.

The following weekend I am greeted with another note, much like the first. This continues for about a month, at which point I write her a reply, expressing my concern for her lack of understanding about the whole "clean things can and do get dirty again" thing. I also called in reinforcements. I asked the laundry ladies to please look at the floor when they go back there, and they agreed. When they talked to me later, they reported that it looked great. I don't know if my plan of action had anything to do with it, but the issue of the floor was dropped.

NEW ISSUES

Unfair Treatment

A coworker of mine commonly leaves an hour before her shift is up. When I work, I finish my duties, then leave maybe 15 minutes early. I know, I could always take after the CNAs and chat it up with everyone I see before punching out, but I figure that the company need not pay me to do nothing, and so I will do my visiting on my own time, not theirs. DAMN WAS I WRONG!! She threatedned to write me up for that one!! Go figure...

Going Home Sick

It's flu season, and every entrance holds a notice asking those who have been exposed to the illness to please not enter the facility until they are feeling better. The safety of the residents is the number one concern. So, I go to work and get dizzy, throw up, and nearly pass out in the break room. The laundry lady suggests that I go home, get some rest, and get feeling better. Not wanting to ruffle any feathers, I calls my boss. While boss lady is upset, she gives only a short list of instructions I must follow before leaving. Upon finishing the requested duties, I head home to the comfort of my bed and some quality time with the sandman.
After returning to work the following weekend, do I get a "glad your feeling better". OF COURSE NOT!!!!! Boss lady waltzes over to me and goes "So, I hear laundry had to do some housekeeping last weekend"
Uhh...I told you I was going home.
"That doesn't mean that *name* has to do your responsibilities. She has enough of her own."
I realize that. She was training a new girl besides.
"Then why did you tell her to finish your job?"
I didn't. I know she was busy, and I wouldn't think of adding to her workload. I finish what you told me to and left.
"Well, she did everything else for you after you left."
Well that was nice of her but she didn't have to. It was her choice.
"Well, she was pretty upset about it and expressed her concerns to me"
She's the one who suggested I leave in the first place!
"Well I don't want to here about anything like this happening again."

Shortly after, she proceeded to bitch me out for getting sick in the first place. " I don't have you work very often, but when I do, you go home sick. I need to be able to depend on you. Even if you feel like crap, you need to tough it out and finish your shift. Your job needs to be done and no one else is going to do it for you."
So...you want me to come to work sick, go in everyone's rooms, and contaminate the air so they get sick and die?
Knowing she was beat, all she could do was sigh.

My Time Is Up

Last Sunday my boss was there as manager on duty. Yay. I hardly ever see her these days so I took this opportunity to tell her that my last day of work would be August 22nd. Well she takes me to be a child, mumbling nonsensically just to hear my self talk, and didn't listen very closely. I asked her what forms I needed to fill out to make this officail, and she says "What day did you say you were leaving?" So I tell her again. Then she gets all chapped and starts freakin out on me because she will have to change the scheduel now. I gave her over a month's notice. It's not my problem if she makes the scheduels 4 months in advance. I followed company policy (which says two weeks notice) and then some. The stupidest thing that just gets me was when she gave me this dumbfounded look and said "I didn't know about this". Well no fuck, stupid....I just told you!!! ARGH.