These hours are killing me!

[admin]

Hi All,

This week I am working Mon, Tues, Thurs and Friday. It takes me about 45mins to drive to where I am working, and obviously back again.

The shop opens at 8.30am and closes at 6.30pm. If I am lucky I get to eat my lunch, today with just three interruptions. The dispensary does not stop for a lunch break, so it depends on customer numbers if you get one or not.

So I have to get up about 6.30am, and I get back home at 7.15pm. I know being a locum that I did not have to accept the booking, but I did so have to honour it.

Do other people do hours like this? How do you cope? Am I just too old, or do others find this sort of work hard too?

[Zoggite]

Ask Womble, he seems to do 10-hour days on a regular basis...
You'll probably find that playing with your new laptop into the small hours of the night doesn't help...
Seriously though, don't you find it easier at this time of year when at least it's daylight between those hours, than say in december, when you don't even get to see your house in daylight except on sundays?

[Linnear]

My biggest problem is that I work when I'm at work. (If the work gets cleared then I start on my novel)

The locum arranger for Alliance will put me in shops that have a backlog because she knows that I'll probably clear it.

I've also got three shops that will ask for me if they get in the brown smelly stuff! I never get quiet days any more!

Should have become one of these locums that sit on their arse and read the paper!

[admin]

My biggest problem is that I work when I'm at work. (If the work gets cleared then I start on my novel)

The locum arranger for Alliance will put me in shops that have a backlog because she knows that I'll probably clear it.

I've also got three shops that will ask for me if they get in the brown smelly stuff! I never get quiet days any more!

Should have become one of these locums that sit on their arse and read the paper!

That is exactly my problem. I can handle hard stressful shops, so they send me to them. What really gets up my nose are locums who are basically useless, and won't work. They seem to get all the easy jobs, and the same pay as me.

[admin]

Ask Womble, he seems to do 10-hour days on a regular basis...
You'll probably find that playing with your new laptop into the small hours of the night doesn't help...
Seriously though, don't you find it easier at this time of year when at least it's daylight between those hours, than say in december, when you don't even get to see your house in daylight except on sundays?

Yeah I hate those days. It makes me feel like a miner! This morning I nearly rang in sick. I woke up with a terrible headache and vomiting (no, not drink) and felt awful. After a couple of paracetamol and a cup of tea, I felt better so went. It turned out to be a good day, even though a long and hard one - but then that's how I like some things.........

[kemzero]

look on the bright side folks soon and very soon we won't need to be in a dispensary support staff will be going through all the aggro now is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[admin]

look on the bright side folks soon and very soon we won't need to be in a dispensary support staff will be going through all the aggro now is that a good thing or a bad thing?

If we aren't in the dispensary, I guess that will be because we're signing on!

[womble]

Hi Admin
Yup working 10 hour days becomes suffocating! I work 4 x 10 hour days without a break each week as an employee pharmacist. I am sure age has nothing to do with coping either - I am an elderly (well feel it at the moment!) 36
However I am "patiently" awaiting a date for a Greivance meeting regarding this, as it is not legal under the working time directive, nor is it approved by the RPSGB or PDA, and guess what - if you make an error, and it is deemed to be because you havent had sufficient rest in the day YOU are in the POO!! (nothing to do with your employer!!) However you could get the Company Pharmacy superintendant in a bit of strife.
Hopefully I will get somewhere with my grievance, and at least start to get the conditions changed for others in my particular company, and any locums.
I think we all need to stick our necks out a bit and say that certain working conditions are not acceptable, and of course the society will completely support its members (!!!!!)

[Linnear]

However I am "patiently" awaiting a date for a Greivance meeting regarding this, as it is not legal under the working time directive, nor is it approved by the RPSGB or PDA, and guess what - if you make an error, and it is deemed to be because you havent had sufficient rest in the day YOU are in the POO!! (nothing to do with your employer!!) However you could get the Company Pharmacy superintendant in a bit of strife.
Hopefully I will get somewhere with my grievance, and at least start to get the conditions changed for others in my particular company, and any locums.
I think we all need to stick our necks out a bit and say that certain working conditions are not acceptable, and of course the society will completely support its members (!!!!!)

Do you have your own indemnity insurance?

You may be covered by company policy but if you do make an error it may be in your interests to say you work long hours, don't have enough staff, don't have correct equipment/books etc.

But your bosses won't want to say all that because it implicates them.

[womble]

Do you have your own indemnity insurance?

You may be covered by company policy but if you do make an error it may be in your interests to say you work long hours, don't have enough staff, don't have correct equipment/books etc.

But your bosses won't want to say all that because it implicates them.

You bet the bosses wouldn't want to be implicated - the interesting thing is that since I raised my concerns about working long hours, and went down the path of the grievance procedure, the only person I havent heard from is the Superintendant. Everyone else in the company has basically said 'those are the hours'

[admin]

You bet the bosses wouldn't want to be implicated - the interesting thing is that since I raised my concerns about working long hours, and went down the path of the grievance procedure, the only person I havent heard from is the Superintendant. Everyone else in the company has basically said 'those are the hours'

I had a quick think on this one, and here's a few ideas: -

1. Ask for practical help from your insurers - not just their opinion

2. Tell the company this is against the law

3. Contact the supers office - don't wait for them to contact you

4. Try to find others in your company in the same situation - get a group together - safety in numbers

5. Ask the society what you can do, not just their opinion - you want real help on this

6. Take a lunch break yourself - refuse to work for 1 hour during the day - the customers will soon get used to this - the company can't stop you doing it

7. Don't admit to working in conditions you know are unsafe if an error occurs - they will hang you!

8. Don't worry - you'll easily get anothet job if it doesn't work out

9. Consider changing companies - better to change you job then get struck off

10. Remember these are just a few opinions

Please let us all know how it goes, and good luck.

[Roving Relief]

Re: These hours are killing me!

I have been looking around for work on some agency sites recently, and came across some date for a supermarket chain with times of 6.30-4pm (no breaks) and 2.30-10.30pm, no breaks. Trouble is the agencies accept these, and as people accept the bookings, they become normal. I had a disagreement about this last week. I am working at an independent shop, which also has a MDS dispensary, so there are usually two of us. One day, MDS pharmacist had a day off, and I had to go out in my lunchbreak. Dispenser said I shouldn't be leaving the premises. However, if I have to be available to supervise sales, and check prescriptions, even from the office while I eat my lunch, it is not a break. I am not paid for the lunch hour, so I left the premises, but she wasn't happy.

[johnep]

Re: These hours are killing me!

Golden rule is, stay on the premises == get paid, able to leave premises , then expect not to get paid as on hourly contract.
johnep

[Pharmanaut]

Re: These hours are killing me!

Golden rule is, stay on the premises == get paid, able to leave premises , then expect not to get paid as on hourly contract.
johnep

Seconded.
We are still people and should have proper breaks.

[johnep]

Re: These hours are killing me!

breaks are a right but if you are charging for your time by the hour, then why should someone pay you when you are 'not working'.

All the time I worked for BTC, I was only ever paid for 6 1/2 hours in a nominal 8 hour day. One hour for lunch and two 15 min breaks.

However, except in dire emergency those break times were undisturbed.
johnep