I apologize in advance for being long-winded on this one :)
After being sick for ten days straight, I called into work on Wednesday. I didn't realize at the time it was going to be such a big effin deal.
My boss, CZ, always likes people to call her on her cell phone. I called her at 6:55am and got her voicemail, so I left a message. I didn't call her at home because I knew she would be on her way to drop off her daughter and nephew at school. I then sent her a text message telling her that I left a voicemail and that I wasn't going to be in. ( I know, it seems silly to text her on the same phone where she didn't answer my call, but she is constantly answering (personal) text messages all day at work - yet ignoring calls - so I figured she would see it before she heard it.)
Fifteen minutes later, I get a call back from her and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "Hello"
CZ: "Did you call me?" (I knew she wouldn't check her voicemail!)
Me: "Yeah, I was calling to tell you I'm sick and won't be in today."
CZ: "You're not coming in today?!?"
Me: "No, I'm..."
CLICK!
WTH? Did she just hang up on me? She sure did.
I roll my eyes at no one, (because my husband is still sleeping) set my phone down and head back to bed. Just as I am getting back to sleep, my phone rings. I jump out of bed and race to it and answer. It's CZ again.
CZ: "Why is Dr. B coming into work today?" (Dr. B only works on Tuesdays, and today is Wednesday)
Me: "I have no idea. Ask his assistant, B."
CZ: "I can't because she starts her vacation today."
Me: "No, she starts her vacation tomorrow."
CZ: "No, I have her starting her vacation today. She got on a plane at 6 o'clock this morning."
Me: "No, I worked with her yesterday afternoon and she said she was working today. Plus, I was just on Facebook and she was on it as well and it's now 7:15, therefore she's still in town."
CZ: "Oh, ok. Feel better." (btw - she was oh-so-genuine when she told me to feel better.)
And then she hung up on me again.
Two minutes later, my phone rings again, but this time it's my co-worker, S, calling to ask if I was alright and to tell me that CZ just called her freaking out about me calling in. S understands that I'm sick and that I need to take care of me and she tells me not to worry about the day, that they'll just get through it like any other day.
I get to work Thursday and everything seems ok. We start the day and things are moving smoothly for being one person short (Since B is now officially on vacation). CZ's director - we'll call her MJ - comes in about 10-ish and asks to speak with CZ right away. They head into the conference room and shut the door behind them. They're in there for several minutes.
CZ comes huffing out of the conference room and says "You, me and S need to talk right now!"
We head over to the area where S works - since it is away from patient contact - and CZ turns on us.
CZ: "I just had my ass handed to me be cause you (she points to me) called in yesterday and it was your night to stay late and you (she point to S) didn't stay late to cover for her. MJ says we HAVE to stay late on our night and if you don't like it you can find another job. She also said that if you call in sick or are on vacation it is your responsibility to get someone to cover you on your late night."
(Our "late night" is staying until 5pm. We get to leave most days at 4, but each person rotates throughout the week staying til 5 to answer phones.)
I walk away and head to the front desk, and I'm starting to get a little irritated. First of all, I do not like being threatened when I have technically done nothing wrong. So I called in sick. I'm allowed to do that. It's in the policy - look it up.
Second, I have to find my own coverage if I CALL IN SICK?!? That is such BS! I would think the MANAGER is responsible for covering her staff when they're short, correct?
Whatever.
I go about the rest of my morning with CZ pissin' and moanin' about every little thing. She decides that she is leaving for her lunch at noon and doesn't come back for an hour.
In the meantime, my little brain is trying to figure out how I can help the office and myself at the same time.
Years ago (oh, about 5 or so) I worked 4 ten hour shifts. I loved it. I only had to drive to Southfield 4 days a week and that extra day during the week really helped for appointments, chores and our budget.
I decide to speak to MJ since CZ is gone for lunch.
Me: "I was wondering if maybe it might be possible for me to go back to 10 hour days like I did when I was first here. That way, only one day will need to be covered by the rest of the staff and they could rotate it - they'd only need to stay late once every three weeks. I could come in and work 7:30 - 6 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday."
MJ: "Hmm, I'll have to talk to CZ to see if that would work for the office."
Me: "I understand that. I just want you to know that I would totally love to go back to 10 hour shifts, but I understand if it can't be done. I honestly think it would really work, though."
MJ: "Ok, I have no problem with it as long as CZ is ok with it. I'll talk to her this afternoon."
And with that, we end our conversation.
When CZ returns after her lunch, MJ come into the front office where CZ and I work and tells CZ that I have come up with an alternate idea for the "late night" coverage, and tell her about my idea of working 4 tens. She doesn't even give it a second to think about it.
CZ: "No! That is not gonna work. I'm not working alone." (FYI - We have three other full timers in addition to myself and CZ)
MJ: "CZ, you need to think about all of your options before making a decision. She would work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, all the days we have patients and physicians. It may work because the rest of you would just have to rotate staying late on Tuesdays." (FYI - Tuesdays we have a physician, but B is the only staff member that works with him.)
CZ: "I don't know, I'm gonna have to think about it." *said with major attitude, a flip of her hair and a wobble of her head*
At this point, I'm thinking "Whatever", I would love to go back to 4 tens, but if I can't it really doesn't matter to me. My life wouldn't change. I would just continue with the same schedule I have now. I was also thinking this could be a win-win situation, but apparently, CZ was green with envy that I might get to do something that she can't. Which is silly, because she HATED when we had to work ten hour shifts.
After we finish with our afternoon patients, CZ disappears into the back and is MIA for about 20 minutes. She returns to the front office with S following close behind. CZ grabs some papers and then heads to the back office.
S catches my eye and mouths "I'm gonna have to call you later. Oh man, you should have heard what she was saying to me about you!"
I whisper back "I'm not waiting! You tell me right now!"
Apparently, CZ doesn't think its a good idea for me to work 4 tens because I "call in a lot".
Excuse me? WTF do you mean "I call in a lot"?
Are you holding the medical leave I had to take last year against me because I had heart problems and had to have heart surgery? I think that she thinks I had a 4 month vacation.
Or is it the time I called in last September because I was in the ER and had to follow up with my cardiologist and I missed ONE day of work?
Maybe it was this past January when I was running a 102 degree temp for 5 days (and two of those 5 days were Saturday and Sunday, so I only missed three days of work) and had to go to the hospital for a stat CT scan and bloodwork?
The only reason I called in this time is because I was sick AGAIN and it was holding on for dear life for TEN EFFIN DAYS and I am limited on what I can take because of my heart, therefore I had to go to my doctor.
I don't like to call into work. I always feel guilty because I am leaving our office short. Also, we have combined time off, so sick and vacation time is all in one bank. Why would I want to use it all up calling in sick in the winter?
CZ comes back into the front office as it is now nearing the end of my work day (Thursdays are CZ's night to stay until 5) and I am finishing up a couple things before I head out. The nurse had given me a phone number of a patient that I needed to call and add on to see the doctor for the next day and I had about 20 charts that I had to go file away. At 3:55 I'm on the phone making said appointment and CZ answers another call. The person calling needs an authorization for an MRI that they are having done on Saturday. CZ and I hang up at about the same time. CZ takes the paper with the MRI appointment information and throws it down in front of me on the desk and says "This needs an auth before you leave". She then walks into the nurse's office and shuts the door.
At this point, I am livid. This is complete retaliation because I spoke with her director about changing my schedule. It is also complete bullshit because it is HER late night and I am getting ready to leave and still have all these charts to file.
But, being the great employee (read: sucker) that I am, I call BCBS and get the auth, file my charts, grab my stuff, bust into the nurses office to give CZ the auth number and storm out of the office.
Lets just say, I had a slight case of road rage on my drive home when someone decided to make a left turn when there was an obvious sign that read RIGHT TURN ONLY!
Ahem, anyway, moving on.
Friday CZ has a meeting so that everyone can vote to see if it is ok for me to start working tens. MJ, S, the nurse, CZ and myself are there, but when she asks everyone to vote, the only person she looks at and gets an answer from is S. S is completely fine with me working tens.
CZ is pissed, so she tries another route to see if I'll protest...if I protest, then there is no way for her to "justify" me being there for ten hour shifts.
CZ: "Well, if you start working tens, I'm taking patient registration away from S and giving it to you since you'll have all this time (one hour in the morning, one hour in the evening) without the phones on."
Me: "I'm fine with that."
S: "When could she start her tens?"
CZ: "Well, I suppose it could be next week if I agree to it. I'll have to think about it."
Wait, wait, wait. Didn't you just say you were going to put it to a vote? The only person you asked to "vote" said yes, so why , now, do you "have to think about it"?
Drama, drama, drama.
It gets to the end of the day on Friday and I ask CZ if she has made a decision. She shrugs, says "eh" and leaves for the weekend.
OK. Now what do I do? She said I could start tens next week if she agreed to it, but didn't give me a difinitive answer. I wait until Sunday and send her a text asking what time I should show up for work on Monday. I get no answer, so I decide that I'll just go in an hour early. That way, the worst that could happen is CZ telling me no, I can't work tens and I have only wasted an hour.
CZ comes into work on Monday in a good mood and asks me how my weekend was. She is pleasant the entire day and at 4 o'clock I say "It's time for you and S to leave"
"Oh, it is, isn't it. Well, you have a good day off tomoroow. See you Wednesday!"
And with that, CZ and S head out the door and give me two glorious hours at work ALL BY MYSELF!
Then I begin to wonder why there had to be all this drama, just because I called in for one day?
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