Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job • Hacker News Board

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#31

Post by werber » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:56 PM UTC

MattGaiser wrote: post #15

AlexandrB wrote: post #8

Good for them. Despite the mantras of "support our frontline workers" many of these employees have been treated like shit by their employers[1], their government who refused to take measures to limit the spread, and their patients - some of whom will continue to actively deny COVID even as they die from it. [1] https://www.nwahomepage.com/knwa/mercy-employees-frustrated-...

If a company cares about you, it is shown in money. The People and Culture guy is a snake oil salesman meant to scam you.

I think it's also shown in time. I've had jobs that paid me more than my current one, but I was paying for that by my personal time being completely abused on a regular basis, even if it's just a small thing or 3 daily it ends up feeling like you never stop working. I don't have any means of work communication on my phone now, and I've gotten one call that I said I was open to in my current role. To me, shutting my computer and work being completely over till I open it again is such a relief.

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#32

Post by twox2 » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:57 PM UTC

aantix wrote: post #25

linuxftw wrote: post #14

All the lockdowns started because we didn't want to overwhelm the hospital system. In the US, the hospital system, at least the ERs were already running on fumes. Our politicians have decided it's better to play world police and kill people overseas than invest in community hospitals. All the billions handed out to the vaccine companies and the propaganda machines, but no investment in increasing hospital capacity. T…

> In the US, the hospital system, at least the ERs were already running on fumes >but no investment in increasing hospital capacity Agree, where did all the billions go? The most expensive healthcare on the planet and we can't find the money to scale and expand a year and a half later.

I mean, every hospital director needs at least three vacation homes and two boats right?

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#33

Post by kevinmchugh » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:57 PM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #26

MattGaiser wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a company cares about you, it is shown in money. The People and Culture guy is a snake oil salesman meant to scam you.

I think you're underplaying non-financial incentives. I would rather have a job that pays $X but offers flexible work hours and vacation time that allows me to be a better parent, than a job that pays $1.5X but won't let me take a day or afternoon off to (e.g.) take my kid to the doctor, etc. Granted, that probably applies more to WFH desk jobs than front-line nurses.

There's probably some floor for X below which 1.5x is more valuable than the non-monetary incentives

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#34

Post by nradov » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:57 PM UTC

schaefer wrote: post #23

Maxburn wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, news reports about "hospitals are 90% capacity" or whatever is a business decision by design. They might have a couple more floors available but no staff for them because they aren't scheduled, because patients aren't there. They proactively cut staff wherever possible and then try to react.

There are not enough nurses, and aren't enough doctors sitting idle right now to hire up in the way that you're suggesting... and if you thought spinning up a chip fab in Texas is taking too long, wait until you try to solve the problem of spinning up more doctors. the residency program that takes up years of their schooling relies on having other doctors mentor them.

At times there have been a lot of idle doctors and nurses. Hospitals cancelled elective procedures to reserve capacity for an expected surge of COVID-19 patients (which in most areas never really arrived). My neighbor is an anesthesiologist and was only working half time for months. Doctors can be retained for other specialties but it's a slow process.

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#35

Post by MattGaiser » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:58 PM UTC

armchairhacker wrote: post #28

I've never worked as a nurse or doctor but it's hard to imagine what they go through. Every day they deal with people in serious pain, people with traumatic injuries, rude people, rude people with traumatic injuries, screaming children and babies. Apparently nurses in particular are also routinely disrespected by higher-ups, put in danger by higher-ups, and don't get paid much. In college I heard insane stories from…

I find it absurd that we allow medical staff to work 24 hour shifts. We don't let pilots do that. We don't let truckers do that.

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#36

Post by fer » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:58 PM UTC

linuxftw wrote: post #14

All the lockdowns started because we didn't want to overwhelm the hospital system. In the US, the hospital system, at least the ERs were already running on fumes. Our politicians have decided it's better to play world police and kill people overseas than invest in community hospitals. All the billions handed out to the vaccine companies and the propaganda machines, but no investment in increasing hospital capacity. T…

Vaccination reduces the exponential in the transmission. More hospital beds just fights a constant.

Doubling healthcare capacity roughly lasts for about 3 extra days if no other measure is in place.

I'm all for improving healthcare, in the US or otherwise, but you just can't fire up and destroy healthcare resources like it's your k8s cluster.

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#37

Post by vagrantJin » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:58 PM UTC

papito wrote: post #16

The garbage fire of 2020 was almost worth it, it seems. First, the reconfiguration for hybrid remote work, but also - helping the "essential employee" class realize they have been taken for suckers. I can imagine it's hard to go back to pulling overtime around ungrateful anti-vaxxers, while the office TV is showing billionaires take off into space in personal rocket penises.

> while the office TV is showing billionaires take off into space in personal rocket penises.

Stripped of the emotional phraseology, I 100% agree with your point. There is something pointedly psychotic about flying rockets just because when your employees are not paid or treated fairly.

But that's just psuedo "capitalism".

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#38

Post by teeray » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:58 PM UTC

MattGaiser wrote: post #9

goodells wrote: post #7

I am an EMT and talk to a lot of nurses, PAs, and physicians in various circles. This wave is worse for a few reasons. - Healthcare staff have great animosity towards the unvaccinated patients. They aren't victims here, they did this to themselves. Nobody can muster any more compassion, especially for these people. Patients and people at large, not even just the total-nutjob anti-vaxxers, are tired of restrictions. "…

Any corporate culture messaging is a scam really. A company cares with its money (and this can be shown in working you less too, so not just cash comp). No money, they don't care about you.

Not true. A company can pay 50% over market and have a complete trash culture that burns people out in weeks. Not being total assholes is also a form of soft comp that doesn’t get enough recognition.

I do realize “pay me more” is a balm that is acceptable to many, but I actually like to enjoy what I do.

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#39

Post by MattGaiser » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

teeray wrote: post #38

MattGaiser wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any corporate culture messaging is a scam really. A company cares with its money (and this can be shown in working you less too, so not just cash comp). No money, they don't care about you.

Not true. A company can pay 50% over market and have a complete trash culture that burns people out in weeks. Not being total assholes is also a form of soft comp that doesn’t get enough recognition. I do realize “pay me more” is a balm that is acceptable to many, but I actually like to enjoy what I do.

That is why I put "working you less too" in there. Either paying you more or letting you do less has a cost to the company.

The speech about "our caring culture" doesn't.

Re: Hospital exec says employees are walking off the job

#40

Post by traveler01 » Thu, Aug 05, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

It's not only in the US. It's everywhere. And no, Covid-19 wasn't entirely at fault. This virus its just showing the cracks the entire western world's health system.