Keep in mind the letter-writer whose physician’s workplace continually left them on maintain whereas they wanted to be working? Right here’s the replace.
I wrote in a couple of months in the past about struggling to schedule physician’s appointments once I labored at a busy reception desk. Thanks very a lot to each you and the sort commenters who supplied sympathy and solutions. It was good to obtain affirmation that there wasn’t some simple answer I used to be lacking, and I appreciated the solutions to make use of an earpiece from different individuals who’d accomplished entrance desk work.
I additionally noticed a couple of solutions that my query wasn’t actually a piece query, which bought me fascinated by why I’d written within the first place. The actual concern underwriting my (admittedly not well-phrased!) query was that having to make these calls was hurting my standing at work. I’m (mis)labeled as exempt and anticipated to stay out there to reply the telephone and tackle purchasers throughout my lunch. Any time I spend the place I’m not visibly working as arduous as potential is regarded with suspicion, and as I discussed within the unique letter, it has been recommended that I might need to start out utilizing trip or sick time to cowl these calls I’ve to make exterior my nonexistent break time. Once I wrote in I used to be involved much less with coping with my physician’s workplace (which I felt sucked and wasn’t going to vary) and extra with managing the optics/potential penalties at a office that, on reflection, additionally sucks and likewise isn’t going to vary.
So finally, I did resolve the physician’s workplace downside with physician’s workplace options. First, I spoke with my physician, and so they gave me permission to make use of the consumer portal’s chat performance, which is meant to be completely for non-urgent medical questions, to request appointments. However extra importantly, I modified considered one of my drugs to one thing I can self-administer at residence as a substitute of 1 I’ve to go to the physician’s workplace a number of occasions a 12 months for. This reduces the frequency of my scheduling makes an attempt and has the additional benefit of saving me sick time. I’m fortunate I had this as an choice.
I hope this info is useful to anybody else in an identical scenario, and I hope in a future replace I’ll have the ability to inform you I’m working someplace completely different.
Me once more, right here to say that in case you’re a receptionist you’re nearly actually not legally allowed to be handled as exempt, and so they owe you additional time pay (together with again pay) and you need to contact an employment lawyer in your state. In the meantime, rigorously log all of the hours you’re employed so there’s a report of what you’re owed.