Perpetual Ruminations

Wednesday

I finally got a day off, and how does it get spent, working! Seriously, I've been feeling like I'm burning out, and just hanging in there waiting for this one day off. I had plans on getting in here, and just taking the day as some down time. Even so, I knew I had to get a few things done for work, but it would have been very little.

Then, at a little after nine this morning, the phone rings. The new hire that starts tomorrow had a change for when he can work. He had plans when I hired him that required a bit of time off in April. No problem, knowing about it ahead of time I could set up the schedule and work around it. And, I did.

One of the tasks I had to do today was to set up the next schedule. So, when he called with the change, it was alright, and saved me from doing the schedule twice. After the call, I enjoyed a little time with Rhonda until she left for work and I set about doing the schedule. It took a while, since we are short handed. But with the new guy training in this week, tomorrow and Friday, we would be able to get one day off together next week. That was the biggest reason for the rush interview and all the time I took to get him hired and trained in this week.

the change he called with worked to give us two days off next week, instead, but then the week after we would have a very full week. But, it was possible to cover it if I only took one day off and worked some long days. And, it was worth it to get the two days off next week, especially since they would be off at the same time as Rhonda.

But, shortly after I finished the schedules, he called back, things had changed. Now he would not be able to work until the end of next week, and there went Rhonda and my time off off together. we lose another person after next Wednesday, and since the new guy can't start now until Thursday, it's all messed up. Then, the week after is all right, but the third week he needs the entire week off. I almost told him to just forget about the job.

But, since we have only enough people to cover the hours and only one person works at a time, I have no choice in the matter, I have to take anyone who comes along to fill the spot opening next week. There just isn't anyone who can pick up anymore hours. So, instead of telling him to forget it, or to come back when he's ready to work, I had to do the schedules all over again.

Between phone calls and scheduling, I spent half of my day off working, and it's working for free, too. I do get seventy-five cents an hour more for being the site supervisor, but that's suppose to cover a few hours a week of scheduling and taking care of things. Unfortunately, it usually requires twice what they assume to do the job right, as well as running in and doing things on my day off.

In fact, I have not had an actual day off without some kind of interruption for work since last October, and even then I had to take my work phone with me for the day, just in case. the seventy-five cents pay difference covers three hours a week if I was working forty hours. But since I have to be available to fill in if someone can't make it in, I can only work thirty-four hours a week. So it's actually a little less than three hours thy compensate me for. In reality, it takes five or six hours most weeks, and with hiring and training, it's closer to ten  to twelve hours a week.

I'm burning out fast, and there's no relief in site. In order to get a break from the extra hours, I have to hire another person on top of the guy who starts tomorrow. That means more interviews, more time spent calling and running, and more time spent setting things up once we do find someone. And then, all I can do is hope they don't turn out like the person I hired last week; she quit after the first four hours of training.

So, no time to do much of anything, but that's my life anymore. It's going to change, I'm going to post a notice for everyone at work to call the office with problems on my days off. Then, I'm going to turn my work phone off on my days off and hope to hell I don't return to work and have a real cluster f%ck of a mess to try and fix. But, before I can even do that, I need some time to write up the notice, go over it with everyone so they understand and know who to call if they can't reach me, and most importantly, I need some time off!