The Grass Is Always Greener Someplace Else

We had an inservice at work this past week. Conversations with other long term employees informed me that most of them are looking to supplement their incomes via working for another agency. Cuts have occurred in their hours the same way they have in mine, and they aren't willing to wait and see if things improve.

I didn't say anything to them, but years of being the on-call coordinator and having to deal with these people on a regular basis has made me understand they won't last long at other agencies. It's not the women themselves, it's the other agencies policies that will present problems. Add to that the fact that other agencies aren't getting cases any more than we are and there's a rude awakening in store for them.

Other agencies pay more and when things are tight, that money looks good. However, our ladies that won't take cases because they won't drive outside the city will find that they have to take the cases the agencies call them to take. If one lives in one city and the case offered is in another, you refuse and they write you up. You also don't get to pick and choose what hours you will work. Three write ups for refusing cases and you are out the door. I can't count the number of times I called these women to cover cases and was refused due to the distance they would have had to drive.

Two of the agencies don't pay travel for the distances they expect you to drive. They get around that by not actually employing you per se. You are an employee of the family or the client, not the agency. One other agency pays hourly rate, travel time plus mileage but, if they want you to take a case that is 50 miles away, you take it, you have no choice.

There were times that these women were contributing factors to the inability on the part of the company to take cases. In order to take cases, someone needs to fill the case. If you can't fill them, those cases will go to other agencies where employees don't have the choices we have. We are now reaping what we've sown so I won't complain about my lack of hours even though I need some. I just need to remind myself to tell the new coordinator what I'm available for and see what happens then.