Demotivating employees

Ah, spring is in the air (for the moment) here in RehabLand, and the hospital administrators (aka PHBs) have emerged from their coccoons, er lounge chairs, to start rabble rousing the troops and demotivating away.

How can they do that you say? Well, here are some stories (I wish they weren't true) on how they do this.

NOTE: the names of all parties and sexes, etc., have been centrifuged to protect the guilty and the innocent, since I don't want the HIPAA police to come carry me away.

1. Medical personnel are allowed $xxxx per year for continuing education. (Not nurses, though). But, good luck, Ms. Overworked MD trying to use yours. You're not properly certified yet, so your slug compatriot MD gets your share. Call HR and file a complaint.

2. Allied health person gets invited to a national conference to speak. Your boss, who's been at the place forever, fills out all your appropriate paperwork. In the meantime, you sign up to present and pay your conference fee, hotel and airfare.

You get an e-mail that you've been disapproved, but when your boss tries to appeal to the higher-ups, he doesn't get the dignity of a response. Nice. So much for having seniority. You can't even take off unless someone with more seniority lets you have the time. Go file an EEOC complaint.

And my personal favorite...

3.  Become an advance practice nurse, get certified, speak at a national conference, and then submit your request for one lousy conference (subsidized by a private foundation) because you need more education to take care of new patients we have on the unit. All you want to get are your days off as official absence.

Get rejected because the "man with the plan" says we "can't afford to give you days off to learn" at the premier (and also free, since you got it paid for) conference in the world.

Reminds me of this Dilbert scenario...stay tuned for more to come!

PHB: You may have heard that our company has been accused of unethical business practices.
Alice: Is it the falsified product safety reports?
Wally: Is it the false stories planted in the media about our competitors?
Dilbert: Is it the crime family connections?
PHB: What?! Are you saying those are considered unethical too?!? Good God, this thing is just snowballing!