COVID-19, Day 86
"And so Jacob worked for Laban for 7 years to marry Rachel. But do you know what happened? Laban tricked Jacob and gave him his ugly daughter, Leah, so that to marry Rachel, he had to work for Laban another 7 years. So you see, children, the Bible clearly teaches us, you can never trust an employer!"
That is my favorite quote from my favorite play, "Fiddler on the Roof." When I first saw this, I thought it was funny, but my humor about it keeps getting dryer and dryer. Why? Because, with the exception of some employers, like She Sits by the Fire, employers are untrustworthy. Loyalty and dependence means very little to them. I have been at my current job for over 10 years. In that first year, I worked extra hard. I worked even harder when I had a client with cancer. I worked extra hours and spend almost 90% of my documentable time with her. I went more that above and beyond. I did things for clients that my colleagues wouldn't even dream of doing. As this woman was the first client I ever had with cancer, I was often drained even before I entered the building. I worked with her hospice team, collaborated with her family, and took her to the majority of her medical appointments. I was so burned out and stressed, that I would only sleep once I had gotten home. No one at work even cared to notice.
Then, she had to go to the nursing home. The day before she died, I was called into the office when I only had 10 minutes to get lunch. What happened took away my appetite anyway. I was written up for high lag time! It didn't even matter that dealing with someone terminally sick would affect my lag time. I tried to appeal it, but it did no good. That's when I realized that this agency didn't give two figs about how much I sacrifice for the betterment of my clients. To them, only numbers matters. In fact, I have seen people fired for trivial things.
Even when I gave them the numbers they wanted, and stuck around when no one else did, it made no difference. Other coworkers would get awards and agency-wide recognition, but I did not. What I did get was chewed out for every little thing I did. Even the slightest, most harmless error would necessitate a 20-minute lecture. When my workplace was being renovated, all of my coworkers quit. For a while, there was only me, another worker, and the supervisor. Three people in a program that called for 7 people! I was always given extra work because of this, and my lungs often hurt because our temporary office and all of the hallways were caked with dust. Still, I put up and shut up. How was I rewarded when renovation was over? You said it: another write-up! This one was for insubordination. I have never sassed or disrespected any supervisor, but because it took me 3 hours to respond to another supervisor's email because I was out in the field WORKING and catching up on notes, I was accused of ignoring her. After all I did for that stupid building and all I endured, the only way they could repay me was by putting another mark on my record! Again, I appealed, but my HR rep was best buds with my boss.
And now, even though I am the most senior staff and had been bringing in good productivity, they are taking another opportunity to micromanage me. In addition to constantly disrupting the system I created, which works, they have assigned all of us accountability partners to report to each week. I know COVID-19 restrictions put a hex on our ability to get good productivity, but I have been very close to their new requirements because of my hustle, whilst the newbs are still struggling. I know they are worried about getting money for the agency, but I know how to do my job! If they are not going to give me a raise based on merit or longevity, and if they are not going to give me one of those awards, the least they can do is cut me some slack!
Coworkers and friends tell me that I should stand up for myself, but what is the bloody use? HR has already demonstrated that they don't care. People at the top have already demonstrated that everyone is expendable. Maybe those flakes who only stayed 1-2 years were right. Why make waves when you can just stick it out until something else comes along? Not that much has come along for me. Those social work agencies that preach diversity are not as liberal as they think they are.
By large, social work is still a White woman's ballpark. Sorry if this offends you, but look at all of the people who go to grad school for social work, and then look at the social workers at your typical agency. You will notice a difference. I still remember when I was in grad school, and when it came time to find internship placements, my classmates who were Euro-American females only went on 2-4 interviews before they found placements. As for me, it took 10-16 interviews! We are talking about free labor, people! Black Lives Matter, indeed! Sure, our lives matter when they can spoon-feed us, dry our tears, and then go away, patting themselves on the shoulders for being such good human beings. They would rather work on us than with us.
Non-profit agencies are no different. People think that our supervisors kiss our feet for taking low-paying jobs that no one else wants and with clients people would rather keep caged. You would be wrong. Dead wrong. Our hearts are always broken: by suffering clients, by apathetic relatives, by rude benefactors, by thoughtless politicians, but worst of all, by the lack of respect and the exploitation by some of our employers. I will stick it out until something better comes along, especially because my clients need me, but if I see myself in the same spot in 5 years, I will also become a client.
--Signing off
Bonus: A folksong!
That is my favorite quote from my favorite play, "Fiddler on the Roof." When I first saw this, I thought it was funny, but my humor about it keeps getting dryer and dryer. Why? Because, with the exception of some employers, like She Sits by the Fire, employers are untrustworthy. Loyalty and dependence means very little to them. I have been at my current job for over 10 years. In that first year, I worked extra hard. I worked even harder when I had a client with cancer. I worked extra hours and spend almost 90% of my documentable time with her. I went more that above and beyond. I did things for clients that my colleagues wouldn't even dream of doing. As this woman was the first client I ever had with cancer, I was often drained even before I entered the building. I worked with her hospice team, collaborated with her family, and took her to the majority of her medical appointments. I was so burned out and stressed, that I would only sleep once I had gotten home. No one at work even cared to notice.
Then, she had to go to the nursing home. The day before she died, I was called into the office when I only had 10 minutes to get lunch. What happened took away my appetite anyway. I was written up for high lag time! It didn't even matter that dealing with someone terminally sick would affect my lag time. I tried to appeal it, but it did no good. That's when I realized that this agency didn't give two figs about how much I sacrifice for the betterment of my clients. To them, only numbers matters. In fact, I have seen people fired for trivial things.
Even when I gave them the numbers they wanted, and stuck around when no one else did, it made no difference. Other coworkers would get awards and agency-wide recognition, but I did not. What I did get was chewed out for every little thing I did. Even the slightest, most harmless error would necessitate a 20-minute lecture. When my workplace was being renovated, all of my coworkers quit. For a while, there was only me, another worker, and the supervisor. Three people in a program that called for 7 people! I was always given extra work because of this, and my lungs often hurt because our temporary office and all of the hallways were caked with dust. Still, I put up and shut up. How was I rewarded when renovation was over? You said it: another write-up! This one was for insubordination. I have never sassed or disrespected any supervisor, but because it took me 3 hours to respond to another supervisor's email because I was out in the field WORKING and catching up on notes, I was accused of ignoring her. After all I did for that stupid building and all I endured, the only way they could repay me was by putting another mark on my record! Again, I appealed, but my HR rep was best buds with my boss.
And now, even though I am the most senior staff and had been bringing in good productivity, they are taking another opportunity to micromanage me. In addition to constantly disrupting the system I created, which works, they have assigned all of us accountability partners to report to each week. I know COVID-19 restrictions put a hex on our ability to get good productivity, but I have been very close to their new requirements because of my hustle, whilst the newbs are still struggling. I know they are worried about getting money for the agency, but I know how to do my job! If they are not going to give me a raise based on merit or longevity, and if they are not going to give me one of those awards, the least they can do is cut me some slack!
Coworkers and friends tell me that I should stand up for myself, but what is the bloody use? HR has already demonstrated that they don't care. People at the top have already demonstrated that everyone is expendable. Maybe those flakes who only stayed 1-2 years were right. Why make waves when you can just stick it out until something else comes along? Not that much has come along for me. Those social work agencies that preach diversity are not as liberal as they think they are.
By large, social work is still a White woman's ballpark. Sorry if this offends you, but look at all of the people who go to grad school for social work, and then look at the social workers at your typical agency. You will notice a difference. I still remember when I was in grad school, and when it came time to find internship placements, my classmates who were Euro-American females only went on 2-4 interviews before they found placements. As for me, it took 10-16 interviews! We are talking about free labor, people! Black Lives Matter, indeed! Sure, our lives matter when they can spoon-feed us, dry our tears, and then go away, patting themselves on the shoulders for being such good human beings. They would rather work on us than with us.
Non-profit agencies are no different. People think that our supervisors kiss our feet for taking low-paying jobs that no one else wants and with clients people would rather keep caged. You would be wrong. Dead wrong. Our hearts are always broken: by suffering clients, by apathetic relatives, by rude benefactors, by thoughtless politicians, but worst of all, by the lack of respect and the exploitation by some of our employers. I will stick it out until something better comes along, especially because my clients need me, but if I see myself in the same spot in 5 years, I will also become a client.
--Signing off
Bonus: A folksong!
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