Choosing Your Own Hours/Days

[Seahawksfan87]

For retail, do you have considerable control on the number of hours and days you want to work? Personally, I want to work, say, the minimum for full time benefits which for Walgreens would appear to be 30. I also would really like at least 3 days off a week. In return, I'm willing to work both Saturday and Sunday. Are district managers (or whoever I work with) open to working/negotiating with my hour and day preferences like that in retail pharmacy? Or do you just pick full time or part time and then let them dictate the hour and day schedule.

I am looking at a somewhat shortage area upon graduation that should remain that way.

If anything outside of retail has more flexibility, I'd be open to hearing about it as well....

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[crazybob]

For retail, do you have considerable control on the number of hours and days you want to work? Personally, I want to work, say, the minimum for full time benefits which for Walgreens would appear to be 30. I also would really like at least 3 days off a week. In return, I'm willing to work both Saturday and Sunday. Are district managers (or whoever I work with) open to working/negotiating with my hour and day preferences like that in retail pharmacy? Or do you just pick full time or part time and then let them dictate the hour and day schedule.

I am looking at a somewhat shortage area upon graduation that should remain that way.

If anything outside of retail has more flexibility, I'd be open to hearing about it as well....

You might want to talk to the pharmacy managers if they're the ones making the schedules. You'd have to be very special for them to put your preferences on high priority and schedule everyone else around that.

 

[Seahawksfan87]

As a fresh new grad, how would I best look for employment opportunities where I can ensure I will end up with a schedule that conforms close to the hours and days that I want?

Do all the retail chains prefer different sort of scheduling - some 8hr/5day, some 3day/12 hours, some 7 on 7 off 12 hour shifts, some prefer part timers, etc? In other words, is there enough variability in scheduling with all the major chains that I can find the one that fits the sort of schedule that I want? If so, how would I figure out before being hired?

It would seem that I would need to research which chain offers the sort of schedule I want (but then the information doesn't seem to be out there) because once I am stuck with one, it seems like I would have to go along with their scheduling structure (based on crazybob's reply).

 

[WVUPharm2007]

As a fresh new grad, how would I best look for employment opportunities where I can ensure I will end up with a schedule that conforms close to the hours and days that I want?

Do all the retail chains prefer different sort of scheduling - some 8hr/5day, some 3day/12 hours, some 7 on 7 off 12 hour shifts, some prefer part timers, etc? In other words, is there enough variability in scheduling with all the major chains that I can find the one that fits the sort of schedule that I want? If so, how would I figure out before being hired?

It would seem that I would need to research which chain offers the sort of schedule I want (but then the information doesn't seem to be out there) because once I am stuck with one, it seems like I would have to go along with their scheduling structure (based on crazybob's reply).

From what I've noticed, it seems like a lot of moms/dads (mostly moms) I've talked to want to work exactly 30 hours to trigger benefits and then no more. I saw people get that during the shortage, but it seems pretty rare now. In fact, I personally know nobody who gets this setup at this moment. Hopefully OldTimer can weigh in as he knows like 5 million people that practice pharmacy. Right now they are all about maximizing hours for those getting benefits and keeping the part timers under 30, if possible. You can try to go for it, but I have feeling you'll be told "if I do it for you, I have to do it for every mom in the district...sorry."

It's too economically worthwhile for them to either get a ton of hours out of you or not pay benefits...one or the other. Is what it is.

 

[Seahawksfan87]

From what I've noticed, it seems like a lot of moms/dads (mostly moms) I've talked to want to work exactly 30 hours to trigger benefits and then no more. I saw people get that during the shortage, but it seems pretty rare now. In fact, I personally know nobody who gets this setup at this moment. Hopefully OldTimer can weigh in as he knows like 5 million people that practice pharmacy. Right now they are all about maximizing hours for those getting benefits and keeping the part timers under 30, if possible. You can try to go for it, but I have feeling you'll be told "if I do it for you, I have to do it for every mom in the district...sorry."

It's too economically worthwhile for them to either get a ton of hours out of you or not pay benefits...one or the other. Is what it is.

okay that answers my question about hours - although you did mention that you could get the baseline 30 hours in the shortage era and I am in a fairly sizable metro area that still has one, so maybe I could try for it.

But here's another question: what about finding the right schedule structure? Suppose I am willing to go the distance and work close to 40 or more hours a week, but I want to get at least 3 days off a week. Are there many positions out there like 4 day, 10 hour shifts or 3 day, 12-13 hour shifts, etc that afford me a 3+day weekend?

Also, are retail chains willing to bend in my direction if I offer to cover inconvenient shifts like the entire weekend (12 hours on Sunday and Saturday) or if I am willing to do night shifts (MAYBE) or holidays, etc? My plan right now is to do pretty much anything as long as I get 3 days or more off a week. I'm not a mom, I just really really like my time off to rejuvenate and it makes me a better employee when I come back next week - its just the way I work.

I also find 7 on, 7 off interesting too, but it doesn't appear to be all the available in retail except for nightshifters. I'd think about going residency path and switching to hospital pharmacy if they offer a lot of daytime 7 on, 7 off gigs or any other sort of sweet schedules.

 

[EBT12]

okay that answers my question about hours - although you did mention that you could get the baseline 30 hours in the shortage era and I am in a fairly sizable metro area that still has one, so maybe I could try for it.

But here's another question: what about finding the right schedule structure? Suppose I am willing to go the distance and work close to 40 or more hours a week, but I want to get at least 3 days off a week. Are there many positions out there like 4 day, 10 hour shifts or 3 day, 12-13 hour shifts, etc that afford me a 3+day weekend?

Also, are retail chains willing to bend in my direction if I offer to cover inconvenient shifts like the entire weekend (12 hours on Sunday and Saturday) or if I am willing to do night shifts (MAYBE) or holidays, etc? My plan right now is to do pretty much anything as long as I get 3 days or more off a week. I'm not a mom, I just really really like my time off to rejuvenate and it makes me a better employee when I come back next week - its just the way I work.

I also find 7 on, 7 off interesting too, but it doesn't appear to be all the available in retail except for nightshifters. I'd think about going residency path and switching to hospital pharmacy if they offer a lot of daytime 7 on, 7 off gigs or any other sort of sweet schedules.

At least in the area where I practice, I see a trend of community pharmacies transitioning to 8 hours shifts (i.e. 5 days per week). Where I work, new corporate policies are not allowing anyone who is full-time to not work 5 days/week. They cite patient safety concerns when pharmacists work for 12-14 hours/ shift. Unless you were willing to float, it seems that it would be difficult to work every weekend (for example). Everywhere I have seen has a rotating schedule.

 

[Farmercyst]

I make the schedule for my store. I've got 1 Rph who fills in 2 day/wk at my store and 2 days at another store in town. The other PIC and I do the other 5 days/wk at our respective stores. Prior to that I was staff and working 3 days/wk at 1 store (25-27 hrs/wk) and floating to keep benefits. If they were to hire another Rph up here that's likely the role they would fill, 2-3 days/wk staffing and floating to make up the difference.

 

[dgroulx]

I work 7 on / 7 off hospital in Seattle. I've been working night shift for 5 years and love it. I have never seen it for day shift in hospital or retail.

 

[Angela1234]

If I could have picked my own hours/ stores when I worked retail, that would be heaven. They used to give me the worst stores in the worst areas, and there's nothing I could do about it because I was fortunate to have a job at all.

 

[Momus]

I have seen in retail:

• 7 on, 7 off day time
• open 7 am - close 7 pm pharmacy
• 7-4 pm schedules
• 9-6 X 5 days
• 9-5 X 5 days
• 10h X 4 days
• Weekdays only, no Weekends

They are all in retail in select stores. Problem is you have to be in the right time (someone quits, retires, gets fired), in the right place to get one of these schedules. Most of the time, it's just luck that will land you one of these position. It has nothing to do with anything else. Do you feel lucky? For now, what you have to do is just work whatever hours they give you and look out for good openings.