Difference between salaried pharmacist and hourly-based pharmacist

[suying]

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Hi.
I got two retail pharmacist offers. One is from Walgreen, another is from a grocery store, which is not as busy as Walgreen, has higher salary, but it is salary based, which means I need to work 40 hours a week and I will not get any extra overtime rate. I know Walgreen gives 1.5 hourly rate if you work overtime.

I plan to work 40 hours in the retail and find another part time job in hospital. So I guess overtime rate may not be a big issue, am I right? However, since I am salaried, could I take all my holiday leaves as I want? I do not want to have to work in the Christmas or thanksgiving while get paid the same. That will make me feel bad. But for Walgreen, I was told sometimes you can even get twice of your rate, if you have to work in holidays. At least, the financial compensation will make you feel a bit better.

The idea of salary based pharmacist is really new to me. Are there any hiding things I should know about? And has anyone worked as a salary based pharmacist? Your comments and advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Hi.
I got two retail pharmacist offers. One is from Walgreen, another is from a grocery store, which is not as busy as Walgreen, has higher salary, but it is salary based, which means I need to work 40 hours a week and I will not get any extra overtime rate. I know Walgreen gives 1.5 hourly rate if you work overtime.

I plan to work 40 hours in the retail and find another part time job in hospital. So I guess overtime rate may not be a big issue, am I right? However, since I am salaried, could I take all my holiday leaves as I want? I do not want to have to work in the Christmas or thanksgiving while get paid the same. That will make me feel bad. But for Walgreen, I was told sometimes you can even get twice of your rate, if you have to work in holidays. At least, the financial compensation will make you feel a bit better.

The idea of salary based pharmacist is really new to me. Are there any hiding things I should know about? And has anyone worked as a salary based pharmacist? Your comments and advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

You WILL have to work some holidays, I know that much! I don't really know what the compensation structure is for holiday work.

 

[sdn1977]

I've worked both salary & hourly.

If you're salaried...you need to be sure you're not the only pharmacist & know the parameters in which you'll be able to take time off. For example...if you need to work extra during one day/week/month....you should be able to come in later, leave work earlier or during the day. You need to ask how they make that happen. IMO - it doesn't!

You WILL work holidays as a pharmacist! This is a given. You won't get Christmas & Thanksgiving holidays off unless you work registry.

I don't know of retail operations which pay more than 1-1/2 pay for any day. However, in hospital pharmacy, it is common to get 2-1/2 pay for working a holiday.

As a pharmacist, unless you're an administrator, I will vote for hourly until current staffing issues are addressed.

 

[pharmboy30]

I would not work salary, but that's just me. I like my OT and holiday pay.

 

[DHG]

I had a salaried job (not pharmacy related, but corporate retail so that's related, I guess) once and thought it was cool at first. Salaried. Then I realized that all that means is they can work your ass off (60-70 hour weeks) with no extra compensation.

I would have serious reservations about going salaried unless I got EVERYTHING specific that matters to me in writing. Which you should of course do anyways.

I had a bad experience with a salaried job so I don't think I'd like to do it again. It would depend on the circumstances, though.

A salaried position is great if you have low job security or don't know if the hours will be available. This lets you know exactly what each paycheck will be, to the penny. Good if you are afraid you can't get enough work or that they will cut your hours. With pharmacists being in such high demand, the job security shouldn't be an issue, nor should you have any trouble working more hours if you want to. I think in that environment, the position being salaried is a greater benefit to the company than to the worker. What does being salaried guarantee you that hourly doesn't? That you are guaranteed at least 40 hours per week? SO what? You can get that (and more if you want it) as an hourly employee, with better pay (holiday and overtime).

 

[Caverject]

Just a note about salary and overtime...at most places I know of you will be payed for your extra non-regular hours over 40. So say you volunteer to work at another store for one night, you will be compensated for that.

 

[Farmercyst]

Just a note about salary and overtime...at most places I know of you will be payed for your extra non-regular hours over 40. So say you volunteer to work at another store for one night, you will be compensated for that.

I haven't paid much attention to it since it hasn't applied to me, but there have been recent changes in laws with regard to salaried employees and overtime that may warrant looking into. Laws that make it so employers cant run you ragged without having to compensate you for it. I believe they applied to salaried middle-management (which I think pharmacists qualify as). But maybe someone more experienced can fill in the particulars.

 

[sdn1977]

Why would anyone work & not be compensate???


In CA - if you work > 40h/wk or > 8h/day, unless you sign a waiver...you're paid time & 1/2 - civilized!

 

[sdn1977]

Why would anyone work & not be compensated???


In CA - if you work > 40h/wk or > 8h/day, unless you sign a waiver...you're paid time & 1/2 - civilized!

 

[sdn1977]

ooops - double post trying to edit!😳

 

[Caverject]

ooops - double post trying to edit!😳

Looks like a triple post to me!

I dunno why people would ever think that but it was apperent to me some people were thinking like that in this thread.

No, the new laws in effect won't effect ones ability to earn overtime wages.

 

[terse]

Why would anyone work & not be compensated???


In CA - if you work > 40h/wk or > 8h/day, unless you sign a waiver...you're paid time & 1/2 - civilized!

tell that to the many businessmen. i used to be an accountant and work 50-60 hours and got no additional pay. salary sucks, but that's how it goes in the corporate world. i guess that's why im switching 😀

 

[suying]

I know as a salaried pharmacist I will not get overtime pay, just my regular hourly salary, if I work more than 40 hours. So what if I work less than 40 hours, say 38 hours one week, should I still get paid as 40 hours since I am salaried??? MY fried work for pharmaceutical company, they always get paid the same salary no matter how many hours they work. So is it the same for salaried employee in retail???

 

[sdn1977]

I know as a salaried pharmacist I will not get overtime pay, just my regular hourly salary, if I work more than 40 hours. So what if I work less than 40 hours, say 38 hours one week, should I still get paid as 40 hours since I am salaried??? MY fried work for pharmaceutical company, they always get paid the same salary no matter how many hours they work. So is it the same for salaried employee in retail???

See...thats the problem with being salaried, but not in a managerial position when you can determine your coming & going. If you're in a retail setting, you must be there the whole time you are scheduled, otherwise the pharmacy is without someone. If they have scheduled an overlap on purpose - it is with the purpose in mind to have two pharmacists deal with the load. They don't normally schedule overlap so one can routinely leave.

Now, on occassion, could you leave early one day, if another pharmacist is there? Yes....you can. But - this is a favor that pharmacist is doing for you. And, I've often experienced that the company wants you to take 2 hrs vacation time.

It is not the same situation as if you were in academics & you had lectures to prepare & give, tests to grade, a paper to write.....when your arriving & departing was not actually tied to the workload. As long as you got your work done....they don't care if it takes 40 hrs one week, 38 another or 42 then next.....

 

[PhatPharm]

Taking a salaried postition gives them the oppurtunity to screw you by working you more hours, and it may be a hassle to stop them even if it writing.

 

[the RX Messiah]

I am a recruiter. This is not an advertisement or job posting. I deal with salaried and hourly pharmacist and offers on a daily basis. I have seent the salaried pharmacist position slowly die off while companies take advantage of the pay rate. They are being asked to work overtime hours simply because they cannot fill or fully staff there pharmacies. When one is on salary they get the shaft.

 

[Pharmcdc]

Wow, I havent posted in a while! Ummm, at Wal-Mart, and I am certainly not promoting them, salaried pharmacists get paid for their time >40hr. I am sure they are not the only company that does this. It seems that there is a preception that SALARY automatically rules out overtime. This is not true..........at least not everywhere.

 

[Megas]

I started at Rite Aid recently salaried for the first 80h/2wks plus hourly OT above the 80 hrs.