Hi, CVS FT Floaters, Are you getting 40 hours?

[ineeddrug]

Hi, I am a FT floater pharmacist at CVS.
I signed up for FT, so I expected getting 40 hours (at least 32 hours).
But somehow, I only get 2-3 days per week.
If I remember correctly, medical benefit is given for employees who works more than 24 hours / week.

1. But other floater told me that if you don't work at least 30 hours/week, you lose insurance benefit.
Is it true? Since when it has been changed to 30 hours?
2. I signed up for Full Time pharmacist. but my DM keeps me giving 2-3 days. Not just me. most of floaters. (I usually get good evaluation from many stores. lots of compliment in ValueInAction)
The funny thing is that they hired 10 more FT floaters for the last year.
There used to be 12-15 floaters but now my district has 25 floaters. all FT.
It is so ridiculous.

Is is OK for CVS to do this?
Hiring lots of floaters as FT & avoid giving medical benefit by not giving enough hours?
One of my close floater pharmacist lost insurance benefit this year because he worked less than 30 hours per week last year. (He wanted to work more, but scheduler did not give enough hours. He worked for 13 years and maybe CVS wants to get rid of him due to high pay rate?)

I don't understand why DM keeps hiring more floater while current floater cannot get enough hours.
It seems so intentional.

any opinion?

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[Momus]

Think like a business man. More floaters, more bodies to call to cover sick call, jury duty, vacation. Who cares if the floats don't get enough hours, and no insurance (even better)... they just want 0 OT for everyone. This is an ongoing trend and we can't do chit about it due to oversupply of pharmacists; after all 3 days a week is still better than no job. If you are a floater, you are fu3ked.

 

[trailerpark]

Think like a business man. More floaters, more bodies to call to cover sick call, jury duty, vacation. Who cares if the floats don't get enough hours, and no insurance (even better)... they just want 0 OT for everyone. This is an ongoing trend and we can't do chit about it due to oversupply of pharmacists; after all 3 days a week is still better than no job. If you are a floater, you are fu3ked.

So I guess it's best to get a staff position? At Walmart the shifts are 10 hours so 4 of those at a home store gives you 40, but as a floater I only get 3 10hr shifts plus my drive time is added too, but it doesn't add to be 10 hours, only 4 to 5 so I usually only get about 35 hours per week.

 

[zelman]

Are you in California? I think their FT is 24 whereas it's 32 elsewhere.

 

[Gombrich12]

"I don't understand why DM keeps hiring more floater while current floater cannot get enough hours."

Because they can. It makes things easier on schedulers, lowers health benefits and removes any leverage employees have. It also makes employees desperate and more willing to do things to please leadership like work off the clock and take abuse from customers. Pharmacy schools dangle the $120,000 salary in front of students but don't tell them a sizable minority won't get enough hours to make close to that. If you want to do something about this stop encouraging people to go to pharmacy school.

 

[mgarph]

in my district we are always short handed and floaters easily get 30+ but as a DM they should be hiring more, for the reasons listed above. If they keep hiring when they have plenty of floaters already it probably means that most of them aren't of the best quality, not worth giving 40 hours or moving to a staff position

 

[SClENCE]

Our district has a huge deficit of floaters, the last one I talked to said he was working 58 hours that week. It's all about supply and demand, but from what I understand a lot of the new grad hires will quit after 6-8 months and your hours will go up.

The best thing to do is be proactive. Maybe let the scheduler know that your are looking to pick up more hours and are available on short notice.

 

[RxStudentatUB]

"I don't understand why DM keeps hiring more floater while current floater cannot get enough hours."

Because they can. It makes things easier on schedulers, lowers health benefits and removes any leverage employees have. It also makes employees desperate and more willing to do things to please leadership like work off the clock and take abuse from customers. Pharmacy schools dangle the $120,000 salary in front of students but don't tell them a sizable m̶i̶n̶o̶r̶i̶t̶y̶ majority won't get enough hours to make close to that. If you want to do something about this stop encouraging people to go to pharmacy school.

 

[BidingMyTime]

It's all about supply and demand, but from what I understand a lot of the new grad hires will quit after 6-8 months and your hours will go up.

This, in my area its predictably feast or famine......during May - October there are way more positions than floaters, then the new grads are leave, and there is a shortage of floaters until May.

 

[297point1]

Does anyone get placed into a store right away anymore? This year, I can count the number of graduates from my school who are getting placed into a store with one hand. EVERYBODY seems to be starting off as a floater.

This, in my area its predictably feast or famine......during May - October there are way more positions than floaters, then the new grads are leave, and there is a shortage of floaters until May.

Where do all of these floaters go once we reach October?

 

[BidingMyTime]

Does anyone get placed into a store right away anymore? This year, I can count the number of graduates from my school who are getting placed into a store with one hand. EVERYBODY seems to be starting off as a floater.
Where do all of these floaters go once we reach October?

Good question! They all claim they found a better job in Chicago, but how that is possible given the supposed saturation, I don't know.

As for floating, starting off as a floater was always the norm, prior to 2004 or so when the shortage hit, so it makes sense that as equilibrium has returned to the market, pharmacists are starting off as floaters again.

 

[sosoo]

summer is when u get all the hours b/c ppl go on vacations. after that you don't really have much.

 

[Sine Cura]

If someone is placed into a store right away, it may be a highly undesirable store

 

[BenJammin]

Does anyone get placed into a store right away anymore? This year, I can count the number of graduates from my school who are getting placed into a store with one hand. EVERYBODY seems to be starting off as a floater

Are you sure that's not school or location related? Of the 33 graduating from my alma mater, only 18 are doing retail. No floaters. All staff.

 

[Old Timer]

If you are a full time employee, you have a base number of hours. You need to know that number and they have to pay you that number of hours,

 

[type b pharmD]

Are you sure that's not school or location related? Of the 33 graduating from my alma mater, only 18 are doing retail. No floaters. All staff.

Of the 20 or so people that I know that went retail full time about 9 got a store staff position , about 5 got 40 to 50 hour float and the remainder either refuse to play the schedulers games or are dealing with a highly saturated area or are giving up shifts for commute or other reasons.

 

[pillpharmer14]

If someone is placed into a store right away, it may be a highly undesirable store

Not always the case. I was placed in a store right out of school that was low volume and well run. The PIC was close to retiring but surprisingly not jaded and taught me alot. My sup doesn't like to float new grads (which is smart imo). Then I performed well and my sup noticed, that's when the **** store tour begins as a staffer 😉