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It seems like a huge percentage of pharmacists work off the clock in the big chains. Why do people resort to doing this? Is it just to keep your job? Fear?
Is "working off the clock" a normal part of pharmacy culture?
- Thread starter WildAshe
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they pay by salary and expect to get things done. if you were a tech, paid hourly wage, then you're not required. and if you look into finance industry, banking, etc. people overworked, stay from 5pm - midnight. others committed suicide because of overworked. others simply developed heart problems and it gave up on them..... then again, there are many pharmacists who insist on leaving on time, on the dot.
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Being salaried & unrealistic expectations & constant cutting of tech labor because people in corporate are usually out of touch with reality (too idealistic). Whatever "innovations" or computer updates they think can replace manual human hours with, they usually promote this with very little thought (automation is far from perfect, especially when programmed by IT people who have never set foot in a pharmacy).
Mostly job security, meeting logistics, & keeping full time status due to this abundance of new grads & new schools of pharmacy.
Mostly job security, meeting logistics, & keeping full time status due to this abundance of new grads & new schools of pharmacy.
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In California, chains are hourly and working off the clock is subject to disciplinary action, up to termination.
One of my friend works off the clock to meet her boss’ need.... so sad...
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When I floated I was salaried and usually stayed ~1 hour after my shift ended uncompensated to finish left over work that needed to be done. Most people did that.
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I would say I stay late maybe 5 or 6 times a year, I tell other pharmacists to leave when their shift is over and I almost always do the same. Why should I burn myself out over some metrics that don't even matter?
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Never stay over.
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I agree... depending on the chain and your situation, it’s giving a justifiable reason to be terminated.... why put yourself in that situation?
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No more than 15 min over in 90% of cases
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Agreed. Staying late (especially on a regular basis) only demonstrates to corporate that the workload can be done with less staffing.
The executives don't think 'Wow, I really appreciate the extra work these pharmacists are giving by working for free, lets give them more hours.'
They think 'Great, we cut 10 pharmacist hours and all the work is still getting done. Let's cut another 10 hours and continue to stress the importance of working efficiently'.
Yeah unless you are inefficient/slow you should never stay late save the time or two someone with "an emergency" shows up 3 minutes before you close and you decide to be nice. I like to think I am an efficient pharmacist (based on time to verify and workload volume compared to peers). I will not stay late, if it can't be done while I'm there, then it's a staffing issue. If corporate/my DM don't care neither do I. (It could also be awful techs which I experienced when I cut back to part time at a different location).
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It depends on the PIC and how the techs are trained.
When I had a legit workaholic for a PIC, I'd get stuck To the store for 30 min - 1 hour after close, every single day.
She just didn't know how to use the techs like she should've, and it became an every day thing.
After they transferred out, I fixed things, and I don't think I ever stayed more than 5 minutes after ever again.
Too many Pharmacists do it because they are scared of what the morning staff will think. Who cares. Tell them to complain about hours to the DM
When I had a legit workaholic for a PIC, I'd get stuck To the store for 30 min - 1 hour after close, every single day.
She just didn't know how to use the techs like she should've, and it became an every day thing.
After they transferred out, I fixed things, and I don't think I ever stayed more than 5 minutes after ever again.
Too many Pharmacists do it because they are scared of what the morning staff will think. Who cares. Tell them to complain about hours to the DM
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What's that old saying about "salaries are for suckers" in pharmacy? You should not work significantly (<15 min) past your out time and you really shouldn't even do that without a memory involved (as in you should remember each and every single time why you did unpaid overtime as a lesson not to create the same circumstances). There have been times where I've refused scripts arrive at 5 minutes before closing because the pharmacy is closing and it would be unrealistic to fill that in this time and directed them to the 24 hour stores. If corporate complains, they can pay me for the time (and yes, I have had that discussion politely with the RxS). Never had an argument back about that. You shouldn't necessarily leave a script that you're verifying undone because it so happened to be the literal end of shift, but you should balance your work such that you're not stranded at that time.
Staying significantly after shift is mostly a time management failure on management's or your part. Yeah, there is the one-off emergency a year or so where you might stay because you feel like you should, but it should not be a regular matter nor should you feel compelled to.
Staying significantly after shift is mostly a time management failure on management's or your part. Yeah, there is the one-off emergency a year or so where you might stay because you feel like you should, but it should not be a regular matter nor should you feel compelled to.
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I come in 15 minutes before opening to log in, read emails/memos, and do initial verification. But I leave right on the dot for closing. I'm notorious for turning away customers that decide to show up right as I'm locking the gate.
I always go in early and always stay late. I am usually very happy if I only have to stay 20 minutes after my shift. The norm is an hour. I have stayed over an hour before but have put a limit on myself of an hour. Honestly, it's to finish things up that I didn't get to finish or if there are scripts still red (maybe about 5 or so because I had a question about tnem) from during my shift, I will verify those out. I do like to go in early in the mornings to get a little bit of a head start because if not the morning is even MORE stressful than it already is. I hate that I am working for free for this ****ty corporation because they won't give us decent tech hours. I would say average each week I am working about 5 free hours
People don’t have any respect for themselves and are just giving in to corporate because they think they are making a difference or that they have to stay because they are “salary.” The truth is while staying late may benefit a few patients, in the long run they hurt patients because they are just feeding the corporate machine and enabling them to continuously understaff and treat their employees like **** which in turn leads to poor patient care. Not to mention that most of these pharmacists aren’t truly salary. I really don’t understand why anyone who works for these big chains isn’t looking for new jobs daily. I would make it my primary job to look for other job if I were in that situation. Even if it’s in a grocery store retail pharmacy.
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I leave on the dot, but maybe arrive about 5-10 minutes early. Mainly to eat breakfast and read emails.
If you are routinely working off the clock then their is either a deficiency with yourself, your workflows, or your department staffing. I'll echo the earlier sentiment that working off the clock just rewards your corporate overlords, proving that they can do more with less. They don't care if productivity is being met due to efficiency or someone willingly giving away their time for free.
I'm salaried so it isn't uncommon for me to stay late. If something needs to be done, if there is a crisis, or a special circumstance then I am here. However, I'll take no shame in coming in late or leaving early the next day.
I'm salaried so it isn't uncommon for me to stay late. If something needs to be done, if there is a crisis, or a special circumstance then I am here. However, I'll take no shame in coming in late or leaving early the next day.
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in order for you to come in late, your partner has to overstay and work extra without pay. aren't you being unfair? i don't see how people like you have no shame. i spit on the faces of shameful people like you everyday.
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You give the company $26,000/yr in free labor ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶
First of all, you're being a reactionary idiot.
Second of all, I don't work in a traditional dispensing role and no one is harmed by my coming in late.
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It's one way to get a promotion. It's also another way to get in trouble. It depends on your store's environment and the way management feels about you. In the end, it's a win-win for the chain as they're getting liability-free labor and can also penalize/terminate you for breaching the employment contract. Also, for those of you that do this - you need to consider what happens if you make a serious/fatal error when you're "off the clock." Yeah, that sucks.
My good friend is a DM for 20 or so stores in Cali and the stories I hear make me cringe and laugh simultaneously...
Are y'all considered "salary exempt"?
I'm "salaried exempt" which is still hourly to me....Just a way for them to make sure they don't pay me for all the free labor. Aren't most pharmacists hired as salary exempt now?
Our staff are hourly, managers and clinical coordinators are salary.
What I wouldn't do to be hourly right now. I've been working about 80 hours a week. Could take a nice vacation with that kind of OT.
Yes, I basically am hourly but don't clock in or out. If I pick up a shift somewhere else then I get paid for that. But if they tell me I am scheduled 9-3 and I stay till 4:30 that is when I'm not getting paid
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