Lazy staff pharmacist partner problems... need tips

[Andy2019]

I am a new hired pharmacist in a busy high volume store. The pharmacist partner I am working is getting lazy..er every day. When I first started working he helped me with my workload. We talked about what we are responsible for daily. he told me he likes to verify (duh, who doesn't) so I told he I can work on the doctor calls and patient calls bc he hates them. It was fine the first week. Then later he keeps calling out for help verifying just keeping up with the acute rxs. He acts like he is so busy keeping up with the Q but still falling behind just doing the verification Q. I feel so overwhelmed keeping up with the Q with him, typing rxs and help answering doctor calls, counsels and now those DAMN FLU SHOTS... he would put the doctor calls on hold for me. He has been working in this store for ages and doesn't like to do anything other than verifying. It is hard to change. I don't know if I should stay in that store or go back to floating. I try to keep calm at work and focus on what I'm doing every day. All the techs and cashiers there also been there for a long time. I feel like I don't fit in and not interested in whatever they are talking about. so I kept to myself and only speak when I need to... all they do is gossip anyway. Morning staffs talk ****s about night staffs and vice versa. but in front of each other they are so sweet and nice to each other. Now the rumor is I don't like to talk and open up. The manager is nice. she gave me more projects that involving store metrics and wants me to communicate with ppl in the pharmacy. Like GOD LEAVE ME ALONE. I just want to do my stuffs and go home. I HAVE NO INTERESTED IN KNOWING ANYONE AT WORK. (is this bad). I mentioned to her about how I like working with her instead but the schedule is set.... 🙁

the only reason I like that store is the schedule. I have 3-4 days off in a row every 2 weeks.
What should I do? Float or stay in store. I am afraid the floating job is not stable.
To all the old pharmacists, retail is changing. please keep up and help your other younger pharmacists. we are all the same, why do you get special treatment?? just bc you are in this field longer?
any advice/comments? I don't know what to do.

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[wucool33]

Here’s a crazy idea... talk to him.

 

[Gombrich12]

I'm amazed that you're working with another pharmacist enough in retail that it annoys you. I mainly see the other pharmacists in passing these days with all of the staffing cuts.

 

[3boooda]

Tell me about it. This story is more common nowadays. Old rph do not wanna leave

 

[projektreverb]

Here’s a crazy idea... talk to him.

This guy’ got it.

 

[Andy2019]

I'm amazed that you're working with another pharmacist enough in retail that it annoys you. I mainly see the other pharmacists in passing these days with all of the staffing cuts.

Wow that is a different perspective. Never thought about it that way. maybe its bc I am so used to work by myself alone I know how to manage time and myself to get things done in my own paste

 

[owlegrad]

As someone who has to work with other pharmacists, I feel your pain. It's tough. Just remember you will be the old timer one day and hopefully you too will have a youngster to run around and do all your work.

 

[DOOM N GLOOM]

I am a new hired pharmacist in a busy high volume store. The pharmacist partner I am working is getting lazy..er every day. When I first started working he helped me with my workload. We talked about what we are responsible for daily. he told me he likes to verify (duh, who doesn't) so I told he I can work on the doctor calls and patient calls bc he hates them. It was fine the first week. Then later he keeps calling out for help verifying just keeping up with the acute rxs. He acts like he is so busy keeping up with the Q but still falling behind just doing the verification Q. I feel so overwhelmed keeping up with the Q with him, typing rxs and help answering doctor calls, counsels and now those DAMN FLU SHOTS... he would put the doctor calls on hold for me. He has been working in this store for ages and doesn't like to do anything other than verifying. It is hard to change. I don't know if I should stay in that store or go back to floating. I try to keep calm at work and focus on what I'm doing every day. All the techs and cashiers there also been there for a long time. I feel like I don't fit in and not interested in whatever they are talking about. so I kept to myself and only speak when I need to... all they do is gossip anyway. Morning staffs talk ****s about night staffs and vice versa. but in front of each other they are so sweet and nice to each other. Now the rumor is I don't like to talk and open up. The manager is nice. she gave me more projects that involving store metrics and wants me to communicate with ppl in the pharmacy. Like GOD LEAVE ME ALONE. I just want to do my stuffs and go home. I HAVE NO INTERESTED IN KNOWING ANYONE AT WORK. (is this bad). I mentioned to her about how I like working with her instead but the schedule is set.... 🙁

the only reason I like that store is the schedule. I have 3-4 days off in a row every 2 weeks.
What should I do? Float or stay in store. I am afraid the floating job is not stable.
To all the old pharmacists, retail is changing. please keep up and help your other younger pharmacists. we are all the same, why do you get special treatment?? just bc you are in this field longer?
any advice/comments? I don't know what to do.

Don’t worry, just keep your head down, stay mum about the situation and get your work done. The old-timer will be fired soon enough, replaced by a desperate new grad with $200k+ in loans working for 35 bucks an hour.

Here’s how the game works: you win if they pull the trigger on someone else.

 

[lord999]

I learned real quick earlier in my career that the best way to combat these situations is strategic sabotage as communication only tends to worsen the situation with lost of trust scenarios. I would intentionally force situations where my idiot partner got written up (but not by me), gets into flack with customers, looks bad in front of the boss. It takes some thinking about how to set up those scenarios, but it's pretty straightforward in KPI-focused chains to not sign in, dump the queue on a tech terminal, and other niceties.

This is extremely cynical, but it does work. It is not exactly something you would see in a "good management" book, but mastering the art of doublespeak and doubleact will serve you well if you tend to brood like you do. It actually gets to be pretty "fun", and before someone accuses me of playing with patient lives, I counterargue that bad working situations force worse ones than manipulation.

As for communication, I recommend you develop some dumb scripts and parrot them. In Minneapolis, I would always have a couple of stock rants about how the Golden Gophers would manage to screw up, how Packers suck (I don't care either way), and how DFL and Republicans race to the bottom with their post-office corruption. In AZ, I would have this talk about how the Bidwell's marketing strategy was "come see your favorite team beat the Cardinals" and about some other local trivialities. I don't care a whit for any of these topics, but can engage someone like a chatbot if necessary to seem engaged.

If you really want to not be nice, learn some "fashion" tips and randomly give advice on colors and hairstyles (not clothing or things that get sexual harassment charges), and talk about how you'd like this year's beige and violet clothing or whatever. I got my techs, pharmacists, and AOs of both genders to dress in hilarious ways playing their fashion egos off each other.

Tribalism is humanity's default organizational pattern, you should figure out what role you want to be in the tribe and play it well.

Divide and concur.

 

[sozetone]

I am a new hired pharmacist in a busy high volume store. The pharmacist partner I am working is getting lazy..er every day. When I first started working he helped me with my workload. We talked about what we are responsible for daily. he told me he likes to verify (duh, who doesn't) so I told he I can work on the doctor calls and patient calls bc he hates them. It was fine the first week. Then later he keeps calling out for help verifying just keeping up with the acute rxs. He acts like he is so busy keeping up with the Q but still falling behind just doing the verification Q. I feel so overwhelmed keeping up with the Q with him, typing rxs and help answering doctor calls, counsels and now those DAMN FLU SHOTS... he would put the doctor calls on hold for me. He has been working in this store for ages and doesn't like to do anything other than verifying. It is hard to change. I don't know if I should stay in that store or go back to floating. I try to keep calm at work and focus on what I'm doing every day. All the techs and cashiers there also been there for a long time. I feel like I don't fit in and not interested in whatever they are talking about. so I kept to myself and only speak when I need to... all they do is gossip anyway. Morning staffs talk ****s about night staffs and vice versa. but in front of each other they are so sweet and nice to each other. Now the rumor is I don't like to talk and open up. The manager is nice. she gave me more projects that involving store metrics and wants me to communicate with ppl in the pharmacy. Like GOD LEAVE ME ALONE. I just want to do my stuffs and go home. I HAVE NO INTERESTED IN KNOWING ANYONE AT WORK. (is this bad). I mentioned to her about how I like working with her instead but the schedule is set.... 🙁

the only reason I like that store is the schedule. I have 3-4 days off in a row every 2 weeks.
What should I do? Float or stay in store. I am afraid the floating job is not stable.
To all the old pharmacists, retail is changing. please keep up and help your other younger pharmacists. we are all the same, why do you get special treatment?? just bc you are in this field longer?
any advice/comments? I don't know what to do.

PM me for some ideas. I'm a manager for high volume WM. I have some tips, but remember you are low man on totem pole right now. Your options are limited.

 

[Sine Cura]

The advice above is spot on. I would be that snake in the grass if necessary and just put on a face at work as the vast majority of people are "basic"

I also B.S. and keep it light so it's not always work work work but I honestly could not give a **** about my techs or pharmacists personal lives as long as it doesn't affect the work.

 

[Prosperity8]

You still have a lot to learn about life. Young new grads like you are the reason why this profession is going downhill. How do I know? I used to be exactly like you 6 years ago. I was a young grad running around, verifying, doing 5 things at once. I was angry that my partner or other "older" pharmacists I worked with were lazy and just wanted to "verify". Believe it or not, those old lazy pharmacists are actually real pharmacists and actually trying to save the profession. Don't think just because you are fast and can work like a robot, your company will appreciate you. They're secretly laughing at you and see you as stupid. Don't think you're doing customers by rushing to the counter or verifying fast because some idiot customer is pissed off his ice cream will melt from having to wait a few more minutes. It took me almost 5 years to finally realize it doesn't matter how fast or how much effort you put it, the big corporations could care less and will try to force you out if you keep on getting good evaluations and your salary is too high.

 

[Victor85]

lol I have the same problem, with my rxm. Older pharmacist. 5-6 partners in the past few years.
talking to him doesn't work. He would change for a month and revert back. I once asked him if he could dump the queue before he leave. His response is "what? you want me to work on prescription that's due in 2 days?"
I work in a less than 100 script a day store, the morning queue dump has a total of 25.
You know what I did? Tell him he needs to pull his weight or I'm going to leave the pharmacy in the same mess he leaves for me each day. Document it. Do it infront of the store manager or some one of authority so you have a witness.
It's been a great few months.

 

[wucool33]

lol I have the same problem, with my rxm. Older pharmacist. 5-6 partners in the past few years.
talking to him doesn't work. He would change for a month and revert back. I once asked him if he could dump the queue before he leave. His response is "what? you want me to work on prescription that's due in 2 days?"
I work in a less than 100 script a day store, the morning queue dump has a total of 25.
You know what I did? Tell him he needs to pull his weight or I'm going to leave the pharmacy in the same mess he leaves for me each day. Document it. Do it infront of the store manager or some one of authority so you have a witness.
It's been a great few months.

So you did talk to him and it did work...

 

[sozetone]

You still have a lot to learn about life. Young new grads like you are the reason why this profession is going downhill. How do I know? I used to be exactly like you 6 years ago. I was a young grad running around, verifying, doing 5 things at once. I was angry that my partner or other "older" pharmacists I worked with were lazy and just wanted to "verify". Believe it or not, those old lazy pharmacists are actually real pharmacists and actually trying to save the profession. Don't think just because you are fast and can work like a robot, your company will appreciate you. They're secretly laughing at you and see you as stupid. Don't think you're doing customers by rushing to the counter or verifying fast because some idiot customer is pissed off his ice cream will melt from having to wait a few more minutes. It took me almost 5 years to finally realize it doesn't matter how fast or how much effort you put it, the big corporations could care less and will try to force you out if you keep on getting good evaluations and your salary is too high.

I agree with prosperity, Most times the company is not "out to get you", they are just doing this because they can save money. Downsizing, cut backs, lay offs, etc....i do believe the higher paid are now serious targets. I know for a fact at WM we hire at 10-15 lower per hour and my DM cant wait to push someone out who makes 60-70/hr. It reduces his labor cost within his region/district. These Dm's must be laughing about how many pharmacists are banging on the door to work. He "reminds" us from time to time that this is the case. He's a real P***K......I don't expect him to last long either.....we are all in for a surprise in the coming months/years....well see.

 

[sozetone]

Don’t worry, just keep your head down, stay mum about the situation and get your work done. The old-timer will be fired soon enough, replaced by a desperate new grad with $200k+ in loans working for 35 bucks an hour.

Here’s how the game works: you win if they pull the trigger on someone else.

Pretty cool saying doom, but in my opinion, its just a matter of time for most of us....Cant you feel the "red dot" on your back? lol...