Thursday, March 27, 2008

I'm bossy! Who knew?!

I just got back from a staff meeting.

One of our regular staff is on vacation, and another wasn't able to make it today. So it was my boss, one other residential assistant, and me sitting around the kitchen table talking about everything.

One of the things that was brought up was how much several staff members complain about EVERY LITTLE THING. Particularly one of the staff members that wasn't present and another staff person who regularly works at another house, but has been working in ours this past month and a half or so.

One of the things, apparently, that they complained about quite a bit over the last month and a half or so was ME. (My boss brought it up as an example...she wasn't reprimanding me.) Apparently, I'm bossy.

I sooo don't mean to come off bossy. I really don't. But it happens, I guess. There are certain things that we, as residential aids, are supposed to do on a weekly basis. These are either our company policy or are state mandated. Either way, one of the staff is supposed to, for example, get vitals on each of the residents once a week. Simple enough stuff. It takes ten minutes. No big deal, right?

Except I was the only person that was doing them (and each of the several other weekly things). Every single week. Me, me, me, me, and me. It was getting a little tiring.

Ok, so while the other main 2nd shift residential aid and I were putting together the paperwork for March, we discussed the vitals thing. I said it would be a good idea to highlight the paperwork - once each week - for the day that we would do vitals. I flat out asked her if she minded doing them on her 12 hour weekend shift. I figure that she would have time, since she was there, literally, all day. I also made sure to tell her that if she didn't want to do them, we could highlight MY weekend day (8 hour shift, 3 hours of which the residents are sleeping). She said that doing them on her day was fine. So we highlighted hers.

So the month starts...we get to 9 or 10 days in, and I notice that the vitals weren't done for the first week. I put a note in our communication log reminding her that vitals need to be done. I was nice. I wasn't mean about it. Just a friendly reminder. But then she turns around and complains to the house manager that I'm being bossy, and complains that **I** decided that they needed to be done on her day. (Whatever!!) Anyway, my boss checks out the paperwork from the previous month only to see that **I** had done all of the vitals that month. Sooooo she decides that the complaint is silly and doesn't see the need to confront me about the complaint because it isn't really founded. That's cool.

And so on. That's one example. I guess they've also complained that I seem to think that I run [insert house name here]. I don't feel that way. I realize that we all work there, and that we all have input in how things are done. The problem is that I realize there are things that MUST be done per policy or state mandate, and I point them out. Those aren't things we get to compromise on.

There are apparently other complaints. In fact, as my boss put it, "I received a LOT of complaints about Megan in a month's time." I'm not too worried about it, since she also pointed out that if she felt there was a genuine problem, she generally goes to the person being complained about and discusses it. And, well, she didn't come to me about any of them. As she put it, "There seem to be two kinds of residential aids that work here. The kind that take charge and get things done or ask others to do them, and the kind who complain about it. You're just one of them that takes charge. I don't particularly think you believe that you run [insert house name here]. You just know what needs to be done and you're not shy about asking people to do it."

So yeah...I guess I'm bossy. Who knew?!

1 comment:

Willow said...

Whoo! I can't stand when people just wait around to be told what to do and then have the nerve to complain about it. Sheesh.

Follow through is another big one, although I'm guilty of getting overloaded and slacking off myself.