I have been working as a secretary for a consultant psychiatrist since June as a temp. It was a steep learning curve but I think I've got a pretty good handle on the job now. I now know who everyone is in the office, I know how to contact my boss, where she is etc. I've even got used to her South African accent when typing her letters. The main component of my job is typing letters. Surely if I couldn't do the job they would have got rid of me and asked the agency for somebody else?The job I'm doing has come up as a permanent position so I applied for it. I can't get an interview because I don't have a certificate to say that I can type! The NHS is just shooting themselves in the foot here because they're now going to employ someone who doesn't know how to do the job, my secretarial colleagues are going to have to train them like they did with me. This takes up their valuable time. Everyone in the office is so stressed at the moment. My boss is on the verge of a nervous breakdown as it is without having to get used to a new secretary. Just because they have a piece of paper to type won't necessarily mean they can do the job.
But the NHS is like that. They have lots of red tape. If they give me an interview without having the qualification they can face litigation. I can't get the qualification in time. They can't take me on and make me getting the qualification part of my personal development. So obviously I'm not capable of doing the job even though I've been doing it for the last four fucking months!
My boss has sent a complaint to the head secretary and head of the department. She has no say in who her secretary is it seems. She was very angry when I told her that I had to leave and why. My boss has a junior doctor who I'm also secretary for and he was annoyed and sent an email of complaint too. Another doctor that I occasionally do typing for praised the fact that he doesn't have to make any changes to the letters I do for him and to keep up the good work. When I told him that I was leaving he said "Well that's red tape and bureaucratics for you" and offered to give me a reference even though I don't really work for him.
I am especially annoyed today as apparently the trust that I work for is "excellent" according to an Annual Health Check published by the Health Care Commission. Another local trust was considered "weak" so god help the poor bastards that work there.
9 comments:
is the picture supposed to read this is shit or is it my altered perceptions?
oh and by the way, look at the good things- it seems like every one you work for rates you very highly.
word ver =ofido- that'll be my greyhound then!
It is nice to know that I'm so highly valued but in some ways it makes it more annoying that they have no power over the decision and say "we're outraged, we think she's really good and want her to stay" etc etc.
The picture is indeed meant to say this is shit which is why I chose it!
My blog is grey becasuse I decided to shuffle the colours and rather liked the effect that came out!
it looks good.
what a load of bollocks!! thats so shit that the people who you actually work for and do a good job for have no say. why could they employ you in the first place if you don't have the "piece of paper to say you can type" is it a loophole cause you're a temp?
This is absoulutely crazy and is what happens when Bureaucracy becaomes more important than people. There's a lot of this kind of thing going on in government departments - Manda worked as a `temp' making cow passports for THREE YEARS, on minimum wage, no pension or sick benefits - so that's how they keep their costs down. Frankly it stinks.
no jen it's not a loophole. basically they don't care if you have the qualifications as a temp as long as you can do the job. bums on seats and the job being done basically. however when it comes to the actual 'proper' recruitment through the NHS you need to have the qualification.
there were a lot of 'temps' where vince worked in stirling sorting out the mail for the prudential who had been there for a few years. fortunately i'm not on minimum wage but get paid well for a temp but annoyingly the pay for the job, had i got it, was also good for a secretary.
Karen, that is utterly atrocious. BASTARDS.
Thanks M&M!
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