Laura

Here we are now, entertain us

How has technology changed your job?

March 24th, 2024.

2:08 AM.

“You’re entitled to 3 bereavement days.”

I read on the email I had just opened on my phone while I was in bed.

Entitled?

Wow.

And only 3? What kind of world do we live in where we grieve our loved ones in a mere 3 days?

I digress.

On one hand, it’s an example of the numb messages that people often feel compelled to write behind a keyboard (or phone screen).

Technology is great. However, I do feel it gives a bit of access into one’s life that can sometimes be invasive. I can literally access my work information or emails from bed, but do I want to?

You want me to do HOW MANY mandatory trainings?! What email…? I never got an email! *click* …Delete, delete, delete.

In other words – it’s made it easier for them to get ahold of me when I don’t want them to, lol.

One of the things I no longer tolerate is my job invading into my personal life.

I believe in disconnecting completely from work after I’m gone for the day, or on my off days.

(Haven’t been able to do that with this new job, which is why I’m looking for another one).

Work/life balance and all that.

Emphasis on the life part.

That being said, every single job I’ve had for the past decade, even if they were “all electronic paperwork only” still involved some stupid paperwork that was in physical form.

Their software for patient charting, doing admissions, etc.. sucks too, but that’s at all government jobs. At least the ones I’ve been at.

Redundancy, most definitely.

Just please don’t ask me to attend a stupid mandatory meeting

Technology is wonderful in that it allows me to connect with many amazing people that I wouldn’t normally cross paths with on a daily basis – like all the awesome people here on WordPress.

I remember one of my caveats especially about technology use that I had at my place of employment after issues with one certain aspect:

No WhatsApp groups.

I do not want to be in the work WhatsApp group.

I don’t care if I can disable notifications, I’m the type of person who will read the messages anyways if I know they’re there.

One completely clueless director I had would often message during the day: “Can you please answer your phone?!”

After I had just got off working a night shift for 12 hours.

Call me at 2pm while I’m sleeping? Perfectly fine in their world.

How about me calling them at 2am or on their day off?

Hmmm.

Technology – great for some things, bad for others.

30 comments

  1. Ah….the ubiquitous ‘assigned learning modules’, they are everywhere! I have full respect for your mindset Laura, well done✌️. People would get frustrated with me at my ability to not answer phones, I find it easy to be honest, if it wasn’t someone or something very close to me…i’ll get to it in my own time. Keep that freedom of mind you have, it is so important. Kind regards…Jay😊

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    • Thank you Jay! I appreciate your thoughts and comments… ubiquitous is a fine word to describe them, lol…not only as they are everywhere but there’s so many as well! It feels like I’m doing a set of these every 6 months. I guess it’s for people to justify their job. 🙄
      I understand you about the phone, I often don’t answer the phone at work because I’m either giving medication or with a patient. But they like to build in “secretary” with “nurse”. Thank you for your perspective, it is most refreshing as always! 😊

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  2. Oh man, you hit so many of my buttons with this! I’ve been WhatsApp messaged from work at 1am before (!), and even though I didn’t have my ringer on and the phone was upside down, the phone lit up in the dark space. And my job isn’t nearly as crucial as yours! I can see the benefit of the group, for the employees to celebrate one another and keep current on various things, but add in managerial lectures and it becomes a lot.

    Maybe Congress should be banning that instead of TikTok. 🙂

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    • The WhatsApp one really grinds my gears. This writing prompt honestly made me so annoyed lol but I guess it’s good to get it out. How annoying to be messaged at a crazy hour like that! My old director used to send paragraphs and paragraphs and paragraphs of stuff…not something you want to wake up to!
      Hahah yes I agree, ban the WhatsApp groups at work!! 😂

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  3. I’ve made my feelings on the meetings well known already lol
    24/7 accessibility is another one entirely.
    The perils of night shift: Everyone assumes you sleep like a normal person when that’s kind of a physical impossibility 🙄
    The other classic: “Lucky you! You’ve got the whole day free to do whatever you want!”
    Um, well, no…I don’t really

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    • Yeah that drives me insane. “Oh, you’re off now!” lol you do realize I don’t stay up an entire day and then come back to work right? I would literally not make it.
      And also that I don’t sleep a normal schedule like you do at all so I’m even more tired? My favorite is when you tell em you work nights and their eyes widen “oh, I could NEVER do nights…” Haha 😆 some people…man

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      • Yeah, no shit you wouldn’t do nights lol
        The sucky part is when the family plans shit and then gets all uptight when you decline.
        “It’s Sunday! You don’t have to be in until 11PM. WTH?”
        Ok, sure. I’ll just stay up 24 hours.
        How bout I come to your house at 2AM and we bust out a steak? Fuck you. 😄

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      • Yeah, I’ve felt that one many a time. Especially with my sister who I’m quite sure has never worked at night. “What do you mean you can’t come?!” Uhhh cause I don’t wanna be hungover while at work!! lol
        However, a steak at 2am sounds divine, lmao 🤣 🥩

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      • To us, it does. To others, not so much. You say that and they look at you like you’re an idiot. lol
        They don’t stop to think it’s the same for us when we’re working at night and they want you to come eat at 2PM

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      • Hahahah, in that case, you can just be like, “well…you’re the idiot if you think I’m awake all day…how does it feel biatch?” Lolol some people really don’t think outside the box, I swear

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  4. I like my phone connections on my own time. I would tell them if you a message for me send it through a telegram with somebody singing it at the door. A singing telegram would be hilarious hmm think ill use that if they need to reach me and the neighbours dogs will do background singing. Prayers and thoughts are with you 🙏

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    • Thank you so much. I like to do things on my time as well, and not feel forced or prodded to give a response. Hahah and that’s a funny visual. 😂 thank you for your kind words as always 🙏

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      • I love my phone when I love it not some company in that voice saying how are you and can you do this?? my eye balls don’t want that. im asking them how long you been up?? they all cherry and happy and id be like I been sleep for 40 minutes and will rise in 8 hours and 40 minutes good day, always the best to you

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  6. I agree 100%. I never realized how lucky I am to never have used a ton of tech-or social media. Now that I’m using WordPress I can just check my emails and they’re all from you guys, and I feel like this is a positive place, not a negative one. As far as work is concerned, I bitch about it as much as anybody but they definitely don’t bother me on my days off, and I don’t even have to think about it if I don’t want to until my next workday.

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    • Thank you for your comment 😊 it can be a positive place, most definitely – you have a few people here and there but that’s everywhere you go. It’s a blessing to not be bothered by work at all, that’s how one of my other jobs used to be. This new one – not as much, haha.
      Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! Much appreciated 🙏

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  7. Welllll said! Even worse…if you’re the RN on-site you can’t even day my shift is over…and abandon patients. I couldn’t do it, but my mom was the epitome of the nurse statues you see. Was so cute in the uniform with her hair in a bun.

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  9. Some great pointers here! ❤ Especially the availability double standard with work notices vs personal commitments – clock-off time should be off-the-grid time. Hope you can lay some good ground rules for the upcoming job offers! 🙂

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