A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Policies

From:          Elizabeth  
To:            LMixson@pec.com
Sent:          Friday, April 10, 1998 4:43 PM
Subject:       Policies
 
There are some different policies here than I am used to, but all in all I can understand them. They seem more skewed towards the organization in some ways, but given the "work ethic" of Montgomery, I think they have learned the hard way.  Basically Baptist "gives" you 18 days a year "time" which is very generous, in addition to sick time, but they don't "give" all the holidays like the state for every single holiday.  In a way though, I like that because I don't have to take off on meaningless holidays (Confederate's Memorial Day) and I can have the time to take off when I want. However, if you are "sick" for less than three days, i.e. one or two, that comes out of your "18 days vacation time" not sick time.  If you are "sick" more than two days, then you start drawing sick time.  What that does is really cut down on "frivolous" sick time. As Dept. Head at the Public Library I used to be so "sabotaged" because one of my employees would REGULARLY call "in sick."  I actually got to where I could "predict" when he would do it, by looking at the schedule.  I just started answering the phone by not just saying "Hello", but without even "knowing" who it was, I would say, "Hello, Michael, I guess you are calling in sick today." Also, if I were still at home and it was 8:00 or 8:30 and the phone would ring, I "knew" oh, oh, that's someone "calling in sick."
 
I've never worked at a place either where you didn't get paid holidays automatically, if they were "paid" holidays.  I did work at one place recently where the holidays were holidays, but you were off and not paid, as the company did not pay.  That was "costly." I think one reason is that Baptist has a whopping 70% turnover, which is partially a demographic thing.  So, for example, if I were hired, as I was just before Thanksgiving, I could work for six months, get paid for taking off three or four holidays, then quit, and also get paid for "vacation" days I had accrued.  This way they protect themselves and sort of "break even" for people who don't stay, which many don't.
 
The "up" side of it is that when six months is up I'll have over six days of paid vacation coming, which is an improvement over many places I've worked, where I would only have a week's time accumulated after a whole year. 
 
But, though, yeah, I'm a little more fatigued than I might have been otherwise because except literally for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day I've had no time off.  I used my "vacation time" to be off those days, but I worked the day after. Also I think I worked New Year's Day. But the UP side is in about a month, I have six or so "paid" days which I can use. 
 
Looking ahead, it seems that my "longest" breaks for the next few years are going to be after December finals.  I recall last term I had "21" days from my last final, through Christmas, until when school started again.  Between terms this time, and again at the end of the summer, there is only about a week.  I VOW to plan a trip somewhere.  There are some wonderful trips flying out of Montgomery for about 15 days in Europe that are running about 2000.  I never thought I'd want to do a "tour," but as I've gotten older, leaving the planning to someone else seems more and more inviting and attractive.  I like the idea of no "worries" about getting out of airports to hotels, having to arrange transportation, having to "tip" etc.  I really hate I have traveled so little lately. 
 
We have that FLEX plan here as well, but right now I'm putting in the minimum, because I'm putting the maximum into retirement, which the "company" matches 25 cents on the dollar up to a certain amount. 
 
I didn't realize Julie was only half time.  Licensing laws for M.S.W.'s vary widely state-to-state.  In FL M.S.W.'s are statutorily "equivalent" to clinical psychologists, but I don't believe here they are.  On the other hand, "counselors" in AL at the M.A. level have more "rights" here than in Florida.  It is very scary because in AL you can get a "rinky-dink" M.A. degree in Counseling and after I think one year of supervision, you are totally on your own to see "patients."  In FL, M.A.'s in counseling must always be under supervision.  Whereas I don't think there is a one to one correspondence between a particular degree and competence, some of the local counselors I've run across, sometimes socially, scare me to death--they're so "ignorant" and also pompous, a very bad combination. Re the "licensing" and payment, some insurance companies NO MATTER WHAT, will not pay for anything except psychiatrists, M.D.s and or Ph.D. licensed Clinical Psychologists.  No M.S.W.'s and NO counselors of any sort, even if you have a Ph.D. 
Elizabeth

Julie would go on and on about the management at the place she worked and it sounded like it was bad but I had seen Julie having trouble with “management” or authority with her conflicts with our boss Cynthia at ICL. Looking back on it, both Julie and Elizabeth were alike in that way.

RE: Policies