Sometimes Work Stinks

I think I mentioned that I went back to working overnight shift as a supervisor for the entire campus a couple weeks back. One of my job responsibilities is to visit the homes and make certain that none of the overnight staff are asleep.

So last night I go to the home I used to work in to get some paperwork and check on how things are. One of the evening staff was still there doing paperwork. One of the overnight staff was at the table doing paperwork and the other was on the couch. She appeared to be sleeping but when I asked for the paperwork, she got up and got it so I figured I must have been mistaken. She sat down and I continued to hang out for a short while chatting with the other two staff in the home.

All of a sudden, I hear snoring. The staff on the sofa had gone sound asleep. I couldn't believe it. To be asleep and snoring with me sitting right there was not good. And this where work stinks.

I call the Program Manager (PM) this afternoon to tell her and she grills me about why I didn't page her and tell her when it was happening. That person should have been fired on the spot. Well ... no one told me the procedure to follow. I was told only to "report if I ever discover someone asleep on the job". The woman who was sleeping is 63 years old and has been working there for 13 years now. I know for a fact that she has been sleeping on overnights since she was hired, but to date no one had done anything about it. I also figured with two other staff there that could verify what happened, I could wait a little while to report it.

Now I'm waiting to hear from the PM who was going to talk to the Program Director (my immediate boss) to find out how we are going to proceed. She very well may be fired for this, as she should be but I hate that it is in part my fault. I hate that she put me in this position. And I could get written up for 'not following procedure' but since I haven't been given a procedure I will fight it if that should happen. This PM wants to work out a code so that if a staff is discovered sleeping on the job, I would page the PM of whatever home it is and put in the code. She would then know to come to the home because a staff is sleeping. Okay, fine but they need to make it the same for every home and not different because of how the managers want it. Ah ... work just stinks sometimes, I guess.