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An IC asked to commit to a schedule could...

Posted By: ndmt on 2009-09-06
In Reply to: Sure, an IC can APPLY - for unemployment but I cannot

technically be considered an employee. We are in construction, and between weather, seasonality, and our workers not showing up consistently, we always 1099'd our workers. Our accountant, however, said that if we had significant control over the schedule of our workers and directed what they do while they are working, they are considered employees according to the IRS. I think most MT jobs would reflect that same standard.


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Yes, IC but required to commit to a schedule. sm
These are not IC positions and the IRS knows. Their reward for breaking the law and cheating both the Transcriptionist and the IRS is coming.
IC status and being asked to commit to specific scheduling question
I thought I understood that this was not permitted to be asked if one was an IC.  I work a very, very stable schedule as it is, but they want me to tell them EXACTLY when I will work and also will I commit to weekends as well.  What do you all think??? 
When hired as QA was asked when (schedule) I
to stick to that.  Basically, have gotten on whenever I wanted and worked.  As long as TAT is met, theya dont seem to have a problem with flexibility.  And again, I was asked when I would be able to work, not told when to work.
Acutally, I asked for a schedule change and they could not
do it and so I moved on today to my next job.
Don't want to commit

Does anyone know of any companies that will hire you without any commitment of days or hours that you can work?  I know that's asking for a lot.  I am currently employed, but work can be very sporadic at times and other times very busy.  I want something to fill in those gaps. 


Thanks for any help!


Don't want to commit
Thanks to all for your suggestions!
You commit to how many lines sm
you want to do a day. No insurance as you are an SE.
Would a company ask an MT to commit identity theft?
Why would anyone do this or ask someone else to do this?  I do not understand.
You can't commit identify theft with general personal info
that is found in a resume. They would need to have more detailed info like ss#, which hopefully people aren't dumb enough to put in their resume anyway. Definitely if someone calls you asking for this, don't give it to them. However, as for the people that sent in their resume, it's not possible to steal your identity with the same stuff they could have just as easily gotten out of the phone book. Of course, I do believe that you should be cautious about your personal information, but there's no need to be so paranoid (like the Brian guy on the main page). People should be keeping a close eye on their credit reports anyway with the world the way it is now.
They want you to keep your schedule for TAT purposes but will work with you to find a good schedule
I love working there.
When they called me and I asked them if they offshored, they asked me why that was my business!
xx
I actually switched from a M-F schedule to a S-T schedule...sm
because of the financial situation.  I was offered a lot better money to work this schedule on a particularly picky account.  I can live with working on Sunday evenings because that is when my 2 teenage kids, also very active in sports, band, church, driving, dating, social life, etc., etc., are vegging on the couch, relaxing for the evening before it all starts again.  It was worth the sacrifice to me to be able to afford all the activities, and it really is not much different than working the M-F shift.  I do have Fridays off to kind of catch my breath while the kids are at school or go and take care of business.  I do not feel I have given up any of my life to work on Sundays.  Most companies will be flexible on the schedule for Sunday because of church, family dinner, whatever.  The way I look at it is later on, I may be able to switch to a M-F schedule if I am willing to give a little now.  Even if I don't, to me it was worth it for the extra money and mommy time I get on Fridays.  I am widowed so I do put a lot of time into my kids.  This is just what works for me.  On the other hand, it is ok to only want to work M-F, there is nothing wrong with that.  You have to do what is best for you. 
Sad but true. You're asked to work NOW, then asked to stop NOW, then go again and then stop
If you dont get off the minute the hospital asks, even if you have no idea that they have requested that your to be off, then the hospital MTs steal your work right out of your queue and I mean reports you have already done. I dont understand the concept of having a contract with a hospital and then having to fight for work with the hospital MTs. We should have guaranteed work during our shift and enough of the the hospital wants you to help right now and then a few hours later they want us to stop working as the work is too low. It is crazy and I couldnt work like that so I had to quit.
schedule
Do you give them a set schedule or a window of when you will work? What confuses me about the "set schedule" is that we are contracted to produce certain # lines, not hours. So if you are satisfied with your line count but are scheduled for 8 hours, do you still have to complete all 8?

Also, I haven't asked them yet, but are we allowed to work extra hours/days outside our schedules?

How are they with time off? How much notice would you give for a 1-week vacation?
Right now I have no set schedule, so I will
nm
I never ever have the same schedule sm
and it's worked fine for years now. I don't know what I can do - this flexibility is the only reason I have stuck with MQ this long.
schedule

I read through all the posts below yesterday, and a couple of them mention a grid with all days and hours listed and you have to mark what hours you will work (but that this has to be approved by supervisor).  It didn't sound like it had to be continuous hours and you could work several split shifts.


I agree about needing the flexibility.  It's the only reason I have stayed with MQ.  I  am a part time SE too and I have another full time job.  Half of the time I am available to work, there is no work to do,  so I have had to be flexible to even get in my quota.  I know if I give them a set schedule, there won't be work half the time, so what do you do then?   Another thing, my schedule changes from week to week, and from what I read below, it sounds like it is just one grid, so that would mean that your schedule would have to stay the same from week to week -- doesn't work for me either. 


It's too bad -- they are going to lose a lot of good MTs over this


 


 


  


 


No, not still with them. No set schedule.
You are an IC with them. You have 24 hours to complete your work and return via FTP site. At least that was my routine on my account. Don't know if every account is the same.

I no longer work for them as I went out and got my own accounts and the account I was on with them was lost to a larger national - go figure!

They are pretty decent company, but I don't know what kind of work load they have - you will have to talk with them.

Like I said, pay is always on time, correct and accurate, and you work as an IC, last I knew.

All you can do is give them a try.

As far as work load, 1200 lines a day +/-. Not enough for me!


Not too bad, if you like a schedule
I worked for them for about 2 years.  I had worked as an IC and thought I would try switching to employee status.  They were great in the fact that they sent all my equipment, training was even fun (great trainers), supervisor and tech support always responded quickly.  However, once you set a schedule you must adhere to it.  You are actually only allowed to deviate once a month, depends on your supervisor though.  For me, that was a problem.  After being an IC for many years it was hard to go back to a schedule.  I'm working as an IC again now and hope I never have to go back to being an employee.  I wish you luck!
They ask you the schedule you will be
working. It works out well for me because I work in the morning and again at night.
MDI-MD schedule
When I was hired, I was told I could make my own schedule as long as I worked two Saturdays a month. It works for me. They get the needed coverage and I get time with my family.
Do ICs have a set schedule? sm

I've never really worked as an IC but now am considering PT IC work but honestly doubt I could adhere to a set schedule because I have a FT QA job as an employee.  Are there companies that hire without having one? 


 


Thanks!


schedule (sm)
It is really not that rigid.  They would like to know when you are on; for example, should they have a stat or something and want to route it to you.  I have never encountered a problem there even though I have been there less than a year.  I take a lot of breaks, but not really long ones.  If I have to go out for something, they only want you to let them know.  I guess the main reason would be, like if you are scheduled for 5 a.m. start and you work on preops, that could potentially cause a problem if you don't get on till 7. I have never had a problem with this, though. 
schedule (sm)
I pretty much stick to my schedule also.  I do take a lot of breaks, cause at my age, I stiffen up if I don't - LOL - there have been several occasions where something has come up and they have always been nice about it and let me make it up.  I'm also happy there.
There's some that let you schedule...sm
8 hours in a 12-hour window. Maybe someone else knows more.
Schedule
They like a schedule or idea when your are going to be working so they can staff the account properly but sometimes I will work a few hours in the morning, take off a few hours and come back in the evening. In other words, your not tied to sitting there 8 hours straight. The jobs are put in your queue when you ask for them. They usually just come up a few at a time and say you had 3 in the queue. You finished one and had to go somewhere then it'd just throw the other two back into the queue for someone else to pick up. Not a big deal. I have never worked for a company so flexible. I love it. I get my lines in but I do it around my schedule with kids and other things in my life. Hope that helps some.
KS schedule
What is your schedule like? Do you have to work whenever they need you or do you have any kind of regular schedule?
Schedule
The schedule seems pretty flexible to me. They ask me to provide them a monthly schedule of the hours I am planning to work. This is so they can plan their workload. It seems pretty fair and reasonable enough to me. They do not dictate a schedule to me. I merely let them know when I am planning to work.
if NO schedule...sm
then why do they advertise that they want a schedule?
well, I don't think you could get a M-F schedule unless sm
it was like 3-11 pm or 11-7 am. Yes, you get raises. There are 6 paid holidays. If you work you get extra money, no PTO necessary for holidays.
schedule
might work if you can actually get to sleep when you come home and if you can really take a nap later.  It's very difficult for me sleep during the daytime.   I work until 12 pm or 1 am and get up about 7. Sometimes I am tired but can't nap
MDI schedule
You get a 24-hour window to schedule the line count you provide to them. They need an idea on how much we each are doing to properly staff the different accounts. I'm not sure about now, but in the past they also had p.r.n. status, without a schedule, but the work would not be guaranteed and the rate would be lower.

So it you want to get a feel for MDI, start lower to see how it goes, and then increase as needed.

Good luck!
No set schedule, just TAT that is met, is the
x
TT PT schedule
I do Sun-Thur PT, my choice, 4 to 8 pm. Some PT'ers do rotate weekends and take a day off during week.
IC with schedule also!!!
I really hate to post this because I know I will be told that I should be greatful or if I do not comply, the Indians will  take my job, but I have applied to several jobs this month and each one I told I wanted to be an IC.  Well, I was hired in and guess what, now they want me to commit to a schedule and even on the weekends.  I have been told at this one particular company to log in immediately and the manager called today to see what the heck I was doing not being logged in.  I am sick to death of this situation and I too am in nursing school and I cannot wait to be done with this because the days of being a true IC is over.  I know these companies have to meet TAT, but there are rules to being an IC also.  I have found that if you cannot commit, they will not hire you or if they hire you, they try to make you commit.
IC with a schedule
If I were in that situation I would remind them that one of the definitions under the United States Tax Code is that an IC sets his or her own hours. This company apparently wants to have its cake and eat it, too--if they get away with not paying you as an employee but as an IC, they CANNOT BY LAW require a schedule. Go to the IRS website and see their publications about what truly constitutes an IC.
IC AND SET SCHEDULE....SM

Of course, they know this (or should).  So if the subject comes up during the interview process and they do ask for a schedule, ask them to either give you a schedule or request a schedule from you in writing, preferably in your IC contract.  Betcha they won't do it!  Ever notice when they ask for a IC/set schedule, it's always by phone.... they know if any sort of legal issue every came up, you have nothing to back up this demand of theirs.   Of course, you can always print out any e-mail re. schedule requirement for IC from them.


You still have a set schedule and (sm)
work your 40 hours, but in order to qualify for FT benefits you must meet a MINIMUM of $900 per pay period.  Depending on your line rate you figure your minimum lines over the 8 hour day.  You can always do more than that when work is available and believe me, it's always available.  They also offer OT sometimes when accounts are backed up. 
schedule
It would never even enter my mind to approach something like that type of schedule. It is not unusual for me to work a bit on some Saturdays and/or Sundays, but especially as an IC, I would not be bound to this. I am daytime Monday through Friday from an adherent point of view. I have been an MT too long and have paid my dues. My family and time off is everything to me. Just another inconsiderate, and quite frankly, as it relates to what an IC is, corrupt approach when MT positions are being offered. Ridiculous!
When you say schedule do
you mean a straight 8 hours or promised line count? I will never work a full 8 other than when I am learning an account that is. So I need to know before applying. I don't get the required 8 hour thing that I have noticed some companies do. It does not make sense that if a person gets 1600-2000 lines done in 7 hours that they should have to work. It's time to sign off!!
There should never be a SCHEDULE
You are still missing the point. You AND the TTS staff need to become familiar with the labor laws regarding ICs. Don't worry, the labor board will be contacting them soon. lol
No schedule, but...
You do have to work either Tues through Sat or Sun through Thur. At least that is for new hires. I think old-timers may not have to do that.
I have that schedule
It's called flexibility; if I really need to take Saturday off I take it off and work another day. It's not that difficult, but I don't have kids, just a husband. :)
I think it is whatever your schedule is like..sm
Like if you are working Tues through Saturday and a holiday is on Saturday, then you would probably be required to work unless you received prior approval to be off and vice versa.

My company was bought out by them and I have since quit. To me, they were VERY hard to deal with, unprofessional, never answered your e-mails, never tried to help you in any situation at all. You are just a number to them and your number is not a top priority on their pole.

I loved my old company. It is a shame that they were bought out. Lots of people left due to their ridiculousness.

Good luck though...and hope this answered your question.
schedule
I haven't got the emails asking to change schedule exactly, just on a couple accounts where the work has been pretty low the liason will say we probably need to stagger our work time to get our lines in. My primary team has been told that we are weak on weekend coverage and we need to do better, but no one has (so far) said we HAVE to do nights or weekends if not already scheduled that way.

If you already do a weekend day I definitely wouldn't add more onto it if it was me. The email was probably speaking more to the people on your team who don't work every weekend and won't work nights.
I gave MQ a set schedule as an SE but
I have the power to change it myself. I simply call (and followup with an email, always) and let them know as soon as I can that I will not be working. I always try to tell them when I will be making that time up or what my alternative plans are. I haven't had any problem.

I don't have a problem with them having a schedule to know when I am expecting to work routinely but I don't have to get approval or get someone saying, "Gee, I wish you wouldn't take off tomorow." I just make my own decision.

Working my schedule..PLUS some.
I DO work my schedule. I'm asked for more so I do more.

And yep, I work in Dallas/SW office, too.

FIRM SCHEDULE

Haven't gotten my packet yet. What does firm schedule mean???


Yes, it's true. I set my own schedule, and
have never worked nights or weekends. They sent the computer right away via UPS.
Work schedule? (sm)
I am trying to come up with a schedule that will work well with an every other Sunday in it.  I work a 5-day week.  Any suggestions from MTs who also work this type of schedule?  I really prefer to have 2 days off in a row, but I don't know how I can do that on the weeks that I work the Sundays. 
rotating/schedule
I used to be in charge of scheduling and I had some people who wanted to work every other weekend and the way we would do it was the first week, they would work Mon-Thursday with Fri/Sat/Sun off and then the second week of the rotation, they worked Monday through Saturday the next week with only Sunday off.  That way, you worked 4 days the first week and 6 days the second week.  It may sound like a tough schedule, but getting those 3-day weekends every other weekend was sure nice!  And, as long as you had someone else working the exact opposite schedule, it worked out okay as far as making sure we always had weekend coverage.