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I work on my days off, but mainly because I haven't gotten 40 hours in for the

Posted By: kate on 2007-12-27
In Reply to: Let me explain what I meant by - "Working more than they should"

week and if I feel like working I am able to do so. Not working extra or anything, just have not gotten in a full week.


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30 hours divided by four days equals seven-hour days. Most of us have to work pretty much every day
.
And then consider when you work 9 hours a day 7 days a week...that adds up to way TOO much!

I have work...16 hours' worth every day, 6 days a week no less. nm
nm
I haven't had it, but I'm counting the days until I do!! nm
nm
I go to the gym 4 days a week for 2 hours
each. I do 1/2 hour on 2 different machines and then go use the weights for the last hour. I had a trainer when I first joined and he taught me a lot about how to change my routine but his favorite job was the torturing. The gym has a day care that costs me $10 extra a month so I usually go right after I finish work at 1. You need to make time to exercise. It was hard at first to get into it but I love it now.
if you only agreed to days and hours

They have no right to make you work any certain hours, that's the point of being an IC.  Don't let them dictate how many hours you work at a time.  I have been an IC for 10 years and have only committed to days and lines.


By the way, 1500 lines per day is very good production.


Correction - They will be flexible with HOURS/days, etc.
...rather than benefits.
I type 16 hours 5 days a week
No cause I want to. Took a part-time job hoping to work into full-time, however, don't make enough with it after 1-1/2 years to make it full-time, so I'm still doing both jobs.. I guess I'm a glutton.. Would like one job to make that amount.
two days, had hunch should leave within a few hours but stuck it out. LOL

Doing wrong? Probably only working 80 hours a week 6 days.


But in transcription, if you are good at what you do, you can do 8 hours of work in 4 hours. So eit

you slice it, both companies will still get 8 hours worth of work out of you.


That is the problem I've been having lately being an MT.  Companies want to pay us on production and they set minimum productivity standards, but want us timed in for 8 hours a day.  My thinking is, if they want 8 hours of work out of me, pay me hourly with production incentive.  If they want to pay me on production and tell how much I have to produce in an 8 hour period, then when I hit that mark, I should be able to call it a day even if I've only worked 4 hours.


Seems these companies want it both ways and it is simply not fair to us MTs.  JMO, tho.


You can "make a living" if you work 16-hr days, 7 days
and if you rarely buy anything but food and the barest essentials in clothing. My balancing act is so precarious that all it'll take is one of life's little disasters (rent increase, sick pet, major car repair) to pull the rug out from under me. Not a good feeling at all.
2-1/2 hours a day, 1300 lines/day, $150 a day, 7 days a week, IC status
a
Have never known shift lead who just worked 8 hours a day for 5 days. By the time they
:+
I must say, I work long hours, sometimes 12-14 hours a day.
I thought it was important to mention that. However many hours it takes to get the work done is what I do. Some days 12 hours, other days 6 hours and sometimes 14 hours. So, I guess there really is no easy answer.
nope, still crunching last few days of year to hit my 50k this year. how can you when you haven'
;
IC sets their own hours. As long as the work is done by the deadline, you decide when to work.

I work 7 days a week because I work 3 jobs.
Workaholic here who would seek counseling if I had the time. hahaha
Anyone work 7 days a week with shorter work

I have arthritis in a couple of places, and I'm having a lot of trouble making it rhrough 8-hour days, even with split shifts, and I end up working most weekends anyway to make up for my decreasing production durng the longer days. I'm wondering if I should just commit to seven 5-1/2 hours days and be done with it.


You mean they work OUR holidays. They just had a big one that lasted 5 days and WE had work for a w

You think Indians don't get sick?  They have to be constantly sick in that disgusting place. 


If you work for MQ, how come they haven't provided

you with a foot pedal?  Ask and see if they'll send you one.


One day I had to go to my local MQ office to have them look at my computer, and on my way out, they handed me a foot pedal for the "new upcoming platform."


Then when I received my computer rental in the mail a couple of months later, they sent me another foot pedal (same as the first one).  A back up?

And finally, when they trained me for the new platform a couple of months ago, the booklets, some new headphones, and a NEW PEDAL came in a nice box to me!


So anyway, as an owner of three foot pedals free from MQ, give 'em a try. 


I haven't missed a day of work in 10 years
I can't believe so many ICs do this, taking days off! It's unheard of to me.

I don't blame you for getting frustrated. Seems no one has a good work ethic these days.
I interviewed to work in a pharmacy ... haven't heard yet, but -- sm
the company will send their pharmacy clerks to classes and pay for pharmacy tech certification, even though it is not required in New York state. Waiting to hear back from them this week.
Great company but like everyone else they over hire. Haven't had work since before Christmas *sm
because it is a slow time and I refuse to get up at 4:00 a.m. to beat someone else to it.  I am in the process of obtaining a second and third account and am going to start looking out for myself from now on.  I now understand why there is such a turnaround with MTs and companies - seems like the companies overhire and then the MT has to look elsewhere - they work at the new company for awhile until they find that they have now over hired and then they look elsewhere.   I have been with MDI for a few years and I plan to stay there but I am going to take on another job or even two so I do not sit idle when times are slow. 
What hours do you work?
I am having a hard time setting a schedule.  I would like to work early mornings, but it is hard ot get motivated.
So how many hours a day do you work? nm
xx
So-you work 13 hours a day?(sm)

I can't even get 8 in without falling asleep, most of the time between the hours of 7-9 a.m. My first 3 hours, I can do almost 200 lines an hour. After that, it's downhill.  I rarely hit 1,000 lines a day let alone what you do. Thick ESL account.


We are not allowed to work more than 8 hours a day. I use an expander, but I'm slow with it. Still have a lot of words that need to go in. The worse part of this is  remembering  that I have a short cut for the words!


Another problem I have is that I hate leaving blanks and I will take time to research and look things up.  I know I could cut the time a bit, but . . .I can't stand to do that. I freak out with an ESL if I have to leave 2 blanks.


It's the falling asleep I can't handle. Yet, we have to work our scheduled hours or suffer the consequences, so I'm stuck. I guess I'll be out the door soon.


I'm getting so-o-o depressed because of it. I left a job earning $1400 for 15 days for 1/3rd that I am getting now. Can't afford the health insurance, can't afford to save money. Heck, can't afford to pay my bills anymore.


I work about 5-1/2 hours a day, five...sm
days a week as an IC and make about $27,000/year contracting with a national at 0.0975/line.  I feel like I represent the norm, but I could be wrong.  Sounds like a lot of people on this board are doing a lot better, although I don't know of any personally. 
I work 24 hours
and make around $22-24,000. And I am NOT glued to my computer (because of small children). I could make $30-32,000 if I really tried.
How many hours do yo work a day
to get these lines? I would think it would take you more than eight. I would hate to spend more than eight hours working, but that is me.
I only work 35 hours and anything/ sm

over 35 hours is OT.  If I work before or after my scheduled shift on any day, I get OT pay.  This is before I have reached my 35 hours too.  Whenever I work when it is not my normally scheduled time, it is considered OT. 


No & if you work the same hours SM
and same production year after year, you will actually see a DEcrease in your income over time.  Isn't that nice?  The only way you can maintain or increase your income in this biz is to work longer and faster.
I can see days when work is there..sm
I can understand a company saying "this is when we get the work." Especially if clinic. Docs see patients on Monday, dictate, and work is there to do on Tuesday. That could certainly be possible in a certain scenario. However, as an IC, you should have a TAT and be able to work whatever hours you want within that TAT. You shouldn't HAVE to go to employee status to get the hours you want. I don't think you asked any questions that were out of line. Sounds like it's not the right fit for you. There are plenty of jobs out there for someone with your experience so don't settle if you feel uncomfortable!
and work more than 40 hours/week you are due

compensation.  If your company requires you to work 7 days a week I'd find a new job.  They may ASK you to work extra as workload dictates but by no means should you be required too.  Many companies require 1 weekend/month or every other weekend, but there are off days during the week, unless you WANT to work.


If you are an IC you work what you commit to.  If a company can get you to work as an IC by holding over your head you dictate the hours you work, versus working a set schedule, why not.   With having to compete with companies offshoring they have to cut expenses where they can and cutting benefits, etc. is where they do it.  I don't like it, but in order to stay in business they have to, but they also can't require you to work 7 days/week either.  


 


 


 


Looking to pick up some prn work, about 10 hours per
week. I have Word 2000 and Transnet or can use FTP. Acute care or clinic. Email me for details if interested.
where do you work that you just do lines, not hours?- nm
nm
I take a 5-10 min break every 2 hours I work ...
barring that, I try to have as close as possible productive hours during my shift.
A little over 1100 - 5 hours work. nm
x
Only work 8 hours a day?? (Anon)
I honestly don't know how you do it. After 17 years of doing MT, my C-spine is a mess, i.e. DDD, bulging disk, bone spur, cord compression, disk dessication, etc. Four hours of transcribing IMHO, considering the intensity of the work (eyes on screen, hands on keyboard, foot on pedal, headphones on, glued to chair) is equivalent to the 8 to 9 hours I used to put in daily as a medical secretary with the breaks at the water cooler, and just having different tasks to break up the day. An MT can't even listen to a radio while working. Four hours is my limit. Friends and family will comment on how lucky I am to only work a 4 hour day. If they only knew how much work I do in those 4 hours...
sorry, but some ICs have specific hours to work (nm)
x
I work 8 hours a day and average anywhere
between 1700 and 2000 with 65 character line, spaces included.
I'm with you! So I work the hours people don't want
to work. Much too stressful to fight for work. Life is too short for me to take the money I already earn to spend on a physician prescribing nerve pills.
I work 40 hours a week and more
if there is work and I don't slack off and barely take a break. I do acute care and seldom leave a blank. According to my Expander stats, I am saving myself 23 hours of work and do 22% of the total in expanders. My pay has actually gone down especially this year and I am using more Expanders every day. That's my story.
Let's do all our work for the month in 4 days. (sm)

Anyone else out there with this problem.  Just when you think the work is flowing fine, all of a sudden it's slow, no work, the doctors are on vacation.  Then they come back and whammo!  Your plans are shattered to continuously sit at the desk for 4 days straight.


I'm ready to quit and make hair bows for a living.


 Rah, rah for hair bows.  No stress and if I work this hard, I could probably make more money.


MQ has no work. Hasn't had for many days. What are you being

There are requirements for insurance if you are FT


There are requirements for certain equipment if SE


I can't seem to get anything in writing from them, the rules are fluid.


What are you all being told?


Tuesday off -- work other 6 days /nm
.
If MTs want to work 10+ hour days
...more power to them.  Not me - I'm gettin' tired of this.  They're lucky if they get 6 hours out of me.  I worked 10+ hours a day and weekends when I first started.  Now, I could care less.  I may not perform 1200+ lines a day, but I have excellent QA. 
I work 6 days a week- only 1 of these has - sm
weekend work and that is by choice - so I could have the weekend off too. Generally though I work Sunday; Saturday is the day we do things together; and Sunday mornings we usually go out and do something. So I have most of the weekend free to recharge and have fun.
I work 6 days a week....

I posted this before, but it got deleted somehow, so I'm sorry if this shows up twice. I work 6 days a week for about 4 hours a day. Sometimes it is 5 hours a day if the dictators are bad. I have found that since I have switched to this schedule, I am more productive since I am not so worn out, and I produce more per hour than I did when I was working an 8-hour day. But I must have at least 1 day off. I couldn't imagine working EVERY SINGLE DAY. Good luck!


I personally do not want to work on my days off..
nm
I currently work 70 hours a week and three jobs...
so it is physically possible to work that many hours. I am going down to 50 hours a week in two weeks, but you do what you have to do.