Categories: uncategorized
Date: 03 August 2005 19:06:25
Following on from the ridiculousness of not being able to use a blood glucose testing machine (previously blogged about), further tales of ridiculousness have emerged from my foray into bank nursing this week.
On Monday I started to fill in my timesheet and noticed that I had to include a payroll number. I'd already arranged, via my manager, to terminate my permanent contract last week but for my bank nurse contract (which has a separate number) to continue. However, as I hadn't done any bank work there for so long I didn't have a clue what my number was, so I called the bank to find out. What I found out, just as I was about to start out on my foray into local leg ulcers, was that my bank contract had been terminated as well, so I officially don't exist as an employee, and they won't pay me till I get a new contract issued. The fact that they'd already got stuff in writing from my manager apparently wasn't enough, so I left it in her hands (after a fruitless rant at the guy from the bank) and started working anyway, on the instruction from them that I should just hold on to my timesheets till I get the contract through then they'll pay me on them all at once rather than weekly as I was expecting. Later on it transpired that my manager had needed to send them something else (that she hadn't already) before they could restart the bank contract, so she did that and I assumed that everything would then be OK.
But not so fast! I got a phone call from the bank today, to say that they now have all the relevant information from my previous contract, apart from - wait for it - my occupational health clearance and my police CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check. These are both things that I could not have been employed in my previous job without, and so are definitely somewhere in the HR department (here's a clue guys: look in my personnel file). Fortunately I too have a copy of my CRB check (and even more fortunately hadn't packed it and knew exactly where to find it, unlike most other things in my house at the moment, so at least I didn't have to turn the entire house upside down. Plus it says on my check who in HR was also sent a copy), but I now have to arrange a new occupational health check at the local hospital (involving the bank writing to me, me writing to the hospital, and the hospital writing back with an appointment for who knows when). After this week I've only got 3 weeks left to work! Gah.
Once I get the letter from the bank, the guy told me to phone him again for more detailed instructions before sending it on to the hospital (I feel like I'm in Mission Impossible!). So I will await the next installment of ridiculousness and cockupery with glee (not).