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slander or defamation of character??? in the workplace

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S

scoobs1975

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What is the name of your state?

I live in massachusetts, while working in a general hospital and having a spotless employee record, i attempted to give my resignation of my overstressed and underpaid/underappreciated nursing job. I am a registered nurse. I attempted to resign and initially my bosses first accepted my resignation and then came back to me a week later and stated that i would need to "sign this" stating that I was TERMINATING my position at the hospital. This is not what I intended to do. In my letter of resignation I elected to stay on board as a Per Diem member, meaning I could help out with staffing shortages but not have set schedule. I was informed that it was a "manager's discretion" whether or not I was allowed to be perdiem. My boss said that I was an asset and didn't want me to leave my position, but I explained that I was way too stressed and unhappy. They suggested going to another department or trying a different shift, (so this tells me that they still wanted me). I did have another job lined up but it was an agency that I can pick or chose my hours every week basically not a set schedule and no commitment to a certain number of hours per week. I told my boss that I was doing this and I still wanted to work two days a week at my general hospital job, and two days a week agency. When Management heard this, is when they had me sign those papers. My boss also laughed at me and stated that I would be back and if I wanted to come back that I wasn't leaving on bad terms and I would be welcome. I doubt i can prove this comment because it was a closed door meeting with my boss, her boss and myself. Irregardless, I elected to try a different shift as to not burn my bridge in this community hospital. According to my notice the resignation of my second shift position was to end Jan 5, 2003. So I worked that night and the next morning called my boss to find out when I would be due back for my third shift duties. She informed me that the scheduling period was already done and I would have to wait THREE MORE WEEKS TO BE PUT BACK ON THE SCHEDULE!!!! Is this legal? they had me sign a transfer paper that stated I was changing my 24hour/week 3-11p.m. position to 24h/week 11p-7a.m position. My first question is it legal for them to not have me work for three weeks?
Secondly, the situation grew worse. I started doing agency and decided the other community hospital was well run, patient oriented and more in tune with my views of healthcare delivery. I still had not been put on the 11-7 shift at Hospital A. I spoke to my boss and she stated that I could continue to work my slated 3-11p.m. hour til the new schedule came out. Which I did because I didn't want to burn a bridge, and they didn't schedule me anyhours on 11-7 shift. I had plenty of hours at hospital B which even pays more, but I kept my record clean at hospital A because I had 15months in and was also a "Charge" nurse there. All of my reviews state that I am an excellent employee with no reprimands of any kind on my record. So with all this said, the end of the month came and my new schedule came out...my boss put me on one day off the next on the next and off the next etc etc for 2 out of the 4 weeks that were scheduled. NO other employee was scheduled this way and I had never been schedule this way before I requested to go perdiem, in the entire 15 months I had been there. Staggering days while working 11-7 is basically physically impossible!!! I called my big boss and she agreed it was physcially impossible, she must have called my direct boss who made the schedule, who quickly called me back and stated, "I heard you have a problem with the schedule." I explained that I didn't have a problem with it, but felt it was probably an oversight and was wondering if she could readjust the schecdule so my 11-7 shifts were grouped together say two on, two off and one on...or something that wasn't staggered. She stated she would call around. One of my coworkers stated they were doing it to get me out! I asked my boss this and she stated she was offended that I would think that...
At this point I was soooo frustrated with both of my bosses that I called human resources to state that I wish to resign my position effectively immediately because of the games they had been playing with me since the end of december when I gave my two week notice of intention to resign my position. The human resource lady was helpful to me in the beginning of January when I went to ask her about their perdiem policy where she informed me that it was a manager's discretion as to wether or not an employee could stay on perdiem. After speaking with her for apporoximately 20minutes and some tears later, I explained to her my situation and told her that I wasn't willing to work for people who were going to treat me like this. HERE IS WHERE MY QUESTION COMES IN? I gave her my resignation immediately and explained to her that I felt that I couldn't tell my boss to her face because she intimated me and I was emotionally distraught over having to leave like this, meaning them making it sooo hard for me to stay. So with her instruction I called my boss's office and received her voice mail, I didn't leave my resignation on her voice mail but stated that I gave my resignation effectively immediately to Human Resources and that I was sorry that thing had to end like this. This voice mail is accessed only by her and she is the only person working in the room it's her office. So no one had direct access to that voice mail besides her...a week ago some of my friends at work stated that it was going around that "I quit on the voice mail." This is not true, this hurts me terribly and I am a professional who will continue to practice in this community, I don't want any negative things said about me by my former boss's that would later come back to hurt my chances of not getting a position in the other hospital. To me this was a breach of cofidentiality and slander. I have composed a five page letter referencing all the things that happened to me after I attempted to resign my position, I intend to send it to the president of HR, the pres. of the hosptial, the manager of all nursing, and my two former bosses. I want them to know what happened to me, because I never attended an exit interview and was never contacted to set one up.
I am currently working at Hospital B through an agency and they have already offered me a permanent position if I so chose, again proving that I am a conscientious and diligent worker who is an asset. Please advise me on what you think about my boss who spread around that I quit by voice mail. I would not be soooo steamed if it was a peer, because nurses are ruthless, but it was my boss, and there should be confidentiality in regards to my personal issues with my employment. If I wanted the whole hospital to know I would have done things differently. I was so stressed out over my staggered schedule, and I felt like they were doing things to piss me off and make it hard for me to stay.
Do I have anything here? I have three people who have heard this negative stuff, none which say they heard it from the source but how else would everyone know...she has the code to her voice mail and it was either her or human resources which I highly doubt, but if it was them then my issue of breach of confidentiality would be with them.....i anxiously wait your response.

steaming mad in massachusetts
 



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