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I quit my job because I had a mean office manager!

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J. Rogers

Junior Member
What is the name of your state?TX
I am going to try this once again and instead of making two messages I will now have three but this one will be the intire message. Okay, I worked for four months at a doctor's office where the office manager was real mean. These are some of the things that went on that make me feel I need some help. I know that nobody cares if I am sad or hurt, I just need some advice and here it goes........I was asked if I was married and I said yes. My office manager asked me if the kitty cat ever strayed. I was disgusted and said NO! Coments were made about my breasts and if they were real or fake. I had to have lab work done on myself after I was stuck with a used needle that a staff member did not dispose of immidiately in the sharps container. I was told because it was her at fault the clinic would pay my lab bill. It is still unpaid and going into collections as of 9-2-05. The office manager used profanity all the time, his favorite word was M*F*. He degraded me in front of other staff, saying I would never get a raise because I was not as good as the other girl I worked with and I would not get one until I was as good as her. I was told one day that people like me should be shot in the head, I did not answer the phone the way the office mang. wanted me to and this is what he told me. He would grab my arm and pull me to where he would show me I did something he did not like or was not up to his standards. He grabbed my arm and pushed me out of the way and told me if I could not run the front office without being slow that he would just do it himself. He told me if a new MA came into the office that they would be better than me, this is because I was also new and I would not code lab sheets because for each person the codes change for their particular matter. This is the doctors duty. I would take a chart into his office and say where do you want me to put this and he would slap himself in the face and say he was not going to go there, and said but you can leave the chart on my desk. He would have the doctor take charts home because they would be behind and if you know HIPAA you know you can't do that. He would say he is the devil and God himself is scared of him. The day I quit I had been cleaning the office at the end of the business day and took trash out to the dumpster and when I came back in the office manager had set his trashcan out in the lobby and as soon as I walked in the doors came storming out at me yelling that I have to put a trash bag back in his trashcan immidiately when I take it out. The day was over and there was no more trash, the other girl I worked with was right there. He never bothered to take me in to his office and tell me what he thought I was doing wrong. He enjoyed humiliating me, as well as others in front of everyone. We had 15 or 10 min. for lunch and worked 12 hr. days. I never had a break at all. He yelled at me in front of a patients room once and the patient even said that he should have pulled me away from any ears that might be listening. The list goes on and on. So should I do anything or have I waited too long? This happened in April of this year.
 


cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
I still don't understand why you couldn't just post the information on one of your other posts instead of starting still a third one, despite having been specifically told not to.

Profanity is not illegal. While some of the comments made to you are thoroughly unprofessional you do not have any legal recourse because of them. It is also not illegal to tell you in front of others that your work is unsatisfactory or to yell at you in front of others.

In your state, breaks of any kind are not required.

However, the sexual comments are illegal. ONLY the sexual comments are illegal. You have run quite close to the limit but you still have time to file a complaint of sexual harassment with the EEOC or your state civil right commission IF there were more than 15 employees. Discrimination and harassment laws at both the Federal and the state level start at 15 employees - smaller employers fly under the radar.

If you have a response or a further question, DO NOT START ANOTHER THREAD. ALL you need to do is click on Post Reply in THIS thread.
 

J. Rogers

Junior Member
Okay, first of all my work was not unsatisfactory. The doctor never said anything negative to me or corrected me. I actually had the office running on a different level then before I started. I had 4.0 GPA when I graduated from my school and on my certification test scored 97% so it was all his way of getting at me. I don't understand how being that rude and saying things like I should be shot in the head are not illegal. Also how is comparing other staff members salery to mine in front of everyone not illegal? I think you, like most people I have tried to get help from think I must be a stupid, non-educated person who is just blowing smoke and trying to make a case. I, once again have been shot down in humiliation. I am aware sexual harassment is illegal but speaking to your employees in negative manner all the time is unprofessional and taking charts out of the office is a big HIPAA violation. You didn't say a word about the bill they will not pay. Or the needle not being capped, are you familliar with the medical industry? Are they obligated to pay the lab bill which I keep receiving because of an ignorent mistake of the person that was suppose to be training me? Now, tables have turned you are not giving me enough detail. The corprate office was suppose to place me at another job site and they have not done this yet, nobody has even contacted me in three weeks. I feel I am being snubbed. Any ideas on this?
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
If you can find a law that says being rude is illegal, please post it here. I'm sure there would be a lot of people who would be interested in seeing it. I'm by no means defending someone saying the kind of things you describe; that's a horrible way to treat people. But that doesn't make it illegal. We do have freedom of speech in this country.

It is not illegal to compare other people's salary to yours because no law prohibits it.

You're right; I didn't say anything about the bill they will not pay. I apologize. But you aren't going to like it; they aren't required to pay it. It would be nice of them to do so. I believe that morally and ethically they should pay it. But the law does not say they have to.

The needle being uncapped MAY give you some recourse under OSHA. You are free to contact them and ask.

Your GPA in school is totally irrelevant.

I'm not the one saying your work was unsatisfactory. But whether you think so or not; whether the doctor said so or not; if the office manager felt that it was s/he was free to say so. Again, freedom of speech.

Any other details you think I should include?
 

J. Rogers

Junior Member
No, what about grabbing and pushing me? Is that not assult or harassment? I guess I just don't have a chance. I never thought that I would be dealing with people this unprofessional in the medical field. I know that I took an oath that said that I would do my best to be ethical and I suppose when you have a person who has no back ground in the medical you can expect them to act this way. I know my GPA is irrelevant but I want you to know that I am not an idiot looking for a free ride. I am a concerned medical professional seeking answers or maybe seeking justice from being treated in a horrible way. Threats are not taken lightly now days and when he told me I should be shot in the head, especially with his background (which I'm sure has no justification I suppose) I figured he would have to answer to someone. I guess my views on law are distorted. I thought I could get someone to help me. I will forget all that's happened, pay my own lab bill and hope the next person that works there is not hurt or taken advantage of. Oh, you said breaks are not a legal issue, well how about the 10-15 lunch working a 12 hr. day and still having to charge for a hour? Is that okay?
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
I'm not assuming that you are an idiot or that you are looking for a free ride. You have some legitimate complaints; it's simply that most of them do not constitute illegal behavior.

I suppose if you really, really wanted to push the issue, you might manage to get an assault charge out of his grabbing your arm or pushing you out of the way. But it's a long shot, and in the overall scheme of things it's not likely to get you very far. Frankly, the DA has bigger problems to deal with.

While it's true that threats are taken more seriously these days, common sense also has to be applied. Like it or not, the fact of the matter is that all of us have made such comments at some point to or of someone, and unless you have a valid reason to believe that he REALLY intended to shoot you in the head, common sense also says that he's just being a jerk again. A world class jerk, unquestionably, but once more, being a jerk is not illegal.

In your state they don't have to offer you any breaks at all. A 10-15 minute break on a 12 hour day is legal, even though I don't think it's enough. But are you saying that they are deducting a full hour from your pay for a break even though you are taking only 10-15 minutes? If so, that is NOT okay. They do not have to give you any breaks at all; they can require you to work a 12 hour or even a 16 hour day with no breaks period. But you must be paid for all the time that you actually work - if you only take a 10 minute break, they can only deduct 10 minutes from your pay.

If this is not what you're saying, please explain. If it is what you are saying, you can file a complaint with your state DOL.
 

BelizeBreeze

Senior Member
what an idiot pansey.

Oh waaaaaa your boss was sooo mean. Do you walk with a swish or call your boyfriend 'brucie'?

Go out and get a job at McDonalds. :rolleyes:
 

J. Rogers

Junior Member
Well I thank you for clearing things up for me. I do appreciate you. I am just frusterated. Yes, you understood me correctly. We would have a 10 min. lunch or sometimes 15min. but were asked to put 1hr on our time card because he said it was just easier to add up. Out of a week I did this at least 4x's. Our patient load would run over so we had to keep working until everyone was gone and that left us 10-15 min. most of the time. See, the office mang. would fill the schedule knowing we would work through lunch because the more patients the better, to also add a little twist the office manager is the doctor's husband.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
So you have a complaint for unpaid wages for the break issues to the Texas Workforce Commission. How many employees does this employer have?
 

J. Rogers

Junior Member
Me and another MA, the doctor and the receptionist and (him) the office manager. The other lady I worked with just told me I had to understand because the doctor had to get paid and she had not gotten a paycheck because she was so new to the profession. These were ways that they could save on money so the doctor could get paid. We were also told we could not work overtime but I stayed everyday after work to clean or get labs out to be picked up. A lot of the time we never put the real time we left because we were scared of getting in trouble for working the overtime. I would always stop my time at the end of the day. Stupid is'nt it? I have learned a lesson in life I suppose. When I do get another job I will be sure to interview the office manag. as he/she interviews me. This guy always got an excellent pay check though, even before his wife! Crazy, right?
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
Your sole recourse is the TWC, then. I'm sorry I don't have better news for you, but this is another instance of what your mother told you as a kid: Life Isn't Fair.
 

J. Rogers

Junior Member
You are so right! I never thought as an adult I would be told that because I tell my children that. I will look into talking with the TWC. I thank you for answering me, this morning I was only looking for answers to all the questions I had about this mess. I know now that we as grown adults have a lot to deal with at times, even jerks. I hope you have a great evening. Again, thank you. God Bless.
 

longneck

Member
J. Rogers said:
I had to have lab work done on myself after I was stuck with a used needle that a staff member did not dispose of immidiately in the sharps container.
cbg- would that be covered under worker's comp?
 

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