May 7, 2018 "as a tech company manager, i am being denied time in lieu": Today I found this article in the globe and mail:
The Question
I work for an IT company, and we are on call a lot. Myself and a co-worker have a feeling we are getting bullied by our boss, and we are really not happy with it. He is a tech and is on call every other week. I am a liaison between departments, client side versus company side. I am on call 24/7. When I am engaged and brought into work, can that be flagged as part of my salary?
Is it fair and legal to assume that my life is stuck on hold while I am getting teams in place to do work, and not be compensated in any way? “It’s part of the job; it’s in your salary,” they say. My boss has flip-flopped. “Time in lieu” is allowed, then not allowed. So I’m looking for laws that will help me to either a) know where I stand, or b) force the hand to say: You’re breaking the law and I’m not okay with that.
If I have to dump the weekend with my kids every once in a while because of work? Okay, it happens. But give me some time off to get that time back with my kids. Am I out of line?
The First Answer
Heather Faire
Canadian human resources executive, Atlanta
It is not unusual for some IT client service professionals to be on call or work overtime.
Is your boss breaking the law? Google it! Check out the overtime pay provision in your provincial employment standards act.
Most provincial standards provide for overtime pay or time in lieu for hours worked over a set number per week. For example, in Ontario, the standard is based on 44 hours per week.
However, there are several exemptions in provincial overtime pay rules, including for management, specific professions and government workers. Your job could fall under an exemption.
Most provincial standards provide for overtime pay or time in lieu for hours worked over a set number per week. For example, in Ontario, the standard is based on 44 hours per week.
However, there are several exemptions in provincial overtime pay rules, including for management, specific professions and government workers. Your job could fall under an exemption.
Is your boss a bully? Think back. If your on-call and overtime requirements were implemented without notice or discussion, perhaps you have a bully on your hands. If the requirements were disclosed and agreed to when you took the job and your boss is generally reasonable on other matters, then perhaps you don’t.
Is it something else? Reflect and take stock. No matter one’s profession, personal lives grow and evolve. The ongoing quest to maintain a healthy and productive work-life balance can be tricky, and sometimes that means making professional adjustments or changes.
After reviewing the employment standards, if you believe laws are being broken, inform your manager and human resources, then request remediation. If no laws were broken, talk to your manager and see if you can work out a plan to anticipate or preschedule overtime. If that’s not possible, consider a move to another department or to another company for a job that better fits your personal needs.
The Second Answer
Shane King
Partner, McLeod Law LLP, Calgary
Each province has a different determination as to how employees who are on call are treated. In Alberta, for example, if an employee is not required to perform work at home, no payment is required and being on call or on standby is not considered working. If the employee is required to leave home and report to work, generally, the minimum pay required is equal to three hours’ pay.
There are exemptions to these minimum standards for hours of work and rest, which include information systems professionals, as well as managers and supervisors and many others (including lawyers!).
As you are in IT, without knowing your specific duties, it sounds like you would be exempted from overtime and anything you wanted to seek in regard to time off would be negotiated between you and your employer.
As you are in IT, without knowing your specific duties, it sounds like you would be exempted from overtime and anything you wanted to seek in regard to time off would be negotiated between you and your employer.
There are 3 comments right now. The website didn't have let us post comments since end of Dec. and now it's finally up:
First answer is not an answer - or even an opinion. You can't answer a question by asking a bunch more questions.
My advice is to polish up your CV and start networking.
The tech company I spent most of my time with didn't pay the highest salaries. But unlike others, they had no qualms about paying for ALL of the overtime we worked, including on-call. The only drawback was they flatly refused to give us time-in-lieu. (I could have easily taken 3 months a year if they did!)
Many tech companies are ruthless with their employees. The so-called perks at Google and others (meals, daycare, etc) aren't really perks at all but freebies designed to keep you on campus.
OK - reality for any professional on salary - you do what it takes to organize and implement solutions. And there will be situations when business demands 24/7 of your attention - or programs may crash or customers walk ...Ultimately it is YOUR call concerning time vs. $$Happened to me - that is why I have no hair left .-)HOWEVER:The minute you invoke legalities or even worse the much belabored "bully" epithet you are or have lost the case.
You and your boss must come to an interpersonal agreement - OR - you musty be prepared to update your resume and walk. Always negotiate from a position of personal initiative, strength and marketability - not as a helpless cringing weakling ! Always have an alternate job offer in your back pocket !
You and your boss must come to an interpersonal agreement - OR - you musty be prepared to update your resume and walk. Always negotiate from a position of personal initiative, strength and marketability - not as a helpless cringing weakling ! Always have an alternate job offer in your back pocket !
May 9, 2018 Clinical informatics specialist: Today I found this article by Jared Lindzon in the Globe and Mail:
Job: Clinical informatics specialist
The role: Clinical informatics specialists work with clinicians, technology companies and patients to integrate and optimize health-care technologies.
While the role was once confined to a hospital setting, and has existed as long as health records have been digitized, responsibilities and opportunities have expanded in recent years as the result of an explosion in digital health services.
“We used to be really focused on acute care,” explained Laurie Poole, vice president of clinical innovation at the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN). “As we start looking at care more in the home and the community, home-care organizations, hospitals and digital health organizations are utilizing [clinical informatics specialists], so it’s becoming a much more common role.”
Ms. Poole emphasizes that the role does not involve developing technology products, nor do clinical informatics specialists treat patients. “They don’t need to be a tech expert, but they’ll work with the technical team, they’ll work with business analysts, they’ll work with business managers, because it’s really about the work flow and integrating it into a digital tool so it’s more easily adopted,” she said.
Salary: Since many clinical informatics specialists are former licensed medical practitioners, Ms. Poole says that regulatory bodies and medical colleges often set salary expectations.
For example, if a registered nurse in Ontario were to switch professions to become a clinical informatics specialist (their background in the field is obviously valuable), the Ontario Nursing Association would mandate salary expectations.
For example, if a registered nurse in Ontario were to switch professions to become a clinical informatics specialist (their background in the field is obviously valuable), the Ontario Nursing Association would mandate salary expectations.
“It’s probably in the $55,000 to $60,000 range [annually] for entry-level,” she says, adding that mid-career professionals in the industry typically earn 20 to 25 per cent more, or roughly $66,000 to $75,000 annually, while senior level employees often earn between 40- or 50-per-cent higher salaries than entry level employees, or approximately $77,000 to $90,000 annually. “The salary expectation would also take into consideration their years of clinical experience, informatics background and additional experience,” adds Ms. Poole.
According to career resource websites PayScale.com and Neuvoo.com the median salary of a clinical informatics specialist in Canada is $71,211, and their average income is $68,830.
Education: While there are no formal licensing requirements, Ms. Pool – who serves as a guest lecturer in the University of Toronto’s clinical informatics program – says employers often expect a postsecondary degree, adding that a background in computer science or clinical health can be of benefit.
She adds that while there are some undergraduate level programs in the field, practitioners have a wide range of educational backgrounds and often earn a Master’s level
specialization once already employed in the industry.
“A lot of universities and colleges are very accommodating in terms of providing continuing education with online courses and flexible curriculums,” says Ms. Poole, adding that being “Master’s-ready” is an important quality for many employers in the field.
specialization once already employed in the industry.
“A lot of universities and colleges are very accommodating in terms of providing continuing education with online courses and flexible curriculums,” says Ms. Poole, adding that being “Master’s-ready” is an important quality for many employers in the field.
Job prospects: As the proliferation of health care tools and technologies continues, a wider array of organizations are seeking to employ clinical informatics specialists. Furthermore, demographic changes in the country are likely to result in a greater need for those who can bridge the gap between health-care providers, technology companies and patients.
“For the first time ever, Canada has more people over 65 than under 15, and this trend is projected to increase in the coming years,” Ms. Poole says. “We need to redesign our health care system, so this clinical informatics role will work with health care partners, technology vendors and patients to explore how digital tools such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, etc., can enable our aging society to live more independently.”
Challenges: The greatest challenge clinical informatics specialists face comes as a result of being responsible for promoting innovation and collaboration in a more traditional industry that’s accustomed to working in silos.
“Health care clinicians are very busy, and to change is very difficult, so you really have to come up with ways to make it very easy to introduce digital tools or virtual care into our health-care system,” Ms. Poole says.
Why they do it: Promoting innovation in large, legacy institutions has its frustrations, but Ms. Poole says the career rewards are “overwhelming,” as the role is designed to improve patient outcomes while reducing health-care costs.
“It’s actually a really exciting time, because we’re able to support patients, get them more engaged and get them more excited about how to care for themselves,” she said, adding that, statistically, more engaged patients “have a better quality of life, spend less time in the emergency room and there are fewer hospitalizations.”
Misconceptions: Ms. Poole says many remain under the impression that clinical informatics roles are limited to hospital settings, when they have since spread to a wide array of health-related institutions and organizations. Furthermore, while the role seeks to better integrate technology services into health care systems, contrary to popular belief, practitioners do not build those tools themselves.
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