I Asked for a Number . . .

May 12, 2022

I asked members for a number – shifts worked by managers, supervisors, admin staff or anyone other than a DSP.  I did not ask specifically for OT shifts for DSPs, relief shifts, shifts that were “worked short” or other creative arrangements to ensure staff coverage to protect health and safety.  And, I did not ask for details sufficient to get comparable data from multiple providers; these are some of the stories sent in the first couple of hours:

 

Program Director –

• Last week – 44 hours
• This week – 34 hours
• Next week (projected and if no one calls in sick)) – 10 hours

 

Office staff – 7 shifts this week with all DSPs scheduled for 48 hours

 

Five Program Managers each work five days per week (at least from 9am to noon) plus the overnight shifts which can not be filled by DSPs


Management – 2 full days and 2 half days last week

 

Management coverage of shifts in three group homes –

• Last week – 8 of 62 shifts
• This week – 15 of 66 shifts
• Next week – 12 of 65 shifts

 

Supervisors – 20% of the shifts


Managers worked 35 full shifts for seven group homes

 

Someone “other than a DSP” – 30 of 140 shifts


Managers worked 44 shifts (in a two week pay period) for a total of 374 hours in addition to the 1,861 hours of OT for DSPs

 

Of 6,700 direct care hours per pay period –

• 120.15 were covered by management (842 hours were OT for DSPs) – April 2022
• 199 hours were covered by management (519 hours were OT for DSPs) – April 2021

And every one of the managers, supervisors, admin, QA or others have “day jobs” which are full-time, stressful, heavily involved in meeting multiple challenging regulations and, as a side issue, should be rewarding and fulfilling as a career choice!   If this were a short term issue, we all could manage.  This has been on-going and will likely still be the story next Spring – and that is why these stories are so terrifying!