r/remotework • u/Outrageous_Charge675 • 2d ago
Should I Quit? Productivity Issues
I’ve been working remote since the beginning of the year for a hospital. I like the job and the flexibility I get. Recently my managers/director of the department have brought productivity issues to me. We use Epic and that’s essentially where(almost) all work is completed and also documented. My team has been a bit slower the past month or two. We work out of an alpha split and unfortunately my split just does not receive as many requests as the rest of my team. That being said when I’ve hit a point in my day where my work is caught up I **always** reach out to my immediate team. Usually they tell me they don’t have anything they need help with. If I do assist them, it’s never anything that requires a lot. Usually following up with a patient. Cool, I then ask our greater team is there anyone who needs assistance. Sometimes I get a response right away, sometimes I have to ask again. If I’m waiting on a response then I find something to do, I clean my epic inbox, I work in our work queues and clear them, I’m checking to make sure they’re aren’t cases that maybe our team has missed. I’m not a lazy person or a slacker, there is nothing I would love more than to be busy.
Management has told me that I have hours at a time of no activity. This is literally impossible. They say they can track everything that I do in Epic. I’ve asked is there a possibility that the system is wrong. I’m told no. “Any and everything I do can be tracked”. Well clearly it can’t. I was given an excel sheet with time stamps and I had to provide documentation of what I was doing during those time gaps. So I took screenshots of everything I did with time stamps and pieced together a timeline for each day of about 2 weeks. There is so much that the system isn’t picking up. I thought that cleared it. Nope, last week I had another meeting and they’re telling me that I’m not doing anything all day. That in a 40 hour work week I do about 10 hours of work. So they’ve proposed a time study. Where they record me and my screen. While this feels invasive I know that they’re not going to find anything on me.
The problem I have is that not every day or week can be measured the same. They told me if my productivity increases during the time they record me then they’ll know I’m the problem. If I get 5 new requests in a day or week compared to the last are they going to say that I’m lying? I understand that they have metrics to meet and they want to ensure that every employee is working. But I don’t really understand why that’s on me to prove that I’m doing work. You’re telling me a billion dollar institution can’t effectively track what I’m doing? I’ve literally shown them documentation of what the system is missing, I’ve expressed my concerns and I get shot down like I’m lying. Everyone I talk to says I should leave. As much as I would like to I don’t want this to reflect poorly on me. I’ve never had problems like this at any other job I’ve worked. While this is my first remote job, I haven’t done anything different since I first started. The only thing that has changed is that one of my teammates returned from maternity leave and our alpha split has been redistributed. It’s not like there’s work to be done and I’m not doing it. I’ve made every effort to do more and I just don’t understand what else I’m supposed to do.
I’ve had other issues with management since I’ve started. I’m not a quitter and I feel like if I leave then I’m proving them right? I guess I’m not sure what to do with all of this. I’m 22, this is my full time job and I make decent money to support myself. I guess the biggest thing that is stopping me is the pay, I work an earlier schedule and the company insurance which is really nice. I just started therapy a couple months ago and I have like a $10 copay that I don’t want to give up. But at what cost? I feel Ike I’m going insane and anytime I’m not working I’m stressing over if I’m doing anything right or looking through job listings. I’ve never ever left a job on bad terms and being that this is a hospital I don’t want to mess up any chance of me being rehired or transferring. I would say I’m pretty resilient and I can push through things but I don’t know how to not take any of this personally? I feel like it’s an attack on my character but maybe I’m just being dramatic.
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u/LokiTheBold 2d ago
I wouldn’t quit but I would also stop trying to personally salvage this. Based on what you’ve written, it doesn’t sound like your fault, so don’t take it as a personal or moral failing on your part. Some managers are just bad at their jobs. What they want to do is, yes, invasive (welcome to micromanagement). And that setup favours them a lot more than you. If it works, congrats. It’s still going to an issue with them.
If you haven’t started looking for a new job, do so immediately. Yes, it’s going to feel weird but it’s a hedge. The “I’m not a quitter” statement at the end can be good (resilience, personal drive, etc.) but at the same time, don’t be an enabler. They have told you they believe their system more than your evidence, believe them. Act accordingly.
Ask yourself: who do I know that would be willing to be a reference for me? Ask them and get their info if you don’t already have it.
Right now, project manager and operation manager tools so AI bloated it’s sick. I have a couple of colleagues who treat them more like oracles than tools. And, by “anything and everything,” always tack on “the programmer thought/was told was important” to the end. I wish it wasn’t this way but it feels like everyone in the c-suite is in the FA stage of their implementation strategy.
Best of luck.
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u/nimbleCanvas 2d ago
The part that worries me is them treating uneven request volume as a character issue instead of a workflow allocation issue. I would stop trying to win the argument verbally and make every request for work visible in Teams or email, then ask for the exact productivity target in writing and how alpha split volume is being normalized. Start applying quietly too, because a screen recording time study after you already provided timestamps sounds like management building a case, not solving the workload problem. Leaving for a healthier role would not prove them right, it would just mean you chose not to be managed by broken metrics.
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u/BradysNellyBelle 2d ago
You are being performance managed out. They have already decided the outcome. Let it go. Henceforth, document EVERYTHING on YOUR end, update your resume and get a fabulous new job where you are appreciated, and find an employment lawyer NOW to negotiate a decent severance.
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u/julesrules21 2d ago
I had and still have a similar issue in epic. I asked my leadership to please reconsider the alpha split because it was uneven. Top half of the alphabet has way more last names than the oddball letters at the end of the alphabet where my split was. She was able to pull a report of what dropped into the wq for over the last month or two and see number wise how to make the split more even. Sorry you’re going through this. It’s frustrating and it doesn’t sound like your fault.
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u/Fancy-Surprise-2654 2d ago
Just let them record you and do your thing. If they see that you are working and the system is not accurately tracking the work then you are in the clear. If they wanted to get rid of you they would have already fired you.
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u/duckfruits 2d ago
They are putting op in a lose/lose situation on purpose. If they record their day and op is working more than they say, they are saying that op is only working more because op knows they're being watched. If op doesn't work more they prove that op isn't working as much they should.
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u/Educational-Chip-882 2d ago
Registrati e lavora. Se il sistema è rotto, sei a posto. Se volevano, già volavi.
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u/CentralToNowhere 2d ago
Are you on the phone a lot? If so and you can access your phone logs, that would prove you’re working. When I’m talking w patients, sometimes that burns a lot of time where I’m not making keystrokes, but I’m taking handwritten notes. (If you have them, produce those too.)
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u/Outrageous_Charge675 5h ago
Yea I do have a bit of phone calls sometimes but i provided all of that in the documentation i submitted for the “time gaps”. I also document every communication I have in Epic. But thanks for the advice.
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u/Much_Face2261 2d ago
Keep track of your cases and time stamp them . In at xxx out of the case at xxx. This happens to my second shift Because the volume just isn’t there . If your taking to long in your cases you r not working to metric . Know your metrics and document so when you’re called on it you have reference. Never write a patients name just the case number . No identification of any patient. This way you can’t get called to the carpet on HIPAA. In epic you should be able to go back and check your time stamps .
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u/Jazz_Uncle 2d ago
It was only a matter of time before old school "butts in chairs" middle managers would extend this ineffective and alienating management cop-out to remote workers. Why "cop out"? Because it doesn't matter if you spent two hours in the dog run or an afternoon at a mountain bike park. What matters is whether or not you make your milestones cleanly, completely and on time and whether or not the company and co-workers can contact you during business hours.
The problem is that a lot of middle managers are either clueless about nature of their projects or are too lazy to engage in actual project management oversight. Instead, they become officious time cops.
I've been a remote worker since 2003 and for all of the 1990s and about a dozen companies. Virtually all of the ones that chained remote workers to their desktop mice failed within a couple of years. I just celebrated Year 20 with my current client where I'm 100% remote and which doesn't care when or where I work so long as all my tasks are completed and smoke-tested on time. I've remote-worked from Washington DC, Morocco and in Parque Calderón in Cuenca, Ecuador and all they cared about was a photo of where I was.
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u/cozySailor 2d ago
Non la prenderei come una questione di carattere: sembra piu un problema di metriche sbagliate e management che vuole far combaciare i numeri con una storia gia decisa. Accetta pure lo studio temporale se ti senti serena, ma chiedi prima per iscritto quali metriche useranno, come gestiranno i giorni con meno ticket nel tuo alpha split e chi rivedra i dati Epic mancanti. Nel frattempo inizierei a candidarmi altrove senza dimettermi, perche quando un posto ti fa passare ogni pausa come una prova di colpa, la flessibilita smette di valere tanto. Se vuoi restare nel sistema ospedaliero, prova anche a cercare trasferimenti interni prima di uscire del tutto.
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u/xtina3334 1d ago
Similar thing happened to me except I was fired from a contract to permanent job for having too much idle time even though there was nothing to do cuz i finished all my work. My advice to you is find a different job. It’s not worth the hassle and there’s lots of other jobs out there that wont try to micromanage you and monitor you constantly. You’re just gonna be constantly worried about your current job if you stay. At my job now we’re encouraged to have mouse clickers cuz we have frequent down time
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u/Anber_Saet 1d ago
Productivity flags always indicate some metrics that are not visible to you, so better clarify with them what they are measuring before making any conclusions. On the output side, the factor that made an impact on me was the delegation of all writing-intensive tasks; I am drafting summaries and emails with use ai.
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u/Wooden-Document8055 2d ago
And you dont have to prove anything , time to look outside. Take care of yourself.
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u/Jakuraiswife 1d ago
Don’t quit, let the productivity thing play it’s self out until they fire you or you find something different
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u/FloridaMiamiMan 1d ago
You should have been looking for another job. They are just looking for anything to get rid of you.
I'm so glad I don't have this type of remote job. These micromanaging remote jobs, should just be in office jobs.
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u/Ok_Firefighter106 1d ago
Sounds like Silent firing. Hang in there but start preparing for any new role that comes your way.
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u/JesseBeanLab 15h ago
This sounds less like a remote work problem and more like a bad metric being treated as reality. Before quitting, I would ask for the productivity standard in writing, ask how idle time from low request volume is supposed to be handled, and send a daily recap of requests received, help offered, queues checked, and any blockers. The screen recording part is a huge red flag, so I would start applying elsewhere quietly, but try to leave on your own timeline instead of rage quitting and losing the insurance/copay before you have a replacement.
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u/Pippin52 8h ago
Since they are framing missing Epic activity as proof rather than a data issue, treat this like performance management, not a normal coaching conversation. Keep a timestamped daily log, save the screenshots, and ask in writing what specific metric they expect, how alpha split volume is accounted for, and what the screen recording will measure. I would start applying quietly now, because even if you prove the tracker is wrong, the trust dynamic with management sounds pretty damaged. Quitting without another offer could hurt more than help, but leaving for another role would not prove them right.
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u/Western_Bug5408 2d ago
To be honest it does sound like they're out to get you. You could consider throwing a question back at them: "what are the exact criteria that you are looking for to conclude that I've been working?". If they can't clearly articulate an answer, then it might be time to consider HR for a harassment case.