Lessons Learned From an Ubrupt Change in Work-Life Balance

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September is classically a month of change.

I was just talking about this in my most recent Practice Balance newsletter. You feel it in the weather, you see it when your kids start new schools or classes, and it shows up in some other parts of your life, too.

The other place I’m navigating change right now is work. I’ve enjoyed a regular, part-time per diem (or PRN) position with a large anesthesia group in a nearby city center for the past four years. Given my rural living situation with limited work opportunities nearby, this was perfect for me. I committed to one week per month with this practice, and all I had to do was give them my work dates at least 3 months ahead of time. I got to pick the weeks I worked, and only on very rare occasions would they change the week due to overstaffing or some alternative need. I’ve worked extra weeks for them on many occasions, including during summer break, spring break, and maternity leaves of some of the partners.

The Day I Showed Up for Work… But There Was No Work

So it was to my great surprise when I traveled to my work location one recent Sunday night, took a look at the schedule, and found that I was not listen in any ORs for Monday morning. I had given my dates months earlier, and they were listed in the scheduling program, but there was a slight change in the notation that I hadn’t noticed before. After texting the on-call scheduler late that night and waiting for quite a while to hear anything, I finally received a message from the head scheduling administrator.

“There must be a misunderstanding,” she said. “There was a recent email sent out that you should have received where all per diem people are now encouraged to give their availability, but we will not be guaranteeing any shifts, as our staffing needs have greatly changed.”

No, I did not remember reading this email. I probably didn’t even pay much attention to it, because I’m different than all the other per diem people, so they usually don’t apply to me. While most of the PRNs are locals who work elsewhere and just throw their hats in the ring for shifts whenever they have an open day, this is my main gig, and I’m even W2.

So here I was, having driven hours to work, and there was no work. This felt infuriating and also kind of embarrassing. How did I miss this when it was announced? I could have avoided this surprise.

And also… What about me? Surely, they forgot about my special situation!

The next day reached out to the partner who had hired me, but he really wasn’t in the know on the situation at all. He said he’d put me in touch with the decision makers in the group, but that never happened. So here I am, with a BIG, sudden change to my work-life balance: looking head-on at the disappearance of a work situation I’ve really enjoyed for the past few years.

Why I share this story

I wanted to share this experience with you for a couple reasons:

• Even when you think you have your balance all figured out, things change and then you don’t. It happens to me, and I’m the one who studies and talks about this stuff all the time.
• Change is an inevitable part of work and life. I even did a whole solocast/article about this a couple years ago titled “The One Thing You Can Rely On”. Upon further reflection, I realize I’ve been saying for some time that I’m surprised this job situation has lasted as long as it has. It was a good run.

What I learned from this “great misunderstanding”

There is no loyalty.

Workplaces will do what’s in their best interest despite how long you’ve worked there, who you know, your spectacular work accomplishments, etc. This is one of “Truths of the Treadmill” from my book Lean Out. They’re included in Chapter 5, but here they are:

1. Even though it costs a lot to replace you, you are easily replaceable.
2. There is no loyalty in the workplace.
3. You are not a savior. Your clients and patients will be okay without you.
4. Many people are worried about what others think of them, but most of the time people are too busy thinking about themselves.
5. You can have allegiance to your clients and patients— and also to yourself at the same time.

It was a good reminder for me to look back at these. Not because I feel like I was getting stuck on the treadmill again, but because I was getting maybe a little too comfortable in a work situation.

Get everything in writing.

When I was in the middle of this situation, I kept saying, “But I’m not like the other per diem people. I’m different.”

And then I looked back at my employment contract and all the email trails from when I was hired. And you know what… The mutual agreement about 1 week per month was nowhere in my contract or emails and I am just now realizing this four years later!

In my situation where the group simply is staffed up and doesn’t need extra people right now, it may not have mattered, but I can think of situations where it could matter – like if there was a change in leadership and new people didn’t know the arrangement, etc. Know what your contracts say, and have every unique stipulation in writing.

Look at unexpected changes as a way to expand your thinking.

When I interviewed Leigh Johnson on the podcast earlier this year, we talked about this. Leigh used the closing of her medical practice to open up her mind to the possibilities of what she could do next, and she ended up moving to New Zealand for a temporary locums position. Since I’ve been thinking about retiring from anesthesia but had decided to wait a few years, I’ve now been entertaining what it would look like if just went ahead and did that now. I’ve also been thinking of exploring more work opportunities in other parts of southern Utah. I might pick up some different locums work in other parts of the country. I’m not sure yet, but I’m trying to keep my mind open.

A unique situation is ripe for the chopping block.

When you have a unique work-life balance (part time, locums, per diem), turnover is part of the picture. PRN means “as needed,” and whenever my arrangements have ended, it’s because they didn’t need me anymore. I had it happen with the previous long-term per diem gig I had right before this one. It’s easy to think in the default that it’s about you, but it’s really not. And this leads me to my last takeaway…

Don’t expect a going away party.

I initially was a little miffed that I didn’t get much feedback from the people I worked with on how it wasn’t fair, or they’ll miss me, or whatever. But it isn’t about me. People – and organizations for that matter – are embroiled in their own drama. I was reminded of this when listening to a recent Mentally Stronger podcast episode with Amy Morin, the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do series. Essentially, it was about not taking things personally. One of her points was coming to terms with the fact that two things can be true: this hurts, and this isn’t about me.

I hope this reflection helps you when you’re facing a big change.

Let me know: have you had any work surprises like this, and how did you deal with it? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!