Thanks so much for your thoughtful response Caryn Leach-Smith!!!

I’d suggest that in addition to the employees who aren’t a match with the other personnel is that there are employees who aren’t a match for the systems and software in place at the company.

As someone who has spent probably around 30,000 lifetime hours on a computer, I expect user interfaces that work well. Healthcare is a job of documentation, yet electronic health systems are terrible to use. The main reason I switched careers back to web development was to help other professionals (with 7+ years of post-secondary education like myself) not need to use such awful computer programs at work.

I think the same thing applies for systems, including how management talks to and works with employees. One position I was fired from had management posting productivity numbers and stating in bi-weekly meetings that our jobs were at stake. However, instead of enforcing the productivity goals, the management called me in repeatedly to tell me I was overworking the support staff by actually meeting the productivity targets.

I didn’t recognize that the corporate culture was one of, “Let’s ignore the boss, because if we try too hard we’ll get in trouble, and he’s too nice to fire us.” That is a broken system, and I am someone who needs clear expectations.

Similarly, the second job that fired me had me work with 5 patients for physical therapy in the same hour on my first day, without time for chart review or help from support staff. That wasn’t safe, nor ethical, but it was the system that the company used.

I’m very glad that I’m out of that world! Like you said, it’s helped me become the best version of myself.