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‘Appreciation Day’ at Work, and Little Reminders We All Deserve Better.
We’re all just so used to being exploited.
As those who have been reading my writing regularly know, I work in healthcare. I’m a certified nursing assistant and activities aide in the local nursing home, and have been for going on almost five years now. Anyone who works in healthcare can attest to the fact that the last couple of years have been a humbling, overwhelming experience to say the least. Being overworked, underpaid, and putting our bodies on the line in the midst of a global pandemic is something I will never forget.
At the time of our 2020 outbreak that lasted 2 months, during which we lost 20 residents and staffing conditions so bad people were coming on shift and literally having anxiety attacks because they didn’t know how they were going to get it done, most of us weren’t even making $13 an hour.
Well, it’s CNA appreciation week, and the higher ups at the facility decided to show their gratitude. During my lunch break the administrator and director of nursing approached me, and handed me a goodie bag. They thanked me profusely for my work, and the administrator said they couldn’t do it without me. After I left I looked inside the goodie bag, and found a $5 Dunkin card, two small nestle crunch bars, a little bag of starbursts, and…
