Hashtag Humblebrag, Baby!

I work in a hospital in a department with very well-scheduled overlapping shifts. What I mean is that the first shift is scheduled from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, the second shift comes in at 2:30 pm and stays until 11:00, pm and the third shift comes in at 9:00 pm and leaves at 7:30 the next morning. We also have a specific workflow for each position in the department with extra downtime built in so we don’t fall too far behind when it’s busy.

We have a system in place that once the next shift comes in, if you’ve finished your work and have nothing to do, you can get a manager’s approval to “flex” (short for flexible PTO [Paid Time Off]) and use an hour or so of PTO to leave early.

I’ve just come in for second shift one afternoon. One of my first shift coworkers gathers her stuff and prepares to leave.

Coworker #1: “So long, people!”

Coworker #2: “What? You’re leaving?”

Coworker #1: “Yeah, I’m going to flex. I cleared it with [Manager], so I’m leaving.”

Coworker #2: “Well, you don’t have to rub it in our faces!”

Me: “Isn’t that why we call it flexing?”