Help! Manager won't let me off night shift - Page 2

In my facility, if you apply to transfer to another position within the facility or system, your current manager can veto it. So applying to HR might get you exactly nowhere. If the current manager says the person is "essential", or some other keyword, the transfer is off the table.

You might need to look elsewhere. Can you provide references other than your current manager as a "first contact", and ask them only to contact your present manager only if they are offering you a position? I haven't had to job search in the last decade, so I don't know what's being done right now.

I like the suggestion of getting a doctor's note because it sounds as though your health is being compromised. Other than that, ask yourself what your manager has to gain/lose by reassigning you? That is probably what it comes down to, her agenda. Would this be more work for her and she just doesn't want to deal with it? That would be my guess. I have been in this exact situation before and I ended up quitting rather than go insane. If it were me I would put your effort into getting the doctor note or move on!!!

I don't agree with that at all. No one is silly to look for another job. Silly would be resigning before something else was lined up.

Given that the OP has already applied for the job and has been told the reasons she isn't being given it, at this point a doctor's note would look like she is trying to game the system, IMO. Trying to force the manager's hand seldom leads to the desired result.

I was in a similar position a few years ago. Except I did D/N and wanted D/E. meanwhile night shifts became harder and harder and rotating just made things harder. I was so stressed and was then diagnosed with RA. I *did* get. Note from my doc saying I can't do nights as it was affecting my health. Unfortunatly it is the institution not the unit that is required to honor that. I was told to transfer if I needed to go off nights but I wanted so badly to stay in my area that I drie my health into the ground. Even cutting from 36 to 24 hours didn't help. I eventually went on disability for 6 months. My doctor told me it was not a good idea to go back I it meant working even night rotation. It was not allowed to apply for transfers while out on disability so I needed to forfeit my position, get cleared to go back and only then apply for transfer. Because these things don't happen quickly I went several weeks without pay before I found a suitable position. I hope things work out better for you!

Usually it's simply a matter of getting someone to fill your position on nights. Hang in there....

getting a doctor's note and "gaming the system" may get you off nights, but it's going to make you very unpopular with your colleagues. every place i've worked, there's been a waiting list to get off night shift. it's either based on seniority or by the date you requested day shift. if you're just now requesting day shift, you may have to wait your turn. i understand that you're miserable on nights, but the people ahead of you on the list may be just as miserable and have been waiting even longer.

People should not be stuck on night shift just because they don't have young children. They may like night shift, but that doesn't mean that they want to stay on nights forever. There could be many reasons for wanting to move to days.

She just got through saying that there is no one else who wants off nights.

I'm in a similar situation, OP. I work what is essentially an on-call position with only guaranteed part time hours. I have to give 5 days per week that I am available to come to work, and I am notified two hours before the shift if/when I am needed. Imagine trying to plan a life around that! You have to reserve 5 days per week because there is a chance you might work, but you're not guaranteed that you'll work any of those days. I'm guaranteed three shifts every two weeks, I just don't know which three shifts that will be.

I've worked in this position for over a year. Despite the fact that several full time employees have either left or switched to per diem, my manager and HR refused to let me move to a full time position. I have the most seniority out of all the nurses who work the position that I do. There was no one with more seniority (part time/per diem/nights) that wanted a full time position. Even when HR posted full time positions for our unit, I was told that I lacked the specific type of experience they were looking for. I've been given every excuse in the book as to why I can't move to a full time position.

But the bottom line is this- if the hospital isn't unionized (mine isn't) there is nothing that makes the hospital give senior employees the first choice when it comes to changing shifts or positions. They don't even have to give you a reason- they can do whatever they want because we are "at will employees" and there is no employee regulation of the employer. I accepted this schedule originally because I was a new graduate and the job was in a specialty that I really wanted. The hospital knows that they will have a very hard time filling my current position because of the scheduling requirements, so they are doing everything they can to keep me in it.

I finally decided that I'm tired of fighting for a job that doesn't seem to want me. I'm going out on maternity leave in a month, and searching for another position in the meantime. Unless I'm offered a full time position on my current unit by the end of my maternity leave, I won't be returning.

For you, I think looking for a new job is the best way to go. Why fight to stay when you're meeting so much resistance? Good luck in whatever you decide.