Preventing call-ins

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

There is no attack on anyone. (Seriously? LOL.) If you are sick and can't come to work I get it, but this is something that only happens like once a year. And there is a difference between not feeling well and being sick. You might not feel well but you still need to go to work. There are people relying on you. 90+% of call ins are not because somebody is too sick to work anyways. I'm reaching out to a community of nurses to see what their policies and procedures are on call ins. What have they initiated to stop/prevent them, etc. So if you can't/won't answer or just want to post something pointless just move on. If you're truly nurses I don't get why you'd waste not only my time but yours.

Are you basing your statements on actual accurate data, or did you and your biases simply make it up out of whole cloth?

And it seems that no, you don't "get it."

People EARN their PTO, and if they use it because their kids are sick or they are unwell, or any other number of reasons, so be it.

Hire PRNs, problem solved.

With your nasty attitude, you're lucky you got anyone to try to help you on this thread.

ETA: If you actually have a written policy that is being abused (and being sick more than once a year would NOT qualify), then enforce the policy. But cultivating an adversarial, punitive culture and managing as an autocrat will not solve the problem. It will only get worse. Create an environment people want to invest themselves in.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

That is definitely most of the problem. I just got a job as a nurse manager at a facility new to me. Our policy is that after so many call ins/write ups it's termination. I'm honestly a little scared that if we fully enforced the policy we would have to fire a good chunk of our staff and being in a smaller, rural town in Iowa we struggle to find applicants.

That is a huge issue for us as well. Also more with CNA's than nurses. We are so desperately short staffed that enforcing the termination policy for call-ins would leave us without enough staff to adequately keep the place running. They know they have us over the proverbial barrel and that the policy won't be enforced out of necessity. About the only part of the policy we've been able to successfully implement is requiring a weekend call in to be made up the following weekend. So if somebody calls in on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday they will be placed on the schedule the following weekend to make up that shift. We do allow a little leeway with this, if we have an opening on a weekday [which we almost always do] the make-up can be scheduled there instead.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...this thread's title is 'Preventing call-ins.'

In my personal experience, the best way to prevent excessive call-ins is to cultivate a work environment where employees actually feel some recognition and buy-in.

Even if the work is not always enjoyable, workers who feel valued and part of a cohesive group will typically avoid calling in unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

Agree with Commuter. Also, I see no value in grilling people regarding their call-ins. If they aren't coming in, they aren't coming in. It's ridiculous to have a pissy attitude towards them. I take the emotion out of it and let our absence policy sort it out.

TriciaJ, RN · Feb 12, 2017

There is no attack on anyone. (Seriously? LOL.) If you are sick and can't come to work I get it, but this is something that only happens like once a year. And there is a difference between not feeling well and being sick. You might not feel well but you still need to go to work. There are people relying on you. 90+% of call ins are not because somebody is too sick to work anyways. I'm reaching out to a community of nurses to see what their policies and procedures are on call ins. What have they initiated to stop/prevent them, etc. So if you can't/won't answer or just want to post something pointless just move on. If you're truly nurses I don't get why you'd waste not only my time but yours.

Not sure where your stats are from about how many people are not too sick to work. I really don't think anyone is a better judge than me about my ability to provide safe patient care.

Sounds like you took a job in a less-than-stellar place and you want to turn things around by throwing away the carrot and relying on the stick. If you can find a way to level with and empathize with your staff they may come around. If it's just going to be you against them, they can always pick up the phone when they just can't stand the thought of coming in.

The point is, you might have a lot more things to fix than the call-outs. Fix those things and the problem might solve itself.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 12, 2017

There is no attack on anyone. (Seriously? LOL.) If you are sick and can't come to work I get it, but this is something that only happens like once a year. And there is a difference between not feeling well and being sick. You might not feel well but you still need to go to work. There are people relying on you. 90+% of call ins are not because somebody is too sick to work anyways. I'm reaching out to a community of nurses to see what their policies and procedures are on call ins. What have they initiated to stop/prevent them, etc. So if you can't/won't answer or just want to post something pointless just move on. If you're truly nurses I don't get why you'd waste not only my time but yours.

Seriously? Your attitude needs a lot of work. Or perhaps you've never participated on an internet forum before. Some time spent lurking before posting would have been to your benefit.

Some people are lucky enough to be sick only once a year. However I've noticed that in my first year of nursing, I picked up every nasty bug that came around. This happened again every time I moved to a new city. There were a couple of years I was in danger of violating the attendance policy. Twice, I was counseled about excessive illness and came in with piles of documentation about each illness. Coming to work when you're contagious does not benefit any one, whether you "don't feel well" or are too sick to get out of bed. Step throat, mono, influenza -- probably not things you want your employees spreading around at work.

As I get older, I find my body letting me down. I missed six months of work due to a serious back injury, six months for bilateral joint replacements and six months for breast cancer treatment. I not only "didn't feel well", I couldn't WALK with the back injury and joint replacements. As far as the breast cancer -- I was unable to meet the lifting requirement after the surgery, not to mention the drains, slow-healing incision, radiation burns and side effects from chemo. My manager, luckily for me, was willing to work with me through all of it. (I had an awesome manager!)

In your situation, what might help is if your employees believed that you had faith in them and were willing to work with them. Enforce your attendance policy, but enforce it going forward. Let bygones be bygones. Have a staff meeting and discuss with your employees your reasons for enforcing the attendance policy, send everyone an email and a snail mail so no one has any reason to NOT know that the policy will be enforced. And then simply start enforcing it.

cleback · Feb 12, 2017

Only sick once a year?

Haha... Yeah, wouldn't that be nice.

I have a child in daycare. Kids in daycare are incubators of disease. Since the fall, I've probably gotten every single bug he has... literally once a month. Some are just the sniffles and do not meet criteria for calling off. Others have been fevers above 101 and GI issues. Fortunately, I work part-time, so I haven't had to call off that much, but still... And I am a "healthy" person without any medical issues.

You are the reason medical staff come to work sick. Try actually providing coverage for earned sick time instead of pushing people toward unsafe behavior.

Sorry, touchy subject... currently sick and not feeling the greatest.

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

Oh my gosh, I may need to call in while this post is still active...

temp 101.8

cramps nausea

diarhea........

what at do you think Sour Lemon?

im honestly serious

and I even like to work

see Brandi, this does happen.....it really does

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

ruby honest, I was not sick this morning, but this evening a different thing

wonder ifBrandi would understand.....

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...this thread's title is 'Preventing call-ins.'
In my personal experience, the best way to prevent excessive call-ins is to cultivate a work environment where employees actually feel some recognition and buy-in.
Even if the work is not always enjoyable, workers who feel valued and part of a cohesive group will typically avoid calling in unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

im blessed that describes my current work place

and if I feel better, and am afebrile, I will go to work tomorrow morning....

foggnm · Feb 12, 2017

Maybe instead of trying to prevent call-ins (controlling behavior), try to have alternate/per diem/float staff available to cover shortages. Where I worked for 5 years they offered you a chance to 'cash in' your sick leave once per year which was a great incentive.

Jules A, MSN · Feb 13, 2017

It is absolutely none of your damn business why I would call out of work, and I could see why there would be a problem at your place of employment. Whether I call out because of the flu, because of one of my children being ill, because I'm tired, or because I want to chill at home with my dog ... you don't need to know that.
.

I was very surprised by your attitude and even more surprised to see all the likes you received. I guess I'm in the minority. Simply coming from a peer's perspective if someone calls out all the time and I'm left picking up the slack I find it irritating and disrespectful except in the cases of legit illness and most especially if it was to "chill at home with my dog". I'd like to chill at home with my dog too but I'm fulfilling my commitment to work the shifts I agreed to cover. If an employee isn't making it to work as scheduled I personally think it is the boss' damn business why.