Chronic Tardiness

[Tweety]

We waiting for a nurse to float from another floor this morning because we had two call ins. She was 25 minutes late. We bowed down at her feet "oh thank goodness you're here". She's 'sorry I'm late'. Earlier I had called her floor where they said "she's always late".

Have we created due to the nursing shortage an environment where tardiness is tolerated because we are greatful they even show up? Seem so at this hospital that tardiness is tolerated. The people don't even seem to have an excuse or care, they just want the hours to be 7:15 instead of 6:45. Of course they usually are the ones chomping at the bits to go home on time.

So the question is, what is your policy on tardiness. Is it enforced. Have we created a culture of mediocrity in nursing because of the "shortage"?

[Agnus]

Originally posted by glascow

CONFESSIONS OF A CHRONIC LATE PERSON: I am embarrassed to say I am chronically late. I have been all of my life. In fact, last night I was 15 minutes late for my shift. I felt horrible and embarrassed. I know, you're saying, if you wanted to be on time you could. I swear I try. I have set all the clocks early in the house. I wake up an hour earlier than normal...bad idea, then I'm usually even later. Why? I get so distracted and think, I have time to do the dishes, wash a load of laundry, check e-mail, whatever, next thing I know, I am late for where ever it is I am supposed to be. I have read info on chronic tardiness; says person is rude, inconsiderate, ... I don't want to be. I know I'll get flack for this post, excuses, excuses..... I'm sorry!!!!!!!!!!! I will never be late for work again. It's like the New Year's resolution I make every year, exercise regularly, eat healthy.. just doesn't last. When I walk in the nurse waiting to give report always says, "it's OK, do you need to go get some coffee?" Standard response from me: "No, it's not OK, I hate bieng late".

Please, nurses who work with chronic late people, give them grief when they are late, put pressure on us to be on time.

Ironically, if I accidently sleep late, and wake up with only 15 minutes to get ready, I usually end up early! Am I crazy or what?

I am not trying to be mean with this response. IMHO You are getting some kind of pay off for your actions. Only you can determine what that pay off is.

You say you try. Don't try. Either do it or don't. (Again IMHO)Trying implys helpless victim. (but then maybe that is your payoff)

[SteelTownRN]

As a nursing instructor, I have listened to students who tell me about the nurses who they witness coming in late for report. The students then realize why I am such a stickler for their on time arrival, because they see how tardiness disrupts the flow of the work on the floor. Most students comment that they don't want to cause or be a part of anything that disruptive and they don't want the "late/tardy" reputation.

So, when you arrive late on the unit, please be aware of those who are watching. It's not just you coworkers, but the future of the profession, who are watching you and seeing the negative impact of lateness on the unit functioning.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

My relief in the mornings is always late by about 15 minutes at least. One more reprimand and she's fired. She works a variety of shifts sometimes but her excuse for ALWAYS being late is her kids. I mean it is ALWAYS because of her kids. Her boyfriend is the one that takes care of them during the day, and her mom lives right next door to them and babysits. She is 5 miles away from the hospital, but it still late despite all of this. There are plenty of people that managed to get there on time despite dropping the kids off at the sitters and going to the gym in the mornings.

She's had a habit of calling off for her 5am shifts 30 MINUTES BEFORE SHE'S TO BE THERE and saying "oh my kid(s) are sick)".

The nurse manager noticed a pattern that her kids are sick on the days that she is supposed to be there at 5am.

I started the LPN program with her in August of 2002. She was late by 20-30 mintes everyday without fail before dropping out in December.

Two months ago this woman's daughter really did get sick, enough to be in the hospital, but you guessed it, no one believed her, since she's been calling off 5 and 6 times a month for sick kids. And was angry that no one believed her!

Bad as it sounds for me to say i cannot wait for her to leave, then maybe i'll get relief in the morning that is actually on time!

[Tilleycs]

Bad as it sounds for me to say i cannot wait for her to leave, then maybe i'll get relief in the morning that is actually on time!

I don't think it's bad at all. Since when is it bad to actually EXPECT people to do the jobs they get paid to do, and be responsible and thoughtful about how their actions affect other people? I have no sympathy, they have dug their own graves. I don't want anyone's kids to be sick, but there IS a great lesson in "The boy who cried 'Wolf!'". Maybe she'll learn it now. For the sake of her future co-workers, I hope so.

I don't think it's too much to ask that people be professional and responsible. You have a life, too, ya know!

[glassam]

My relief in the mornings is always late by about 15 minutes at least. One more reprimand and she's fired.

Is she being reprimanded for excessive sick days or tardiness? Or both? What does she have to do to be reprimanded? I ask because, in my opinion, one more sick or tardy day and she should be terminated (I mean, her employment should be terminated). I admit that this may sound harsh, but I have little tolerance for excessive tardiness/absenteeism, especially in cases like LPN2Be2004's example, because it puts SO MUCH STRESS on the rest of the staff.

[Agnus]

Originally posted by glassam

, one more sick or tardy day and she should be terminated (I mean, her employment should be terminated). .

excuse my giggle at the play on words.:chuckle

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Originally posted by glassam

My relief in the mornings is always late by about 15 minutes at least. One more reprimand and she's fired.

Is she being reprimanded for excessive sick days or tardiness? Or both? What does she have to do to be reprimanded? I ask because, in my opinion, one more sick or tardy day and she should be terminated (I mean, her employment should be terminated). I admit that this may sound harsh, but I have little tolerance for excessive tardiness/absenteeism, especially in cases like LPN2Be2004's example, because it puts SO MUCH STRESS on the rest of the staff.

She's got one more chance left with the tardiness.

Or had actually, she was 20 minutes late this morning with no phone call, as usual.

[night owl]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but do you all have time clocks to punch? We don't. Tardiness is rude and disrespectful, and shows an arrogant attitude that says, "As long as I can get away with it and get paid at the same time, I'll keep doing it because: #1. NO ONE does anything about it. #2. They don't have the ballz to do anything to me about it and #3. No one gives a darn about it."

We have the chronic late staff members also, but on my unit on the dayshift, we have the 30 minute late comers. When they come to the unit they just check themselves in on the time schedule and they get paid for not even being there. Then they walk into report with a breakfast sandwhich and a cup of coffee in their hands and proceed to have their breakfast. If that is not an arrogant attitude, I don't know what is. The old time head nurses would have never put up with this garbage. Nothing is ever done as usual and after a two week pay period, these people get paid for roughly 5 hours of not even being there! By letting this happen the facility is just wasting money day in and day out.

Did I mention they rarely ever call to say they'll be late? No, because it happens so often it's almost a given AND the fact that if they call and make someone aware that they will be late, then that will put them at risk of getting their time docked. So it continues and continues AND continues until someone wakes up and does something.

Two people were placed on the day shift from nights because they came to work 20-30 min late all the time. Guess what they're doing now? Now, no one notices they're late because everyone is in report. They don't call, they come in and check themselves in on the schedule and they GET PAID for not even being there. At least on nights they were monitored and docked for being late. If other shifts can follow the rules, why on earth can't the day shift? It's down right not fair to all others who come to work on time and are ready to go. So I ask you, is this crazy? And why would a facility let this happen? Is it mismanagement? Preferential treatment perhaps? People are getting quite tired of the bull. If they can't make it to work on time, then darn it they should be docked JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! :angryfire

[Mommy2Katiebaby]

At one place where I worked, the team decided to tape report and then leave any patients whose nurse hadn't shown up in the care of the assistant head nurse during that time. You can bet they came down on latecomers pretty hard after that idea... but the hospital did NOT want to pay us overtime (which we all demanded) and so the higher-ups got the unit admins to agree to it. It worked, we left on time, and it was speedy...

[SmilingBluEyes]

There is no excuse for chronic tardiness. None. It's out and out disrespect for others and should not be tolerated.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

What bugs me about this issue from the point of view of a former manager is that it is the easiest one in the world to document and get someone fired. I've had to fire a lot of people over the years; the terminations for tardiness were the ones that the grievance committee rolled their eyes and rubber stamped.

I was on the other side of this as a night charge and for 4 years my relief was 20-30 minutes late every morning. The organization preferred paying me overtime to confronting the problem. I think that is wrong.

[flashpoint]

I said it in this thread once already, but there is NO EXCUSE for being late every time you work. If you are old enough to have a job, you are old enough to be on time. It should not be that hard to figure out that if you are ten minutes late every single day, you need to do something different...you need to leave earlier or take a different route or get a friend to take your kids to school or something. Being late is disruptive to everyone who is trying to take report, is is disrespectful to nurses who have worked their shift and want to go home, and it is dangerous to the patients who you are going to be caring for (even if you are not assigned to them) if you did not hear report on them or report was interrupted by you walking in! Being late all the time is just plain irresponsible and rude and there is NO EXCUSE!