Well, I want to say first that I fully understand that hospitals expect you to be at work no matter what the weather.
I always go. I go for other people. That's why I have a four wheel drive. However, sometimes there is bad timing. Such as major snow that falls heavily and rapidly.
I got up, took a shower, got in the car to go to work. I swept it off the night before, got gas the night before, washed my uniform and had it pressed in case the power went out.
I warmed up the car, went off my driveway...moved about 15 feet and it slid into the yard.
The vehicle would not move.
So for the first time in years...I don't call in sick but maybe once a year. Never for weather.
I have PTO right? Lots of it because I never call in.
Get this...hospital is not allowing me to use my PTO for that day.
Freaking ridiculous. So if anyone else makes an attempt and wrecks. Call the news right after the tow truck. The general public should know that hospitals don't care about the safety of their employees. So this crappie about the fact they do? They can stick it as far as I'm concerned.
And how would any of us like it being cared for by the nurse that has worked 20 something hours because the next shift didn't come in?
Or being the nurse that had to stay and continue working.
I understand the frustration of being truly unable to get to work safely. I just don't agree with all the whining about not being paid for not showing up. As another poster pointed out, it's not like the blizzard was some big surprise ... we were hearing about it for a week ahead of time. My boss was visiting a new grandchild on the east coast and came back early because she knew she'd never get out when the storm hit.
Is this a known practice at your facility, not getting paid on snow days, if you can't make it in? What if someone called in sick during this storm do they get paid? How does management prove those sick from those that can't get to work due to the storm?
It's nice to have a contract so rules can't be made or implemented on the fly. Is this what happened? Where I work if you call in, car trouble, sick etc you have to use PTO. You can't take it without pay. Granted it would be rare to have weather related issues but if there were according to our contract you would have to use your PTO.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Op I am sorry your experienced this....however the hospital decides when and if they pay your PTO for any given day. Some Union facilities have it in the contract how and when the PTO will be paid....without a contract your at your employers mercy.
You did "Lose" your PTO it just was not paid for this reason.
If you do not make it into work someone cannot leave. Now the facility owes that nurse over time and she, a single Mom, doesn't get to her family.
You have a 4 wheel drive and got stuck in your driveway? Do you live on the coast and flooding an issue? I live in New England where snow is a given. I have a 4 wheel drive and have never gotten stuck....not even last winter with the snow we had.....I took my kids out in many storms to teach them how to drive in those conditions.
It once took me5 hours to get to work on a normal 1 hour commute. It stinks but that is the job. The hospital have the patients to think of and a hospital to run. Drive slow and you won't skid far or hurt your car.
While that sucks I can see their point of view. If nobody is allowed PTO during a storm event then it's pretty much a given that the staff that can't make it in truly can't make it in.
Denying PTO during a storm prevents the ones that just don't want to to try to get to work from getting a paid day off. And yes, it isn't fair to those that tried and failed to get to work or to those that just happen to actually be sick and can't use their PTO. Life isn't always fair though.
That said, the only one who is going to have to give a hoot about your safety is ... you. And you alone.
Sadly, that also means you face the almighty consequences for the "bad apples" that use the storm as an opportunity to shirk their work duties. Which means you don't get to use your PTO for a "snow day." Would they have allowed you to use PTO if your car had broken down? If so, that might give you a bit of a 'plead your case' situation. If not ... it just is what it is, like it or not.
I understand the point of being essential personnel. Believe me, I do. But sometimes I think hospitals take it too far. Nurses are human too. We fall ill. We are unable to drive in inclement weather. We have family emergencies. We are not immune to the occasional call-out simply because we are nurses.
We had many tried to call out for weather, what did my hospital do? Well they sent the security staff in SUVs and picked nurses up from home and drove them to the hospital.
In some places you will get written up for calling off during a weather event. It sucks not getting PTO, but I'm not surprised. Too many people take advantage of circumstances. At my employer (and I'm sure at most) if you call off the day before, during, or the day after a holiday, you do not get holiday pay, regardless of the circumstance (unless you have FMLA of course). I went into work with Type A influenza on a New Years Eve due to this policy. I had proof of my illness (I had just tested positive that morning) and yet my manager wouldn't send me home so I had to stay. I was kept away from patients and had little interaction with staff, but was highly contagious regardless. I was mad, but I put on my big girl pants and sucked it up. Thankfully I had the next day off.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I dunno. You had a week to prepare. Lots of time to make plans and figure things out. And the worst that happens is you get stuck in your driveway and you don't get a paid day off. You went back into your warm house and stayed home.
I think it's fair, all things considered....I mean....
SOMEONE had to cover for you. Likely they had to stay over when they planned to go home and take care of family and/or pets of their own. Or just not work a double when they planned to rest after a long, long shift. Someone was inconvenienced at the very least, when you stayed home.
Been there, snow storms etc. I know what a pain in the butt it is. Made contingency plans and got there. Just made it happen.
I would count your lucky stars you were safe and unharmed all in all.
Denying PTO because the OP can't get to work in the snow is punitive. I might add I find it childish and mean spirited too.
How would any of us like it if our employer decided when and how they'd pay our PTO requests?
If the OP is given PTO with every other absence, then the weather shouldn't be an exception.
The boss can write you up, lay you off, or give you points, but denying you what's yours isn't right.
News flash. Hospitals DON'T care about the safety of it's employees. We are worker bees, and our only value is how much work can be extracted from us on any given day.
and I am willing to bet this practice is outlined in a policy in the employee handbook that the OP no doubt signed when getting employed.
This is why I stayed the weekend at work. I really do, for once, side with the employers on this one. We are mandatory/emergency personnel and this is what we signed up for. If they gave PTO so many people would call out just to call out. So unsafe for patients. Now, getting written up for not being able to come in, I think that's uncalled for.
springchick1, ADN, RN
1 Article; 1,769 Posts
And how would any of us like it being cared for by the nurse that has worked 20 something hours because the next shift didn't come in?