Call Offs

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Our new DON at a LTC facility I work at just announced to the staff a couple of days ago about a new policy she has in place. She states that if you call off sick for any reason whatsoever, even if you have a doctor's excuse, that you have to call another employee to get coverage for the shift you are suppose to work and if no one covers your shift or you don't come in to work then you get wrote up, 3 write ups and your gone. A lot of people are furious where I work about this, including me. In the employee handbook, it states that you need to call in 2 hours or more before you are scheduled to work, and after 2 absences a doctor's note is needed. What is the policy where you work?

Also, how do you prioritize family and work. She states that this facility and the patients should come first? Do you put your patients 1st, then your family 2nd?

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

She won't have too many left working for her if she insists on this policy. And we wonder why nurses quit or move on so often.

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Sorry, forgot to say that there is no way that work comes before my family or my health. I'm not saying it doesn't place at all, but the idea that you'd rank work first is something only an administrator could seriously suggest!

Yes, they will suggest it for us, but don't think that they practice it for themselves.

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She states that if you call off sick for any reason whatsoever, even if you have a doctor's excuse, that you have to call another employee to get coverage for the shift you are suppose to work and if no one covers your shift or you don't come in to work then you get wrote up, 3 write ups and your gone. ................

..................what an idiot! I would love it and tell her that you will be looking forward to the pay increase on your next check for doing your job as well as a staffing position.

I would also inform her that if I saw nurses too terrorized to call in sick and jeapordizing patients and co-workers while working ill, I would report the hospital to every one of it's accrediting agencies. Wonder how many strikes OSHA gives before they do write ups?

Find another job, fast !!!!

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Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.
She states that if you call off sick for any reason whatsoever, even if you have a doctor's excuse, that you have to call another employee to get coverage for the shift you are suppose to work and if no one covers your shift or you don't come in to work then you get wrote up, 3 write ups and your gone. ................

..................what an idiot! I would love it and tell her that you will be looking forward to the pay increase on your next check for doing your job as well as a staffing position.

I would also inform her that if I saw nurses too terrorized to call in sick and jeapordizing patients and co-workers while working ill, I would report the hospital to every one of it's accrediting agencies. Wonder how many strikes OSHA gives before they do write ups?

Find another job, fast !!!!

THATS A STUPID RIDICULOUS POLICY. Imagine how much money Workers Comp. is going to have to shell out because someone is going to get injured and won't go to the doctor because of a write up, then the injury gets MORE severe, and then they are now force to take workers comp. Patients will suffer too.

Hey susie can you take my shift, I'm having a baby.

Hey Jane, can you take my shift, I'm having chemo.

Hey Susan, can you take my shift, my daughters in the ER.

Hey Mary, can you take my shift, my grandma just had a stroke, oh you can't guess grandma is SOL huh.

WTF, thats THE worse policy I've ever heard. Everyone should sign a petition, oh yea, hmmm I wonder what would happen if someone called there local newstation huh?

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Our new DON at a LTC facility I work at just announced to the staff a couple of days ago about a new policy she has in place. She states that if you call off sick for any reason whatsoever, even if you have a doctor's excuse, that you have to call another employee to get coverage for the shift you are suppose to work and if no one covers your shift or you don't come in to work then you get wrote up, 3 write ups and your gone. A lot of people are furious where I work about this, including me. In the employee handbook, it states that you need to call in 2 hours or more before you are scheduled to work, and after 2 absences a doctor's note is needed. What is the policy where you work?

Also, how do you prioritize family and work. She states that this facility and the patients should come first? Do you put your patients 1st, then your family 2nd?

:nurse: She cannot give out other employee phone numbers at will. You are not responsible to replace anyone.

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Some people have no business in management. Quit!

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I agree with the posters who suggest you obtain employment at another facility, but check their call in policy too. No sense jumping into a worse situation.

I also agree this DON is placing the responsibility for staffing the facility on the backs of employees not able to meet her requirements. I have an unlisted phone number, I don't want certain people clling e, if the facility gives my number out without my permission, then I may block their number entirely. If they don't like that they can pay for another number change and NOT give the new one out. :nono:

Facilities will continue to make stupid policies and threaten employees as long as they can get by with these behaviors. :madface:

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Sounds like bully mentality to me...that, and he/she wants you to do her job of staffing..pitiful :/

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Sounds like a DON who wants others to do her job for her. This is one of the reasons that facilities have such high turnover rates.........they don't care for their employees, so why do they expect the employees to care for the job?? Does anybody ever wonder why nurses/techs find other types of jobs?? We are expected to give 150% and get nothing in return??

I would look to find another place to work, but chances are you'll find only the same thing out there..........sad, sad, sad.

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Specializes in Case Managemenet.

I have heard this type of thing before. I don't think it is legal if you tried to push it. The DON is obviously stressed. Unfortunately, the best thing for you to do is to seek employment elsewhere. My family is #1 even if I am at work. That does not mean I am on the phone all the time with my family just if something serious happens I am out of there and with my family. The facility was no doubt there before you and will be there after you leave. If for some reason you are stuck there for a while (loans to repay or a sign on bonus) get a FMLA from your Doctor to cover you.

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i totally agree with everyone here. get out now, while you still have your sanity. heck, i had to take 5 days off from the darn flu/sinusitis a month ago, and i was hardly the only one who had it. it ran rampant throughout the hospital staff. employee health told me to stay home!! find work in a place that respects your humanity and the health and safety of its patients. geez.

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