Calling in sick??

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Ok, I was called in to my Director's office the other day, and she told me that I had called in 6 times since January, the last being early April. She said this was grounds for termination, but this all occurred before she took over our unit, and she knew I, nor anyone else, had ever been told about this policy, so she did not plan to terminate anyone over absenteeism, but I would be written up, put on "probation" and could not call in for 120 days and I would have to have a Dr. excuse for any abscence after that! Well, all of the times I called in were for my 3 year old son, we had just put him in day care at the first of the year, and he came down with everything, you name it he had it!! I also had a Dr.'s excuse from his pediatrician for every time, and I was told that an abscence is an abscence, whether you have a Dr.'s note or not, ummmm, but I have to have one if I call in again?? Well, right now, I am sooo sick, chills, fever, coughing, laryngitis.....and after much deliberation, I had to call in for my shift today!! I was going to try and make, but my husband could tell how sick I was and he said he would call, if I didn't!! I would just like some other opinions of this policy. I know I have missed alot of work, and may be let go after today, but I am a Per Diem employee, does that make a difference? I hope I get alot of feedback from you guys on here!!!

Specializes in MedSurg, Ortho, Neuro, StepDown, Rehab.

Hi - just had to let everyone know - I for one have been terminated for excessive call-ins, some due to my 9 year old being sick, some were due to my 20 year old pregnant daughter going into pre-mature labor, and also some of my own. I had been through the warning, meeting with the Nurse Manager, and was currently on my 90 days with no call-ins when low and behold, my gallbladder was acting up and I had to go to the ER instead of reporting to my floor for work. Yet, even with the explanation of being in the ER and unable to come to work, I was terminated:angryfire from my job. It happens, but like I have always lived by, my family and myself come first. Anyone else been terminated for call-ins? By the way, I had worked for this hospital for 3 years.......:madface:

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Sorry I work sick unless I'm absolutely on my deathbed. Can't help it. Seen employers penalize and fire employees way to often over calling in. I feel they leave us no other choice. I'll wear a mask or whatever, even ask co-workers to switch assignments. I have to have my job, I'm a little used to having a roof over my head and food to eat. By the way, those that have stated that parents shouldn't be able to use sick time for their children's illness', what do they suggest parents do?[/quote']

One thing I would suggest is that dad stay home with the sick kids every once in a while. I work with a lot of nurses who look at me like I am insane when I suggest this to them. My husband stayed home some of the time when our duaghter was sick. This way neither of us ever got into trouble with too many call ins for a sick child and we also had enough sick days to use when we were actually sick ourselves. Obviously this is only feasible when both parents (or at least two adults) are involved in raising the child. I understand there are a lot of single parents out there who have no choice but to call in when their child is sick. At work, it seems that the ones who gripe the most about how unfair the attendance policy is are the nurses who wouldn't dream of having their husband stay home with the sick child.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

I raised 2 kids, had my share of sick kiddies, and occasionally my own.

My wife and I would alternate who'd call in to take care of our son.

Would call in for myself only if truly sick, posssibly contagious.

Otherwise, I'd be to work.

Minimize your call-ins to true events. If there's an issue from administration, go to employee health. Let them make the call.

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As a weekender, you cant call out at all. 1 call out is a verbal, 2 is written and 3 is final or possibly termination. I got my first warning back in May. So I cant have another call out until May of next year. So I'm planning to change my hours. It ticks me off because I use to sign up for a lot of overtime to help out my floor. But since I can only get by without calling out every weekend, I wont stick my neck out there to have to possibly call out during the week. I dont care what anyone says, I refuse to come to work when I'm sick, especially if I think someone else could catch what I have. I wish all of you Dedicated Sick at Work people would do me the same favor. (hacking all over my neck):angryfire

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I dont care what anyone says, I refuse to come to work when I'm sick, especially if I think someone else could catch what I have. I wish all of you Dedicated Sick at Work people would do me the same favor. (hacking all over my neck):angryfire

I agree. If you have something contagious keep your germs at home. Not only do I not want to get sick, I don't want the patients to start coming down with your communicable illness.

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Am i the only one who thinks this kind of thing is crazy? If you are ill, you really shouldnt be in making the whole division sick. Cleveland Clinic has a no fever policy as I understand it, why are they forcing sick nurses to work. This is just crazy.

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Why is it that the "peons" have to abide by the sick call off policies however, the ones who enforce the policies somehow feel they are excluded from abiding by them???? My NM has not worked a full week in god only knows how long!!! She calls in b/c she's had an asthma attack, her grandson is sick and she can't take him to daycare sick( she is raising him), she has to go to a funeral, she has to help her son move and the list goes on and on!!!! ***!!

When I get a note in my mailbox the day I come back it takes everything ounce of being I have to not rip it up and throw it in her face. Fair is Fair and the policies should be enforced across the board no matter who you are!!!!

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Specializes in Rehab, LTC, Peds, Hospice.

There is study after study that sick employees should not come in to work. Yes, it centered around office workers, however, it applies to healthcare workers and should be more so! Teachers have great policies regarding sick days, why don't we? I think that nursing is the least compassionate profession when it comes to our own, thus the nurses shortage!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

The weather is good today, Im in a mood where I need a mental health day off. Im meeting my counselor at the golf course, and the beer cart lady too.

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Specializes in PICU, surgical post-op.

3 occurrences in a year on our unit earns you a "verbal counseling" (a written record of which goes in your file, go figure). And it's not a calendar year either- the year starts as soon as you have your first call-out and goes until they nail you for 3. I recently got counseled, and it was hilarious. My director handed me a page with the days I'd called out printed. There were a total of 5 in a 2 month period, one of which they had actually sent me home. She said to me, "Yeah, I know you were really sick during this time ... I remember."

If you personally remember how sick I was, why the HECK are you writing me up?!

And the clincher was when, with a chagrined look on her face, the next piece of paper she pulled out to give me was a glowing reccommendation for a volunteer position I'm applying for! ... this sick time thing is a policy SHE invented out of her own head (I asked to see it in writing and she couldn't show me) and yet she feels the need to stick to it completely. It'll never make sense to me.

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There are those who don't want sick people coming to work (though in a lot of settings, especially LTC, you have only caught what has been going around the whole building in the first place)but I don't want to know I'm being taken care of by someone who has been there for a double shift to take up the slack for a call-in (because I think studies have also shown a tired nurse is a dangerous one).

So I guess that leaves the patients to take care of themselves. Maybe in either case, they would be better off.

I've just worked with too many people who are sick here and there, a lot of them you can count on calling in every so often. Our employee policy says excessive call-ins are grounds for termination, but I guess the definition of excessive call-ins in pretty loose, because these people are still around year after year.

Maybe it's true...if you can't beat them, join them. Don't think I feel much like going to work tonight...

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Well, a little update on my situation. Today I went to HR to inquire about FMLA for my abscences with my son. The first thing the HR lady asked me was, "how long have you been here?" I told her 9 months, she said, "Oh, you have to be here one year to file FMLA!!" I really thought this was a federal law that was to protect you from being terminated for missing work due to a chronic illness, or sick family member? How can they put a time limit on a LAW?? Well, the next thing I asked about was the transfer I put in to our OB floor, which has been my dream to work on for a looong time!! She said, "well, you can't be transferred for 6 months if you have a write up in your file!!!"" I'm starting to think this was a set up, mainly because I had my Director sign my transfer form 2 weeks ago, and then she decides to "write me up", last week! Well, I'm sure that is a BIG reason why I haven't heard back from the OB Director about my transfer, since they do check your file for counseling and write ups!! I'm just sooo PO'd I can't see straight, mainly because my Director is writing us up for things that happened before she took over!! I did go the Dr. yesterday and got an excuse for missing work, but as I was told, Dr. excuse's don't matter!! Trust me, this isn't over, I will try and talk to the OB Director and explain my situation, then I'm going to take this "write up" thing to HR. My point is going to be, first, I was never even as much given a verbal warning by my previous Director, even though I went to him every time about why I called in, second, I'm would really like to know why the NEW Director is doing "write ups" for things the old one should have done/or not done?? I'll keep ya'll posted! Please continue to share your stories, they all sound really familier!!

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