Can your employer call you back after you called off sick and demand you come in??

Nurses General Nursing

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My D.O.N requires you to call the facility and call her when you call off for any reason no matter what the time. I have worked there 1 1/2 yrs and called of once for snow because I have an hour drive. She tried to pick me up..she never made it, roads were too bad. (hello) This past week she has yelled, screamed and bullied our nurse and cna that called off telling them they really needed to come to work. In their defense they do not call off frequently!! Ok she is the D.O.N on call..shouldn't she come in?

As others have said, they can but provided you followed the hospital's guidelines for calling off it doesn't mean you have to go or face being fired for it.

I've had supervisors tell me that I can't call off and I just tell them again that I am calling off. We don't have unexcused and excused absences so my reasons for calling off are irrelevant and I don't share them even if I'm asked unless I am wanting to be paid bereavement or sick pay (which doesn't kick in until the third shift missed). Yes, it sucks to work short but it doesn't matter if they have already had multiple call offs or don't have anyone to cover, if I've called off then I'm not coming in.

I'd much rather someone call off than show up and then leave! If someone calls off we might get help from a floor with a lower census or be able to get someone to come in or stay over, if someone shows up and then leaves, we are stuck. Unfortunately, poorly written policies contribute to this behavior since people aren't penalized for going home (even if they leave 10 minutes after the shift begins) but face disciplinary action if they call off less than 2 hours to the start of their shift.

Can your employer call you back after you called off sick and demand you come in??

Yes, she can. But whether you will come in or not depends on you. Also, how you would handle the situation would depend on you too.

Once I have called off for being sick, I would make certain not to answer the phone again while I am trying to recuperate. If necessary, turn off the phone. If you get badgered about it when you return to work, say that you were sick and asleep.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Sure they can...just don't pick up the phone.

Another option I have had to enforce is a policy that says basically: "If you are sick enough to call out on a holiday, then you should be sick enough to see a doctor. If you don't have a physician's note saying that you were seen (or an NP, PA, etc.), it will count as an unexcused absence and there will be some sort of punishment." It was not the standard policy for every day, but was the policy for holiday shifts.

When faced with that option, I've had people choose to come into work on the holiday instead of going to an urgent care center. They seemed fine by the way the acted while at work.

So if you have the stomach flu, vomiting, diarrhea you know is going to pass you have to drag yourself to urgent care to be told you have the stomach flu. Is the hospital going to pay the co-pay or bill for going for something like that????

As someone who is rarely sick I'd hate to work for a facility that has a different sick policy on a holiday and one that makes you go to urgent care when sick on a holiday. It's like guilty until proven innocent. Or like thinking all patients who have pain are faking because of a few drug seekers.

We need to treat our staff with respect, this isn't respectful.

Specializes in Gerontological Nursing, Acute Rehab.

You do not legally have to give any reason to your employer as to why you are calling in. And they can't demand that you tell them. If you choose to tell them, that's one thing. But they can't ask. (Unless you are using FMLA, then you do have to tell them that.)

Employers will do whatever you let them get away with. Just don't pick up the phone. What you permit, you promote. Cliche, I know, but very true.

Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

Of course they can but it is up to you whether or not you will go in. If I have called off....I'm not picking up the phone anymore to discuss it.

So if you have the stomach flu, vomiting, diarrhea you know is going to pass you have to drag yourself to urgent care to be told you have the stomach flu. Is the hospital going to pay the co-pay or bill for going for something like that????

As someone who is rarely sick I'd hate to work for a facility that has a different sick policy on a holiday and one that makes you go to urgent care when sick on a holiday. It's like guilty until proven innocent. Or like thinking all patients who have pain are faking because of a few drug seekers.

We need to treat our staff with respect, this isn't respectful.

Not to mention that not only are we already working in a screwed up health care system, why not go ahead and contribute to the problem by driving up health care costs with unnecessary urgent/ER visits just so we know for sure that Nurse Suzy was REALLY sick. Please!

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
I have a comment about the "snow day" call -off, I think that is so wrong that your DON tried to come and get you!!!!! What if she did make it and then there was an accident, then what?

Two hospitals I've worked at does this - they have 4WD vehicles that will go out and pick people up whose cars wouldn't make it into work.

Specializes in PeriOperative.
Another option I have had to enforce is a policy that says basically: "If you are sick enough to call out on a holiday, then you should be sick enough to see a doctor. If you don't have a physician's note saying that you were seen (or an NP, PA, etc.), it will count as an unexcused absence and there will be some sort of punishment." It was not the standard policy for every day, but was the policy for holiday shifts.

When faced with that option, I've had people choose to come into work on the holiday instead of going to an urgent care center. They seemed fine by the way the acted while at work.

Most, if not all, PCPs are closed on holidays, so you are basically forcing employees to shell out around $50-$100 for permission to stay home when they are sick? Not to mention the fact that since ERs and urgent care centers are the only places open on the holidays, there is bound to be a ridiculous wait for the doctor's note to verify a superfluous visit.

I can see how the policy might be appropriate during normal office hours (when PCPs are available to write notes), but this seems very inappropriate for holidays. If you are concerned that people are calling in because they want the holiday off, perhaps your holiday staffing needs to be revised.

OP, you should be able to review your facility's policies for sick days. As long as you stay within the guidelines, you will have the policy to back up your actions.

When I worked in LTC and assisted living, the nurse managers would often tell the CNA's that they had to come in even if they were sick. The CNA's were told that they could come in and wear a face mask.I remember the night CNA was sick as a dog. She told the nurse that she had a temp of 103,nausea/vomiting,dizziness and diarrhea. The nurse said if she didn't come in that she would most likely be terminated so the CNA came to work sick. This night CNA was a great worker. However, once that CNA got her health back she left and found herself another job.

Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.

Pretty sure if you asked me to throw-up on command I could force myself to do so. Also pretty sure that if I was throwing-up involuntarily, I couldn't stop on your command and come to work. ;-)

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