Can employer change job description and demands?

Nurses General Nursing

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I have been working with my present employer for numerous years. In the early days 80's, I recall a very concise job description. Through the years, the description has changed and recently the job description includes floating to different facilities and sometimes this involves extensive travel. My understanding is that it's legal for an employer to change a job description. However, I feel the travel is too extensive, and unreasonable. I have discussed this with my employer and I'm willing to work part time. However, they insist on the nurses doing extensive travel to compensate for shortages elsewhere. Other than leaving my job, is there anything I can do? Can I collect unemployment if I get fired for refusing to travel to accomodate my employers short staffing elsewhere. Some of the areas I must cover are 20-30 miles further than my usual work destination.

Sometimes it can be the intention to make things change so much that people will say they cannot follow the new job description, and that is how you reduce your workforce without firing anyone. Not accepting the new requirements means you no longer want the job. If you have a talk with them be careful to listen how they phrase things, and, don't let them make you say something that seems like a statement you aren't ready to make.

I've known several people who have suddenly had their positions moved to another location in another state. And that gets to be a problem if your spouse is the real breadwinner, and you cannot up and move and cause the family financial loss eg it would be ridiculous for the spouse to quit his/her job so you can keep yours. And, believe it or not, most of the time the company knows all about you and your situation and they might try this before layoffs to reduce the need to deal with unemployment because, well, if you don't take the job in the other state, you no longer will be meeting the job requirements and then, of course you must resign or be actually fired for not meeting the requirements of your job.

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Twenty to 30 miles is not so far. Read a post recently about how far people were travelling to get to work. You would be surprised how far people will voluntarily travel.

Did your place of employment buy another facility or was it bought? I'd think something had changed with the facility to see this happening. If either of these happened I don't think it would be too unusual for this kind of policy to become a norm. I guess it then depends on how bad you need a job and how the job market is in your locality. Either way things will change.

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Twenty to 30 miles is not so far. Read a post recently about how far people were travelling to get to work. You would be surprised how far people will voluntarily travel.

Did your place of employment buy another facility or was it bought? I'd think something had changed with the facility to see this happening. If either of these happened I don't think it would be too unusual for this kind of policy to become a norm. I guess it then depends on how bad you need a job and how the job market is in your locality. Either way things will change.

Whether 20 or 30 miles is a long or short way depends a lot on what those miles consist of. NYC traffic? Long way. Wyoming in the summer?.....pretty short. Montana in the winter? Could be a long, long way, or easy-peasy and gorgeous besides.

I recall seeing a survey around 2003 or so about how far people were willing to drive to take an EMT certification test. For Ohio residents, it was about 20 minutes. For people in Montana, a couple hundred miles was ok.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

As an IV homecare RN, I covered 125 mile territory in 3 states in 8-10hr day. I fully understand frustration being sent to one location, only to be called back to hospital you just left to handle situation; getting lab results and making calls to docs for updated orders while driving and being paged at same time by office that patient waiting and your late, finally driving home only to be paged again that I needed to stop for chemo disconnect as oncall RN not returning page " and we know your driving my patients home, only 5 min off interstate".....along with $800 cellphone bill, thankfully no clocking in/out.

Employers have the right to change job descriptions to meet current business needs (I just updated my staff's including flu vaccine admin duties by RN's as we are business center and only RN staff onsite--nothing to do with referral intake). As employee, you can discuss impact on your work ability (sometimes there are unforseen/unintended consequences) then decide how much of this can you put up with if Manager unable to consider change impact...voting with your feet.

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Specializes in ICU.

In the middle of my employment, our CEO decided to send out a non- compete agreement all management must sign that was very restrictive and would have basically screwed me as an rn. (especially since the CEO hated me)I refused to sign it. I said I wasn't resigning, I'm just not signing it. I was therefore terminated and I did collect unemployment. And I work in an at- will state.So research your rights first. I believe you can still receive unemployment benefits. Not sure, but a strong possibility.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Especially if you're in a right-to-work state, the answer is yes. My job description has changed several times over three years my current department, and we just found our our weekend commitment is being doubled in the spring.

I'm fortunate that I really love my specialty (diagnostic cardiology) and the patients keep me grounded most of the time. I'm not sure it would be better anywhere else; I just try to let the politics go when I clock out. Easier said than done :banghead:

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