Chronic Tardiness

jadednurse · Jul 23, 2003

I'll admit, I've had trouble w/ chronic tardiness in the past. It's not professional and it's disrespectful. However, at least in my case, it had nothing to do w/ arrogance or passive-aggressive behavior, and everything to do w/ depression, though I didn't realize it (or maybe didn't want to accept it) at the time. I had a wonderful manager who pulled me in her office and really expressed sincere concern. Yes I was written up (as I should have been) but she really took the time to find out what was going on w/ me and assisted me in getting the help I needed. I eventually left that position (it didn't help that I hated my job) but I respected her as a manager for taking the time to help me find the underlying cause of my chronic tardiness.

Often times chronic tardiness is often a symptom of a serious problem. I know of other nurses who were having issues in their personal lives that contributed to thier lateness/absenteeism (divorce, death of a loved one, alchoholism, substance abuse). I'm certainly not condoning the behavior, just pointing out that sometimes it's not always as it might appear.

Of course, if you are late then get your butt in there and get report. No dilly-dallying for coffe, a trip to the bathroom, a morning wake-up call to the family, etc!

NHLPN, LPN · Jul 23, 2003

I work with an MA who is late 30 mins every AM, and is the first one to leave!!! She plays games on the computer ALL day long, e-mails, talks on the phone,and does not take any initiative to do anything beyond what she thinks is "expected of her". She has told me she "does the bare minimum". INFURIATING!!!! Our office manager allows all of this, amongst other things.

kids · Jul 24, 2003

I live 2 miles from my job. I am scheduled to be there at 8:30. If I leave the house at 7:50 I get there at 8, but because of traffic if I leave at my house at any point between 8:00 and 8:20 I get there at 8:30.

I am chroniclly 2-3 minutes late every day. But I hit the door ready to work, I am logged into my phone, pen in hand before I get my purse stowed. I don't take report (no reason @ my job) and we have no break area. If you show up early you get put to work. Wouldn't be a problem if they were willing to pay me for it but they don't.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jul 24, 2003

Our place's policy was 5 tardies=1 absence. It never helped because it never was enforced.

I lived 2 counties away, a 60-70 minute drive, and I was RARELY late in over 2 decades. However, one time about 30 minutes from work I witnessed a crossover accident where the car went down an embankment. I called it in on wht car plone and then called work. I guess the message got passed on.

Being the good little nurse I and another driver stopped to render aid. The lady was panicked, bleeding from 2 huge knee wounds, and the car was jammed down in a swamp. We got her out, we got her cleaned up (trusty sterile water in my trunk), and dressings from the other first responder. The ambulance arrived, and we got ready to leave. I still had time to get there before shift start. But then we were told we had to wait for the state trooper. HE was late because he had to iron his uniform!

So little miss nancy nurse here, hardly ever late, got written up!! I got there at 0720 instead of 0700 that day. And I beat the NM and 2 other nurses there. I took it to grievance and got it overturned. BUT was on "the sj* list" for quite a while.

Oh, later that day we got the accident lady as our patient. The ER report was virtually identical to what I had told EMS and my bandages were still in place. Well it was nice to have a witness to prove I had a legitimate reason. Oh, and get this, NM told me I should have just kept driving because someone else would probably have stopped anyway.

So yes there are reasons to be late. I have heard you cannot legislate bad behavior, but for Pete's sake they could at least dole out punishments equitably.

And I get a Christmas card every year from "my patient."

purplemania, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2003

I think people who are chronically late are attention getters. My SIL is late to everything and, after interrupting whatever is taking place, spends several minutes explaining her behavior. All eyes on her---------

mattsmom81 · Jul 24, 2003

PRN, the hospital was foolish not to run with this incident as a PR booster for your hospital and its nurses. These are the kinds of stories the public needs to hear about nurses, IMO. Good job!

puggy · Jul 24, 2003

At our facility we start report on time regardless if everyone is there or not. Those that are tardy have to get report from the unit manager and on night shift from the house supervisor. These incidents are written up and placed in the nurses file. We have very few late nurses.

kimmicoobug · Jul 24, 2003

I live all of four minutes away from my job. I leave 15 minutes before my shift starts and then have 10 minutes to write down meds, highlight pertinent information on the cardex. That sorta stuff.

atownsendrn · Jul 25, 2003

Hate tardiness. We have one particular nurse on nights that has a very hard time getting to work. It has always been a joke with the staff. But in my new position I feel like it needs to be addressed. I discussed it with her during her evaluation - and she has been doing much better. She hasn't been late in three weeks. Then yesterday - she didn't realize that I was doing patient care for someone that needed to leave at 5:30 - she called at 6:15 saying that she had just got out of the shower and needed to get something to eat before she came in. Needless to say she was shocked when she walked in with her hair wet, a bag full of take-out food, and 10 minutes late and there I was. Unfortunately there is no disciplinary action that I can take until she is late 2 times in a pay period. But you better believe I will be checking her time very carefully from now on.

TreceRN · Jul 25, 2003

It doesn't seem to be a problem in my hospital. Our facility DOES discipline chronic tardiness. We keep track of those that come in late on our database, but the biggest problem with that is that the charge nurse has to call our staffing office and tell them that "so and so was late" and they often don't want to do that 'cause they feel like they're tattling. If someone has more than three "tardies" in 6 months, they start up the employee counseling road and can be terminated. I don't know of anyone that has actually been terminated. If they start down the formal discipline road, they either get it together or they quit. We HAVE to treat everyone the same as managers; not only is that the fair and honest thing to do, but if you don't the person being disciplined can "grieve" the counseling and have it overturned by HR. It is also considered a "terminatable" offense to falsify your timecard, and we have fired people who've come in 1/2 late and wrote on their timecard that they were on time.

Heartsofangels · Aug 3, 2003

I am always a 1/2 hour early for my shift. By the time I get report and do narcotic count it's 3pm and I can get started right away. There is this one nurse who is always late. She was always driving in at ten past. And of course they won't do anything because we are short of nurses, and this nurse only does the bare necessities, nothing more. One night I was sick of her being late again, so when she walked in I looked at her and said "late again." Of course she made something up, but she's been on time ever since!

bamagirl · Aug 3, 2003

We have a policy at the hospital where I work. We have to clock in on a time clock so if someone is late it is recorded. We have a nurse who is chronically late. We have up to 10 min past time for our shift to start to clock in. This nurse is always clocking in up to 10 min late. Then she is still late getting to the unit to start work. The behavior is tolerated by management because she "clocks in on time." I think "Tolerance" has gone too far.

Originally posted by 3rdShiftGuy
We waiting for a nurse to float from another floor this morning because we had two call ins. She was 25 minutes late. We bowed down at her feet "oh thank goodness you're here". She's 'sorry I'm late'. Earlier I had called her floor where they said "she's always late".

Have we created due to the nursing shortage an environment where tardiness is tolerated because we are greatful they even show up? Seem so at this hospital that tardiness is tolerated. The people don't even seem to have an excuse or care, they just want the hours to be 7:15 instead of 6:45. Of course they usually are the ones chomping at the bits to go home on time.

So the question is, what is your policy on tardiness. Is it enforced. Have we created a culture of mediocrity in nursing because of the "shortage"?