Chronic Tardiness

[Tweety]

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"?

[EarthAngel]

Over the years I have lived extensively overseas. Different cultures ahve different views on timeliness VS. tardiness. I wonder, how many of the chronically late nurses are ones from these types of cultures? Also, I wonder if it has anything to do with the shift the person is on. Does changing shifts help? Maybe they arent morning/day/night people?

Just something that came to mind, as I am a person that can be on the dot for ANYTHING after 9 am. Before that, its the luck of the draw!!:imbar

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Originally posted by EarthAngel

Over the years I have lived extensively overseas. Different cultures ahve different views on timeliness VS. tardiness. I wonder, how many of the chronically late nurses are ones from these types of cultures? Also, I wonder if it has anything to do with the shift the person is on. Does changing shifts help? Maybe they arent morning/day/night people?

Just something that came to mind, as I am a person that can be on the dot for ANYTHING after 9 am. Before that, its the luck of the draw!!:imbar

All of my co-workers-both the late and the prompt are natural born american citizens.I don't think that is a valid excuse anyway.I am not a morning person but have worked day shift for over 10 yrs now-and I am routinely on time because I make the effort to do so.....Should I be excused and permitted to stroll in after 9am because I am not a morning person?

[EarthAngel]

I am not yet working as a nurse, I graduate August 2003 from an LVN program and am looking forward to joining the forces. I didnt say it was an excuse, it was just a curiousity. :)

[cokie]

i agree, i think that people are late for the things that they CAN be late for. i wonder if these same nurses were late for the interview that got them hired. my friend who is spanish tries to use her culture as an excuse for being late to things she and i do together. i have never seen her late for work, and i tell her so. one time we were going to carpool somewhere, and i left without her (she was late), we passed on the road up to my house, she parked her car on the street (not at my house), and we left from there. she is no longer late to things with me.................

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Originally posted by nialloh

My brother was also an RN in the hospital I work in. He found the perfect solution for the social butterflies who are on time but like to chat for 15 - 30 minutes before getting report. He would sit in front of an empty chair and give it a full report, and it was the other nurses job to make sure she was in it. (he told them all in advance he was going to do it). He only had to do it once. If he sits in front of a chair, the other nurse comes running over.:)

Worked for him :)

:roll THERE YA GO!!! :roll

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

The nursing home i used to work at had an incentive program that if you clock in ON TIME, NEVER CLOCK OUT EARLY, and ALWAYS USE YOUR BADGE TO CLOCK IN, you get a dollar more on the hour bonus. Um, giving a raise for something people should have been doing all along, now THERE'S a sign of a problem!

[glassam]

Honestly! I am a nurse manager and I think your managers need to suck it up! I have NEVER had to let someone go because of tardiness. Typically, a formal verbal reprimand does the trick, but with one nurse I had to go as far as a one-day suspension. I can talk until I'm blue in the face, but once I initiate the formal disciplinary process, they know I mean business! Although I have never had to fire someone because of tardiness, rest assured that I would, if that is where they lead me.

[Imagine]

Thanks, glassam. I've been astounded at the lack of nursing leadership reflected in these posts. Where are these managers? Years ago, as a manager, I dealt with these issues. The time clock told me all that I needed to know and, you're right, once formal processes were initiated people saw the light. That kind of behavior has to be one of the biggest contributors to dissention between shifts. And a relatively easy one to deal with

[redshiloh]

I agree with glassam! However, why is the staff putting up with it? Why are they not writing these people up. Peer-pressure is a powerful thing!

[Marty1]

I too am somewhat of an early bird so to speak and it makes me very angry when staff comes walking in 15 minutes late as if its not any big deal. I think its rude to the rest of us and they disrupt report and usually we have to begin again , which I don't think we should, to me being on time is as important as any other aspect of nursing .

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Still like the report-to-the-chair-whether-you're-sitting-in-it-or-not idea though. :roll

[Gardengal]

Like glassam, as a manager I deal with tardiness when it is an issue. I did terminate a nurse because of chronic tardiness, and it was upheld in grievance and when she fought it through unemployment. She was chronically late, and did not respond to questions regarding reasons, and efforts to assist her if needed. She would say, I just can't seem to get here on time....There was a 7 minute window to start times, so tardy didn't even count until after that time.

I honestly didn't note her tardiness until If felt the rumbles in the unit and followed up. I learned at that point that instead of just accepting the total of 8 hours or 12 hours noted on the time sheet I needed to actually look at every minute. This nurse improved for about 1-2 weeks after I spoke with her then reverted right back to her disrespectful late ways.

After almost a year of talking, counselling, trying to rearrange shifts, verbal warnings, written discipline, final written, suspension.. I had no choice but to go to termination. The funny thing about it was that she too was a really good nurse when she was there, but her late behavior caused a poor working environment and anger within her peer group. Her peers were not exactly happy to see her gone, because we all liked her, but everyone was relieved when we all respected each other's time.

She would always say," but I have to get my children to school. " My response was typically that I understood that, but since several others in her area, in the same school district with the same time constraints could do it then I didn't see why she was any different. As we went further through our process I actually would tell ehr about other job opportunities which started 1/2 hour later...she'd say but I need to get home earlier than that, I can't get home late. I tried offering her 4 hour shifts, that wasn't aceptable either because she needed less work days. When we finally got to the end of the discipline trail she knew what was coming, but still thought that her priorities took precedence over her peers and those of the organization.

After this learning experience I look at every minute on time sheets. When I begin to notice the beginnings of a problem I bring it up. My staff know that I do this and accept this. They also know that I will never tell them if I am disciplining someone, and would never tell anyonethat they are being disciplined. So...if I have someone who appears to be having an issue of any sort and they are angry about it they know that I am dealing with it, but they will never know the details.