Clock out by 8am or get reprimanded!!!

Nurses Activism

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To all,

does anyone else get this at their job? I mean, for the most part depending on how your night/day went you would clock out right about on time or a little/waaay past it if you had a grueling shift. BUT!! what if now you receive a memo about all nurses, not just you must clock ou tor are ENCOURAGED to clock out at eight am/pm because accruable OT is too expensive and being busy that shift is not an excuse. TOP that with being told that having not complied with this matter you will get reprimanded. Hell, some nurses I have wokred with started clocking out at 8AM and going back to finish off charting and even report at times just so they wont get written up. Mind you we do have small forms that we can present to state why we are late clocking out etc which in turn has to be approved by the manager and supervisor, but with the staffing issues at our hospital of 3:1 AVERAGE IN ICU and even worse on the floors (we're not union) that has been recently brought forth our clock out times on average has been 30 minutes -1 hour from the set standard. Anyways, just wanted to pose that in the event the hospital fires or forces nurses to clock out on time secondary to an ultimatum is that illegal? this is for the state of NJ.

thanks all:bluecry1:

We have this, too. They had been putting papers in our mailboxes where we had to write reasons why we were past 7:30AM/PM. I always wrote, "NOT STAFFED PROPERLY OR ACCORDING TO ACUITY." For some reason I only got a couple of those!

Most nurses on my unit are there late. In fact, I do not understand how people get out on time and come to think of it, the ones that consistently leave on time hide to do their charting, do not answer phones or call-lights and make the PCTs do EVERYTHING. What good employees b/c they leave on time!! They are also the ones that you know do not chart properly, and take many "short-cuts."

I do not understand how management does not see if they would just staff accordingly they would SAVE money just from nurses leaving on time! I wouldn't stay a minute past if I didn't have to!

There are a few RNs that do clock out before they finish charting, giving report. I always "yell" at them about it...they are only causing more problems for all the RNs when they do that. If management doesn't want to staff properly, then they need to pay for it!!

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

nj regs: new jersey state wage and hour laws and regulations

wage claim (mw-31a) - use this form if you are an employee working in new jersey or you are working for a new jersey based company.

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yep, we have this too, can't clock in more than 12 minutes before, or 10 minutes after..

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Specializes in Urgent Care.
What would be the legal issues if something happened (a code maybe) and you performed any nursing while you were not clocked in? would you be covered by anyone's malpractice insurance? I think you need to be on the clock to be covered by the hospital's insurance

Not likely to be covered by employers inusrance when clocked out.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

We are not paid overtime unless we work over 40 hours in a 7 day span. So odds are we are not staying 4 hours over a week to chart. They would like us to clock out on time, but we are not punished if we are not able. FYI we get in trouble(talked too) if we clock in EARLY. but not clock out late.

I have seen though many times nurses give report then sit around and chit chat before walking over to the time clock---mgmt will then say "Suzy have you clocked out yet?"

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Where do you draw the line. What about those individuals that "milk the clock" so they can pick up OT. How do you determine if a person has been working that last 15 mins or talking socially to a oncoming co-worker ? Our facility has documentation sheets to write down why OT and then has to be signed by Shift cordinator before it will be paid. If not signed it is deducted from the time. What is a fair and honest way to get OT paid for ?? A short tidbit: just recently 2 RN's were in the employee break room at 655 pm (their shift ends at 730 p) eating with their feet up. The SC comes in to put her food away (she starts at 7 p) and leaves. At 805 p these two RN's were calling the SC for OT. Should they be paid ? They stated they had missed their evening 15 min break. They always miss their scheduled breaks. What is fair ?

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

Never ever clock out and then continue working. If they don't want to pay you OT, go to the sup and say, "My work is not complete. Shall I stay over and complete it, or shall I clock out and leave it for someone else?"

Never ever clock out and work for free. Illegal, demoralizing and dumb. NOBODY'S insurance will cover you if you are there, off the clock, there is an emergency, you jump in to help, and the end story is a lawsuit somewhere down the line. You will be off the clock, and your behind will be toast, and burned at that.

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My employer has started this, or tried to. I brought up what to do if you're not clocked in because it would be OT and a code was called. Would you just sit there? Because legally you cannot participate if you are not clocked in. Also, if something were to happen to you, would workman's comp kick in if you weren't clocked in?

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
something were to happen to you, would workman's comp kick in if you weren't clocked in?

not a chance...it's in the regs in every state (was an occupational health nurse in a previous life!!!):banghead:

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At my job, we are suppose to call the "boss" one hour ahead of time if we think we are going to have overtime. So I quess we are suppose to be psychics too.:bugeyes: Of course, my residents are always scheduling "their falls" at the end of my shift. So I always call the "boss" late. However, the fact is that they are going to pay me for my time no matter how late I call.:madface:

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I have a coworker who routinely stays a full hour after giving report to chart. She's a good, conscientious nurse, but with horrible time management skills. Because she is easily overwhelmed, charge assigns as few patients as possible- and only low acuity patients- to her. For some reason, it still takes her well over an hour to complete one assessment, and even longer for discharges (I'm not talking discharge teaching, etc., I mean just the actual process of bringing in the paperwork, having it signed, and wheeling the patient out). We help her out when we can, and still the late charting.

It's not the nurse's fault, though- I think it's the NM who has allowed this to happen for too long. We all get the lecture about clocking out on time, but for some reason this particular RN gets to slide.

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Specializes in Med/Surg; Psych; Tele.

Man, don't even get me started!!!!!!!!:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

It's sickening to think about how much free time I have given my employer over the past couple of years. This was mostly at one hospital in particular w/ this same company, but they are starting this crap where I am now as well.

Lemme tell you....at the first hospital, we would get "counseled", etc. about clocking out late, etc., but then if you clocked out and then stayed to chart, you would get in trouble too (guilty conscience? No, they just know that what they are doing is illegal). I mean, the supervisors for the next shift would actually come around about 30 minutes after the new shift started. She would write your name down and tell your manager if you were still there! Damned if you do, damned if you don't!!

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