My employer constantly calls me in on my days off, and it's making me want to lose it. I don't mean that they just call and say "can you come in" and I have to say no. I mean, they keep on calling and harassing me and texting and telling me how much they NEED me to come in. It's every freaking time I have a day off, and I'm sick of it. I end up working overtime that I don't want week after week.
Today, inevitably, I called in sick because I am EXHAUSTED and my body can't take this (I'm no spring chicken). Well, my supervisor got a big attitude with me and continued to text me during the day and tell me that she needs me to come in. I finally put my foot down, and she catches an attitude and tells me that I need a doctor's excuse. Unbelievable! The favors I do for these people, and this is how they act.
When I called in sick, I called in with more than enough time for the charge nurse to find a replacement, and guess what she did...she decided that the next shift would "just get by" and she didn't call anyone in. I've seen it happen before on my own shift, and the attitude appalls me.
Our "self scheduling" is a joke, because they change everything that you put in anyway. They don't schedule enough nurses, and then when our patient census goes up by two or three, we're already maxed out on patient assignments and have to call someone in. God forbid they should assign anyone less than a huge patient load.
I love my patients, but this crapola is making me dread going to work.
Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
This is an ongoing battle. We had five nurses quit because of this a couple of months ago. Management does not care about us. It's all we can do to get a float when our census goes up. They will not schedule enough staff ahead of time. Meanwhile, we all get told that our attitudes need to improve.
Will come as no small surprise when they find out the "better attitude" many of you arrive at is refusing to be abused.
Nothing brings moral down as much as having many of the nurses more concerned with finding their next job than with trying to make things work with the current employer. It happens all the time, sometimes it's the employers fault, sometimes not. Either way, the results are the same.
People first stop coming in "to help". This is already happening on your unit. They will also call off for interviews and other things. A sense of " just get the day over with, do the minimum" will take over as people become fatigued or are distracted by having their eyes on the future, the next employer. Everyone will have deaf ears to anything the employer attempts to do to fix the situation because they believe they will be gone soon. It doesn't apply to them. Also because the facility's interventions are usually not constructive, like making "You have to improve your attitude" comments, even the people staying end up becoming detached.
In the end, people like you, other workers and the patients are the ones who suffer. Some employers won't change, refuse to grow, because they are immune to the worst consequences of their shortcomings? How many days off has the person who made the "You have to improve your attitudes" lost recently?
If enough workers and patients vote with their feet, there is a chance they will see the light. Too many employees moving on isn't cost effective, and patients refusing to receive care from them even more so.
Don't get your hopes up though. Most facilities who have let things get to the point your employer has.....are so far down in the hole they can't see the light at the top.
Well, unfortunately this is what has happened. The management threw a couple of temper tantrums at me last week when I decided to put a stop to this. Management came up to the floor to harass me while I was on shift and tell me that I need to be a team player and that they "really needed me" and that I let them down.
The new schedule came out, and while I wasn't scheduled for OT, my schedule is a total s*** show.
So the lesson here is that there's a price to pay if you really don't want to be called in constantly. It's not just as easy as ignoring calls.
Believe it or not, it took somebody some trouble to give you a total s*** show schedule; they probably won't have the time or motivation to keep it up indefinitely.
Meanwhile, now you really have good motivation to stop working OT. Your coworkers may also be interested in how somebody who stands up for herself gets treated, and before you know it, they might all decide that spines are there for use and join you. Perhaps some would be willing to trade a day here or there to make your schedule more bearable, in solidarity.
Just last night I had some out of town guest, and after they left our house I went to plug my phone in my charger and saw I had a voice mail from work listened to it and they said they had a no call no show and was wondering if I could call back.
Well the shift was a 7p-10p shift. It was almost 8p when they left the voice mail and it was 10 to 10p when I got the message. Well not sure if it got covered but it wasn't by me this time. :)
Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
Just last night I had some out of town guest, and after they left our house I went to plug my phone in my charger and saw I had a voice mail from work listened to it and they said they had a no call no show and was wondering if I could call back.
Well the shift was a 7p-10p shift. It was almost 8p when they left the voice mail and it was 10 to 10p when I got the message. Well not sure if it got covered but it wasn't by me this time. :)
(Holds both hands out and waives them around in circles. Breathing slows, eyes roll back as if in deep concentration.)
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Well, unfortunately this is what has happened. The management threw a couple of temper tantrums at me last week when I decided to put a stop to this. Management came up to the floor to harass me while I was on shift and tell me that I need to be a team player and that they "really needed me" and that I let them down.
The new schedule came out, and while I wasn't scheduled for OT, my schedule is a total s*** show.
So the lesson here is that there's a price to pay if you really don't want to be called in constantly. It's not just as easy as ignoring calls.
Seriously?
The manager came and harassed you on the unit while you were working because you refused voluntary OT?
AutumnApple
491 Posts
Will come as no small surprise when they find out the "better attitude" many of you arrive at is refusing to be abused.
Nothing brings moral down as much as having many of the nurses more concerned with finding their next job than with trying to make things work with the current employer. It happens all the time, sometimes it's the employers fault, sometimes not. Either way, the results are the same.
People first stop coming in "to help". This is already happening on your unit. They will also call off for interviews and other things. A sense of " just get the day over with, do the minimum" will take over as people become fatigued or are distracted by having their eyes on the future, the next employer. Everyone will have deaf ears to anything the employer attempts to do to fix the situation because they believe they will be gone soon. It doesn't apply to them. Also because the facility's interventions are usually not constructive, like making "You have to improve your attitude" comments, even the people staying end up becoming detached.
In the end, people like you, other workers and the patients are the ones who suffer. Some employers won't change, refuse to grow, because they are immune to the worst consequences of their shortcomings? How many days off has the person who made the "You have to improve your attitudes" lost recently?
If enough workers and patients vote with their feet, there is a chance they will see the light. Too many employees moving on isn't cost effective, and patients refusing to receive care from them even more so.
Don't get your hopes up though. Most facilities who have let things get to the point your employer has.....are so far down in the hole they can't see the light at the top.