My employer called a couple of hours ago asking me to work tonight. Honestly, I have been shoveling snow for hours and am tired and sore and absolutely do not feel like driving in to work and staying up all night. We are chronically short staffed and I feel guilty for not answering my phone or calling back, but I'm afraid that if I call back I'll cave in and work, and I REALLY don't want to.
Also, yesterday when my street was drifted shut and I was unable to get out to drive to work, I asked if they would send someone in a 4WD to come and pick me up, since they had said that they would offer this to everyone who couldn't make it in due to the weather but they told me no, because I live in an outlying area, but that I would still be charged with a call off. Does this seem right? I was willing to work, I just couldn't get there and they backed down on having someone come and get me as promised.
I'm feeling pretty conflicted right now; angry, guilty, frustrated, anxious...
I always let calls from work go to VM. If I want/need extra hours, I call back and offer to work. If not, I don't call back. If it asked in person if I can work another shift and I don't want to work, I say "Sorry, I have plans that day." They don't have to know that my plans are parking my butt on the couch and watching TV all day!
My facility texts us now (extremely professional, right?!) I know it's faster to send out a group text but now I feel obligated to respond so I usually just text back "no thanks." They don't need to know what I'm doing on my days off or my reason for not wanting to come in.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
My facility texts us now (extremely professional, right?!) I know it's faster to send out a group text but now I feel obligated to respond so I usually just text back "no thanks." They don't need to know what I'm doing on my days off or my reason for not wanting to come in.
If you don't like recieveing the texts the free app I mentioned earlier Mr.Number will also allow you to block texts. It is very easy to block and unblock any number and you can select if you want to block texts, call or both, and unblock them just as easy.
My mom once got a phone call from her hospital when we were on vacation asking her to come in for a shift. She told them she was 16 hours from home, and they had the audacity to tell her, "we would REALLY appreciate it if you came in, if you could manage it." She hung up on them! I couldn't believe it.
Q: "Do You Ever Ignore Your Employer's VM When They Try to Call You In?"
A: Is The Pope Catholic?
Seriously, though, I was so happy when Caller I.D. was invented.
I really loved the posts from those who said did your house suddenly get closer to the hospital when it was they who needed you, instead of the other way around?
I NEVER answer the phone when I see a call from work and I am off duty, ever. It goes to voicemail and I will listen to it when I decide to. I will only do overtime or come in only when I decide it is convenient for me. I'm selfish that way, yes ... but that is a result of having been taken advantage of and finally reaching the breaking point. If I talk to someone from work while I'm off duty, I feel like I am working and do I get paid for that? NO!
What irks me beyond belief is being called in the middle of the day after I work nights and sleeping. This is now why I turn off my ringer when I get home. My current nurse manager calls me at 230pm to see if I could switch to that night in exchange for another night I'm scheduled. Of course, it's a day I know I'm not coming in later so I stay up after shift doing errands, crash around noon and wake up around 630pm, definitely late enough not to make shift that night. So I text her telling her I anticipated being off so I stayed up, went to bed at noon and woke up just then. She understands, which is great. If you want me to switch shifts on a night off, tell me before I leave and I can adjust my schedule to prepare accordingly. Once I walk through the exit, I'm off duty and I'm unreachable.
Besides, why is calling night shifters at 2pm acceptable while calling day shifters at 2am is taboo? This a double standard I loathe. I used to work with an educator that would call night staff at all hours of the day for nonsense especially on days they are returning that night! You forgot to chart an hour of your restraints, you forgot to label Mr. X's. PCA line, you did not complete the pre-procedure checklist for Ms. Z, etc. -- things that could WAIT until the next shift to be told, but you're waking up a night shifter that has to return that night and break their sleep?? This is when I started to turn off my ringer. I find that unacceptable. But God forbid day shifter Nancy Nurse forgets to chart one hour of restraints and she's coming back tomorrow, do we call her? Oh no ... she is "sleeping." :/
So yes, if I'm off duty, I'm unreachable for everything work related. Plain and simple.
I don't work on call, that of course would be different.
If middle management had to do direct patient care, just once, they would be setting up some interviews the very next day.
Used to work with a middle manager that would avoid taking patients at all costs if unit was short-staffed (as opposed to the other m-managers who didn't mind getting in there). She would even have the audacity at times to make a floor nurse charge with 4 patients while she was there! Excuse me, you are delegating YOUR ENTIRE JOB while you are in house doing nothing more important (also known to take a few cafeteria breaks)? Give me a break!!
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
I love me my caller ID!
One time the director.supervisor would've had to cover a 'must-staff case' and she didn't want to; she hired an RN friend to do the shift so she wouldn't have to do it. More than one way to skin a cat, and it was her choice to hire the RN on the QT, under the table; let her pay for The Rn's shift. ! We don't get shift-differential anymore; if we did, I might consider going in on a PM shift, but just regular pay ( which they just cut by 2.6 %) , nu-uh! Especially if I've already worked extra that week.
Specializes in Neurosciences, stepdown, acute rehab, LTC.
Yes, it's ok to ignore those phone calls .. I personally don't have a problem saying no so I do call back ..many times I will offer different bargains, trading with the person who called out or asking for a different day off or a shorter shift later in the week.. So now I don't get the constant calls but I do get calls in true emergencies
My bosses recently stated that we should call back and give them an answer. This attitude angers me so much with it's presumption on my unpaid time that I no longer feel any guilt ignoring them completely. I've started utilizing the "Do not Disturb" feature on my iPhone. If they want me to be more available then either salary me rather than pay by the clock or pay for "on call" time. My previous responses to VM were a courtesy I'll no longer extend.
Nurse managers think that anything they and their day shifters have special privileges and everyone alse don't count. Everything they do is acceptable. Everybody else are not allowed
kmarie724
280 Posts
I always let calls from work go to VM. If I want/need extra hours, I call back and offer to work. If not, I don't call back. If it asked in person if I can work another shift and I don't want to work, I say "Sorry, I have plans that day." They don't have to know that my plans are parking my butt on the couch and watching TV all day!