flexing for major holidays

That is unfair.

We group our employees into three.

One for each holiday, and each year we switch. We leave it up to everyone to exchange should they want.

The most fair.

The "seniority" thing is for the birds and would consequently lead to poor morale.

We have to work every other holiday, senoirity doesn't matter. If two nurses are agreeable to switching, then they may.

I guess I wasn't clear on my question. Everyone is assigned to a holiday and staff is happy with that process, but when the holidays arrive and the census is low(and it usually is low) and we need to reduce staff, it is done by seniority. Does your unit reduce staff in another way?

There should be a tracking method, regardless of the holiday, of who has been sent home or asked to not come in. And then there should be a rotation schedule or a way to determine whom among those that are scheduled to work has not been sent home for the longest period of time.

Jane and June are working, Jane was sent home on December 16, June was sent home in September. June goes home.

Our holidays are set up so that we rate the holidays in the preference we would like to have them off 1-5. We have to work 2. Our nursing care manager is pretty good about getting us our 2 most wanted off.

When staff is originally called off we have a book that dates the last time they took call. A disadvantage to this is that some people won't take call for 1-2 months before the holiday so they are the first called off. If you take call on your 1st holiday, then on the next holiday you are last on the list, everyone who hasn't taken call on a holiday gets called first, using the date book.

So if Joe is signed up to work Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and Jane Christmas Eve and NYE, and Joe takes call Thanksgiving, Jane would get call on Christmas Eve, no matter the dates.

It sounds confusing, but it's actually a pretty good system.

We are divided into two holiday groups-X-mas Eve and X-mas and Thanksgiving, New Years Eve and New Years Day. We go by seniority as to who gets called off with low census. But if you take X-mas Eve off, you are then placed at the bottom of the list for the rest of the holidays, until you are rotated back through. It is voluntary if you want off and it has never been a problem going by seniority. Alot of times people don't want the holidays off because of the pay. In fact, for Thanksgiving nobody wanted off, so the newest nurse ended up getting it off. I personally think that going by seniority is the fairest way to do it and I am happy with our system. Someone who has worked for 25 years should have first choice of having the major holidays off.

We have found that by putting up a 'sign up' sheet with the days and shifts to be covered over the Holidays works well . The blanks get filled in rather quickly, and everyone feels they have a say in the Holiday scheduling. Whatever is not filled in, gets assigned. We do call as well, so some people only volunteer for that. The Boss Nurse keeps a record of each year.

I guess I wasn't clear on my question. Everyone is assigned to a holiday and staff is happy with that process, but when the holidays arrive and the census is low(and it usually is low) and we need to reduce staff, it is done by seniority. Does your unit reduce staff in another way?

Yes, we make a list and everyone takes a turn. The list includes the dates the last time someone was sent home and who is next on the list.

Seniority is irrelevant and I would so balk at it.

And that is coming from someone who is very senior in the hierarchy of the hospital list...

Names on slips of paper put in a box. Non-interested third party draws the winner(s). Names of winners not eligible for one full calendar year from day after the holiday they didn't have to work. So if you got to stay home for Christmas you would not be eligible again until 12/26 of the following year. Only people who want the time off put their names in so nobody is forced to go home. All up to chance so no cries of "favoritism". Works really well.