Forced to come into work on day off

Flying ICU RN · Sep 23, 2010

Likely a move taking advantage of the current climate with the hopes of leaving it in place.

The trouble with that, is when things turn around again (and they will).

Well, it's an old story,..... Management everywhere, beware your temptations!

wee_oneRN · Sep 23, 2010

Try not to get upset or over-heated at management. They are making a change for a very good reason. Come up with a proposal for an alternate solution, and then present your proposal in a professional, non-emotional way.

Explain that it would be dangerous for the unit if nurses do not have notice. For instance, a night-shift nurse does not sleep on her day off and is then called in. That would not be safe for the patient. Lowering job-satisfaction for the staff is also not beneficial for the patients.

Then perhaps you can suggest a sign-up sheet? Each person can pick days that they are willing to be called in if needed? My unit did this last winter when several nurses were on leave and census was way up. It was a great opportunity to earn extra money. It was voluntary, and once you signed up you were expected to come in when called. Certainly, not all nurses want to work extra or have the resources to do so (childcare, secondary jobs). To not even know when you will be called is not good planning on management's part. If the above does not work (aka not enough pple sign-up), they could make it mandatory to sign up for one day per month. This way nurses will at least know which days they 'may' be called in.

Good luck. I know you can work out a better solution together!

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 23, 2010

Definitely wrong, maybe illegal.

Get an answering machine. Screen your calls. Don't give them your cell phone number.

Flying ICU RN · Sep 23, 2010

Come up with a proposal for an alternate solution, and then present your proposal in a professional, non-emotional way.

You are of course, correct.

JB2007, ASN, RN · Sep 23, 2010

I just would not answer my phone unless they told me ahead of time that I would be on call. I am a team player and I will pick up extra hours if I know in advance. I will even come in if called and asked, but I will not be called and told that I have to come in. My life does not revolve around my job.

whodatnurse · Sep 23, 2010

How can they not tell you in advance? You mean to tell me that any time you have a day off they can just call, expect you to answer, then tell you to report to work immediately???

Geez...if I wanted to be on a leash 24x7x365 I would have kept my old career in IT.

And of course, if you were to balk, well then they'll just turn it back on YOU with something like, "well then you're just not committed to your job..."

BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Sep 23, 2010

Wow,...so what are their plans if they call you and don't get an answer or you are 3 hours away visiting a friend? Not sure how they can enforce this? Perhaps you should all agree to schedule an on call day,..and of course you should be paid to be on call and get 1 1/2 X if your called in.

HealthShepherd · Sep 23, 2010

Typically if an on call schedule is used, you know what day you are "on call" so you can plan on being available and keep your fingers crossed. Are you sure you understand their plan? One on call day in 2 months is not such a burden, if it is equitable.

Agreed... I suspect that the management hasn't explained the new plan clearly, or the OP just hasn't understood it. Because the situation described by the OP is so obviously ridiculous, I don't see any way that a manager could think it was a feasible idea. They may not be on the same page as floor nurses all the time, but they're still on the same planet.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Sep 23, 2010

Having to work on a day off every two months is no big deal. Not knowing what day ahead of time? Not ok. What is so difficult about making a list list, even one "This week is your week to be called in on one of your days off"?

limey · Sep 23, 2010

Sounds like incompetent people doing the scheduling. Just don't answer the phone if they call. Your telephone is for YOUR benefit, not theirs. They'll soon get the hint.

Blackcat99 · Sep 23, 2010

I had a similiar job like that many years ago in West Virginia. :mad: However, they said that they could call you anytime on your days off and you would be required to come in no matter what. If they called you and you did not come in it would be a write-up since they called it "mandatory overtime." They never caught me on my days off. Thankfully, a friend had told me that they did not always use the work phone to call you. They would use their own personal cell phones to call you in order to trick you into answering the phone. I had to not answer my phone at all on my days off as I did not have caller ID at that time. I had to tell my friends to call and leave a message and then I would call them back.

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Sep 23, 2010

Hi,
A new scheduling policy is about to take affect and I wanted to check to see if its right/legal. So, in our ICU we are now going to be required to work a full 12 hour shift (over our 36) on one of our days off every 2 months. We will not know in advance what day this will be, and thus they are calling it an "on call day." Essentially we will be called out of the blue and forced to come to work, every 2 months.
How on earth is this acceptable, my days off of work are my days off?!
So my questions are...
How is this legal?
This was not mentioned in my job description, unless the famous "and other duties as assigned" applies.

This is why God created caller ID and why you shouldn't answer the phone unless it is super-convenient for you to go in.

What they are wanting to do, is to have the entire staff on call without paying anyone for being on call.

All they are encouraging is staff members to not answer phones.

What a perfect example of poor management.