Forced Resignation

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Hello all,

As some of you may know I work in inpatient oncology and a few weeks ago I put in three weeks notice for my job. Although I had been seeking opportunities elsewhere I'm sad that things turned out this way. Here's what happened: Back in October all of the nurses signed up for their vacation weeks for 2018. I knew I would be in a wedding in Thailand in March and my boyfriend and I had been talking about doing a trip together for the last year so I scheduled myself to have three consecutive weeks off. When I looked on the time keeping system I had ample paid time to cover this time off (120+hours). Fast forward to December and HR tells me that I have too much accrued time in my bank and I need to either cash it out or lose it completely. I spoke with other nurses on the floor about my unexpected lack of paid time but how I'd already bought $2000 tickets and made promises to my boyfriend and my friend. They said to not approach my manager and just play dumb when she sees I have unpaid time on my timecard. I didn't think this was a good idea so I decided to be honest and approach her about the situation and explain everything. She said she would not let me go because if she did it for me she'd have to allow it for everyone - so the decision was, keep a job I didn't feel fulfilled with and lose my boyfriend and a friend I've had since childhood plus $2500+ of travel investment, or resign and find a new job. Keep in mind this would not be a staffing issue and other nurses (including management) have taken unpaid time off in the past. Call me irresponsible but a close friend's one and only special day is something I can't miss unless something super serious (death of a family member, serious illness,etc) comes up! Here's what I would like to know: I don't think my manager likes me or thinks I am a good nurse. She is quick to point out mistakes and uses team huddle to criticize night shift nurses and PCTs. I do however think I could get star reviews from night and day shift nurses and PCTs on my work performance. Am I totally screwed with finding another job because my manager won't give me a good review? I don't have any written warnings or anything on my license. Thanks for reading!

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The only way to find out if this manager is going to affect your job search is to look for work and see what happens. You have to look for work anyway so stop stressing about it. What's done is done.

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I've definitely been doing a lot of that! I've applied for about 15 jobs so far and have had some interviews so hopefully something positive comes up!

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Next time, try to look for a new job while you still have your current job, and of course, try to establish a positive relationship with your manager.

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That was a lot of information. Ok, so your question is if you can find a job without a review from your manager? The answer would be yes, generally other employers will call to confirm dates of employment and to get the yes or no on rehire eligibility. They wouldn't speak directly to your manager unless you put her down as a reference.

As for the vacation thing -- are you allowed per policy to take 3 consecutive dates off? Did you have to find coverage? When you put the vacation request in, did they approve it then turn around and say you have to cash time in and cannot do the vacation?

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Oh and you should mention that you will need 3 weeks off in March to any potential employer...that may be an issue.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I'm so confused by all of this, but probably just because my hospital works vastly different.

So you do your vacation bidding for the upcoming year in October? And you requested the 3 weeks of you needed during the vacation bidding time frame? Were the requests approved or denied?

In December you find out you're going to lose your paid time off. Did you have to buy out ALL of your time?

Does your manager take issue with the amount of time you're taking off at once or the fact that it's unpaid?

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Yes! We have a lot of nurses on our unit who take consecutive weeks off to visit family in other countries, volunteer abroad, etc. Coverage is already there to cover chemo nurses, charge nurses, etc. The DID approve the vacation when I put in the request. BUT the issue was that I was ending the year with too much in the bank. I guess that the nurses who take three weeks consecutively schedule vacation for late in the year so they don't risk having to cash it out.

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Request was approved during the bidding time period. I had to buy out until I hit the 36 hour mark and at our rate of accrual I knew I couldn't get back to the 106 hours I needed. My manager is ok with me taking three weeks consecutively but has issue with the fact that it would be unpaid.

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ah, ok, I see your issue with this then. I assume you were unaware that you can only have a limited amount of vacation time? That does blow and after spending so much money for the vacation after the approval, I don't blame you for looking for other jobs. I am always unclear why employers have problems with taking unpaid leave if there is coverage and the length of time was approved. The only person it impacts is you but I am sure there is a reason for it out there somewhere.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

It's important to note that you were not forced to resign. You made a choice to resign as opposed to staying and missing your vacation/friend's wedding. That's a personal choice so there is no right or wrong necessarily, but you were not forced to resign.

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It's important to note that you were not forced to resign. You made a choice to resign as opposed to staying and missing your vacation/friend's wedding. That's a personal choice so there is no right or wrong necessarily, but you were not forced to resign.

Well, technically, I suppose no one is ever forced to resign. Resignation is voluntary by definition. If the OP's version of things is correct, I'd say she was backed into a corner and her resignation was as "forced" as any other, though.

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