Is this a fair holiday schedule

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 17, 2018

I am amazed at how many people believe that Black Friday is a bonafide holiday. The fact that many places of employment give employees the day after Thanksgiving off does not elevate it to holiday status.

OP: your schedule sounds fair. And you do have holiday family time--you just need to get a little creative about it.

The fairest place I ever worked at broke us up into two teams: A and B. Each team was scheduled for four of the eight holidays each year (NYE, NYD, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day). You knew from the first day of the year what holidays you were scheduled to work. If you needed/wanted to make changes, it was on you to find your replacement or negotiate a deal with staffing. If you wanted to pick up extra holidays for the money, you could...however, that didn't get you off of the hook for the holidays you were assigned.

Every year, the teams switched holidays, so you didn't work the same holiday two years in a row.

turtlesRcool · Oct 17, 2018

Regarding Black Friday, it's considered a legitimate part of our holiday obligation. Sort of. We have to work Thanksgiving OR Black Friday; Christmas Eve OR Christmas, and New Year's Eve Or New Year's Day. Black Friday doesn't generate any extra pay (just like x-mas eve and NYE don't give day shift any extra pay), but we are expected to work it if we don't work Thanksgiving.

Every other year, my brother gets his kids at 4pm on Thanksgiving, so those years I choose to work Thanksgiving day so we can all celebrate Thanksgiving dinner out of state with my extended family and sleep over into Black Friday. On the alternate year, it's reversed. My brother has his kids for Thanksgiving, and he has to have them to his ex by 4pm, so those years I sign up to work Black Friday so we can all be together for an early afternoon Thanksgiving. I actually prefer to work Thanksgiving day, both for the extra pay and the extended family gathering that night. Other than allowing me to travel for Thanksgiving, Black Friday doesn't mean anything to me. Every family is different.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2018

Is the holiday policy applied across the board? Meaning, is everyone working at least one of those days? "Fair" is what happens every year in Dallas about this time.

The year I spent working in a hospital was enough to convince me that no shift differential would make up for me working nights over a holiday. When I worked for the state, we had some odd state holidays for which we also covered our clinic.

You're obviously a critical staff. Come join us in school nursing - we're not considered critical and we get a week at Thanksgiving, two weeks' winter break, and 10 weeks off in the summer!

neonn965 · Oct 17, 2018

I am going to be the outlier here and say that is ridiculous. I would seriously not continue to work somewhere if that was going to be my holiday schedule. On my unit, there are prime holiday shifts and non-prime holiday shifts. Prime: Christmas Eve night shift, Christmas Day day shift, NYE night shift, NY Day day shift. Non-prime: Christmas Eve day shift, Christmas Day night shift, NYE day shift, NY Day night shift. On our unit you never have to work two primes (i.e. exactly what you have, both eve night shifts).

Now you don't get to celebrate with your family on either holiday, because let's be realistic here, New Year's happens on eve night shift and prime Christmas celebration hours are on the late portion of the eve and Christmas morning. My Christmas celebrations are done by Christmas evening and I would hardly even consider New Year's Day night shift a holiday.

As for Thanksgiving, once again, that's ridiculous. On our unit Thanksgiving for night shift is the the actual night of Thanksgiving. I got Thanksgiving off this year and I actually chose to work Wednesday night shift. I will be up in plenty of time to go to Thanksgiving dinner. You'll have to leave early, or miss it entirely, and you certainly can't participate in having any adult beverages and/or truly relaxing with your family if you do get to go to the early portion of the celebration. IMO you got all three of the worst shifts for winter holidays.

As for Halloween and black Friday, I don't really get your issue. If you wanted them off then you should have requested them off. I always want Halloween off so I request it. Not enough people care about Halloween day to request it so I always get it off.

Neats, BSN · Oct 17, 2018

I remember one year I worked Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and then Christmas eve, Christmas day, and new years.

My hubby brought in our kids Christmas presents and when the residents went to be (around 9PM) my kids had their Christmas eve tradition of opening their presents...It was what it was, I had a job and that job allowed me to put food on the table and buy Christmas presents for our kids.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2018

OP, what about Christmas and NY?

I have never worked anywhere where line staff could vacation at a holiday time, but then someone would be granted vacation anyway. And the managers and Admin were often on vacation over Christmas or TG.

Try working outside a 24/7 facility (clinic, school, doc's office, Public Health, might be others that will come to mind later) or go into Management if you really hate working holidays.

The topic is always a major problem in Nursing, Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, TV and radio work, animal hospitals or shelters, homeless shelters, probably some other lines of work. The military, state and fed (maybe some local) government emergency workers - some of these are overseas far from loved ones. We really need to remember them all the time but particularly during these holidays. And during holidays that are special to other religious groups, as not all celebrate Christmas.

Here's wishing everyone a great holiday season in advance.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2018

The topic is always a major problem in Nursing, Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, TV and radio work, animal hospitals or shelters, homeless shelters, probably some other lines of work. The military, state and fed (maybe some local) government emergency workers - some of these are overseas far from loved ones. We really need to remember them all the time but particularly during these holidays. And during holidays that are special to other religious groups, as not all celebrate Christmas.
Here's wishing everyone a great holiday season in advance.

That's awesome, actually!!! Thank you for the reminder.

allnurses Guide · Oct 18, 2018

I'm not saying Halloween and Black Friday are holidays. Just days that a lot of people request off especially Halloween if you have young children.

When my son was little I traded off Halloween with a nurse whose family thought the whole thing was an evil abomination. She traded with me every year that I worked with her.

I stay as far away from stores on Black Friday - to big an invitation to spend money I don't need to spend.

Hppy

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2018

When my son was little I traded off Halloween with a nurse whose family thought the whole thing was an evil abomination. She traded with me every year that I worked with her.
I stay as far away from stores on Black Friday - to big an invitation to spend money I don't need to spend.
Hppy

And the crowds are horrible.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2018

Until this thread, I never knew anyone would specifically request to have off on Black Friday.

I would rather go to the dentist (and I hate going to the dentist) than go shopping on Black Friday.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2018

Until this thread, I never knew anyone would specifically request to have off on Black Friday.
I would rather go to the dentist (and I hate going to the dentist) than go shopping on Black Friday.

Not only do I know of people who request it off, I know of people who use PTO! :wtf:

Personally, I hate even driving anywhere near a mall on Black Friday. But, there is a reason why stores open up on Thanksgiving night.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Oct 19, 2018

Until this thread, I never knew anyone would specifically request to have off on Black Friday.
I would rather go to the dentist (and I hate going to the dentist) than go shopping on Black Friday.

It's not just Black Friday for shopping.It is the Friday between a holiday and a weekend. EVERYBODY wants it off. One of the few days I could not even request off, even working from home. Administration just said NO in advance.