absenteeism

Brownms46 · Feb 24, 2002

Originally posted by nur20
This is just a personal theory. 9 out of 10 call-in's are stress or burnout related. Let's not forget the ones that just plain hate the job.Until the workplace, staffing, nurse/patient ratio improve this will always be around. Lets face it, nursing is not the easiest and most appeciative job in town and some burnout faster than others. Of course, it makes it hard on one who really is sick. What a sneaky way for management to shift blame from their poorly managed, understaffed, whacked out facility to the shoulders of their tired, burnt out staff. I'm sure they have a policy concerning excessive absenteeism or a doctor's certificate for absenteeism beyond a certain amount of time, but i see that is not good enough. They want to hold you responsible for infringing on the patient's rights. I think it is THEY who need to consider the patient's rights also when they are thinking about the budget

Nur20,

I totally agree with you! And yes AGI...there are facilities that hire people, who are ON CALL. There also other facilites that have float people to cover. It IS the facilites problem to keep the ratios correct...not those who work there!

I rarely ever call off or go home sick. I have worked with HCT of 21, in a fast paced setting d/t fibroids. I have went to work sick, and passed out at the end of a run all nite shift on step down unit, landing beside the toilet and the wall I had smeared with lipstick as I fell! I USED to guilty about not "being there" for my pts. No longer! I now take care of me first, and then my pts. If I'm too ill to be on my toes, than what good am I to the peole who count on me? What if I had landed on the floor of a pt's room? Please...I believe you can't intimidate people and expect them to feel good about where they work. Yes there will always be those who will take advantage of ANYTHING. But...it has been my experience...that MOST caregivers want to be good at what they do....and those that don't ....shouldn't be in the profession. EVERY employee desires to know they're appreciated and require the same compassion where they're ill, that we give our pts.

And yes...calling off because of no babysitter IS a "legitimate" excuse! Your first duty is to your family....then your job! Anyone who leaves their children with just 'anyone" should be horse whipped for being an unfit parent! I took agency positions when I became a single parent d/t divorce. I did this so I wouldn't have to worry about my children being sick...and feeling gulity about not being able to go to work. I never took a shift except for on a daily basis...so if something came up...I didn have to worry about canceling. This isn't option for some people.

And I wonder if the person who wanted to go out of town....had been given the coverage she requested...maybe she would feel more willing to cover someone else in their time of need.

:

mtgirl63 · Feb 25, 2002

Brownms --- you have a good point about the person who wanted the week-end off that ended up calling off --- although I don't agree that she should have just called off --- I do agree that maybe someone could have given her the coverage she asked for (traded a shift maybe) and then the call off wouldn't have been necessary. Whatever she was going away for that week-end obviously meant alot to her. I'm thankful that the nurses I work with are pretty good about trading shifts when someone needs a specific day off ---- things come up after the monthly schedules are done to where you had no idea that you'd be needing this day off. I've even had someone come in in the evening and cover my shift for me for 2 hrs so I could go to my kids school concerts. It's called teamwork. :)

Brownms46 · Feb 25, 2002

Dear mtgirl63,

You're correct! You hit the nail squarely on the head! It is called TEAMWORK!

:cool:

Slowone · Feb 26, 2002

really sick, child ill, babysitter cancels, g'Ma is ill....all legititmate excuses. I think over 75% of all call in are legitimate.

BUT,

I don't think it's what the excuse is as much as WHO it is calling in.

I know my staff, it is the repeat offenders that get me steamed.

They call in sick monday, thursday and Friday with a dx of "I don't know what it is but I have been throwing up all night and have a fever of 102.7!!!"

As for childcare issues, a babysitter cancelling here and there is one thing but if the fact that you can't hire reliable/consitant help , will not become the facilites problem...get it together or get out.

our NAC's run 10:1 on a high accuity floor, they work there butts off and do a great job, so if one person decides they want to sleep in or take a "mental health" day without getting coverage; it's just is plain unfair for those who actually care about their jobs and their patients!

I love the idea of weekend call in's going through administarator at home!! I may bring that one up in our next manager meeting! :rolleyes:

Brownms46 · Feb 26, 2002

OOh what the heck...here goes...got flame retardant suit ready...now...GO..

Dear Slowone,

I'm sure you must have to deal with these problems on a regular basis. And there is no love lost here in me for people who abuse their sick time. But I sincerely humbly disagree with intimidating people who MUST call in...even if it's on a weekend. I think this is same kind of thinking that prompts single moms into leaving their children home alone, or in cars while they go to work..IMHO..now.

Let me ask you...since this evidently must be a problem in your facility...of great workers. Does your facility provide onsite child care? Maybe this is something that could be brought up to management ...instead of a means to have them "get out"..if they can't find hire/find consistent child care. Maybe it SHOULD be the facilities problem.

Dashing to put suit on..WHEW MADE IT!!

cinny071 · Mar 2, 2002

What if you ask for time off, have found someone to work for you and you cann't have it because the DON wouldn't okay it so the other person can be a "call-in" and you wil also have to work the time you arranged to have off. I guess you just have to call the "magic number".

How can you be a "team member". if the "team manger" would'nt play fair???????

AGI · Mar 4, 2002

Time to post a note about our absenteeism policy.......we have cut absenteeism by 1/2 since November........yes, our facility has day care, yes, we encourage trading of shifts, yes, we encourage requests off and yes we do work with the staff when "something comes up" .........bottom line........we have a job becuase there are people needing us to care for them, so yes, the residents needs have to come first.

Brownms46 · Mar 4, 2002

Originally posted by AGI
Time to post a note about our absenteeism policy.......we have cut absenteeism by 1/2 since November........yes, our facility has day care, yes, we encourage trading of shifts, yes, we encourage requests off and yes we do work with the staff when "something comes up" .........bottom line........we have a job becuase there are people needing us to care for them, so yes, the residents needs have to come first.

Dear AGI,

I'm very glad to see your facility is progressive enough to have on site day care. IHMO ...that is an excellent benefit for employers to offer, to help their employees have safe, affordable daycare. From what you posted you have made great strides in decreasing call ins.

But...1. When I asked about day care I was responding to another poster who felt that intimidation was the way to decrease call ins. This poster stated:

"As for childcare issues, a babysitter cancelling here and there is one thing but if the fact that you can't hire reliable/consitant help , will not become the facilites problem...get it together or get out. "

"I love the idea of weekend call in's going through administarator at home!! I may bring that one up in our next manager meeting!"-Slowone.

Next...unless this was a misprint...you stated (first posting) that you have 8 CNA's for 78 residents. Then in your second posting...you state you have 1 CNA for 7 residents. Now which is it ? In order to have 7 residents per CNA ... you would have at least 11 CNA's on the 3-11 shift and one would have 8 residents. So if you only had 8 CNA's scheduled...you were below your stated ratios even BEFORE these people called in.

Now...since you have been able to decrease your call-ins by 50% in the last 3 months..IMHO...maybe it would have been more productive to first post your own facilities positive accomplishments, rather than complain about the negatives you have encountered. Maybe taking a different approach would have been more productive. IMHO...it seems evident, that whatever policies your facility has enacted...it's working for you. So I don't get it! What is the problem? Were you angry because you " felt" these employees calling in...put your facility at risk?

"I" feel that those employees may have caused the decrease in staff needed to provide care the residents require, but "I" don't feel they're responsible for your facility once they leave the building! "I" feel they're responsible for themselves, and their families first. Yes....when staff is on duty...the residents SHOULD come first! But...NOT before the staff's own family! If "I" were your employee, and you told me that "MY" family came second..."I" would turn around and hand you my resignation!

And "I" haven't had an attendence problem!

On one hand you seem to value them by giving them an outstanding benefit in the form of day care. But on the other hand you "seem" to say their family is important to you....ONLY as long as they come to work. Now I must admit...I may have misunderstood something you have posted.....but this is the understanding I have gathered from your posts. Now ...you said one employee called in because of a "babysitting problem". If you have on site day care...why would this employee be having babysitter problems???

Next....you state:

"when someone "blames" management it is apparent that they haven't "walked in those shoes"-AGI

I find this statement to be a generalization, but it does apply to me in one sense. "I" have been management....but "I" have never had to deal with an employee call in problem. Fact is...I was blessed to have them come in everyday, because "I" was fortunate to have dedicated team members.

IMHO...with a good, caring leader, and fair workiing conditions...most people will follow an employers directions, and policies. Yes there are some who will take every advantage possible...given the opportunity. And there is nothing any policy, person, can say or do, that will presaude them to do otherwise. You can't indimidate people to reach higher, and go further...you must inspire them...IMHO. There will always be those you may not be able to reach, no matter what. As one poster put it...it's just the facts of life...period.

:cool:

Furball · Mar 4, 2002

I agree with the poster "it depends on WHO is calling off". If someone hasn't called off a single time in the past year I really don't care what the reason, "legitly" ill or spending the day on the beach for R&R. One poor single mom nurse had to call off frequently because her child was terribly ill. We donated money and vacation hours to her. Yup...it all depends. If you call off every Friday or Monday don't expect instant sympathy when YOUR family goes through a tough time.

Brownms46 · Mar 4, 2002

Dear Furball,

I'm sorry...but I don't feel sympathy is something a person should have to earn! If someone child was sick...I would want to help them....no matter who they were.. and not matter how many times, they did or didn't come to work!!! .MHO!

Brownie

donmurray · Mar 5, 2002

To paraphrase Tom Peters, the management guru, when you look at how your staff spend their time away from work, you find a wide range of talents, such as art, drama, creative pursuits generally, diy experts, historic recreations, etc. etc. Then you ask yourself, what is it about my workplace that turns them into lazy, workshy clockwatchers?

PhantomRN · Mar 6, 2002

At my hospital the amount of call outs allowed per YEAR is 3...after that we are written up and counseled.

Greater than 6 a year is grounds for termination.

However, the system is by occurance, so If I call out mon, tues, and thurs back to back that is only counted as 1 occurance. {dont need a docs note until >than 3 days out}

But if I call out monday one week because I am sick, two months later call out on tuesday because one of my kids are sick and 3 months later call out on friday for babysitter issues and then the next month callout again for sickness---well that gives me 4 and I am written up.

Does this stop the callins not as much as one would think, because admin does not follow thru.

People will figure out a way to get around the system if they are really motivated. Bottom line.