Holiday Schedules

[amy111]

I am wondering how other hospitals handle scheduling for the major holidays. Are requests allowed to be submitted for the holidays...does seniority come in to play at all? Thanks

[duckie]

Where I work we are off every other holiday, with Christmas and New Year's counted as one so that the next year you are off the other holidays. I really like it and often volunteer to work the holidays I don't have plans for. (double time) I think this is fair and you can make plans in advance by knowing which ones you will be off for. If it's based on senority, then the old timers would all be off and the newbies would always have to work and I don't think that is fair. Everyone wants to share the holidays with their loved ones, so this way, there's no arguing, we just know when we'll work and when we won't. They do allow for trading if the employees want to and if you call off on a holiday, you have to work your next holiday off.

[BlueBear]

our holidays are placed in 3 groups of two and you must work one from each group during the year. the following year you work the opposite ones. memorial day and july 4 (pick one) then labor day and thanksgiving (pick one) then christmas and new year's (pick one). of course you are free to sign up to work a holiday that you are not required to work if you choose. we get time and a half and don't usually have too much trouble having enough staff sign up. also, we do a hat pick of names to see who will be cancelled first, second, third, etc in the event that we have too much staff!

[huckfinn]

At our institution each department has its own holiday policy. In our department we have a committee who assign holidays based on requests for time off and each individual's holiday work record. All holidays are assigned considering the past 10 years holiday work record (We have lots of old timers). If you get someone to work your holiday shift for you, you still get credit as working. However, if the person who agrees to work for you does not show, you are responsible for coming to work or suffering the consequences. We have tried other systems in the past and found this one to be the best.

[OBNURSEHEATHER]

We have summer holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day) and winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, and New Year's Eve and Day). We rotate, one year it's 2 summer and 2 winter, the next year it's 1 summer and 3 winter. Senority is not considered for requests off, it's first come first served. The soonest you can put in for a holiday off in 6 months in advance. And we too have the policy of working your next holiday off if you call off.

Heather