Is it OK to discipline nurses extra for calling in sick on a holiday?

Nurses General Nursing

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What do you think about the practice of disciplining nurses extra for calling in sick over a holiday? Or even the day before or after a holiday?

I wrote a short post titled "Is it OK to Discipline a nurse extra for calling in sick over a holiday?"

I think that as nurses we accept conditions that would be unheard of in other industries. And sadly, even some nurses buy into it the "just tough it out and work" value.

What are your thoughts?

Beth

I had to work with diagnosed influenza because of this policy. I know there are those who abuse it hence why this policy is in place. So I was MISERABLE all day long. I had no contact with patients and limited contact with staff. I still exposed some and I felt bad, but I work too hard at my job every day to get screwed out of my holiday pay. I figured I would be miserable at home anyway so I drugged myself up with lots of Tylenol Flu and Cold, Lots of Advil, and plenty of hot tea. I survived it, but I hated being at work.

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How on earth did you make that leap?

Because someone made this statement : Until then, there will be unreasonable and unfair responses to reasonable situations because of the unfair and unreasonable actions of others. As a means of enforcing responsible behavior from those who would otherwise be selfish, people who are genuinely ill suffer additional punishments.

I was stretching the comparison but it did make me think of it after I read that paragraph

Our sick time paid on the holiday would be straight time. So if you work you get premium but if you are sick it's straight time.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.
Because someone made this statement : Until then, there will be unreasonable and unfair responses to reasonable situations because of the unfair and unreasonable actions of others. As a means of enforcing responsible behavior from those who would otherwise be selfish, people who are genuinely ill suffer additional punishments.

I was stretching the comparison but it did make me think of it after I read that paragraph

Our sick time paid on the holiday would be straight time. So if you work you get premium but if you are sick it's straight time.

Yes but by doing that you pretty much accused the person who made that statement of giving poor nursing care when in reality she was 100% correct about why we are in the situation we are. It IS because the system has been abused by a few nurses that everyone gets punished. Not only that but your question was not apropos to the topic we are discussing and was pretty inflammatory.

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Specializes in Hospice.
So ... whaddya think we should do?

Besides kvetch, I mean. That might have been effective when it was a sellers' market in nursing. Now, employers don't have to care whether workers are happy.

How we gonna take care of ourselves?

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I think this would definitely depend on what they have as an illness as well as where they work in the hospital. If they have a simple flu but are working with people with little to no immune defense, id say ys their legal responsibility to stay home to protect the patients f3om contractin what they have. It really does depend.

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So along that way of thinking you wouldn't medicate people having pain because some people might be might be drug seekers and faking pain?

You seriously concluded THIS from what I wrote?! Wow. NO, I wouldn't do as you suggest.

It isn't "stretching" what I wrote for another comparison, it's a hugely inaccurate leap that I take issue with. Drawing a parallel like this is absurd, and one at which I take offense.

The POINT I was making was that it's unfortunate that we have to have this discussion at all, as we CAN expect to see it played out as described, unfair as it is. Clearly written, no metaphors or ridiculous parallels in sight.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.
At my facility, calling in sick on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays requires a doctor's statement, as does calling in on any holidays. If one does not provide a doctor's note, they will not be paid, even if that nurse has months of sick time accrued.

Ugh. I work every weekend. What a pain this would be for me, especially considering most dr offices are closed weekends. So then you get to venture out to an urgent care for a note like a school child and pick up something else?

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

@sistrmoon.....Yes, my facility's policy means that if I get sick on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, I must venture out to the urgent care clinic, wait for an hour or more to see a NP, then pay my $70 co-pay. To protect themselves, some nurses with chronic conditions have had to get FMLA. However, we recently received an email from our HR department that some cases of FMLA are being investigated for "patterns of abuse."

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Sorry if I offended you RNsRWe, that wasn't my intention. I actually "liked" your post when I read it. I just feel bad for the nurses that don't abuse sick leave. Please accept my apology.

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Nursing is such a joke when it comes to call off policies; Nothing like your friends with other jobs getting 8-10 unquestioned paid sick days a year, when I am treated like a second grader and have to bring a doctors note in if I call off ONCE, especially if it is a weekend night shift, and get written up if I call off 3 times in one year. I rarely ever call off, twice in my career, but had to a few months ago because of a bad stomach virus. Not only did I have to provide a doctors excuse, but had to go through the charge nurse and call the unit director AT THEIR HOME to get the call off "approved". This is on a unit with a large amount of immunosuppressed patients who are very critically ill as it is. I needed 2 days off, but of course didn't DARE to do that, and suffered miserably through a day of work with occasional trips to the bathroom to vomit bile. All the little nursies run around getting their wrists slapped all day if they are caught not using hand sanitizer to shut off a call bell, but hey if you have influenza or strep throat, you better be at work. Not sure if it is this bad for those of you in unions, but when you live in an area where there are no unions, it is that bad. Cannot wait to be in grad school in a few months.

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Sorry if I offended you RNsRWe, that wasn't my intention. I actually "liked" your post when I read it. I just feel bad for the nurses that don't abuse sick leave. Please accept my apology.

Apology accepted :)

I did see the 'like' and thought that weird when I read your next comment.

FWIW, I too feel for the nurses who don't abuse leave, but still suffer the penalties (which is where I was going with all that). I'm personally one who tends to draggle in, under-the-weather, but not feeling "sick enough" to call out, leave someone else overworked, etc. And then someone else will have no problem using a sick day--when not sick--every time enough hours are earned for a full shift! Just unfair :(

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

I think it should be a well documented reason, or Yes, absolutely.

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