Mandated to work Saturday?

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Jul 27, 2021

You would have to go to HR to find out about the policy related to mandation at your workplace. I do not know about the legality of it, but you may not have an option to refuse that doesn't jeopardize your employment. It's very unfortunate that your job description would not lead you to believe that making plans on a weekend would ever have a conflict. Is it possible that you could ask one of the other RNs to cover this weekend in exchange for you "volunteering" for one of the other weekends when you don't have plans. Maybe they would be willing to make a switch since it's likely you will all be impacted at some point. Good luck.

TriciaJ, RN · Jul 28, 2021

Do you still have a copy of your employment contract? Is there anything in it about what days you'll work?

Will they tell you what went into making the decision to open on Saturdays? If you work a Saturday, do you get a weekday off? If not, you may want to contact the labour board about working more than 40 hours in a week.

Bella1988 · Jul 28, 2021

Hi there. Thanks for your comment. The clinic isn’t going to be open every Saturday, just three Saturdays in August to accommodate school physicals. The issue I’m having is that this was originally presented to us as something we could volunteer for and instead I ended up being mandated to work.

Rionoir, ADN, RN · Jul 28, 2021

Before getting too worked up, talk to HR and also find out if there are any applicable state laws where you live. My guess is your manager is out of her authority here, but there's a chance you agreed to this when you signed up. HR should be able to sort it out for you. If they say you have to work make sure to ask for a link to the policy.

JKL33 · Jul 28, 2021

This is neither here nor there--just curious.

Did the 3 of you think that your office wasn't going to hold school physical clinic if you didn't sign up to work?

Right or wrong, that isn't usually how these things work. In an at-will employment situation, which I'm not sure if yours is or not, the employer is going to do what they want to do and demand what they need and if they aren't breaking laws then they're going to get it.

I have two minds about it. The first is that I support people in their rejection/dislike of being given stuff like this when that is not what was originally agreed to, especially when it happens with any frequency. I also assume when you say volunteer you mean to pick an extra date to work for which you will be paid in accordance with the law. Otherwise it's a no-go.

OTOH, I would tend to go along with a thing like this, so long as things are generally good at the workplace and requests like this aren't abused. After all, if I like it there then I want to show that I care, that I'm invested and that I do share some goals with the employer (otherwise why would they want me there?). Now I wouldn't have been beating the manager's door down to sign up for all 3 dates (not that person, LOL) but I probably would've just signed up so that I could have a small measure of control--knowing that it is going to happen and my alternatives stand a fair chance of compromising my relationship with the employer.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 28, 2021

2 hours ago, Bella1988 said:

I am not thrilled with this as my husband and I have plans for the weekend and expensive tickets for a Cubs game.

Not going to touch the legality/policy side of things, but this is where volunteering for another one of the Saturdays probably would have worked in your favor. That would have left two Saturdays and two nurses, and your name shouldn't have been in the hat.

I work in the OR, which comes with a set requirement of call hours. When I was taking call, you bet your bottom I was after that call sign up sheet as soon as possible so that I could sign up for the call shifts that worked for me. It kept me from being like the people that didn't voluntarily sign up who were then assigned what was left. Meeting my quota voluntarily kept me from being assigned what might not have worked for me and my outside of work plans.

Only you can decide if this is going to be a dealbreaker for you, based on how the work environment is otherwise.

Bella1988 · Jul 28, 2021

If I check with HR and do in fact get told that I have to work this Saturday I will definitely keep this in mind for next year. Thanks for the comment:)

MunoRN, RN · Jul 28, 2021

Unless you're in a state that has made mandatory overtime illegal for nurses, which there are only 3, then legally they can schedule for whenever they want.

I would point out to them that if they are going to schedule you to work a weekend it would be reasonable to adequate notice ahead of time.

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2021

Which of the Saturdays is your nurse manager working?

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 28, 2021

5 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

Which of the Saturdays is your nurse manager working?

I apologize in advance, my stop. key is. broken.

Probably the nurse manager. puts. in 50 hour. work weeks already. Sorry, this hits. home to me.

OP, I'm a. nurse. manager of an ambulatory clinic, and my advice. was going to be, if you're in a union, check. your CBA.

Is. the manager planning on giving you a day off in compensation, or is this mandated overtime? Depending on the state, OT. can be mandated.

Our clinics have Saturdays, and particularly during Covid, we were. requiring the RNs to work on. Saturdays to respond to. lab results. We could mandate, but had. to. give a minimum of 2 weeks notice to do so. I agree with Rose Queen that you probably should have volunteered for one of the other Saturdays. if you. knew. you already had. plans.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jul 28, 2021

You will probably be seen as a non team player if you balk "officially" at this temporary situation. I would just try to get one of the other nurses to trade.

A temporary situation like this is not worth garnering a bunch of ill will.