occurence policy unfair

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I AM NOW LEAVING A NURSING JOB THAT I HAVE HAD FOR 16 YEARS,ALL BECAUSE OF THE NEW OCCURENCE POLICY,IT ALLOWS YOU TO MISS 8 DAYS W/N A 12 MONTH PERIOD,OK I GET THAT PART BUT IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU AWAY TO WORK ANY OCCURENCE OFF,AFTER 8 YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATED.THIS IS A LTC FACILITY,I GET CALLED IN ON MY DAYS OFF,I STAY OVER AND WORK DOUBLES,I GET CALLED IN AT 10:30 P.M TO WORK AFTER I HAVE WORKED 6:30 A.M TIL 3 P.M NO SLEEP I GO IN TO HELP OUT,NONE OF THAT COUNTS.IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE REASON IS OR THAT MOST OF MY DAYS WERE COVERED BY A CO-WORKER ARRANGEMENTS THAT WERE MADE AHEAD I MIGHT ADD,MY VERY CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS WERE HAVING A HEART SURGERY,ONE WAS CANCER RELATED ,THEN I HAD AN EMERGENCY WITH MY GRANDCHILDREN PLUS ON TOP OF THAT I HAVE MIGRAINE HEADACHES THAT I HAVE TO BE MEDICATED FOR WHICH MY ADMINISTRATOR HAS BEEN AWARE OF FOR ALL THESE YEARS.I STILL GOT IT COUNTED AGAINST ME.MY NEW JOB AT A LTC FACILTY HAS OCCURENCE POLICY BUT YOU CAN WORK THEM OFF.NOW TELL ME IS THIS FAIR OR IS IT LEGAL? I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL EMPLOYEE FOR ALL 16 YEARS.:angryfire :angryfire :crying2:BY THE WAY I STILL HAVE 1 OCCURENCE LEFT,SHOULD I USE IT.??!!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having such difficulty after such loyalty.

Here in Florida that would be legal. Actually they can fire you here for no reason. Eight days is a lot of days to miss, so I'm sure legally don't don't have much of a case, especially if that policy is well understood.

What I don't understand is, how it is an occurrence when you arranged for coverage ahead of time. I would fight that with personnel.

I hope you find health and happiness soon.

(P.S. No need to captalize all the letters or to capitalize the first letter of each word. Makes for a hard read, and all caps is cyberspeak for yelling loudly FYI)

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Specializes in acute care and geriatric.

SEE A LAWYER. THIS CAN'T BE LEGAL. ALSO GET A DOCTORS NOTE REGARDING YOUR MIGRAINES BUT REASSURING THAT YOU ARE FIT TO WORK!

Having said that, Unfortunately grandchildren are not really reasons to call in and not show for work. Keep a record of the extra shifts you put in as a result of other peoples missed work.

I'm really sorry...it's a miserable policy and you deserve better after 16 years of working there!! I hope good things are waiting for you just around the corner :balloons:

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Specializes in ICU.
Here in Florida that would be legal. Actually they can fire you here for no reason. Eight days is a lot of days to miss, so I'm sure legally don't don't have much of a case, especially if that policy is well understood.

Ditto that in Texas.

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

This totally sux, especially because you are so loyal and have been there all these years. I do think it is legal, some states are "at will", but definitely find out about your particular state.

Hope you find hapiness elsewhere. :balloons:

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Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

Legal in Pennsylvania, too. We are an "employment-at-will" state. You can let be go for any reason, or no reason, at all.

I'm sorry that you were treated so poorly. Especially if this is the first year you have had repeated call-offs and you work all that extra time and they're going to let you go anyway. It sounds like they will be the ones the end up losing. You can easily get another job.

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Specializes in LTAC, Telemetry, Thoracic Surgery, ED.

have you filed for FMLA w/ regards to the headaches? If it is a documented medical condition and you have filed FMLA you may have a loop hole

Good Luck

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Everywhere I've worked it's only been 6 occurrences. So, 8 seems like a lot.

If the policy is well understood, then it would be difficult to fight it.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Unfortunately, the powers that be can decree whatever policies they want--they are holding the reins of power. What you do is stop coming in to cover for their call offs, or make a deal to have a call-off day deleated from your record if you do come in to work at their request. I suggest you get that in writing if they agree to be on the safe side.

I worked as a manager at a hospital that had a very strict attendance policy similar to the 8 day thing. Our director of nursing was adamant that we nurse managers follow it to the letter. If she ever found an employee with days of work they had missed who were not in the attendance program on the computer she would blow a gasket. In her case I think it had to do with the budget and cost of paying overtime to cover calloffs. This computer program even printed out the written warnings we were to counsel and give to employees about their attendance.

One way you get around this is to go PRN where you have more schedule flexibility. Of course, you lose your regular benefits that way as well. Another way is to buddy up with other nurses so you can cover for each other when you need a day off. Most places allow staff to swap days and shifts without it affecting their attendance and as long as their shifts are covered.

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I AM NOW LEAVING A NURSING JOB THAT I HAVE HAD FOR 16 YEARS,ALL BECAUSE OF THE NEW OCCURENCE POLICY, I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL EMPLOYEE FOR ALL 16 YEARS.:angryfire :angryfire :crying2:BY THE WAY I STILL HAVE 1 OCCURENCE LEFT,SHOULD I USE IT.??!!!

Have you already been terminated or are you resigning to avoid termination? Since you say you have one occurrence left. It doesn't sound like you tried to work it out with management. 8 separate occurrences in 12 months is a lot. I've never heard of "working it out." What usually happens is that it's a rolling callout policy. Every month another month's callouts drop off from the year before. "Working it out" sounds to me like you make up your own schedule. You call out for the days you want off, and work the days you want to. If you do it, even for legitimate reasons, everyone else would, too.

Do you really think calling out for spite is the sign of a professional?

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File for FMLA. I have an open one which means I can call in whenever I want and they can't do a darn thing about it. I have Crohn's and ulcerative colitis and my job has been aware of this and actually suggested that I file for an open FMLA.

I think the max you can miss during a year is 90 days before your employer has the right to terminate employment. I don't come near that but it's nice to know that it's there to fall back on.

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first,i have not been terminated i am leaving because of the unfairness when i had my shift covered and still it was counted against me at the same time another nurse called in for 6 times because she was fighting with her x-husband she did not have her shift covered and she did not get an occurence she is friends with the D.O.N . second ,my grandchildren i spoke off live with me my daughter passed away when the #2 child was born 6 year ago. i did try to talk to my employer about the occurence policy which by the way no one got to see it in writing or even hear about it until a couple of weeks after they started it. my shifts were covered . and no,striking back out of spite is not professional but show me where the professionalism is coming from the way i have been treated .by the way i have already got a new job to start-same pay-same hours-same line of duty-and their occurence policy states if you call in and have it covered you are ok or if you come in on your day off and work when someone else calls in you drop an occurence now that is fair,right? also thanks for some of the advice i recieved it sounds good.:) :o

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