Overtime Pay for Change of Shift Report

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2009

Do you have a meal break?

dskrninpa · Dec 23, 2009

1/2 hour gets taken out for lunch in most places.

goldenmom · Dec 23, 2009

We're supposed to have a meal break but rarely happens due to being short of staff.

Batman25 · Dec 23, 2009

You should be paid for all the time you are actually working including report after shift ends and when you can't take a lunch. You should NEVER work off the clock. Workman's comp won't cover you in the event you get hurt off the clock nor will your malpractice insurance cover you in the same instance. Protect yourself and your license because your facility will not di it for you.

sasha1224 · Dec 23, 2009

Most places I have worked require staff to submit to HR/DON when lunch wasn't able to be taken. Otherwise it is deducted automatically. My current place scrutinzes people who state no lunch and requires approval for getting paid for no lunch.

sunnycalifRN · Dec 23, 2009

Can anyone explain why we don't get paid for the extra half hour we are scheduled to work each shift for report? I am currently paid for 80 hours every two weeks which is based on a combination of 8 and 12 hour shifts. However, each shift is officially scheduled for either 8 1/2 or 12 1/2 hours.

We have the same hours, 0730 to 2000 with the last 1/2 hour being report. The work day is only 12 hrs because of your half hour unpaid lunch.

If you do not get to take a lunch, the policy at my hospital is to report to the charge nurse that you were unable to take lunch, and she will note on on the timesheet, "No lunch". That 1/2 hour is usually paid at doubletime (because it is time worked over 12 hours).

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Dec 23, 2009

check with HR. There are labor laws regarding this and you should be paid for every duty you perform, including taking/giving report. Also, you should be paid for the lunch you did not take.

FLArn · Dec 23, 2009

Actually the federal labor laws do NOT require your employer to give you a lunch break That is covered under state labor laws. If you are scheduled a lunch break and can't /don't take it you should get paid for the time. However, be prepared to be counseled on your "time management skills" . Remember nursing is for the most part a 24/7 deal and you can take your lunch, do your top priorities and pass on the rest to the next shift. Eventually everything will get done because today's "B and C" level priorities will be another days' "A" priority. I don't necessarily agree with this view but it is for the most part the view of management and life becomes easier when you stop trying to swim against the tide.

loriangel14, RN · Dec 23, 2009

I have an unpaid lunch break of 30 min. and I can claim overtime if report keeps me there over my shift. We used to do a taped report and our brilliant non-nurse manager decided we should do a verbal. After us claiming overtime for the extra time we spent waiting for everyone to get settled and ready for report she ignored the fact that we went back to a taped report after a while.

belgarion · Dec 23, 2009

My shift is from 1845 to 0715 with a half hour off for lunch and the extra half hour for report. My usual time to get off is between 0730 and 0800. We do get paid OT for for those extra 15 to 30 minutes but if it happens too often we get some one on one time with the DON.

What usually happens when the day shift comes on is they want to play around, eat breakfast, etc. before getting report, checking charts, doing the narc count, and geting us out of there. When we relieve THEM however, they think we shoud be ready to take over the second we step off the elevator. I have had a couple of them try to get me into the med room to do the count before I even get a chance to clock in and put my lunch/supper away.

Lacie, BSN, RN · Dec 24, 2009

I am in process of a wage and hour complaint now for very similar reasons. If you are not "salaried/exempt" you are to be paid overtime for anything over a 40 hour week. This includes if your report time takes you over that 40 hours. Employers are not required to give a meal break but if you work that 30 min or if you are interrupted during that 30 min, expected to eat at your desk, take phone calls, interrupt your meal break to care for a pt, tend to an MD order, etc by law they are required to pay you that 30 min. In my situation we were not permitted to clock out for lunch and employer automatically deducted 30 min from our times. In my case I was always the only RN and in fact the only licensed person in the building working chronic dialysis. I never got an uninterrupted break much less get to eat it. My pay was docked everytime for that 30 min. They can say it's time management all they want but if no coverage to leave the floor and you are expected to stay for report beyond your hours then that is by law "paid time". Keep in mind with wage and hour not only do they have to pay you owed monies but must pay you double of that owed in addition to the fines they may or may not incur if found at fault. Many employers try to skim past these rules. Its about time we all started standing up to be compensated for what we do. I dont work for free for anyone!