PLEASE HELP! How does your hospital do holiday rotations for night shift staff?

[jnsrn]

We need a new holiday policy for our night shift! Currently, we have a rotating schedule where you are either "on" or "off" the different holidays of the year.

If you are schedule to be "on" a holiday, you are required to sign up for the 12-hr shift on the EVE of the holiday. If you are "off" the holiday, you are required to sign up for the 12-hr shift on the actual day of the holiday! Notice how you never really get a holiday off with this system?

My manager is willing to change the policy if I can submit some proposals to her in writing. Before I submit my own ideas I would really like to know how the holiday rotation works at other facilities for the NIGHT SHIFT staff. How do you schedule holidays so that there is adequate coverage and so the rotation is fair for all the staff? Please be specific as to how it works so I can make my proposals.

THANK YOU! :)

[kcksk]

Our floor does it a little different. Our holiday starts at 3pm Christmas Eve (thanksgiving and new years too) and goes until 11pm the day of. So even day shift has 4 hours on the eve and then 12 hours on the day. The way it works out, each shift has the same # of holiday hours. We have a sign up sheet and then the holes are filled in. People can "request" what holidays they want but in reality, someone isn't happy. LOL Either way, day shift works Christmas Eve until 7 (usually means 8) or Christmas Day.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I worked night shift most of my 25+ year career. There are some fair ways to do this and many unfair. Upthread someone mentioned "an eve and a night". I always liked that. It spread the pain around. I also liked it when a facility did 8 hour shifts for holidays even if they were normally 12 hour schedule types. That gave everyone a fair chance to have family time.

A tip: please don't use small children as a reason to be upset at the schedule. Many of us have spent a lifetime picking up holidays for those with young kids. Everyone has needs for time off. Keep the discussion on equity and patient care....it will take you further.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

We have a group that rotates. When you hire in, you take the group of whose position you filled. You always work the holiday with the same group of people. With 9 night shifters, we have 3 groups of 3. A, B, and C. Example- I hired in in Feburary. I was put on the C group. Worked on 4th of July. Had night before off. Off Labor Day, Off Thanksgiving(although I'm working Wed night-holiday pay 12 to 5am.), working Christmas-so I'm off Christmas Eve. Working New Year's Eve(not the holiday), so I'm off New Year's day(the actual holiday). Won't have to work a true holiday until Memorial day.

Truthfully, there are only 7 real holidays all year(New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

[archangel31]

Here is another tip and a thank you all-please don't discount the reason(s) for someone needing time off or being upset with a schedule. Yes, we all have different reasons for needing time off because we are all human, but no one's reason is bad or good or petty, or should shed a questionable light on their committment to patient care and co-worker concern. They are just trying to balance their life as best they can. A Thank You for not voicing the irritation at other people's reasons for request offs or covering those shifts. As for getting further, whether it is work or life, each person has his/her gifts. Some use these gifts in the best way possible, some do not take advantage of their gifts, and then there are those that always come out on top no matter how hard they have/have not worked.

[Momfirstalways]

We work one winter holiday and one summer holiday. If it is our holiday to work we work the holiday and the day after. For example for Thanksgiving-- I work wednesday night (holiday pay) and thursday night. but I am off Christmas and New Years completely. So we rotate holidays every 3 years. People also have the option of working just part of the holiday but then you work almost every single one.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

there are 7 paid holidays every year, and we work every other. so this year i'm working wednesday and thursday (thanksgiving is my holiday to work this year). and then saturday and sunday. i'm off christmas -- 12/25 and 12/25. i work new years -- 12/31 and 1/1. and so on. next year, i'll have thanksgiving and new year's off. those who work it work the day before and the day of -- and preferably the day after. those who have it off have off the night before and the night of. i think it's fair.

[earthcrosser]

We have three major holidays on nights - Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving Eve, and New Year's Eve, along with three minors - Fourth of July Eve, Memorial Day Eve, and Labor Day Eve.

One year, you work two majors and one minor, the next is two minors and one major. This year, I'm doing Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve. I hate having those two paired, but that's how it is. The days are not the holiday, but if too many people are working, they will move some people to the days of the holiday and count it as them working the eve. Otherwise, the managers want people to work a day touching the holiday if they're not doing the official holiday. It's not a great system, but it's working so far.

[umcRN, BSN, RN]

at my hospital if you work the holiday you work the whole thing, the eve, day and day after, so this year I am working thanksgiving - wednesday/thursday/friday night shifts.