Premium or bid pay lost

[KatieLynnRN]

Hi everyone! I'm new here so I hope I do this right, I just want to see if anyone else has this problem and what I could do about it on my end.

I just found out that within a 2 week pay period, if I were to call into work due to illness and even if I have a doctor's note, I will lose the extra pay promised to me when I pick up extra shifts for the entire pay period. For example: I am per diem and I usually pick up two or three 12hr shifts a week. When I'm asked to come in for another shift because staffing is low they usually offer "bid pay" to entice the nurse to accept the additional shift. That could mean double the hourly pay. If I call in one day and don't make up that time, due to it being the end of the same week I called in when we are expected to make up those hours and can't make it up or they don't need me again that week, I will lose all of that extra money I was promised for the entire pay period of 2 weeks. I usually end up doing 3 bid shifts in a pay period so that is hundreds of dollars. I can't have the 2 weeks to make up the time, only that same week I called in, but they can take the extra money for both weeks.

I don't feel it's right to take away all of that money agreed upon. I feel like we always help out, whether per diem or FT or PT staff it's all the same, but yet when we are sick and shouldn't come into work they screw us. I wrote to HR after speaking to my nurse manager, who by the way keeps the bid pay there when she does payroll feeling we don't deserve to be ripped off but the payroll dept is who removed all of it, and HR says "that's policy". I work in a hospital in NY state and there is another large medical center close by and a nurse told me they also have this protocol.

How is this fair? I don't usually call in so I wouldn't be so sore about this but many nurses I work with have been screwed by this practice and now it's preventing us from accepting an extra shift knowing that pay they promise won't actually come in our checks if we have called in one day that whole 2 weeks. This will leave us understaffed, leave the patients without proper care, and will make the nurse want to go to work sick because they may have picked up a few bid shifts and don't want to lose that money. How is this a good and fair practice? How is this LEGAL?! I lost hundreds of dollars last pay period and told another nurse and now it's the topic of many discussions. Im not alone in this. I just want to know if any of you have dealt with this Or if you have any suggestions for me/us. Speak to nursing director? Medical director? Write a letter to my congressman lol WHAT CAN WE DO? We have to protect ourselves and fight for what's right, and going into cold and flu season is making many of us nervous knowing illness is inevitable. Does anyone have suggestions or have any of you been through this and were able to change this practice?

I appreciate any input you can provide me.

Thank you!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

In my experience, this is a common practice. I have tried to explain this issue to nurse administrators who are puzzled about why their staff won't bid for shifts until the very last part of the pay period... LOL. They don't realize they're working with smart people - who want to make sure that any 'extra' pay is not wiped out by a sick day.

Getting the policy changed is the only way to address it. Maybe you could convince the 'powers that be' to just try a change for a limited period of time... as a pilot study ... and evaluate to see if it is more effective in terms of filling shifts and nurse satisfaction. That may more acceptable than a permanent change.

[KatieLynnRN]

Brilliant idea, thank you !! I'll ask if they will try it out for a couple of months and see if they notice nurses picking up more shifts. I'd be interested to see the results, too!