PTO not in the budget for remainder of year

Lurkndmurk, ADN, RN · Nov 11, 2019

6 hours ago, Kooky Korky said:
In reality, some people do get time off, at least in my experience. Hypocrisy, favoritism, the world of work.

Haha true! Also, If they found someone to cover for them, then they could have that holiday off but no PTO ?‍♀️ i mean, obviously i dont do payroll so i cant definitely say no one ever got away with it. Apparently EVERYONE had to work a minimum of 4 hours either Thanksgiving, black Friday, xmas eve or xmas- you were fired if you called out (exceptions were only doctors notes). BUT if someone was willing to work for you, then they couldn't fire you- im sure supervisors made certain staff covered for their favorites.. i was one who got lucky & asked someone to cover my xmas shift so i could make the drive to take my newborn to see his grandparents & family for the holidays- 4 hrs aint bad when your family lives nearby, but my family is about a 12hr drive away ?

**LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM** · Nov 11, 2019

2 hours ago, galaxygirl17 said:
It is a hospital.
I am a new nurse but "PTO is already budgeted in" as you said is something I've heard others with management and budgeting experience have also said and they are confused as well.

Hey, at least you have a very valid reason to give when you interview for new jobs and don't have to worry about sugar-coating anything. "I had concerns that my institution was about to collapse financially and so I needed to move on."

AdobeRN · Nov 11, 2019

On 11/9/2019 at 6:24 PM, erniefu said:
Companies usually budget for PTO so it wouldn't be a liability for vacation owing. That your manager denies your earned PTO means there are cash flow issues. This is just the beginning of more cuts and you should be prepared for the worst.

Yep start looking for another job.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Nov 11, 2019

On 11/8/2019 at 11:50 PM, galaxygirl17 said:
Thank you, this is what I was wondering about. I have reached out to HR and they haven’t gotten back to me.
just to be clear to those who keep saying about the holiday period, I am not referring to that. We were told (just my unit) that we (just RN’s) cannot use PTO from Oct. 28 until after the New Year and that the reason is budget related. That is a longer period of time than our hospital policy of mid-December to mid-January.

If this is what they told you and they put it in writing that probably violates Fair Labor Standards Act. The fact that it's just your unit is interesting. How many nurses are you short?

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Nov 11, 2019

If the place you work for us too broke to pay earned PTO find a new place to work as it indicates either financial insolvency or that they are just lying to your face

Sbhayes09, ADN, RN · Nov 11, 2019

To me, this is the same as them saying they can't afford to pay you for days you work. They've run out of money for days that you are guaranteed to have in the agreement. If you lose them if you're not allowed to take them, I would find out if they can add them to next year or something to fix it.

Hoosier_RN, MSN · Nov 11, 2019

2 hours ago, Sbhayes09 said:
To me, this is the same as them saying they can't afford to pay you for days you work. They've run out of money for days that you are guaranteed to have in the agreement. If you lose them if you're not allowed to take them, I would find out if they can add them to next year or something to fix it.

And get all of it in writing. Everything. Your boss could be lying, there could be no problem at all except that they don't want to deal with coverage for the holidays. I'd also maybe send an email to HR "innocently" asking about PTO in this time range, and proceed from there. I'd forward all of those to my home or a trusted email for future reference if needed

galaxygirl17, BSN, RN · Nov 11, 2019

Thank you all for your advice.

We can transfer up to 160 hours to next year.

Editorial Team / Admin · Nov 11, 2019

6 hours ago, ruby_jane said:
If this is what they told you and they put it in writing that probably violates Fair Labor Standards Act. The fact that it's just your unit is interesting. How many nurses are you short?

Is it just OP's unit? If so, I'd want to know what HR's take on it is, especially since it also singles out RNs.

Either way, I'd be looking for a new job- this is a sign of either a poorly managed institution or at minimum a very poorly managed unit if their solution to budgeting issues is going to be to demoralize staff- it's going to be a vicious vicious cycle where even more leave so now it's longer than no one can take off which will lead to more leaving and so on.

Katie82, RN · Nov 12, 2019

The only reason I can think of, if it really is a budget issue, is that PTO shows up as a liability on the books. Perhaps that line item is short on funds because of excessive use. Poor budget planning on their part...

kp2016 · Nov 12, 2019

I worked somewhere a few years ago that was using a lot of low census leaving many nurses unable to pay their bills. A manager admitted to me that the sick leave that nurses accrued was not in their budget only the PTO as they assumed most nurses wouldn't met the criteria to use the sick leave they earned... I immediately began looking for a new job a got out of there asap.

Upon handing in my written notice a manager tried to talk me out of it and assured me that the rumors re the hospitals financial state weren't true, I hadn't mentioned it. I started my new job. Old hospital went bankrupt and fired all their staff.

I know what I would do if I were you - Been there, done that!

allnurses Guide · Nov 12, 2019

With the additional information you posted, I would agree with all the advice to start looking for a better employer. Sorry this is happening to you. Move quickly. If your institution really is in financial trouble people will start leaving in droves and, depending on where you live, may mean a tougher job market due to so many looking for work at the same time.