PTO/Sick Leave, etc.

[MHDNURSE]

I am curious what you get for this. My school's new policy this year makes it very clear that although you get 8 days of PTO, it is NOT for use as vacation time, but only for use in emergency situations (sick, child sick, etc.). They consider the fact that we get all the other days off during the year as "vacation". While I totally understand this and would never plan a vacation outside of the regular weeks we have off, things come up and I am now realizing that I cannot even get an afternoon off to attend an activity with my daughter I have 122.5 hours of accrued PTO because I have never used it. It does not get "paid out" when you leave either so I feel like I either have to lie and say I am sick if I want to be able to have any time off, or miss out on family stuff. Part of why I took this job was to have more time for my kids. We are told that they put this policy into place because too many teachers were abusing the PTO/sick time and calling out or using it as additional vacation days. They also added "black out sick days" where if it is a Friday before or Monday after a holiday, you can't call out or request time. You also can't request sick time during standardized testing weeks. They literally make it impossible to take any time off. I just re-read the handbook to make sure I wasn't crazy. It really sucks. Needless to say, I am finishing out my year here and looking elsewhere. I am just bummed that I have never called in sick or asked for any time off and I am being punished for employees who abused it.

[scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

We get 15 sick days and 2 personal days a year. The sick time carries over but the personal days do not. I try never to call in sick, but I do use my personal days, and we have to request them pretty far in advance as I am in a large district with 65 nurses. We have "black out" days as well but those are just the Friday and Mondays before or after a vacation week, nothing to do with testing dates thankfully!

Use your time, dont feel guilty!

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

I also get 8 days PTO, but it is personal or sick time basically. For teachers, there is a lottery for days attached to long weekends/breaks that they can win and book ahead of time so that not every teacher is out. It is pretty fair, actually. But I fall out of that and have never been denied a PTO day.

We can also roll 3 days of unused PTO in a long term sick bank for use when we (or an immediately family member) are out with a lengthy illness and/or add to maternity and paternity paid leave.

In fact, my health teaching schedule is so crazy this year (6 weeks where I have 6 classes a day 2x a week), my boss let me hire a sub for those days and I have been forever grateful.

Now ability to get a sub for a PTO day that is sudden...my regular lovely sub and good friend of mine is moving soon and I'm very sad about it.

[audreysmagic, RN]

5 hours ago, MHDNURSE said:

LMFAO! I love this!

Same! I've used "I have plans tonight" to dodge working over (now that I'm not in the schools anymore, alas)...they don't need to know that my plans involve sitting in my PJ's and eating frozen pizza. Those are plans.

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

We get 5 personal (must be approved at least 2 weeks before) and I think 15 sick days. I'm not sure because I have only had to call off sick twice in my 2 school years.

Last year I used up my 5 personal days for my honeymoon. They offered me a freebie day for the day before my wedding, but I said no because that meant my husband could deal with all the family coming in from out of town & answering 1000 questions ?

[WineRN]

5 hours ago, pedi_nurse said:

ETA: Basically they are trying to steal from you, and that's not okay.

^^ THIS. If it is classified as Personal Time then they legally cannot tell you how to use it or "black out" dates.

And you don't have to tell anyone WHY you are taking off, just that you need to use it. I would be using all that time before leaving to find a new position.

Our district offers 3 PTO days with an emergency 4th if needed and "unlimited" sick time (after 3 days in a row you need a doctor's note and after 6 absences HR calls you).

15 hours ago, BiscuitRN said:

I said no because that meant my husband could deal with all the family coming in from out of town & answering 1000 questions ?

Brilliant! Though I would have taken the day and not told my hubby and scheduled a 90 minute massage, LOL

15 hours ago, WineRN said:

If it is classified as Personal Time then they legally cannot tell you how to use it or "black out" dates.

They are very specific with language and call it "Emergency/sick leave" and stipulate that it must be for illness, emergencies, jury duty or medical appointments. We get no "personal days". We DO get 2 days of "religious leave" which I used for the two days before my son's Bar Mitzvah in November. It's funny because some of the other benefits are great. * weeks paid maternity leave, plus another 4 after that at 50%, also 6 weeks PAID paternity leave , then another 4 weeks at 50%. Neither apply to me but I am pretty surprised- that is great compared to other places I have worked.

[jess11RN]

Yep. I'd be sick that day. Family is the most important thing you have.

We get 10 sick days and 2 vacation days. Sick days roll over into the next year, but vacation days do not.

[pedi_nurse]

This is the thing that gets me... We aren't paid for school holidays or over the summer. It's not fair for them to treat those days as "vacation time." I could very well have to be working another job to make ends meet. In a salaried position, with PTO, whether it's sick leave or personal, I have no qualms about using that time as I see fit. Of course, I'm also not going to plan a week-long vacation, but a half day for a school program for my daughter? Definitely.

Fortunately, right now, I'm working with some great admin that value family time and the need for mental health days (my principal took off last Friday because his stay at home wife was sick and wanted help with the kids). I just asked him today if I could come in an hour late on Monday so I could go to a thing at my daughter's school and he replied, "of course!"

IMO, going forward after they've shown their true colors in that they value their convenience over their employees well being, I'd just tell them you have an appointment that afternoon and need off.

[Amethya]

Mine give us 7 PTO days the whole year. They tell us if we are sick to stay home, no excuses and plus if you use them up, you can still ask off, just that they'll take off your pay check.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

15 days annual, 12 sick 3 personal...they do carry to max per the CBA. For the most part pretty lax about how we use them, but I see no need to volunteer any extra info. I took a personal day to go the World Series parade in Boston this past year. I wouldn't have without a sub, (even though I could have). I didn't dare take a sick day as there was TONS of media presence!!! But I have no qualms about taking a family medical to head south to care for my mom, I just try to schedule appts on Fri or Mon.