Refusing to Cover for a Colleague

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Specializes in Rehab/Nurse Manager.

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Have any of you ever refused to cover for an absent colleague? In what, if any, circumstances is this acceptable? 

I've been doing some thinking lately, and I feel the need to step back and stop covering on things for my my colleague.  It's too constant. 

I've thought that one way of doing this is to stop attending her Care Conferences.  For one, it isn't very a productive and efficient way to spend my day attending conferences for patients I've never met.  I can also honestly say that nobody benefits when I show up.  It wastes my time, and many questions go unanswered.   I don't have the answers these patients are looking for, and there's not anything I can do to help them since I am unfamiliar with their case.   I earnestly believe they are better having no nurse attend at all than having me.  

With that said, having no nurse at these meetings is going to cause some to complain. Maybe this will lead to holding my colleague more accountable.  I barely survive my own Care Conferences; I don't need to attend hers too. Honestly, my preference is to not attend any more Care Conferences than I absolutely have to.  

In fact, I'm starting to think that unless someone needs 911 called, I'm simply going to stay out of her workload altogether.  

Thoughts? Other examples? 

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

As long as there are no legal or safety issues, I say go for it. You may be subject to disciplinary action, or your supervisor may just wake up and realize what your coworker has been doing. Or not doing. 

People can only take advantage of you if you let them. 

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Specializes in Rehab/Nurse Manager.
2 hours ago, nursej22 said:

As long as there are no legal or safety issues, I say go for it. You may be subject to disciplinary action, or your supervisor may just wake up and realize what your coworker has been doing. Or not doing. 

People can only take advantage of you if you let them. 

Yeah.  Obviously, if a patient needs urgent medical care, I'm not going to refuse to help them just because the other manager is gone.  However, I think it might be time to step back on non urgent issues, such as attending meetings of patients I don't know since I'll have nothing to contribute to them anyways.  

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

It's hard to know as someone not personally familiar with your facility, how this will play out. I think it's certainly within your rights to refuse, you have your own workload and should not be expected to cover someone else's workload, especially activities that are inefficient. However, it sounds like management has allowed this coworker to get away with things in the past and expected you to take care of things. I'm NOT saying that's right, but it's possible they will choose to take some action against you and not your coworker. If she has any sort of protected health condition, which you may or may not know about, they may push back harder. Your reasoning seems sound to me, but that doesn't always mean much with management. Good luck. 

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

As I said in one of you other threads, SilverBells,

"Whenever there was inadequate staff and I was overwhelmed, I trimmed the fat on my responsibilities. If a duty was not vital to patient care and pertinent documentation, it didn't get done".

Having had a few years working in supervisory positions, I know there is a lot of time spent Spinning Wheels and talking Ramma Lamma Ding Dong. I'm reasonably sure this is one of the reasons why I was not successful in these positions in the long term. I wanted to cut to the quick and get to the meat of the matter.

To enable another to continue on their ways unchecked is supporting that behavior, as in Newton First Law of Motion: If no external force is applied to an object, it continues to move at a uniform speed. And the laws of physics apply to the psychology of behavior.

So, in order to make a short post long, I agree with your perspective, SilverBells.

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26 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

I know there is a lot of time spent Spinning Wheels and talking Ramma Lamma Ding Dong of behavior.

 

Oh my - I resemble that remark -thanks for giving me some useful terminology, as this is often how I feel about certain aspects of my job!

Silverbells your position is probably similar to mine, as I work in a co-supervisory role as well. Thankfully we work well together and neither of us ever feel like we are pulling more than our share.

That said, if that were to happen that she couldn't do her share of the workload, I would have no problem getting rid of the Ramma Lamma Ding Dong. I would be fully supported by management though. I wouldn't be expected to do the work of two people, but to prioritize essentials. I sense that you don't believe the same would be true for you, but maybe you need to put them to the test.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
1 hour ago, mtmkjr said:

Oh my - I resemble that remark -thanks for giving me some useful terminology, as this is often how I feel about certain aspects of my job!

Ramma Lamma Ding Dong.

Defined: Verbose, loquacious ramblings, usually bureaucratic in nature, of a self-important individual with no insight.

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7 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

Defined: Verbose, loquacious ramblings, usually bureaucratic in nature, of a self-important individual with no insight.

Thank you. Now I can be sure to use it appropriately

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On 4/15/2022 at 4:22 PM, JBMmom said:

However, it sounds like management has allowed this coworker to get away with things in the past and expected you to take care of things. I'm NOT saying that's right, but it's possible they will choose to take some action against you and not your coworker. If she has any sort of protected health condition, which you may or may not know about, they may push back harder. Your reasoning seems sound to me, but that doesn't always mean much with management. Good luck. 

I was going to respond in one way, but your response got me thinking and I'm going to alter my response now. 

I remember reading about your situation before, @SilverBells. 

I feel really sad about how this has all transpired for you, especially your managements lack of action towards it. 

One the one hand, I feel like maybe going the route you mentioned above (not picking up her slack) might finally call attention to her absence and lack of work. But, on the other hand, I'm not so sure that they don't know about it and are simply willing to look the other way and have you do all her work. 

I worry that if you go this direction and she's the teacher's pet, it would backfire and you could find yourself being disciplined or terminated. I wonder if it's not worth considering leaving this environment all together to save your sanity and your own skin. 

What is really the best case scenario here, and what is really the worst? Only you know, but I fear that the best case scenario might not be all that good either (more drama). 

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Specializes in OMFS, Dentistry.
On 4/16/2022 at 11:25 AM, Davey Do said:

As I said in one of you other threads, SilverBells,

"Whenever there was inadequate staff and I was overwhelmed, I trimmed the fat on my responsibilities. If a duty was not vital to patient care and pertinent documentation, it didn't get done".

Having had a few years working in supervisory positions, I know there is a lot of time spent Spinning Wheels and talking Ramma Lamma Ding Dong. I'm reasonably sure this is one of the reasons why I was not successful in these positions in the long term. I wanted to cut to the quick and get to the meat of the matter.

To enable another to continue on their ways unchecked is supporting that behavior, as in Newton First Law of Motion: If no external force is applied to an object, it continues to move at a uniform speed. And the laws of physics apply to the psychology of behavior.

So, in order to make a short post long, I agree with your perspective, SilverBells.

I have always loved the way that you word things!! ❤️

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On 4/14/2022 at 10:05 PM, SilverBells said:

 

In fact, I'm starting to think that unless someone needs 911 called, I'm simply going to stay out of her workload altogether.  

Thoughts? Other examples? 

Same, it's just not fair to expect you to pick up someone else's slack, I don't need a reason.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the opposite, what if it's not health related and what if he/she is somehow in line for a promotion or in some kind of way furthering their career at your expense. How is this going to make you feel?

It's just not right.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
1 hour ago, emergenceRN17 said:

I have always loved the way that you word things!! ❤️

Thank you, emergenceRN.

I owe it all to my Mom, who said, "If you can't or won't be good, Davey, at least be interesting".

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