Religious accommodation means no Saturdays....ever?

[momto6msn]

Hey all - I'm looking for input on the following situation:

a co-worker has been granted a religious accommodation to never work a Saturday (hospital ICU, where everyone is scheduled every other weekend). She does not have to work every Sunday, and they have not filled the hole her not working as created. As you can imagine, our Saturdays are horrible. I have gone to our union - NYSNA - but they are not willing to do anything.

She is also scheduled 8 hours less every two weeks than the rest of us, yet still maintains full-time benefits even though she is actually working what is considered part-time.

I'm becoming extremely resentful......am I valid feeling this way, or should I just mind my own business?

[JCHallRN]

I am Seventh-day Adventist. We do celebrate Sabbath on Saturday from sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday. In no way is a health care worker prohibited from working during these hours. Attending to the sick is considered a spiritual activity consistent with the principles of the Church. Seventh-day Adventists own and operate hospitals all

over the world, they have multiple universities that have nursing programs. Working with the sick is certainly consistent with their mission, regardless of the day of the week!

[HalfBoiled, BSN, RN]

How is this your business?

Without reading the later comments, its probably due to patient safety. It would eventually become OP's business (as well as the rest of the staff). Unexpected RN overtimes due to shorter staffing on weekends leading to burnout. I have been there before. Although, it is tolerable for the first few times IMO.

[imenid37]

The employer must have been legally compelled to accommodate the religious obligation. They never do anything like that just to be "nice." You would think they would have had the sense to fill in the hole it created. Of course, an employer having sense is a stretch these days. Is there a party willing to work every Saturday and be off every Sunday? If so, this person or people should go to HR or the union and make this known. Maybe the number of available beds to receive patients has to be reduced on Saturdays? Perhaps having the charge nurses who must deal with this nightmare shift go to the manager and then HR/union. I am sure the manager who allowed this is in line for advancement and has been identified as a "high performer" by their upper level management. Look at how they are supporting this employee's rights for religious expression. Don't piddle with making contingency plans for patient care. It really isn't about the specific employee, as everyone has said it is about patient care needs the accommodation creates.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

It's such a shame the nurse in question just happened to be the only nurse who applied for the job. If only there had been other candidates maybe this whole thing could have been avoided somehow.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Without reading the later comments, its probably due to patient safety. It would eventually become OP's business (as well as the rest of the staff). Unexpected RN overtimes due to shorter staffing on weekends leading to burnout. I have been there before. Although, it is tolerable for the first few times IMO.

The reason for and the management's decision to grant this is not her business as to why. Staffing issues are her concern. You would have seen additional replies reading forward.

[Skippingtowork]

I didn't get the whole bus comment myself ????? How did I sacrifice her, and what did I gain ????

And people want the weekend off because ITS THE WEEKEND. It's when EVERYTHING FUN HAPPENS.

The bus comment was because this thread was about religious accommodation for an employee who wanted Saturdays off and is causing shortage on the Saturday you work, causing unsafe staffing conditions. Your extremely unsafe unit is not the result of one nurse taking Saturdays off. That nurse affects you every other Saturday. One nurse cannot cause that much of an issue in staffing an entire unit. What the thread should have been about is the unsafe staffing on the unit, especially on Saturdays. You can speak directly to management, the union or whoever you need to, because indeed patient safety and your license are both in jeopardy. You essentially blamed your co-worker for this unpleasant situation, which she did not create. What would have happened if she didn't take the job? Would you have coverage for the other days she works? Did anyone else apply for the job? These are things to think about.

I personally know people who never work the required Friday night-Saturday night weekends because of scheduling conflicts with their spouse. Others never work Saturdays because of their sabbath, and if they are not needed Sunday, they won't work that either. There are those who don't work Sundays for the same reason. Each individual is entitled to their convictions. There are people who actually want to work weekends, due to child care coverage.

Not everyone wants weekends off because it's the weekend. We all have different lifestyles and needs and need days off for different reasons.

I'm curious to know how long you have been experiencing shortages on your Saturday and what has been done to address the issue.

[Skippingtowork]

The employer must have been legally compelled to accommodate the religious obligation. They never do anything like that just to be "nice." You would think they would have had the sense to fill in the hole it created. Of course, an employer having sense is a stretch these days. Is there a party willing to work every Saturday and be off every Sunday? If so, this person or people should go to HR or the union and make this known. Maybe the number of available beds to receive patients has to be reduced on Saturdays? Perhaps having the charge nurses who must deal with this nightmare shift go to the manager and then HR/union. I am sure the manager who allowed this is in line for advancement and has been identified as a "high performer" by their upper level management. Look at how they are supporting this employee's rights for religious expression. Don't piddle with making contingency plans for patient care. It really isn't about the specific employee, as everyone has said it is about patient care needs the accommodation creates.

Well said (except that others have also said it was not about the employee).

[Skippingtowork]

I am Seventh-day Adventist. We do celebrate Sabbath on Saturday from sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday. In no way is a health care worker prohibited from working during these hours. Attending to the sick is considered a spiritual activity consistent with the principles of the Church. Seventh-day Adventists own and operate hospitals all

over the world, they have multiple universities that have nursing programs. Working with the sick is certainly consistent with their mission, regardless of the day of the week!

You are so right that the Seventh-Day Adventist church operates hospitals and health care programs all over the world and does not "prohibit" it's members from working during the sabbath hours. The issue is if the employee has a conviction about not working in their employed role during these hours. The SDA church strongly supports these individuals, even if they are working for an SDA institution (the institution may not be as supportive). The laws support these religious exemptions for work (as long as there is no undue burden, which they must prove) and the religious liberties director for the conference will be happy to clarify any questions you may have. In addition, the church expects those who are looking for such accomodations to offer reasonable alternatives in exchange.

Most SDA health care workers do work on Sabbath as someone has to be there to do it. Some donate the entire shift's earnings to the church. Everyone handles it differently, and it's up to the individual to determine whether they will work or not. In the end, the Sabbath is about God's commandment not an organized religion's views.

If an institution cannot reasonably accomodate a request, they are should not and would have legal protections for their decision. That goes for any day of the week and any job description.