Required to do free visit??

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I am a home health nurse. I became an LPN in 2020 to start working as a nurse while I finish my RN. My work typically does not require me to do a meet and greet with a client, but required it with a client who has fired many nurses to allow her to see if I was a good fit. They put it on my schedule and I clocked in and out as usual. I asked HR why I did not get paid for that time and they said they don't pay for a meet and greet. That seems illegal to require me to show up somewhere and not get paid. How do I rightfully get paid without making it this huge deal? 

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3 minutes ago, Stef_nurse said:

I am a home health nurse. I became an LPN in 2020 to start working as a nurse while I finish my RN. My work typically does not require me to do a meet and greet with a client, but required it with a client who has fired many nurses to allow her to see if I was a good fit. They put it on my schedule and I clocked in and out as usual. I asked HR why I did not get paid for that time and they said they don't pay for a meet and greet. That seems illegal to require me to show up somewhere and not get paid. How do I rightfully get paid without making it this huge deal? 

I think I would go to my manager and respectfully ask about it one more time ...in a surprised, "this must be a misunderstanding", sort of way. If that didn't work, I would ask for something in writing and make my intention to "seek clarification for my own peace of mind" known.

That would be enough to encourage most employers to "seek clarification" of their own, and it would give them a chance to save face and make a correction if so desired.

If that didn't work, I'd have to consider how much I wanted to stay in good standing with my employer and what other options I might have. Worst case scenario, I'd take the hit and never agree to another meet and greet for as long as I worked there. 

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Doesn't sound right.  Same as poster above - I would not agree to another meet and greet unless there is compensation.  

I do HH on the side.  My agency does pay for Meet/Greet - if it is truly just a Meet/Greet where nursing care is not done, parents just want to "interview" you to see if you are a good fit -  I think we get half our normal hourly rate.

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
10 hours ago, Sour Lemon said:

I think I would go to my manager and respectfully ask about it one more time ...in a surprised, "this must be a misunderstanding", sort of way. If that didn't work, I would ask for something in writing and make my intention to "seek clarification for my own peace of mind" known.

That would be enough to encourage most employers to "seek clarification" of their own, and it would give them a chance to save face and make a correction if so desired.

If that didn't work, I'd have to consider how much I wanted to stay in good standing with my employer and what other options I might have. Worst case scenario, I'd take the hit and never agree to another meet and greet for as long as I worked there. 

I MIGHT do another meet and greet, IF it was in writing that I'd get paid my normal hourly rate, and if it was signed in blood by my supervisor and HR.

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You did not perform any nursing services. This was an interview.

If your agency respected you ,they would have informed you in advance. 

Seems like it was time well spent. You learned about the client. I would not take an assignment with anyone with a history of "firing" nurses.

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I would expect to be paid for regular meet-and-greets. The only thing you have to barter with is your professional time. The meet-and-greet isn't for the purposes of seeing whether you're fit to shovel someone's sidewalk; this is a professional interaction based upon your qualification as an experienced RN. The company can choose not to charge the prospective client for that time, but unless the nurse is in on the part where we eventually decide how company profits are being split up, we need to be paid for work done on behalf of the company.

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

I would also approach the manager to seek clarification on these meet and greets. If you're not being paid then it's volunteer work and that's probably not a requirement of your employment. If you're paid a different rate because it's not your nursing work being done, I would think you should at least get nothing. If they have an official policy that you don't get paid, I would decline any future meet and greets they attempt to schedule. Sounds fishy to me. Good luck!

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Most of my agencies have refused, and do refuse, to pay for meet and greets.  I have just accepted the practice as part and parcel for working for them.  However, this policy is just the tip of the iceberg for those agencies that don't display a lot of respect for their field nurses.  If you don't accept doing meet and greets for free, you may find yourself without work.  That is the tradeoff these nasty employers like to use to their advantage when someone speaks up for themselves.  Another practice they love to use:  you travel to the address to perform your job, expecting to work for a full eight hour shift, only to find that no one comes to the door, nor do they answer a phone call.  After communicating with the agency, eventually you give up and go home.  The agency thinks they can get away without paying you "reporting pay", otherwise known as "show up pay".  When you call them on it, they get wide-eyed and claim ignorance.  That is why it sometimes pays to become familiar with the labor laws that pertain to you as an employee.  Although I personally have not checked with the Labor Board regarding refusing to pay for meet and greets, I suspect the Labor Board would take the stance that one must be paid for them.  I highly suspect that is the case.

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Specializes in PICU.

I wonder if not getting paid is more due to insurance reimbursement. If this is an interview for both you and the patient, that is not billable hours. Especially if you have not been assigned the patient.  I am guessing you are not considered a full-time employee of the nursing agency, rather a contractor providing full time work.  This is where it does get tricky because although it is a benefit to both you and the patient to have a meet and greet, there is no billable time of "nursing" care

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17 minutes ago, RNNPICU said:

This is where it does get tricky because although it is a benefit to both you and the patient to have a meet and greet, there is no billable time of "nursing" care

That is true, but it is still a business endeavor of the employer. This is a marketing expense for them. Should nurses pay their phone bills, too?

I agree that if working as an IC then you either want the work or you don't. If an IC then everything is different; you market yourself accordingly to get the work you want to get. But if one is working as an employee and doing these meet-and-greets that are both free to the prospective client and unpaid for the employee of the company, that's bull. It would be just like a business whining, "Well, we don't get paid for putting up billboards, we can't charge people money for that. So if you want to work at this company you need to put up our billboards with your own money." 

And the costs of doing free marketing for them as a W2 employee are not tax-deductible for the most part.

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Specializes in nursing ethics.

How much time did you spend there?

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Specializes in retired LTC.
53 minutes ago, Mywords1 said:

How much time did you spend there?

My thought also. Half hour max??? Regardless, the nurse must still dedicate some time & effort to dress approp, travel (car usage), best behavior, poss resched personal plans, etc.

If the employer is 'requesting' the time, they should compensate SOMETHING!

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