Restricting PTO requests?!

[T-Bird78]

I work in an allergy practice, so I know when our peak allergy seasons are. Our facility has a policy that no employee can request PTO during the spring pollen season, so no spring break vacations for those of us with kids. I understand that, especially after this spring was so busy, but it still stinks. However, we got a new email this week saying we can't request any PTO during fall pollen season, from mid-August to the end of September. There goes long Labor Day weekend plans and fall break vacation! Anybody else being restricted as to when they can request time off?

[itsmejuli]

I work every stat holiday Monday. We're expected to work over the Christmas and new years holidays.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Before I was a nurse, I worked for the county government in the property tax department. We were not allowed to take vacations in May or October in every year. Property taxes in MN are due May 15 and October 15. That's just how it is. It's something you accept as part of the job, or you find a different job.

[amoLucia]

Some healthcare places I've been restricted PTO the whole season from Thanksgiving until New Year's. No exceptions for staff (but the upper honchos seemed to be exempt).

Being sick during that time was especially frowned upon too.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

And if you worked for WalMart, you'd have to work Black Friday (and probably Thanksgiving as well.)

Accountants have to work crazy hours during tax season and no way they'd get vacation then. (So no spring break for them.)

It's pretty common. My husband could only have one person at a time take off work at his job (even if they were totally different jobs.) Which meant once you got down the line of seniority, you were lucky to get off a couple days at the beginning of November and the end of January for your vacation time. Sure weren't going to get off any time that kids were out of school.

[bell1962]

In school nursing you get the scheduled breaks off, (which I am not complaining about!) but it is really hard to take time off at other times even if you earned it.

The only bad thing is all your vacations are during "peak " travel times and therefore more expensive!

[llg, PhD, RN]

All hospitals I have worked for have restricted the amount of PTO you can use from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Most have also had some sort of limitations for the peak summer months: no one can take a lot of vacation then so that everyone gets a chance to take 1 week off.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

In my homecare agency, PTO can be used but not vacation from December 1st through January 7th. Any PTO not take by 1st week in January goes into Long term bank and paid out 1/2 upon resignation. Vacation limited to 2 weeks during summer months unless unusual situation and must be requested by April 15th each year.

[T-Bird78]

We'd had the spring restrictions from the beginning, but in May we got the email that fall was off limits also. Two entire seasons. It's already near-impossible to get time off around the holidays because only one person can be off that day/week at a time.

[LTCNS, LPN]

I've never worked in a place that *doesn't* restrict PTO requests. Thankfully we get two days off for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but if we want to take a full week we have to stand in line. Early bird gets the worm.

[Oedgar]

We don't exactly have restrictions on PTO requests but... I have been in a private practice ob/gyn office since last sept. Before I was hired, I was told we had a prn nurse to call. The reality, when I tried to call her for spring break, was .... she did not return my calls. There is another nurse, but one nurse can't handle running the office for two docs who have pts every 15 minutes... there are no MAs or phone nurses. So currently, we can only be out when our doctor is out. Which sucks when the kids have vacation, or when I got the stomach flu last winter. It's horrible.