I have been working at my current workplace, a hospital downtown, for a little over a year now as full-time. As of Monday I will transfer to part-time because I am starting a new job closer to home. Both managers are aware.
This afternoon I received a phone call from my current manager scheduling a meeting with her, human resources and a union representative on Monday. She would not give me any details except that it was SERIOUS, which is what worries me most, and she would pay me for my time (odd but nice). I asked if it was about a patient (which is my #1 concern) and she said no. But that's all she would tell me. I know this will be at the back of my mind all weekend long, stressing me out! This is the first time I've been asked to come in on my day off and meet with people other than her. Any ideas what it could be about?
Although I don't think this behind the reason and if it was I will tell her the truth. I called in sick yesterday. I don't call in often ... maybe a handful the entire year. This time it was legitimate, I had schedule conflicts at both workplaces and couldn't find anyone to pick-up my shift. It left me with no choice. I can't be at 2 places at once. I called in really early so they a good amount of time to call or a replacement.
i was finally able to contact my union representative sunday evening through sheer luck. she told me that my manager and human resources had contacted her already. she told me the topic of discussion (turns out it is about my "sick" call) and offered me some advice and counseling.
apparently, my manager followed-up on my sick call and my roommate told her i was at work. my manager immediately called hr, union, my other workplace for confirmation and then called me friday evening at 3:00 pm to set up a meeting, with no details or contact information. i have never felt so alone/abandoned in my life with no one to turn to .... it was essentially an ambush and i was lucky enough to find my union rep over the weekend, no less.
during the meeting that took literally 5-10 minutes, they basically told me what i did was fraud because i was double dipping. i did not know it was fraud or that it was this serious at the time. i know ignorance isn't an excuse, but its the truth. i didn't do it for the money. they can keep it. i don't want it. at the time, i was more concerned with how i was going to fulfill my obligations to two workplaces. i was distraught. i couldn't find anyone to pick-up my shift all week and as the day was looming closer and closer, in a serious error of judgment ... i called in sick.
my union rep pleaded for me saying that i was a new nurse, just graduated last year, with just 1 year experience and although i was a smart girl i made a stupid mistake. she asked them to not pay me and give me a warning instead of ruining my career before it even started and taking away my license.
what did i get myself into! i did not know what i did was fraud or that it was this serious. you would have thought i had killed a patient or something! and to possibly lose my license over this? all that hard work! blood, sweat and tears all going to waste over something like this? not worth it at all! i wish i could go back in time and change things ....
omg.....this is ridiculous! hello....does anyone remember the hippa law? wth was this manager thinking they do not have the legal right to " follow up" on you when you call in to make sure you are truly sick. i hate that this crap happened to you....and it is not something to loose your liscence over for god's sake. i mean did you put something in writing that said " please pay me for my sick time on this date!" ...i bet not...so they dont have anything on you . end of story tell them to bite you and move on to the next job.
did you put anything in writing or request pay for this sick time?i am not saying what you did was correct, but if you didnt ask to be paid for it...then you didnt benefit/gain from it....so it isnt fraud.....and certainly not someything you could loose you liscence over ....is it?
I've been wondering how your boss could get any info from a place she does not work at. She could be some psycho calling to find out if and when your there. I would wonder if I want to work for a place that gives out info regarding if I'm there or not. Although you might not have handled the situation correctly (hindsight 20/20 hey), she herself did not handle it correctly either. I can't imagine having so much time on my hands that I can follow up on everyone that calls in sick. Sounds to me that she was definately out to get ya. Under the circumstances, I would let them know that you can no longer work there (you don't like it anyway) and go be happy! Good luck to you. You know, I would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes. I too learned from this thread
I just found my employee handbook. whew can't imagine why I kept it, but here goes.
Cause for Termination or discharge
Falsification of reason for absence
I guess I'm just lucky... When/if I call sick and I am not physically confined to my bed, management cannot call me out on it, that's considered harassment and there is a no harassment from management policy in my contract...
Speaking Of Hr, Has Anyone Taken The Nurse Career Battery Test Upon Interviewing To Be Considered For A Position In A Hospital, If So, What Did You Honestly Think About The Test??
first off, the nm is horribly incompetent to pull the old, we need to talk.... on monday routine. this is unfair to what amounts to due process as a manager, namely, to manage the actions of the people under your employ. you could certainly do some damage to this person on your way out, if you chose to go that way.
i'm sorry, but how can this be considerd stealing? it is sick time that the op has earned!!! it is the op's time to use it how she sees fit. my experience has been that if "you don't use it, you lose it", so what's the difference between the op using the sick time or the employer "stealing" it back when/if they quit the job? i have seen several co-workers call in sick to work other jobs or have something they want to go to and can't get anyone to cover their shift for them, are they "stealing" too? i just totally disagree with it being called fraud and stealilng!
you are essentially under the employ of your workplace, and getting paid to be ill, while doing it at home. i have had the opportunity to sit on the "management" side of this dispute, and can say that i would be ticked off to find out someone was moonlighting and abused my facilities benefit, to be paid for illness for yourself, or a loved one. to put it another way, what if the op decided to go in to work, then pulled out her phone and performed her duties as a phone solicitor? (not including the no cell phone during work or insubordinate issues that would arise, but just as an argument). employers are to compensate you for your time. part of that compensation is sick leave.
of course, i firmly believe that the nm showed incredibly poor and petty form in going after op due to the following reasons
a) she appeared to attempt to reconcile the time conflicts with requests on both ends to either cut hours, or cover shifts.
b) she did not make any request to actually "be compensated" for the time off. this is a grey area that i would expolit if i was op. most employers offer a leave without pay option.
c)with knowlege aquired through non official means, she performed investigatory research on the op.
d)as mentioned above, holding something like this over someone's head is a p#$$ poor way to manage a unit
my union rep. said she could not file a grievance on my behalf because ultimately i screwed up. it doesn't matter how the manager handled the situation or how she treated me.
just becuase you have erred, i find it highly unlike that your employers are not still governed by the same agreement that they entered with you in your contract. an ommision on your part does not void their responsibilities to the contract, unless it is deemed null and void. if so, i doubt if they can further persue anything beyond your employment with them.
what i now know is that in my province that is considered faud. when you call in sick you better be physically sick lying in bed. when i had some time to think about it i realized that if this was true then that would mean that most employees where i work are committing fraud, since we get sick calls almost every day. they just don't get caught. how do i know they are not physically sick? they tell me stories about how they spent their day off driving up north to the cottage. they don't get follow-up phone calls because the manager has a hunch. i got one because she knew i had another job. my union rep. told me you could call in sick and bump into your boss at the mall and still get around it. funny how things work.
it is fraud, in definition. the problem is that you did what most people would do, and perhaps beyond, trying to reconcile your time.
omg.....this is ridiculous! hello....does anyone remember the hippa law? wth was this manager thinking they do not have the legal right to " follow up" on you when you call in to make sure you are truly sick. i hate that this crap happened to you....and it is not something to loose your liscence over for god's sake. i mean did you put something in writing that said " please pay me for my sick time on this date!" ...i bet not...so they dont have anything on you . end of story tell them to bite you and move on to the next job.
did you put anything in writing or request pay for this sick time?i am not saying what you did was correct, but if you didnt ask to be paid for it...then you didnt benefit/gain from it....so it isnt fraud.....and certainly not someything you could loose you liscence over ....is it?
this is true, if you did not request to be compensated, the fraud charge will likely not stick.
as a manager in a different industry, i would receive 1-3 calls a day for guys calling in sick. i always asked them, 'how would you like us to handle your payroll for the day? paid sick (two weeks per year), paid leave (a paid day off per year type thing), vacation pay (accrued monthly), or unpaid leave (that my company allowed up to two weeks a year, as i recall)"? this not only cleared up any future issues with payroll that could arise, but let the employee know that they had the option of "not lying". yes, it did "open the door" to abuse of sick leave, but the reality is that there will be individuals that will abuse this policy, and individuals that will not, regardless if the cookie jar lid is on or off. the guys who did, as a rule, ended up quiting/fired/hating their jobs/etc, anyway. but that is south florida, a completely new thread.
My union rep. said she could not file a grievance on my behalf because ultimately I screwed up. It doesn't matter how the manager handled the situation or how she treated me.
Unfortunately, some unions are more effective than others. In my hospital, they are not allowed to ask you why you are calling in sick..even if they suspect you are pulling a fast one. The follow up phone call wouldn't fly here-we had one manager who looked up an employees medical record to see just how serious the illness was. This manager was punished for this.
Now, in your case, I'm not sure how that would go. I have run into co-workers when I had called out. But, I was on my way back from the urgent care center and was picking up my prescription. It was a different situation.
I still think this manager was gunning for you...I'd leave. Yes, you made a mistake, but NM have long memories, and they hold grudges. You are a new nurse and you have lots of oppourtunities open to you. Life is too fleeting to stay working for someone who is looking to trip you up. You should realize that the hospitals need you a lot more than you need them. Plenty of good jobs out there..:)
has the op found out what the facility wants to do? if not....i would turn in my notice now! because ....once that door is open at a facility they will find a reason to terminate you, bc....they can. it is (usually) completly legal.my advice.....walk in that nm's office and hr's office( both!) and hand them a letter of immediate resignation and put on the resignation letter that you do not want to be paid for any sick time etc.that you wish to end your employment relationship immediately with that company! keep us informed......
This is true, if you did not request to be compensated, the fraud charge will likely not stick.
I agree with everything you've said except this bit. Granted things may be a bit different on my side of the pond but she didn't request NOT to be paid either and since a sickness absence is, de reguer, paid leave, it will be paid in the absence of a specific request for unpaid leave - which, under the circumstances would have been counterproductive to the OP's plans as they would have wanted a darned good reason to give unpaid leave at such short notice.
Sorry for the long sentence - you may now take a breath!
I know you must be waiting in suspense. I was terminated today and reported to the college. They will take further action as necessary. I was surprisingly OK throughout the whole meeting. I didn't even cry, imagine that. Emotionless. I cleared out my locker beforehand so I wouldn't have to face all my co-workers. I want to forget this nightmare and move on.
i know you must be waiting in suspense. i was terminated today and reported to the college. they will take further action as necessary. i want to forget this nightmare and move on.
i am...so sorry. i have to ask this though....did your facility have other types of leave other than "sick days"...did they have "personal days"...or pto days? if they did.....and you didnt specify or request any type of payment then .......they can not penalize you for what you didnt ask for.....like a paid sick day.
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:)
Keysnurse2008
554 Posts
omg.....this is ridiculous! hello....does anyone remember the hippa law? wth was this manager thinking they do not have the legal right to " follow up" on you when you call in to make sure you are truly sick. i hate that this crap happened to you....and it is not something to loose your liscence over for god's sake. i mean did you put something in writing that said " please pay me for my sick time on this date!" ...i bet not...so they dont have anything on you . end of story tell them to bite you and move on to the next job.
did you put anything in writing or request pay for this sick time?i am not saying what you did was correct, but if you didnt ask to be paid for it...then you didnt benefit/gain from it....so it isnt fraud.....and certainly not someything you could loose you liscence over ....is it?