Thread spinoff: denied time off and vacation approval notice

Nurses General Nursing

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Spinoff on another calling out thread: I have 2 coworkers who planned trips for the summer. They requested to switch days so that they would be covering each other's vacations, essentially. Management refused the switch and now they will be calling out those days as they've spent money on non refundable arrangements etc. Hard to understand the reasoning for management's refusal and now we will be working short. Would you call out in their situation?

Also curious how far ahead of time you know if your time off is approved? I've put in months in advance and we aren't notified of approval(as in, seeing the time off on the calendar) until 4-6 weeks before the time off. This isn't really enough time to make flight arrangements, etc. Emails asking about approval are generally ignored.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Excellent question. I really don't get it. It would have been win-win for everyone. It almost seems spiteful to me.

Is it a new manager? I remember a perfectly lovely CCU I worked in years ago. When we got a new manager, she completely failed to understand that time off is important to staff and owed to them via our policies. At the time, we were short staffed, so when we wanted to take a vacation we"d "stack" our days off so as not to consume vacation time (which was routinely denied anyway) and cover for each other. I had a vacation planned and tickets paid for to start two weeks after the new manager came on board. When she found out, she tried to get me to cancel the vacation, telling me it was inappropriate, etc. The scheduling committee went to bat for me. I left on vacation without knowing whether I'd have a job when I got back, but by the time I was back, the new manager had been "educated" and knew better than to interfere with a system that was working and had no negative impact on her budget.

Now USING vacation time was another issue . . . one that wasn't resolved until the NEXT new manager came on board.

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Specializes in Rehab, LTC, Peds, Hospice.

Ridiculous. Would find another job.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

We honour vacation time, especially if the coverage has already been worked out.

I wouldn't advise calling out though, as this could result in write ups.

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Specializes in CVICU.
I have a coworker who requested a sat in August off for her wedding. The request was placed over a year prior. They denied her " because it's her weekend to work". We also have black out days which we can't take vacation or pto.

just an hour ago, management posted a "bonus" program this weekend offering OT plus gift cards for each 4 hrs picked up. Too bad I'm already working 12s sat and Sunday.

I have no problems getting vacation where I work, however we can not "request" a day off if it is our weekend. We have to trade weekends with someone, so a simple request off would be denied here too.

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Specializes in CVICU.

I wouldn't work at a place that doesn't let people take their vacation time. Life is too short. Time to say buh bye.

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Would you call out in their situation?
I faked my own death to catch the season finale of The Walking Dead.

Don't even get me started on the paperwork involved in that one.

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Excellent question. I really don't get it. It would have been win-win for everyone. It almost seems spiteful to me.

Don't doubt that it is spiteful for some reason. Employers I have had, as poor as they ever were, would have jumped up and down for joy when two employees found their own replacements for absences. This makes no sense other than someone with an agenda of showing everyone who is "boss".

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There is no way in hades I'd change travel plans when I've (probably) already spent thousands of dollars on airfare.

I wonder what would happen if these two RNs just showed up to work as they agreed? I mean amongst each other/as denied by manager?

I'll bet the supervisor would put the "showed up" nurse to work to cover the shift. Might not even make a remark about the discrepancy.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I have no problems getting vacation where I work, however we can not "request" a day off if it is our weekend. We have to trade weekends with someone, so a simple request off would be denied here too.

Eh...I know weekends can be difficult to fill. My current employer allows one weekend off per year; anything beyond that, we have to trade.

But for a staff member's own wedding???? Honestly??? (all those ??s geared toward the enforcer of this policy--not you, KeepItRealRN) One would think that a little thought would apply here, rather than "Must. Enforce. Policy." "Don't. Know. How. To. Use. Brain. Only. Know. How. To. Do. Policy" :borg: :sarcastic:

I mean, seriously.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I'll bet the supervisor would put the "showed up" nurse to work to cover the shift. Might not even make a remark about the discrepancy.

That's exactly what I was getting at. ;)

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Specializes in CVICU.
Eh...I know weekends can be difficult to fill. My current employer allows one weekend off per year; anything beyond that, we have to trade.

But for a staff member's own wedding???? Honestly??? (all those ??s geared toward the enforcer of this policy--not you, KeepItRealRN) One would think that a little thought would apply here, rather than "Must. Enforce. Policy." "Don't. Know. How. To. Use. Brain. Only. Know. How. To. Do. Policy" :borg: :sarcastic:

I mean, seriously.

At my place of employment we are schedule every 3rd weekend, and you know when your weekend to work is up to a year in advance. Everyone knows that you can't take PTO on you weekend to work until you've been employed 15 years (and they allow that 1 time per year), when they are hired. So if working here and planning a wedding either plan it for your weekend off, or plan on finding someone to trade with because if you are a newb with less than 15 years of service you know that they aren't going to let you take PTO on your weekend to work.

Nobody complains about it being unfair because they know the rules up front upon accepting employment.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.

My manager just announced her retirement in a few months. It's thought HR forced her hand(because of the bedside reporting incident), and the email was pretty weirdly worded.

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