Unfair Scheduling

[TimeforMe]

Help.

I work at a privatly owned physician day procedure unit as an RN. We work a 4 day work week and are expected to be available for 12 hours each work day. We receive our schedule the day before we work. We may work 8-12 hours. We are paid time and a half for hours over 40 in a work week.

Due to nurse shortages (high turnover) and increased workload our hours have been increasing steadily.

Many of us nurses do not want overtme and feel it is unfair to be asked to be available for 48 hours a week, based on our 4 day work week. It is also unfair to have a less than 24 hours notice of our schedule. Many of us getting 45+, when we used to get 34 hours.

We have approached thw nurse manager with no promises of change or solution.... only excuses.

Please help!

Work/life balance is important to us!

Thank you in advance!

TimeforMe

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

Help.

I work at a privatly owned physician day procedure unit as an RN. We work a 4 day work week and are expected to be available for 12 hours each work day. We receive our schedule the day before we work. We may work 8-12 hours. We are paid time and a half for hours over 40 in a work week.

Due to nurse shortages (high turnover) and increased workload our hours have been increasing steadily.

Many of us nurses do not want overtme and feel it is unfair to be asked to be available for 48 hours a week, based on our 4 day work week. It is also unfair to have a less than 24 hours notice of our schedule. Many of us getting 45+, when we used to get 34 hours.

We have approached thw nurse manager with no promises of change or solution.... only excuses.

Please help!

Work/life balance is important to us!

Thank you in advance!

TimeforMe

Sorry to say, but unless you are under a specific written contract that specifics your hours then you are left with only a few choices.

1) accept it the way it is until the shortage is cleared and the scheduling goes back to the way it was

2) refuse to work the extra hours -- this will surely get you fired

3) find another job

The company has a right to schedule according to their needs - not your convenience.

Whatever choice you make, I wish you the best

[caliotter3]

In your first paragraph, you stated you are expected to be available for 48 hours each week. Later you state you were happy with 34 hours and don't want more. If the expectation was 48 when you were hired, then you really should be looking for another job. It is unreasonable to expect the practice to maintain less business simply for employee convenience.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Vote with your feet.

[TimeforMe]

Thank you for your reply.

I was hired full time with the expectation of 34-36 hours. Due to an increase in Physician staff, procedure increases, and nurse staffing shortages the work hours have increased.

The unfortunate part of all of this... I truly love what I do. The extra hours have been going on for more than 6 months. My goal is change and fairness for the overworked amazing group of nurses. The charge nurse has no suggestions for change, and as soon as we hire a new nurse... one is leaving due to the stress of all this. I wish retension was a prioroty.

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

I wish retension was a prioroty.

AMEN :)

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

Does your state board of nursing allow mandatory overtime? If not, you may want to talk to them about it. Otherwise, vote with your feet.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Does your state board of nursing allow mandatory overtime? If not, you may want to talk to them about it. Otherwise, vote with your feet.

I doubt that the State Board of Nursing has anything to say about hours or work conditions. If you are getting paid overtime for any hours beyond forty, then the Labour Board probably does not have much to say either. I very much doubt there is a union.

Unfortunately, OP and her coworkers are either going to have to work with management, wait for help to arrive or find other work. It's a bummer. I hope management can see that a bigger crisis is brewing.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Think of your workplace like a small start-up type company. There usually isn't enough staff to handle an increased workload so it means longer hours are expected sometimes. Companies like these are not into work-life balance. The high turnover of nurses tells a story.

If you work for a big university hospital, there is often a large float pool to help with staffing fluctuations. If the acuity gets high or a nurse calls out sick then call the staffing team and they will send the unit a couple of nurses. Ever since my hospital increased the number of the flex team nurses to cover staffing issues, I have never been called at home since.

If work-life balance is really important, you might consider a different workplace.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Are they actively recruiting for/trying to fill RN positions? If not, then the situation is likely not going to change. If you have decided that it's untenable, then your only option is likely to find a different job.

Unless ALL the nurses stand up to the manager and say you will all plan on leaving unless they hire another nurse. That might be the kick in the pants needed. I would recommend scheduling a sit-down meeting with the manager and have as many nurses present there as possible to present your case.

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

Vote with your feet.

I see what you did there lol.

[Stella_Blue]

Often times that's just how nursing can be. I've worked jobs where we have been in mandatory over time for almost a year. It sucks but it's the nature of the beast. That job then is the reason I never pick up any extra shifts now, it burnt me on OT.