Hello everyone. I have been reading discussion on this site for the past few years. Ive finally decided to come here to vent and get some advice. My manager asked me to work every Monday night on this schedule, while still doing two 7a-8p shifts. We do 13 hour shifts at my facility. She claims that the night nurses that she has can not work Monday nights. These nurses do not have young children, but just "prefer" not to work Monday night. I have a one year old child. I agreed to work the shift, but only be because she said I would work Monday night and then come back on a Thursday or Friday.
Well she didn't make the schedule out that way. She has working every wedensday morning. They only gives me one day off. I will sleep most of that day. I worked like this last week and was utterly exhausted and disoriented. When I asked her if I could have some time to thin about working Monday night she said no I have to get the schedule out. Then she stared going on about making it "mandatory". This manager also asks me to cover a night shift whenever she has a call out. She does not ask the other nurses. I've only been at this job a few months.
I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. What do you guys think? Should I suck it up or seek other employment? Sorry this is so disjointed! Your feedback is appreciate.
Per OP "These nurses do not have young children, but just "prefer" not to work Monday night. I have a one year old child. I agreed to work the shift, but only be because she said I would work Monday night and then come back on a Thursday or Friday. "
OP made an additional comment that having a one year old would make this "arrangement' even more difficult. The AN community then chose to blast her on that?
OP stated she was NOT asking for any special considerations.
Far from any sense of entitlement. OP needed guidance as to how to handle management manipulation.
Disappointed in the AN communities response.
No BTDT that isn't what people are upset about. What got everyone going is when she stated in her second post that "nurses without children do not have to worry about childcare and should be available to work any given night". Of COURSE she should not have even been asked to cover Monday night because the regular night shift nurses didn't "wanna" work it. I can't believe her manager even entertained that ridiculousness. The night shift nurses sound like a bunch of babies. However, the blanket statement about childless nurses wasn't any more right and that's what caused such a stink here. But if you had really read the posts the vast majority of them, mine included, supported the OP in her frustration with what her manager did to her and her schedule. Nobody thinks it's right, even the ones who said that her manager was within her right to make the schedule changes. To a a person they all agreed that the short turnaround was entirely unacceptable. This whole thing about SOME nurses with children thinking that because they are parents their time is more valuable than those who do not have children is a hot button topic here on AN. It rears its ugly head in discussions about holiday scheduling, working during snowstorms and other weather events and even with regular schedules. For many nurses who are childless not by choice that additional slap in the face of "my time is more valuable than yours because I have kids" is sometimes just too much to bear. Yes arranging childcare and missing out on things in your child's life because of work is difficult but so is NOT having a child to arrange care for and miss. It's tough all around.
Both of the nurses have told me that they just "don't like Mondays".
For your manager to actually allow this is beyond ridiculousness. What's next? They don't wanna work weekends? Tell her it isn't working for you and just say no.
I was not implying that I need special treatment for having a baby. I also in no way intended to offend anyone that can not, or does not, have children. I made a conscious decision to have a child and purse a career that will require me to work holidays, odd hours, and weekends. I love caring for my patients and I go above and beyond every shift that I am scheduled to work. I'm a dedicated nurse who would like to be treated as a human being as opposed to a robot. I feel that this schedule negatively affects nursing care. I articulated that to my manager prior to agreeing to work Monday nights. This is when I was told I would get two days off. I feel that I have a right to be upset. If that is entitlement, so be it. I was frustrated in my initial post and I apologize for not putting more thought into it. Thanks to everyone that responded back with constructive criticism and sound advice. It's greatly appreciated.
Redoing this whole comment to make a better point:
If you have a written agreement as to the conditions of your schedule, hold them to it, bottom line. It doesn't matter what the reasons are for the terms you've agreed to. Even if you hold them to your agreed schedule because you have children, that's your prerogative, quite frankly. (And I say that as someone who doesn't have children and, honestly, that fact kinda stings.) But you do have to be prepared to find another facility if they have no intention of abiding by that agreement.
I currently work as a court reporter. When I went back to college for nursing (because I hate court reporting, TBH), I informed the firm I work for in writing that the conditions of my employment would be changing effective (X date). I offered my terms of how many depositions/pages/travel time I am willing to take per week because of my new class schedule and kindly informed them that if that schedule doesn't work for them, I understood and (X date) would simply be my last day. Since they're desperate for coverage, they agreed to my part-time terms. And when they push it by asking me to take on more depositions than we agreed or trying to send me on a job that requires a 12-hour roundtrip travel time, I tell them I can't do it because I have class or homework. That in no way makes my time more valuable than other court reporters who are not in college. It simply makes the agreement I have with the firm different from the agreement they have with the firm. But the big caveat here is that I'm willing and able to terminate my relationship with the firm if need be.
Rotating sucks! My assistant manager sometimes schedules me to work 3-11 after working 11-7 the night before. We had a discussion and she agreed to not do that to me anymore. She said she heard that I *LIKE* rotating back like that and I confirmed that those were words that never came out of my mouth. If you agree to rotate though, management will take that and run with it if you let them.
I should have explained what I meant better. I meant that aside from requested time off or a certain holiday, the NIGHT nurse should be able to work on a Monday. I would never refuse to work on a Monday if I knew that someone from day shift would be forced to rotate.
Your little life isn't more important than anyone else's. Guess what? I have a seven month old, and I get mandated just like everyone else. Good for you for having a baby. Go to work.
Per OP "These nurses do not have young children, but just "prefer" not to work Monday night.
I would submit that there may be reasons they "prefer" not to work Monday nights that are just as compelling as the OPs. Chances are high that she is not privy to those reasons for the "preference."
Bottom line, imo rotating schedules are an undue burden on most people. I wouldn't work them. The OP doesn't want to work them, so she should make this clear to management and if they won't budge, she'll have to vote with her feet.
OP: Thank you for clarifying some things. I wonder if there could be a meeting with everyone to discuss scheduling. Maybe have everyone work for example 6 Mondays in a row, then it rotates to the next person. I think have everyone get together and Look at schedules to see how things really are. It may be that although people may know that you are working Monday night and Wednesday day but seeing it on paper may be helpful.
One idea could be to come up with a plan that benefits EVERYONE, including your manager. See if there are ways you can talk with everyone so, gaps are filled and people are mostly happy. no schedule will every be perfect, but it may help your current situation
To me, this is just bad management. On all of the floors I've ever worked, nurses would have to submit days that they did not want to work for approval, and no more than 2 nurses could put in for the same day. For long term things like school, medical appointments, etc. it would have to be approved by management. Usually they could accommodate, but at times they could not. To pull a nurse from another shift is the easy way out for the manager, as long as that nurse is not complaining.
It was nice that the op agreed to help out, but management did not keep up their end of the bargain by scheduling her days too close together. I get that anyone can be mandated to work different shifts at management discretion, usually based on seniority but the night nurses should have a more valid reason to not work on Mondays. (Maybe they do and it is being kept private).
I think the op has every right to be upset. Management is taking advantage of her and if they don't resolve it in a fair way, I'd be looking to leave, too.
Wuzzie
5,238 Posts
No BTDT that isn't what people are upset about. What got everyone going is when she stated in her second post that "nurses without children do not have to worry about childcare and should be available to work any given night". Of COURSE she should not have even been asked to cover Monday night because the regular night shift nurses didn't "wanna" work it. I can't believe her manager even entertained that ridiculousness. The night shift nurses sound like a bunch of babies. However, the blanket statement about childless nurses wasn't any more right and that's what caused such a stink here. But if you had really read the posts the vast majority of them, mine included, supported the OP in her frustration with what her manager did to her and her schedule. Nobody thinks it's right, even the ones who said that her manager was within her right to make the schedule changes. To a a person they all agreed that the short turnaround was entirely unacceptable. This whole thing about SOME nurses with children thinking that because they are parents their time is more valuable than those who do not have children is a hot button topic here on AN. It rears its ugly head in discussions about holiday scheduling, working during snowstorms and other weather events and even with regular schedules. For many nurses who are childless not by choice that additional slap in the face of "my time is more valuable than yours because I have kids" is sometimes just too much to bear. Yes arranging childcare and missing out on things in your child's life because of work is difficult but so is NOT having a child to arrange care for and miss. It's tough all around.