Just a little rant. I work for a nursing home with approximately 170 residents and since I was hired, part time, I have been taking shifts to cover holidays and sick calls which keep me at almost full time hours. I went to work on Saturday and was SO SICK, my head was full, coughing, sneezing, nose dripping and I even threw up what little food I tried to eat. I said to the day staff coming in that I would not be able to make it the next night as I was feeling so ill and that I would call to let them know for the next shift after that. I had agreed BEFORE I got sick to cover someone's holiday which has me scheduled from Saturday through to the next Sunday, nine shifts in row......6 eight hours and 3 twelve hours. Anyway, I called at 3pm today to say that even after a long rest that I wouldn't be able to make it in for 11pm that night. EIGHT HOURS NOTICE! I get a call from my boss, who's tone of voice was not very kind asking me if I would be in for tomorrow? I said I would try, but I would let them know after more sleep. She stated that I didn't sound good and that she would replace me. That they needed to know earlier in the day if I wouldn't be in. I have bent over backwards to help cover shifts for them and I don't expect to be rewarded or glorified but, I am honestly sick and they treat you like a piece of crap. I stewed for two hours called and left a very strongly worded message explaining how I didn't appreciate her distain for me calling in and that I WOULD be in for my shift on Thursday night and that there would be a doctor's waiting for her under her door Friday morning. I have two kids under three and when they call me to work, I have to find a sitter but have always been there to help them out. Maybe I won't be ....
ho! your attitude is misplaced. based on your post your boss acknowledged that you "didn't sound good and that she would replace me. that they needed to know earlier in the day if i wouldn't be in." that wasn't satisfying enough for you? what's wrong with them needing to know earlier than 3pm that they need to get someone for the 11pm to 7am shift? most places i worked had a policy that we had to call off before 3pm if we worked the night shift! keep in mind that if they do find someone, that person needs time to sleep before coming in. have you ever had to call around trying to find staff to replace people who have called off? not only is it time consuming, but the people who are getting these calls don't like being disturbed on their days off either. and, the night shift isn't exactly the easiest shift to replace. keep in mind that you yourself said you were someone who had been covering some of the holidays and sick calls for them. there is probably no one else left to call!
i've been in supervision and management and replacing calls off is a big part of that job. so what if she was "not kind"? i am not excusing her, but are you so perfect that you never get aggravated at work and it never shows in your voice? "not kind" would be if she said something like, "i don't care how sick you are, you need to get in here to work." that, i would be sympathetic with you about. since you promised a "doctor's ?" you had better produce one. i think that all you did was dig an unnecessary hole for yourself with your boss who may have been having a bad day that you probably made a lot worse by your behavior.
next time, don't waffle about whether or not you are able to work. and, if you want to stick it to your boss, hold your tongue and don't volunteer to work all these extra shifts which is probably why you got sick in the first place. why did you volunteer to work all the extra time? to help the boss? or to help your bank account?
i don't feel sorry for managers. get out there and work the floor once in awhile and keep those skills fresh. no one said management was easy. been there, done that myself.
Specializes in long term care, alzheimer's, ltc rehab.
i went to the emergency room for a fall i had the night before (i wouldnt have, but i was nauseous and throwing up the next day.) the supervisor got upset like "how dare you call off on a weekend, you know how short staffed we are on the weekends...blah blah blah". i said "look, l, im sorry, but the staffing situation is not my problem, my health is more important, and i will be back wednesday, which is my next scheduled day, with a doctor's note! peace!"
I have to agree with you Mikey. The staffing situation is not our problem. That was an issue at my last job. I picked up a lot of OT to help them out. Big mistake. When I needed a day or two off it was like pulling a tooth. I learned my lesson. If I need OT now its because I need it not because they need me to.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
I don't feel sorry for managers. Get out there and work the floor once in awhile and keep those skills fresh. No one said management was easy. Been there, done that myself.
What does that have to do with the OP's problem? Sounds like you've got some unresolved issues with management.
What does that have to do with the OP's problem? Sounds like you've got some unresolved issues with management.
Nope. No issues here. My managers where I work now are great. Total team players all the way. They have been in the trenches so they know what we go through. I have only used one sick day since I was hired, and when I had to call off, I didn't get any grief about it. However, I have worked in other facilities where the managers weren't so nice, no matter how hard you tried to please them. I have a problem with ANYONE who has a crappy attitude, not just those in management.
I used to work every weekend and was full time and had been there for almost 5 yrs. When I wanted to be off for the weekend I would let my boss know at least 2 months off in advance so she could adjust the schedule. She appreciated the weekend coverage. When she left we got a new manager. There was a certain weekend I wanted off to go camping with some friends and I let her know in the written form asking for the time off. When the schedule cam out I was on the schedule to work that weekend. I asked her why she didn't give me the weekend and she said "Tough, I am not changing the schedule. You're working"
I was so mad. I then told her since I was full time that I wanted every other weekend off just like everyone else. She told me no. So I went to HR and told them. I got what I wanted just like everyone else. She lasted 4 months and was terminated for all the dirty low-down things she did to at least 10 people.
ho! your attitude is misplaced. based on your post your boss acknowledged that you "didn't sound good and that she would replace me. that they needed to know earlier in the day if i wouldn't be in." that wasn't satisfying enough for you? what's wrong with them needing to know earlier than 3pm that they need to get someone for the 11pm to 7am shift? most places i worked had a policy that we had to call off before 3pm if we worked the night shift! keep in mind that if they do find someone, that person needs time to sleep before coming in. have you ever had to call around trying to find staff to replace people who have called off? not only is it time consuming, but the people who are getting these calls don't like being disturbed on their days off either. and, the night shift isn't exactly the easiest shift to replace. keep in mind that you yourself said you were someone who had been covering some of the holidays and sick calls for them. there is probably no one else left to call!
i've been in supervision and management and replacing calls off is a big part of that job. so what if she was "not kind"? i am not excusing her, but are you so perfect that you never get aggravated at work and it never shows in your voice? "not kind" would be if she said something like, "i don't care how sick you are, you need to get in here to work." that, i would be sympathetic with you about. since you promised a "doctor's ?" you had better produce one. i think that all you did was dig an unnecessary hole for yourself with your boss who may have been having a bad day that you probably made a lot worse by your behavior.
next time, don't waffle about whether or not you are able to work. and, if you want to stick it to your boss, hold your tongue and don't volunteer to work all these extra shifts which is probably why you got sick in the first place. why did you volunteer to work all the extra time? to help the boss? or to help your bank account?
im sorry usually i dont jump in and quote but this was just so freaking rude, i couldnt resist. for you to ask someone if there so perfect that they never had a bad day, is just plain ignorant. she obviously had a bad day and wanted to vent. i doubt your behavior made her feel any better. as far as the question, have you ever had to call out for call offs?? spoken like a true "supervisor". have you ever had to work 3 carts because of a call off while the supe sat on her butt making those phone calls? doubt it.
all supervisors arent bad. you do have some who will get out there and work the floor if needed. but, thats why there in the position there in. honestly, from my experience (short, so far) its not such a bad thing
This is something I never understand. At my job there are signs everywhere that say if you are sick with any of these symptoms, blah, blah, blah.. please do not come in to work. Be kind to your patients and fellow employees.
So why do they make you feel like you need to be a brave little soldier when you call out? no one expects or plans to be ill. And, you earn sick time why is so hard to use it?
Nursing is a career, not a moral calling. Emloyers need to cut the guilt trip thing and we as nurses have to stop playing into it.
I NEVER answer my phone when I can see its my job calling on the caller ID. (I don't work prn or flex) so whatever my employer is calling about either my answer is going to be no, I don't want to pick up a shift or its something that we can talk about when I'm at work. Hate to be like that, but the more your willing to give, the more your employer will take and as illustrated time and time again, when you need something, your employer is likely not to be there for you.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
im sorry usually i dont jump in and quote but this was just so freaking rude, i couldnt resist. for you to ask someone if there so perfect that they never had a bad day, is just plain ignorant. she obviously had a bad day and wanted to vent. i doubt your behavior made her feel any better. as far as the question, have you ever had to call out for call offs?? spoken like a true "supervisor". have you ever had to work 3 carts because of a call off while the supe sat on her butt making those phone calls? doubt it.
i find your comments rude, ignorant and unfeeling.
yes. i've had to spend hours making calls trying to find replacement staff. yes, i ended up working a whole lot of double shifts to cover for people who called off and not getting paid overtime, by the way, because there was no one else willing to come in and work. i was not a supervisor who sat on her butt for wrong reasons. that comment by you is as ridiculous as a nursing assistant who misunderstands and complains about an rn who is sitting on her butt making phone calls when in actuality the rn is calling physicians for orders because the nursing assistant can't do that. if i didn't make the phone calls to find staff, who else was qualified to do it? one of my pet peeves about people who comment about my comments being rude or ignorant is that ignorance comes from not understanding what the supervisors job entails. it doesn't always include doing the staff nurses job. one of a supervisor's responsibilities is knowing what problems are going on within their areas of responsibility and making sure resources are fairly distributed to get those problems taken care of. that isn't much different from what the staff rns job is in relation to the care of all the patient's in their charge--or maybe you don't do that. staff nurses on unit a can't possibly know what is going on over at unit b and unit c which the supervisor also has to be aware of and deal with. and it's close-minded and selfish to not even consider that other nurses in the facility might have problems too.
Gone are the days where an employee would commit to a company and the company would take care of the employee.
Business is business no matter what type of industry.
It's not personal anymore. I never feel bad about calling in sick. They will get someone to replace me. The supervisors never blink an eye when they call me off or send me home due to low census - it's just something they have to do. If they offer me OT and it would benefit me, I work it.....if not, I don't.
When I'm at the job, I'm there 100%.
Remember, it's not personal. Don't break your back with scheduling unless it's for your advantage because chances are the reciprocity won't be returned. It sounds cold, but it appears to be the norm these days....unfortunately.
first, i would like to thank all that replied to this thread. it turns out that i had pneumonia in my right lower lobe, i was very sick.
this ......
ho! your attitude is misplaced. based on your post your boss acknowledged that you "didn't sound good and that she would replace me. that they needed to know earlier in the day if i wouldn't be in." that wasn't satisfying enough for you? what's wrong with them needing to know earlier than 3pm that they need to get someone for the 11pm to 7am shift? most places i worked had a policy that we had to call off before 3pm if we worked the night shift! keep in mind that if they do find someone, that person needs time to sleep before coming in. have you ever had to call around trying to find staff to replace people who have called off? not only is it time consuming, but the people who are getting these calls don't like being disturbed on their days off either. and, the night shift isn't exactly the easiest shift to replace. keep in mind that you yourself said you were someone who had been covering some of the holidays and sick calls for them. there is probably no one else left to call!
i've been in supervision and management and replacing calls off is a big part of that job. so what if she was "not kind"? i am not excusing her, but are you so perfect that you never get aggravated at work and it never shows in your voice? "not kind" would be if she said something like, "i don't care how sick you are, you need to get in here to work." that, i would be sympathetic with you about. since you promised a "doctor's ?" you had better produce one. i think that all you did was dig an unnecessary hole for yourself with your boss who may have been having a bad day that you probably made a lot worse by your behavior.
next time, don't waffle about whether or not you are able to work. and, if you want to stick it to your boss, hold your tongue and don't volunteer to work all these extra shifts which is probably why you got sick in the first place. why did you volunteer to work all the extra time? to help the boss? or to help your bank account?
.....just makes me laugh:chuckle
talk about issues.
i always have to find staff to replace sick calls, almost every night shift i work. i say, "i hope you are feeling better soon, thanks for calling." it isn't my job or right to give someone attitude if they are not feeling well. secondly, i don't need the money. i went back to work because i like being a nurse and helping people.
SchnauzersRock
39 Posts
i don't feel sorry for managers. get out there and work the floor once in awhile and keep those skills fresh. no one said management was easy. been there, done that myself.