Weather Policy

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Does your hospital have a weather policy? If so, is it lenient? Do you ever feel like you have really sacrificed your safety to make it into work out of guilt?

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I live in Texas, so we don't have snow very often. This winter we had one day of ice/snow that kept the roads bad for four days because the temperature didn't get above freezing long enough for it to all melt. We knew the weather would be bad ahead of time and our facility sent out a memo to all employees in advance stating the weather policy. There was a zero tolerance policy for calling in, but tardiness wouldn't be counted against you. Staff were encouraged to drive into work the night before the anticipated weather and stay the night at the hospital. They had areas set up where people could sleep, and we were allowed to use the fitness center showers. They even provided a boxed lunch. Everyone was encouraged to bring a bag of toiletries and extra clothing in case they couldn't make it home.

I worked the night the weather started so the roads were okay coming in. It was awful leaving in the morning, but I made it home ( I would have stayed if I were scheduled that night, but I wasn't). The problem in Texas is that even if you know how to drive on snow/ice, plenty of other people don't. We had a lot of accidents and people stuck on the side of the road. The next few days when the snow did partially melt, the ice stayed. It was worse then because people wouldn't see the black ice and would drive like normal.

The danger of driving was serious, however, employees knew enough in advance that there wasn't an excuse not to be at work. You could come in early, stay the night, or take your time driving and be late. Most staff made it in one way or another. I am thankful that my facility was so accommodating to staff staying over night and being late, I realize other places may not be as generous. I am also grateful to my co workers who made arrangements so that they could make it into work.

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It's true that some cars handle better in the snow than others. But somehow, I don't see "But I drive a sports car and it's bad in snow" as a valid excuse for not showing up to work. Sometimes you have to grow up and drive a dependable car rather than (or in addition to) a fun one.

Well, of course. That isn't what I was saying....I was saying that bad weather driving is NOT "exactly like regular driving" as one poster asserted. I was saying that it is NOT an automatic skill one gains simply by getting a driving license. I was simply recognizing that the assertion made was inaccurate at best.

And of COURSE I'm also saying that you should figure out how the heck you're going to get to work in bad weather, if you're driving a car that is cruddy in the snow! My point about having the sportscar from hell (where snow was concerned) was that I was able to learn how to drive much better because of it---and how the heck do you think I did that, LOL, if I WASN'T driving in some really nasty weather to get to work in the first place? ;)

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I worked at a 911 center for three years - weather was not an excuse to not come to work. If you couldn't make it we dispatched a police officer to get you to the comm center, and you were considered "tardy" as well for the offense. I always went in and slept overnight when snow was coming just for this. It sucks but - I liked being paid $20+ an hour :)

There were times where weather blocked the roads so badly the fire department had to bring people in by boat. BOAT. Those were mandatory 72 hour shifts, you can't leave, you work 16 hours and get 8 off. They didn't even buy food for us to lift our spirits (we relied on those that lived close in the area to bring food from home, and the fire departments who had people dropping off so much food they didn't know what to do with were donating food to us too).

In all honesty working in such poor weather conditions really brought us together as a team. I loved what I did. The computers crashed and we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. But in the end, I felt like I truly made a difference because of it.

The hospital my husband works at now has a similar policy - you come in and weather is no excuse. We don't have snow tires and we don't have 4-wheel drive. But we do leave for work 2+ hours early sometimes. Until one of us wins the lottery I guess this method will have to work for us.

And ***** away.. weather sucks :)

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

And of COURSE I'm also saying that you should figure out how the heck you're going to get to work in bad weather, if you're driving a car that is cruddy in the snow! My point about having the sportscar from hell (where snow was concerned) was that I was able to learn how to drive much better because of it---and how the heck do you think I did that, LOL, if I WASN'T driving in some really nasty weather to get to work in the first place? ;)

LOL!!! Totally this! I grew up driving in snow and my Dad taught me well but years of being a struggling single mom driving beat up cars with no snow tires also taught me how to drive in the white stuff. Especially when I couldn't afford to miss work.

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.

Ahhh I get home from an 18 hour snowy shift to this gem of a thread that reeks of familiarity!

Didn't we talk about this the first snow of the season :banghead:. https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/have-you-ever-892503.html

I stand by my comment from that other dead horse lol. Nurses are critical thinkers and plan aheaders( no, that's not a word?)!

Nope! I knew there was a storm this weekend. I've prepared myself accordingly.

This is part of life living in the NE no matter what career really. Inclement weather will happen.

My responsibilities are still there even if there is doubt and fear of bad weather looming.

Be. Smart. Be. Safe. Go to work. Everyone's happy. Go home.

Nighty night:angrybird9:

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.
LOL!!! Totally this! I grew up driving in snow and my Dad taught me well but years of being a struggling single mom driving beat up cars with no snow tires also taught me how to drive in the white stuff. Especially when I couldn't afford to miss work.

I so could've written this post, my first single mom crud car was a Saturn SC1 3 door thang. I made that baby run in this Northeast snow!

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Specializes in adult psych, LTC/SNF, child psych.

This is why I'm so glad I live within walking distance of work. I hate driving, so I've always worked within 15 minutes of my job. Right now, I live 0.3 miles away. My DH walked me to work last night, home from work this afternoon and back in tonight. I say this not because I think I'm "holier than thou" but because I chose to live close to work because I *HATE* driving, especially in inclement weather. It was a selling point of the job offer.

All of my night nurses (4) and I stayed over this morning and all of us are back tonight, save one who wasn't scheduled to work. It looks like we actually staffed an extra nurse for the morning and one of the 3-11 nurses said she'll come in early as long as we call her by 4:30a. It's funny, I think ALL of the 3-11 nurses showed up yesterday and they only had 1 GNA call out. We've got at least 3 people spending the night with us.

Yesterday morning, I had 4 nurses call out (out of 8 on the schedule), 2 nurses attempt to call out but had the administrator pick them up, and about 10 other people from various departments, including dietary, all of housekeeping (save the supervisor), activities, the business office, etc. HR, the ADNS, the nurse educator, Administrator, head of Rehab and all of the unit managers made it in either early or on time. What does that say about the ability of people in the area to come in, despite the weather?

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Specializes in Oncology.

I actually re-upped my membership just for this conversation... We got over a foot of snow overnight. The hospital did not provide sleeping arrangements for the night prior, but began penalizing AM shifters who called out. Of those who made it, at least half had stayed in hotel rooms at their own expense. They kept the PM shift through the day on mandatory on-call and provided sleeping arrangements. Most of the next PM shift folks (including myself) made it in, but barely. It took me 2.5hrs for my husband and I to dig out my car, and if either of us had been under the weather it wouldn't have happened.

Here's what I found unfair: I don't know about ya'll, but hotel rooms are an expense. Money I have but can't just throw away. If the hospital wasn't going to supply sleeping arrangements, they can't expect the nurses to come in after a foot of snow. Not just nurses, housekeeping, PCTs, etc, they're being penalized too. If a hotel room is an expense for me, what about someone who makes half (or less!) what I make. Penalizing PM folks who couldn't come in wasn't very fair either. They kept folks over because things were bad, so penalizing someone who didn't come in isn't fair. They also can't expect people to come in a full 24hrs before their sift. 5-6, fine I'll do that, but 24... Heck no!

Here's what's fair: Keep the PM shift on-call. They were given sleeping arrangements and were paid on-call pay while they weren't working. I would have expected it for myself and would have had a bag packed. That's fair, somone's got to take care of the patients and you're already (safely) here. If the AM shift had been given sleeping arrangements, I would have expected them in as well. I also got my butt into work because I could. I wouldn't have expected my 55 year old single co-work who lives in my region to have done it, but the gal who lives walking distance... Yea I would have given her hell if she called out. It's our responsibility to be honest and keep each other honest.

I am wondering. How do firefighters, police, and other essential personnel handle things, what are their policies?

Also, if you live somewhere where it snows, the community is prepared for snow. When I lived in Colorado I drove in the snow in my tiny hatchback all the time because they plowed the roads. Ever notice how planes that take off in Denver are grounded in DC? Same with nursing, some places ppl get in with two feet of snow, others are in chaos with three inches (ahem Atlanta...)

Lastly, saying 'well what did you expect' isn't a good response. My mom was a nurse, so I've lived with this all of my life, and I thought it was unfair as a kid too. Christmas, weekends, etc that's to be expected. Making every effort to get to work, that is to be expected. Borderline exploitation, has been expected, but should it?

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What do you people do with your kids and pets?

I LITERALLY do not have a single friend or family member within 1,000 miles of where I live right now.

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Specializes in Outpatient/Clinic, ClinDoc.

Over a foot last night.. just about to go out and snowblow so I can get to work.. And I work in an outpatient clinic where pretty much all our patients cancelled. But that's the policy, so I deal with it. If you live in SoCal and a freak foot of snow falls, I completely understand not being able to get in.. But calling in for snow in upstate ny? It had better be measured in meters.. :)

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I'm lucky in that my employer provides sleep rooms at the assisted living center of my ltc facility. They have a thin twin mattress on the floor, but I carry a nice queen air mattress and a small space heater and blankets. Do I like having to stay? No. But it beats getting hurt/killed traveling. Also, if weather gets that bad, your class will most likely get canceled.

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Yes. No. Yes.

hahaha. I guess the answer would really depend on how a nurse treats his/her job.

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