Ok. Maybe that isn't a fair title. Perhaps some of the excuses are true. But I would like to see what others have been told as far as why someone called off. Here's a few of my favorites:
1. My babysitter is in jail so I can't come in.
2. I burned my hand on some food so I can't work today.
3. I forgot I had to work today, so I stayed up too late and am too tired to come in.
4. My child got stung by a bee (several hours ago) so I don't want to come in.
5. I'm mad at (supervisor) so I'm not working today.
I have used "I'm stressed to death and am taking a "mental health" day today." Yes, I was wrote for an absence, lol. But I was being honest. Anyway, what have you heard?
My glasses usually cost me close to $300.00. I can't afford to buy a second pair "just in case". And I only get new glasses when my prescription changes. Wearing an old prescription is not safe or good for your eyes.
I understand financial reasons. I myself do not have a second pair. That's why I worded it the way I did ("do our best").
I once had to call in late with no idea how late I would be because there was a moose literally sitting directly in front of my door. I opened my door to go to work and the moose looked at me and snorted. I slammed the door, locked it, and called in "late" to work. Fortunately, the moose went on about his way after only a few minutes. Had I not startled him he may have been hanging out for a while though
Another colleague's co-worker called in sick, then went fishing. A photographer from the local paper was covering the first day of Fishing Season, and took the man's picture, posing proudly with his fish.
This reminds me of one of my favorite work comp cases. Guy has a grievously, grievously injured back (from working at a job he hates), and cannot work. So then there's a fire at his church, and the front page big-photo of the local yellow journalism daily shows church members carrying out boxes of hymnals and other church property as part of the clean-up. And there he is, front page, carrying a heavy box of something. Down a ladder. You can't make this stuff up.
I skipped the first day of my senior year of college because my cat was in labor. Technically it wasn't a call in, because, well, I didn't call. They ever do anything useful the first day anyway. :)
I also called in once for 3-11 on the day after Easter because I had been at my grandmother's house in the country for the weekend and we had a huge snow storm and we were snowed in; her private road didn't get plowed out until late and then we were two hours' drive away. But I still got crap for it.
And once when I was in college (oh, to be young and really stoopid again) one of my roommates had a friend visiting from his college in the South, and he brought us all ... acid. Yep. We watched the stars all night to music, and then watched the sunrise, and there was no way I was in any shape to go to work at my CNA job that day.
(We both grew up to have very responsible positions in big-time medical centers-- he's the head of a department of medicine and on the faculty of a famous med school. But I'll never tell where.)
At my place all of the department managers who have 4 wheel drive have to sign up to get employees if we have bad snow. And for the times when the weather is really nice and people call off for car related reasons, the supervisor or DON will go and pick them up from their house! Cuts down on a lot of those reasons.
Personally, the times that I have had to call in, I give the reason. Usually because my son is sick.
One time I had to leave my job in the middle of the shift and go to the ER for BP 160/90, pulse 122, diapharetic, dizzy, etc. then brought back a copy of the ER paperwork!
Ok. Maybe that isn't a fair title. Perhaps some of the excuses are true. But I would like to see what others have been told as far as why someone called off. Here's a few of my favorites:
1. My babysitter is in jail so I can't come in.
2. I burned my hand on some food so I can't work today.
3. I forgot I had to work today, so I stayed up too late and am too tired to come in.
4. My child got stung by a bee (several hours ago) so I don't want to come in.
5. I'm mad at (supervisor) so I'm not working today.
I have used "I'm stressed to death and am taking a "mental health" day today." Yes, I was wrote for an absence, lol. But I was being honest. Anyway, what have you heard?
I would be looking for a new background checked babysitter and use that as an excuse.
This actually happened - I swear (because you could NOT make this up!):
I was the house supervisor over the four day Thanksgiving holiday/ weekend. ICU nurse calls in because her cat was missing. On Thanksgiving. That's Thursday.
She's scheduled off Friday and Saturday.
Sunday, she calls off again because (wait for it.....) the cat had returned but seemed 'emotionally needy'.
Her manager was sitting next to me at the time the second call came. I just put it on speaker and asked her to repeat what she had just said.
[Yes, I have been asked to give reasons. At one job I explained I had food poisoning and was throwing up, so the manager suggested I still come in and could just carry a bucket or garbage can with me everywhere to throw up in. At the same job I lost my voice and could not talk at all. The manager told me to come in and carry an erasable white board with me to communicate with the patients. I refused to come in both times.
I called out when I was pregnant. I had hyperemesis and was vomiting A LOT, to the point where I wouldn't leave the house without a bag or bucket. I'd called out after my second day in a row of uncontrollable vomiting. About 20 minutes later our clinical director called and asked if I could come in anyway. I had to decline--I was on my way to the ER for IV fluids and IV zofran--again. Total for that pregnancy was 4 ED visits, two hospitalizations, two weeks home health with IV fluids at home, one month wearing a sub q zofran pump, three several-hour sessions in the L&D triage for contractions due to dehydration. I was on intermittent FMLA but did get a bad review due to my frequent absences.
1. Co-worker called, she was going to be taking my load of pts for noc shift that SHE picked up on her own, and I happened to answer the phone, she said she didn't know that this particular movie was on tv and she was going to watch the rest of it before she came in that noc b/c she didn't have dvr!!!! I was NOT the nicest person when she decided to arrive, almost 90 min later.
so this is the same (grrrrrrrr) nurse that is very much a person to pass her work off b/c she didn't want to get out of her chair to help (do her job) her own pts. horrid when she was charge nurse. srry, she aggravates me to no end and I don't even see her anymore!... but she is the same one that knew she was the on call CM for 7 floors in a huge busy hospital and didn't call in, and just didn't show up. but, coincidently, a week before, she offhandedly tried to get others to work for her b/c she had a family reunion in town she had wanted to go to. how this idiotic horrid role model woman didn't get fired, I will never know.
2. Another co-worker was on her way to work an developed a migraine and decided to drive back home instead.
3. diff job, co-worker decided to go to other job instead b/c it made more money, and he couldn't call in earlier b/c he had JUST gotten the last min call in... idiot.
as for the "giving a reason", our charges' were told they have to ask, whatever you say is up to you. some cn's didn't even ask b/c like others and myself, I don't care. your not there, I have to find someone else to work, see ya.
We had a nurse try and call in right at 0700 because she had poision ivy on her hand. It was legit, but it was definately a first. She ended up coming in anyway (thanks to a sharp phone call she got from our DON), and we wrapped her hand up in gauze to keep it from spreading to the patients.
I can understand people who call in because a dog or cat is really sick. However, when the German Shephard I grew up with and adored to no end died at age 12, I went in to work the next day. Work was a distraction from how devestated I was. She died in Sept 2013 and I'm still grieving.
I've called in in the past because of the severe menstral cramps I used to get. I am SO glad I don't have to deal with that anymore!!! :)
SleeepyRN
1,076 Posts
I understand financial reasons. I myself do not have a second pair. That's why I worded it the way I did ("do our best").