What are your views on switching days with people?

Nurses General Nursing

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Do you never switch with others? Do you always say yes, unless you absolutely cannot? What do make of those who will ask people to switch with them, but never to seem reciprocate? Do you question why they don't use their PTO?

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As for me I have switched with people. I rarely ask. I do know coworkers who seem to ask every 2 weeks. I question why they don't change their schedule. What annoys me is if you ask every week and then keep hounding me.

I work weekends, so if I switch with someone I'm losing money and I need all my money. I will pick up your day so I can have OT, but hospitals are finicky about OT. One week its okay, the next its not.

my job uses abilify which use to be shifthound

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Specializes in Peds ED.

Life comes up and sometimes the schedule doesn't work. The place I work currently will take you off the shift is the unit is going to be over par on your shift and there’s a low likelihood we’d need extra staff, but if not (and at every other place I worked) if you weren’t planning to call out you needed to switch your shift or have someone pick up up (who was not in overtime). I think it’s *** for management to put all of that on individual nurses to figure out especially when it’s for something important.

I will switch with coworkers when I can as long as it doesn’t give me a hellish schedule. And I ask for switches occasionally. I pay attention to who asks a ton and never reciprocates and say no to them unless the switch benefits me.

I think there’s a balance between fostering good will with coworkers and being a doormat and if I start to feel resentful about something with switching that’s my cue to step back and say no more and focus on my needs.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
4 hours ago, DesiDani said:

I work weekends, so if I switch with someone I'm losing money and I need all my money. I will pick up your day so I can have OT, but hospitals are finicky about OT. One week its okay, the next its not.

my job uses abilify which use to be shifthound

abilify and shifthound are both funny names for staffing software! shifthound sounds like someone hounding you to take extra shifts... which is actually perfect for a staffing site for nurses ??

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Specializes in oncology, MS/tele/stepdown.

I'll switch if it won't make my schedule terrible. I'm flexible with the definition of terrible when I work dayshift, but not when I work nightshift, when I rarely agree to switches LOL.

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3 hours ago, LibraNurse27 said:

abilify and shifthound are both funny names for staffing software! shifthound sounds like someone hounding you to take extra shifts... which is actually perfect for a staffing site for nurses ??

What company does your place use, or do they go the paper route? The have some new feature where it is a GPS locater on the app. My hospital is too cheap to implement it, but if they did I would delete the app. I am not a dog

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We have this RN who is really nice and helpful, too much so. He always says yes to the point of him not working his own schedule for a whole month and yes he'd say yes when called in too. We told him to STOP SAYING YES! When he got burnt out from working 4 to 5 days a week, he finally stood up for himself more. Finally, because he is a great guy and a damn good nurse.

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
9 hours ago, HiddencatBSN said:

Life comes up and sometimes the schedule doesn't work. The place I work currently will take you off the shift is the unit is going to be over par on your shift and there’s a low likelihood we’d need extra staff, but if not (and at every other place I worked) if you weren’t planning to call out you needed to switch your shift or have someone pick up up (who was not in overtime). I think it’s *** for management to put all of that on individual nurses to figure out especially when it’s for something important.

I will switch with coworkers when I can as long as it doesn’t give me a hellish schedule. And I ask for switches occasionally. I pay attention to who asks a ton and never reciprocates and say no to them unless the switch benefits me.

I think there’s a balance between fostering good will with coworkers and being a doormat and if I start to feel resentful about something with switching that’s my cue to step back and say no more and focus on my needs.

So do you think management should figure out switches when someone doesn't like their schedule instead of the nurse? Why? You don't think they have enough to do?

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57 minutes ago, Elaine M said:

So do you think management should figure out switches when someone doesn't like their schedule instead of the nurse? Why? You don't think they have enough to do?

Edited 51 minutes ago by Elaine M

We had one manager that looked like sleep wasn't invented yet when she came into work. She eventually went back to being a floor nurse and looked GREAT. Another hired an assistant. I heard that unit managers have TONS of paperwork to do when they get home

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
10 hours ago, DesiDani said:

What company does your place use, or do they go the paper route? The have some new feature where it is a GPS locater on the app. My hospital is too cheap to implement it, but if they did I would delete the app. I am not a dog

Oh ??? no!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

I am unapologetic and selfish about my swaps - in general, if it works out for my benefit and/or doesn't cause an inconvenience, sure I will do it for anyone (with the hopes that they will reciprocate in the future). If it doesn't, if it causes me an inconvenience, if its an extra weekend shift on top of what I'm already required to do, etc then no I will likely not do it. IF I do say yes to one of those scenarios, it is because I owe ya one or there's a compelling enough reason on your end (ie funeral, kids graduation, etc).

I work with two nurses currently who put in swap requests electronically via our scheduling system for every single weekend shift they are on, every single time the new schedule gets published. It is predictable and like clockwork. That's a quick no from me.

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Specializes in Peds ED.
11 hours ago, Elaine M said:

So do you think management should figure out switches when someone doesn't like their schedule instead of the nurse? Why? You don't think they have enough to do?

I think management runs staffing as minimal as possible so that when things do come up there’s no wiggle room to adjust. Ensuring the unit is properly staffed is part of their job, and counting on perfect attendance and nurses not to have human needs is poor planning. Maximizing profit and minimizing costs puts staffing coverage responsibility on individual nurses when management should absolutely be planning for contingencies.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
13 hours ago, DesiDani said:

What company does your place use, or do they go the paper route? The have some new feature where it is a GPS locater on the app. My hospital is too cheap to implement it, but if they did I would delete the app. I am not a dog

Ours is called ShiftSelect. I like it! As long as they don't wait until the middle of the night before the requested shift to approve LOL and then be mad when you don't show up

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