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.
Specializes in Clinical Pediatrics; Maternal-Child Educator.
1 hour ago, DesiDani said:
What if you were out of town?
It was a terrible situation, but you would receive a call to come in by an expectant voice who didn't understand when you couldn't drop everything. Then there would be a mass email to the entire unit about the shared responsibility of ensuring appropriate staffing and to be sure that the people you switched with were aware of the switch in which you felt blamed - even when it was the other person's idea to switch. I had that happen to me.
But this was the same facility where I was left in charge of the staffing once when our unit manager, who usually personally handled it, was out of town. I had one nurse call five minutes before time to check the census because she wanted to be called off if she could be. I told her to wait and let me call for census and I would let her know. Census didn't allow it. She never answered my call back. Figured she'd show up to work since she wasn't told she could be off... nope. No show. I got a call at like an hour into the shift that she didn't show. She wouldn't answer her phone. I had to go in on my day off to pick up her slack. When our unit manager returned, the nurse never even got in trouble for it. The manager never said a word.
The expectation was unrealistic. If you were needed, you were expected to be there regardless of your plans. It was here that I learned to just say no without even an explanation. I don't owe anyone an explanation on why I cannot come in on my scheduled day off.
at my hospital they dont let us self schedule but let us switch "two times per two week schedule," so me and my friend get together whenever the new schedule comes out and switch around until we have the days we want. sometimes if the office secretary isn't there we go to the unit secretary on the floor and she'll switch for us. I'd rather be switching willy nilly than calling out and fcking the unit over sooooo
I have never had a job with PTO so that never factored in. Otherwise, in extended care home health, any infrequent switching has pretty much worked out OK. But when I worked in LTC facilities, I was taken advantage of big time but it was not over an individual asking for a switch. It was because I was promised a certain schedule accommodation in regards to me attending school. I got told off by a new manager who told me not to ask for that again, even though, the DON who hired me had promised to work with me. The new manager gave the nurse who slept six hours out of an eight hour night shift her "preferred" nights off at my expense. That just showed me who mattered around there when management politics changed.
A good lesson: always get such promises in writing.
I will switch a shift or two if it seems to be a legitimate reason, but if I ask that same person to switch a shift with me and they tell me no I never give them the courtesy of switching with them ever again.
I occasionally changed a shift as long as there was not inconvenience for me. But there is always one person on every floor who is always hounding people to change shifts. At my last bedside job, we had a nurse who worked no year-end holidays the entire time I was there. Most of us had small children, so holidays were important. We were all required to work one of the "big four"- Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. She was relentless, and her favorite line was "Don't tell anyone you have swapped with me", until we all figured out that she was working no holidays. Her rationalization? "I promised my children I would never work holidays". The "holiday hustle" started in September and didn't let up. One of the reasons I left bedside nursing.
I did at first to make others happy until I noticed it wreaked havoc with my schedule when I forgot some detail or didn't check out the requesters "easy switch plan" was basically unfair.There were some who had a must go to event on every single schedule and they did not even work full time.
There after I left the switching game,and totally turned down requests and had to bite the bullet when I could not ask for a switch.
I gave up a many wedding,birthday, retirement reunion..but in the end was pleased with myself and less disruption in my busy life.
I’ve got friendly and fair minded coworkers for the most part. The majority of us are willing to make the occasional swap to help each other out. Things come up sometimes you couldn’t plan ahead for. I’ll use RTO for specific days if I know about it far enough in advance but sometimes you just need a swap. Swaps require completing a form with both parties signing and management approval.
I have coworkers who will voluntarily pick up extra shifts, but when it came close they decided they didn't really want to work them and asked people to switch with them.
I’m not swapping a darn thing. I hate my schedule and I hate yours, too! But if you call out, I might come in for the overtime...NOT!?
Seriously, though, there was a reason I dropped down to working two spaced-out days a week: work was interfering with my free time. On my last travel assignment, I only had to offer them one day a week. If that day didn’t work for them, oh well..see ya next week.??
Do people still dare to ask you or do they not even bother?
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?
_______
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.
For me, it always depended on the situation. I was never somebody that always switched with someone, nor did I never make any changes to my schedule. Like others have mentioned, the impact on my own schedule affected my decision. For example, I get burned out after working three or four 12's in a row...so if the switch meant I would have to work a fifth 12 hour shift, it was an automatic no. I need my sleep. However, if it just meant I only got 8 days off, rather than 9 and wasn't too close to my other work days, I had no problem saying yes, especially in an emergent situation.
Specializes in Instructor of Nursing and Med/surg nurse.
In my career I only had one friend who would trade with me and reciprocate, but majority of the time with others it never worked out. So when my colleague left I just didn't do it anymore and if I needed off I would call in and use my time, if I couldn't work around it. I only did this rarely and when our manager switched us all back to all 8's I quit to work 12's somewhere else, because I was working Mon-Saturday evening every week. A change in schedule at a different place benefited me and I rarely needed off. You have to figure out what works for you. I loved travel nursing and flex nursing as I could pick and choose shifts I could work.
LovingPeds, MSN, APRN, NP
108 Posts
It was a terrible situation, but you would receive a call to come in by an expectant voice who didn't understand when you couldn't drop everything. Then there would be a mass email to the entire unit about the shared responsibility of ensuring appropriate staffing and to be sure that the people you switched with were aware of the switch in which you felt blamed - even when it was the other person's idea to switch. I had that happen to me.
But this was the same facility where I was left in charge of the staffing once when our unit manager, who usually personally handled it, was out of town. I had one nurse call five minutes before time to check the census because she wanted to be called off if she could be. I told her to wait and let me call for census and I would let her know. Census didn't allow it. She never answered my call back. Figured she'd show up to work since she wasn't told she could be off... nope. No show. I got a call at like an hour into the shift that she didn't show. She wouldn't answer her phone. I had to go in on my day off to pick up her slack. When our unit manager returned, the nurse never even got in trouble for it. The manager never said a word.
The expectation was unrealistic. If you were needed, you were expected to be there regardless of your plans. It was here that I learned to just say no without even an explanation. I don't owe anyone an explanation on why I cannot come in on my scheduled day off.