What do you do when Work calls on your day off?

[Joe V]

Admit it this is you. LOL! Don't you just hate it when work calls you to come in on your day off? What do you do? What do you say?

Click Like if you enjoyed it. Please share this with friends and post your comments below! 

[SororAKS, ADN, RN]

Say "No I'm not able to. Thank you for calling."

[ponymom]

Whatever you want.... it's your day off. If you want to work, go in to work. If you don't want to work, don't go into work. Why do people make this such a big deal?

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Depends how many bills I have to pay and what they are asking me to do.This extra income got me through many a time of stress.If I do not want to I just say no thanks,got  a doctors appointment etc.,.When we had mandatory OT  requirement to come in even in the middle of the night ,many had secret separate tel number/lines,so they never answered that mandatory call, LOL.

[Kitiger, RN]

On 10/5/2016 at 9:59 AM, SororAKS said:

Say "No I'm not able to. Thank you for calling."

[SmilingBluEyes]

Lose the phone, or say it was on the charger.

[SmilingBluEyes]

On 8/4/2013 at 4:08 AM, jazzymom said:

I actually had one hospital call my neighbor (who was a PICC nurse for them) and ask her to come knock on my window cuz I wasn't answering my phone!

That is out of bounds and invasive and I would tell them to stop harassing the neighbor!

On 10/9/2016 at 8:12 AM, ponymom said:

Whatever you want.... it's your day off. If you want to work, go in to work. If you don't want to work, don't go into work. Why do people make this such a big deal?

Because they don't GIVE UP in many  hospitals. I experienced that all the time when I worked in the hospital. I am glad I don't anymore. Did you read the post where work called the neighbor and had them tapping on the nurse's window. Nothing to get upset about right?

[ccharlonne, ADN, BSN, RN]

Interesting reading through these old posts and seeing nothing has changed in the last 7-8 years. After this pandemic, will management look at staffing practices? I am not hopeful. I work nights and have experienced most of what you all wrote about (no one shows up at my house). I have done a combination of actions, answered, screened calls, yelled at caller when woken up over a shift I was already scheduled for, etc.

I have learned staffing is a one way street, if they need you they will call and if the don't you will get on call or cancelled. If you need a schedule change, don't bother to ask - work a swap with a peer. If they made it more of a two way street, maybe they wouldn't have to fill sick calls from nurses who want to go to a family event or participate in something that they didn't have 90 days notice to request a day off for.

I try to be considerate and let them know I can't work so they can move on, but I don't worry about living my life and don't keep my cell phone glued to me. If I am outside gardening, they get a return call when I finish and check messages. I am responsible for trying to maintain the work/life balance in my life and have worked to be able to say "no" without feeling guilt. It became easier after the robot blast was instituted, simultaneous home and cell calls and text message. Annoying, frequent, and ultimately made it easier for me to set boundaries for my time.

[familychick, BSN]

When I worked the floor, I always answered the calls/texts or called them back. If I didn't want to work I told them "No, thank you for asking though".  No excuses, no reasons, just a polite and firm no.  If they try to badger, just rinse and repeat "no, thank you for asking". 

[Kitiger, RN]

Today, I said yes. 

Sometimes I say no. They don't need any explanation.

[caliotter3]

On 3/27/2021 at 12:25 PM, SmilingBluEyes said:

Lose the phone, or say it was on the charger.

I tell them I didn’t pay my cell phone bill and phone was off. Works every time because it’s true every time. So far no employer has chastised me for not paying a cell phone bill.