When You Request I Switch Shifts with You

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Just a general rant here and a bit of advice....If you are going to ask another nurse to switch shifts with you, you need to be prepared to do him/her the same at some point in the future. Chances are you are screwing up what they thought their schedule was going to look like by your request and they were nice enough to do it anyway because you are in a pickle. Its called doing you a favor. Generally speaking it is good manners to understand you need to do the same when/if the time comes, even if it is not completely your favorite timing for it.

Once, I understand. Twice, I am getting a little miffed. Third request with no reciprocation the answer will be no forever after. Whether I have something going on or not, whether I like you or not. Fair is as fair does. Don't expect someone to keep being your go-to person if you aren't ever going to be theirs.

One PA I worked with was always asking people to work her night shifts and she would work your day shift. She would never trade a day for a day shift. I started telling her that I would work her shift, but not trade.

I always do this (agree to work someone else's shift, but not give up one of my originally scheduled shifts). I don't mind picking up a shift for someone else, but I want the extra money; I don't want to go through the hassle of re-arranging my entire week for no profit.

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Specializes in Oncology, Clinical research.

I always try to set up both swap days at the same time to avoid that kind of issue. If I'm the one needing a favor, I always offer to take any day that they want off. Normally, however, if I need a day off I just approach the per diem nurses. I've never had a problem finding someone to take the shift. I also try to accommodate if someone needs a day off when I can. It's just like helping each other out during a shift. It's always contingent on my babysitter being available though.

Someone mentioned a part-time nurse wanting to stick to part-time hours - I don't consider that selfish at all. I work 0.6 by choice, so I can have a good work-life balance. While I don't mind an occasional extra shift, I'd be working OT every week if I took all the requests. Also, I have tiny children, and due to working evenings/nocs I have to specifically arrange child care. If I get a call an hour before the shift (happens a lot), chances are slim that I can make it.

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I was the one that mentioned the part timer. I work the same FTE as she does but my rotation involves more weekday than hers. We both work alternate weekends. The majority of her shifts are weekends. The line was adjusted for her when she had her child. She has childcare in place for the one weekday and three evenings she works. In fact she has told us all about her live in Nanny.

She always wants the weekends off but is never willing to take a day shift for one of us. If I wind up working three weekends in a month, I sure don't want to be working the Monday following the Saturdays she wants off.

In fact it's become a joke that when Nurse X approaches you, you are about to be shafted. I refuse now to consider any of her requests as do the other longer serving staff. She wants to avoid asking the Unit Manager for the time directly because then the Manager is acutally aware of how many shifts she doesn't work if Management has to replace her with float pool staff.

This year my wedding anniversary fell on a weekday. After several years of doing her favours, I asked if she could work the day after my anniversary (you know I might like a late night). She told me "NO way" and that I should celebrate on the weekend, which she had just asked me to work for her.

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Specializes in Oncology, Clinical research.

Ah, gotcha, that's not how it sounded from the first post.

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If we switch it has to be in the same pay period, or we have to ask for the day for PTO time--well in advance. Some people just don't have much leeway, as schedules that come out in advance and plans are made around that schedule. So sometimes, as much as I would like to switch with you, life gets in the way.

I think it is tough when things come up and the new schedule has been out for a month....

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Specializes in Operating Room.

We normally put notes up in the OR asking to switch or for someone to take call. Places vary. Sometimes, you work in a place where people want all the overtime they can get, in other places, no one wants their own call, never mind extra,lol.

If I were to go around and ask everyone individually, that would not work out well. We are too busy for that.

I like where I am now, but no one likes call here. I have switched with a couple of people who reciprocate but most of the time, I won't do a favor because it will not be reciprocated. The old me years ago got taken advantage of way too many times.

Also, our schedules are done two months in advance. So, someone asking me to switch the day of or even a few days out most likely won't get anywhere- my plans are already made at that point.

I get aggravated with the people who start out by saying "I have kids and you don't..why can't you switch?". That is guaranteed to make me say NO! ;) My plans aren't any less valid than yours. You knew call was part of the gig before you got pregnant. Suck it up.

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I get aggravated with the people who start out by saying "I have kids and you don't..why can't you switch?". That is guaranteed to make me say NO! ;) My plans aren't any less valid than yours. You knew call was part of the gig before you got pregnant. Suck it up.

oh i HATE that! especially if its for a holiday shift. i am usually always working holidays for people because what do i care, its just another day. but come at me with an overblown sense of entitlement and 'i should have off because i have kids' and i will take great pleasure in turning you down.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Our schedule comes out 12 weeks in advance and our rotation is 24 weeks long - impossible to memorize- with a wide variety of patterns. There is no such thing as working for someone else, it has to be an even trade and we are not allowed to have our per diem staff work a shift for us because they may not have a shift scheduled to trade back. We have a large staff of mainly young nurses who discovered that the notion of "flexibility" that was spoon fed to them all through nursing school is a myth, and that they're "just don't like to work nights". (I've never been able to figure out why anyone would then apply for a position that plainly stated it was 50:50 days and nights, 12 hour shifts.) We also have a group - although smaller - who prefer to work nights. In any given month we have literally hundreds of trades made, which all have to be approved by management. There's even a Facebook group set up purely to facilitate trades. Individual posts may include as many as two dozen shifts, "Want to trade my nights May 2,3,4,8,9,14,15,26,27, June 23,24,28,29,30, July.... for days." We started a new rotation several months ago. I don't know why all the days-only people and the nights-only people didn't find a buddy from the other group then select lines on the rotation that would allow them to just swap straight across on a continuing basis. But none of them did.

We have one person who is constantly looking for trades to allow for travel, which generally means that if s/he's not scheduled to work, s/he's not here! We've got somebody else who might trade with me, then turn around a trade the day s/he traded me for with somebody else, and then trade that shift away too! How in the heck does anybody keep that straight? In other cases - because of the sheer volume of trades - the schedule may say one thing but the trade paper trail (which the charge nurse is not privy to) says something different. So we'll have a no-show. Still other times we have someone who has made a bunch of trades to take a trip, plans it so that s/he's arriving back within 12 hours or less of the next shift and guess what... the flight is delayed, or there's a storm and the roads are closed...

I'm one who will only ask for a trade if there's no other possible option. One, I don't like to tip over my own apple cart. Two, I don't want to be in a position to have someone say to me, "Well, I did you a favour so now you OWE me." Three, I have always planned my life around my schedule because without my job, my family won't eat. If I agree to work a shift for you, I'm going to insist that you work a day for me that will make my life better too.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Yup. I switched with a coworker once because she asked. A week later she asks if I can still work my regular scheduled day because she couldn't get a babysitter. So essentially she wanted me to work both her day and my originally scheduled day. I told her I already made plans after we switched, and she huffed, "Well you were supposed be working that day," as if she was the one doing me the favor in the first place. My plans were flexible and I could have easily been swayed, but because of the attitude I dug my heels in deciding not to help her out.

You WERE supposed to be working that day...until you switched. Then it becomes SHE was supposed to work that day. Sheesh.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I was the one that mentioned the part timer. I work the same FTE as she does but my rotation involves more weekday than hers.

Ah, that does sound frustrating. Sorry I too misunderstood!

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I really do not like a nurse who does show appreciation that i switched for her benefit.

One coworker that asked me to work for her on Christmas because she had a 2 yr old.

i said yes. When i saw this coworker in the hallway 3 days later she could not even say "hi" or thank you to me.

That was my first and last time doing that for her.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
We normally put notes up in the OR asking to switch or for someone to take call. Places vary. Sometimes, you work in a place where people want all the overtime they can get, in other places, no one wants their own call, never mind extra,lol.

If I were to go around and ask everyone individually, that would not work out well. We are too busy for that.

I like where I am now, but no one likes call here. I have switched with a couple of people who reciprocate but most of the time, I won't do a favor because it will not be reciprocated. The old me years ago got taken advantage of way too many times.

Also, our schedules are done two months in advance. So, someone asking me to switch the day of or even a few days out most likely won't get anywhere- my plans are already made at that point.

I get aggravated with the people who start out by saying "I have kids and you don't..why can't you switch?". That is guaranteed to make me say NO! ;) My plans aren't any less valid than yours. You knew call was part of the gig before you got pregnant. Suck it up.

Ah, yes..."But my children!", they wail. That's right...they're your children. I got burned by "The Mommies" one too many times when I worked in the hospital. It got a little better when I worked out patient, but there were still some people you had to avoid at all costs

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