working all hours and no days off

[oneofakind1]

I have a co-worker who is in her 60's who claimed she is a workaholic. She works a lot of hours, 12 hours or more each shift and everyday. She hardly get a day off except when she was on vacation. Even when she was on vacation, she could not wait to go back to work. There was an occasion she was given a day off twice a month and she was not happy about it. She wants to work instead of getting a day off. It seems our manager is catering to her because she helps a lot with the shifts especially on the weekends. Like I said she works everyday and every weekends. I think the reason they give what she wants because they want to keep her and make her happy and she helps fill-in the shifts especially weekends. They also think she is an outstanding nurse and the unit can't function the same without her.

Recently, our employer have been cutting down our hours and sending nurses home when we get low census or cut down the budget. They would cut down nurses from 3 to 2 nurses in each unit. My concern is, this workaholic nurse does not get to send home and she refused. She get paid a lot of overtime. I addressed this issue to HR because I think this is totally wrong. I'm not sure if they are aware of this that she works everyday and not given a day off. Is this legal? It would show on our master schedule that she works 80 hours per pay period. I could prove to HR that she works more than that and no off by checking on her payroll.

I would appreciate your input.

[AlmostANurse321]

It's none of your business.

HR knows how much each nurse works. They're HR. That is literally their job. It is not your job.

Maybe she's a really good nurse, and they think it's worth it to pay the overtime.

[Atl-Murse]

How is this affecting you ?Watch out for that green monster

[llg, PhD, RN]

I think you could address it if you do it very carefully. You could lose the support of your manager and end up having to leave your position. That is a risk you have to consider. Is complaining worth the risk of losing your job.

If you decide you want to pursue it, I would recommend that you simply ask that a clear system of sending people home be put into place so that the loss of income would be fairly distributed among all the staff. Don't make it a personal vendetta against this one nurse (who is clearly the boss's favorite.) If you and your colleagues all want a clear, fair, consistent system for choosing who has to go home and lose income, the manager -- and/or HR -- might listen and design such a system.

[chare]

[…]

…My concern is, this workaholic nurse does not get to send home and she refused. She get paid a lot of overtime. I addressed this issue to HR because I think this is totally wrong…

The fact that she is not being mandated to down-staffed is your only concern here, unless there are policy or contractual guidelines exempting senior employees from mandatory down-staffing.

[ottersloveoysters]

It really stinks to watch things happen that aren't fair but there is not much you can do. Also, there may be other factors or issues going on that you do not know about.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Awesome nurse doing all that at her age.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

You have no idea what really is going on in the life of that nurse. She claims that she is a workaholic, but it very well may be only the part of the truth... or no thruth at all, and management may be more aware of it all than you are. There are people for whom, after unspeakable tragedies, work becomes a lifeline, quite literally.

If you need more hours, get per diem in any area of your special interest. You can do it. She might not.

[brownbook]

I agree it is unfair if nurses are hired for regular full, or part time, hours, benefits, etc. that when census is low one nurse gets her hours (and more?) while other staff are called off.

There should be a log showing who was called off and call offs should be rotated with all the staff. Get your fellow nurses to go to the manager with you, let the manager know you all need your paychecks, you all have bills to pay, and expect call offs to be rotated between all staff. I wouldn't even bring up the nurse who is getting all the extra hours.

Unless I work there...then I volunteer to always be called off.....