People are not machines and cannot work without breaks. And sometimes they need a little longer break or some extra days off, even if it means taking a Friday or a Monday off to have a longer weekend. Usually taking time off isn’t a big problem; you just notify your boss in advance and they let you go.
‘Usually’ is the right word to use here as in some workplaces, you are just simply not allowed to take time off for any reason. This Twitter user whose handle is @Progressive_RN shared a note that was put up on a wall in his workplace which read “No time off requests will be accepted from November 20, 2021 until January 2, 2022.” That sparked a lot of reactions in the thread and we invite you to join it!
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Twitter user Nurse D shared a notice he found at his workplace saying that employees will not be allowed to take time off during the winter holiday season
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A Twitter user who goes by Nurse D on the platform posted a photo of a memo on the wall saying that everyone will have to work during the winter holidays and nobody will be allowed to take time off. Nurse D added a sarcastic comment above the photo: “This is sure to help morale & staff retention.”
The tweet attracted the attention of over 280k people who liked it and then shared their own similar experiences and thoughts on this topic. Many of them were saying that this is usually what happens in retail as the couple of months leading up to Christmas are their busiest and management will not let them take time off.
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In the past year, we’ve seen a lot of articles and statistics published about a big shortage of employees. There are several factors that contributed to that. One of them is definitely the pandemic, while another one is that people are searching for better workplaces and won’t settle for a minimum wage with no securities.
Because so many places are short-staffed, they can’t afford to let people just go and take time off. But looking from the employee's point of view, it seems unfair and inhumane to forbid them to escape work for a while.
The tweet went viral and people were sharing their own experiences and their opinions on how they view the situation
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Bored Panda reched out to Nurse D and we got to know he's been an registered nurse for almost 20 years, 9 of which was in frontline nursing management. He had to leave his management position earlier this year because in his eyes administration was not trying hard enough to focus on improving patient outcomes by, among other things, respecting and retaining staff. Now he is working in the ICU as a travel nurse and is starting his own nursing-related business.
The viral tweet was posted on Otober 12 and the situation didn't change since then. Nurse D exlained that many nurses are used to working during holidays as it's just part of the job–people get hospitalized rgardless of the time of the year. But he still thinks that the rule is not logical, "In inpatient nursing, we generally work 3 12-hour shifts per week, so less than half of the nurses are working on any particular day. Generally, there is a rotation established each year where major holidays (like Christmas and Thanksgiving) and minor holidays (like labor day & memorial day) are assigned and split up between all nurses. In my department (ICU), we're usually full all the time, so there is no reason why being full over the holidays would be any different than being full any other time of year. It's just not necessary to make a rule preventing people from taking any vacation time, and it's certainly not necessary to communicate that rule the way this sign did."
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People in the thread shared that they saw very similar memos in their workplaces or that it was an unwritten rule because it's a busy time for a lot of companies. It's actually what surprised the nurse the most, "The interesting thing about the reactions to my tweet were how many people related with it. A ton of people shared similar (and often even more egregious) examples of the same thing, especially from the retail sector, restaurants/food service, Amazon, UPS, the postal service, and others. A lot of people shared anecdotes of putting in their 2-week notice or just walking off the job when a rule like that comes down from management."
Turns out, employers prohibiting taking time off during certain periods of the year is more common than you would think
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The nurse also added that "It's unfortunate that repressive rules and restrictions like this are so common that they are just accepted as the standard. There are plenty of ways for companies to cover premium shifts or soften the impact on those who work these shifts, but profits and mandates are often prioritized over treating employees well."
It is especially common in retail when the end of the year is dedicated to gift shopping and Black Friday
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Some people view this as normal as they understand the companies who need all people working to get all jobs done
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As Nurse D mentioned, even though it doesn't make sense in Nurse D's workplace, people were pointing out that in retail, this is common practice and funnily enough they reasoned such a decision by saying the period is so busy that companies need all hands on deck.
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Others are arguing that this should not happen and time off could be planned in an orderly manner when everyone leaves at a different time
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However, not all people agree and argue that just because it's normal, it doesn't mean that it's right. Sadly, in the US, companies have total dictatorship on vacations. There is no actual law that says employers must give employees paid vacation. What is more, companies have the right to determine when the employees can and cannot have vacation, so what retail companies and Nurse D's boss are doing is totally legal.
When asked if management is allowed to just prohibit taking vacation, Nurse D didn't even think to qustion the decision's legality, "Honestly, it never occurred to me that this might be a violation of federal labor standards–nurses are used to working unusual shifts like weekends and holidays, so the idea of working holidays isn't unusual."
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Twitter users saw this kind of attitude as the reason why people don't want to work in some areas and that's what creates staff shortage
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Some people who worked in retail may be used to vacation "blackouts," but others see it as disrespect for the employees and think that this kind of attitude from the higher ups is what's perpetuating the staff shortage. Even the Twitter user who started this whole thread pointed out that this will really not help with staff retention.
While others were having a serious conversation, some people tried to lighten up the situation with some humor and witty remarks
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However, the tweet author admitted that there was probably no malicious intent behind the message, "Rules like this are put in place in an attempt to protect staffing and ensure there are enough nurses available to work and take care of patients. It's not done out of cruelty or spite, I think the intentions are good."
But he also believes that it's not the best decision that could have been made, "I just know through my training and experience that this is not the right approach. Nobody in any industry wants to be talked down to, treated poorly, or have their work-life balance restricted by their employer. There are plenty of ways to manage staffing appropriately, but many of them cost money that employers are not willing to spend, and they instead choose to treat their staff like pawns instead of people."
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Were you ever denied vacation over any holiday season? Do you think the companies are justified in doing that or do you think it's not the employees' problem if workplaces are lacking staff? Maybe they can plan ahead so that both the staff and clients and in this case, patiens would be satisied? Share your opinions in the comments!