Opinion ID: 2790185
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Loss of Shifts

Text: Before her return from her second leave of absence, Plaintiff emailed Dr. Lee and requested that she be given fourteen night-shifts for June 2011. After the schedule was published, Plaintiff was unhappy to learn that she had received only twelve shifts, whereas some other doctors had been given more shifts. She emailed Dr. Lee demanding an explanation. Dr. Lee responded, explaining that inherent difficulties in creating a schedule to accommodate the preferences of all doctors on staff had led to Plaintiff’s particular schedule for that month. He noted that in each 24-hour period, there are five day-shifts and only two night-shifts. For that reason, day-shift doctors are always scheduled for a few additional shifts, and Plaintiff had requested to continue working exclusively night-shifts, as she had done throughout her employment at the Hospital. Additionally, several day-shift physicians had requested vacation time that month, resulting in fewer day-shifts physicians taking on extra day-shifts. Dr. Lee also mentioned that, as Plaintiff was aware, individual doctors’ requests could not be honored “100% of the time despite [his] best efforts.” Finally, Dr. Lee apologized and noted, “Schedule issues are specifically brought up at every monthly Team meeting, so everyone can have some input into how we can improve this complicated process together.” The following month, Plaintiff was assigned fifteen night-shifts, and she has not alleged that she was dissatisfied with her shift assignments on any occasion 13 Case: 13-14848 Date Filed: 03/31/2015 Page: 14 of 31 other than this one isolated month. But nonetheless she argues that, by giving her two fewer shifts than she had requested for one month (costing her $4,064 in income), the Hospital acted adversely toward her and did so in retaliation for her having filed internal and EEOC complaints. In light of the difficulties and vagaries of accommodating a particular doctor’s shift preferences in any given month, we conclude that the Hospital’s failure, on one month only, to give Plaintiff the number of shifts she had requested, did not constitute an adverse action because this decision did not cause a serious and material change in the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, which is what is required before an employer’s action can be deemed to be adverse. Crawford, 529 F.3d at 970–71. Nor can we conclude that a reasonable person in Plaintiff’s position would view this isolated action as adverse or that it would dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. See Hinson, 231 F.3d at 829; Burlington Northern, 548 U.S. at 57. Out of the many months that Plaintiff had worked at the Hospital, she complains that in only one month did she happen to receive fewer shifts than she requested. Moreover, even if one assumed that this June 2011 shift assignment constituted an adverse action, Dr. Lee’s explanation provided a neutral, non-discriminatory, non-retaliatory reason for the number of shifts assigned. Crawford, 482 F.3d at 1308; Brown, 597 F.3d at 1181. 14 Case: 13-14848 Date Filed: 03/31/2015 Page: 15 of 31