Phoning in sick on Christmas Day?

How have the hotel managed Christmas cover in the past? Surely they don’t always go by who is newest? How many people usually do your job? Could the day be broken into 2 6 hour shifts each day, so 11-5 and 5-11? It’s it an independent hotel or part of a chain with HR etc?

What are you basing this on? That's not how most people get into business ownership. It's not the 50s.

I would look for another job. I wouldn't leave my 87 year old dad on his on on Christmas Day for minimum wage.
Any manager worth their salt would split that shift evenly so everyone got time at home.

But you're not genuinely sick. You're calling in sick so that you don't have to work, and are planning to do so 4 months in advance.

You're responding quite aggressively to people who are simply answering the question you asked.

Of course you would be unreasonable to call in sick on the day - you'd be leaving them in the lurch with no warning and someone else who will also have family responsibilities will have to come in with no time to prepare.

That fact is not the fault of anyone here. It's just a fact.

If your father is too ill for you to do this job, then leave. If you want to keep the job, then accept the responsibility. There's no reason you couldn't try talking to your employer if you haven't already done this and explaining the situation to see if you can avoid working both days, but I'm not holding my breath. Hospitality is not known for being familiy friendly.

Your best bet is to look for a new job. In the meantime, arrange your Christmas celebrations for another day

So would the OP be okay working if there was enhanced pay?
Would aged fathered be any less aged?

You said it yourself, they aren't a charity so they don't owe anyone Christmas day off. If you don't want to work Christmas then you need to get a job where working Christmas isn't a requirement.

Nobody would want to work Xmas day in those circumstances. As you say, a shorter shift and or more money would make it more palatable. It’s quite normal for a hotel to be open over Xmas though.

However, it’s months away so I’d try to find another job asap. It’s not fair to call in sick for the reasons others have mentioned.

She hasn’t had 12 Christmases off- she didn’t have a job to be off from!

Greed or for people like that poster who can't bare to slum it for just one night?

Anyway, thems the breaks with hospitality

As others have said I would look for something else and then leave. You can explain in your exit interview your reasons for resigning. It's very off not to get enhanced pay for working Christmas day.

Just reposting this as it wasn't answered.

If that was your previous thread, I think someone pointed out on there that you'd had the last twelve (at least) Christmases off. Which is presumably more than some of your colleagues will have had.

You say your dad will have no dinner because you are at work. Who gives him his dinner the rest of the year?

They can sack you for any reason not covered by Equality Act (or otherwise illegal) in your first two years of employment.

Seriously. They can sack you because they don’t like your handbag. You need to get another job.

I still don't understand why the nhs is different...the whole 'saving lives' etc.

As someone who works a lot of Christmas' due to shift work and working in health care....yes 100% my family are more important than my job!

But it's part of my job role..and I knew when I signed up to it I would miss out....and the rest of the year the shift work suits me.

Christmas is just one day!! I celebrate it for most of December!
Last year I had my Christmas dinner by myself...in my pj's after working the whole run up to Christmas then....Christmas eve late shift (so missed my daughter going to bed) and then Christmas Day all day.

My dad worked for the police and the same used to happen...we celebrated on different days!

Crack on with it...not trying to use emotional blackmail...or find another job!

Sorry agree yabu look for another job if you don’t like the shifts

How is it greed? People need to stay in hotels all year round. I've worked plenty of Christmases and dont work in healthcare. Get a different job.

I have worked in hospitality for years for a very well known holiday company also on NMW and although we don’t work Christmas Day we’ve regularly had to work Christmas day, Boxing Day, NYE and day. At least half of the staff never turn up anyway. One girl this year just gone had been posting drunk statuses and photos just past midnight on Facebook and then deleted them by the morning although they had several members of management on Facebook nothing was done about it. This is sadly a common occurrence in our place of work. Minimum wage for many means minimum effort.

Some people will just flat out refuse because they will say it’s Christmas and they just won’t give up their family time for it. It’s frustrating for the people that bother that have to carry the rest but you’ll never stop people phoning in sick because they just don’t want to be there and most with a much less valid excuse than yourself. It is what it is.

You do need to be aware that there is a good chance that they might sack you and the people who have to cover you will be mightily pissed off with you. However, let’s not be under any illusions - if you died tomorrow they would replace you in a heartbeat. You only get one dad and it’s an awful situation for you both to be in where he’s on his own at Christmas and if I were you’d I’d call in sick in a heartbeat. I say that as someone who has never pulled a sickie in their life. Sometimes there are situations in life that are much more important than a minimum wage job that wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. If it were the NHS or a job where serious repercussions may happen if you don’t go in then I wouldn’t be so blasé about it but in this situation I’d say dad comes first. If you can live with the consequences of no job post Christmas until you find something else then you know what to do.

Nope, YANBU. I think doing two 12 hour shifts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is a totally unreasonable ask, particularly when there’s no extra pay! Why would anyone give up their entire Christmas (and birthday) to cover all of the shifts with no incentive at all just because nobody else wants to do them? You asked to split the shifts 50:50 which is totally fair and would mean you could at least have a Christmas morning or evening with family. Nobody wants to, so you have to do those 4 shifts. How can that possibly be fair?

i wouldn’t call in sick because quite frankly they won’t believe you and you may find your employer makes life very difficult for you. Instead, I’d also look for another job. They sound like pisstakers.

None of your replies change the fact that you need to either work Christmas Day or find a new job. Whether it’s fair, whether they make a lot of profit, whether it’s one person or multiple working that day is irrelevant. Either work it, or find a new job, no amount of crying about it is going to change that.

Calling in sick means your colleague, who might have an 88 year old dying parent, may be called in. It would be worse for them as they weren’t expecting it. If they couldn’t get cover and they had to cancel people’s bookings then it’s ruining however many customers it affects Christmas, some of which may be their last ones.

Work it or find a new job.

If OP resigns late, one of the others will be stuck with the 12 hour shift on Christmas day and Christmas eve.
Or will that miraculously morph into 2 more reasonable shifts?

That was it! Couldn’t remember the title.

I really think you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. It's just a day,

My family are big on Christmas and in the past I've had to work so we've celebrated on a different day. Your dad isn't a child he'll understand the need to work.

Calling in sick is such a shitty thing to do to colleagues, you don't know their family circumstances and just shows you care about no one but yourself

Also sometimes working Christmas Day can be fun- I have worked a few myself. People tipped great and were often in great spirits, other staff brought in treats to share etc.

Only to the Op ,
All the other Employess will have family and friends too ,.