Christmas time off

Completely agree with you.

Management should have taken the initiative of making it clear there is a yearly rota for Christmas where everyone will be expected to cover the Christmas period one year and then be off the following year.

No exception.

Anything else is discriminating against child free and single people.

If your manager is too weak then refer the issue to HR.

Yes I did. So because there’s 5 of us he said there will always be someone that gets two off in a row. So one of the women i have spoken about can have it off again but will need to work next year but the other will have to work. He told them to work it out between them. I can have it off but my colleague who also worked last year wants to work it again this year because he doesn’t celebrate Christmas. So I guess he might always work and then only one of us will need to join him. But it’s been decided by my manager that it won’t be me, and one of the others who worked last year will need to step up and do it

This will be my second Christmas in this job. I work in a team of 5 and we are closed for the bank holidays but other than that there has to be at least 2 people in. Last year I worked Christmas Eve and the days between Xmas and new year. so was hoping that I would have it off this year because surely the fairest way to do this is to take it in turns each year?

Christmas time off has been talked about a few times because we just have to decide between us who is working when. It doesn’t get allocated for us. A couple of the women that I work with have talked about having Xmas off again because they have kids and have things to sort out. I said yes but I don’t really want to work it again because I did it last year and you both were off, so it’s not very fair if the same people are getting it off every time. They are saying that the people with kids should take priority. But just because I don’t have kids doesn’t mean I don’t also have things to prepare and things/traditions of my own. I want to spend time with my family and make plans etc just as much as they do.

I was thinking of bringing it up in a meeting to my manager to say how it needs to be split fairly. Myself and my other child free colleague also deserve to have the time off and our Christmas isn’t any less valuable to those with kids. i know some people don’t care about Christmas and some people do think it’s just for kids. But for me it’s not, I have a big family that I rarely get to see throughout the year and Christmas is the time that I get to see them and spend time with them.

Would I be unreasonable to bring this up further and insist that this should be split fairly each year? How is the best way to do it without causing unnecessary drama?

Yes I did. So because there’s 5 of us he said there will always be someone that gets two off in a row. So one of the women i have spoken about can have it off again but will need to work next year but the other will have to work. He told them to work it out between them. I can have it off but my colleague who also worked last year wants to work it again this year because he doesn’t celebrate Christmas. So I guess he might always work and then only one of us will need to join him. But it’s been decided by my manager that it won’t be me, and one of the others who worked last year will need to step up and do it

Did you not see the other thread from the parent who can't find childcare and is being asked to work over Christmas?

I do think that people who don't have childcare responsibilities should do the decent thing and volunteer to work over Christmas.

This will be my second Christmas in this job. I work in a team of 5 and we are closed for the bank holidays but other than that there has to be at least 2 people in. Last year I worked Christmas Eve and the days between Xmas and new year. so was hoping that I would have it off this year because surely the fairest way to do this is to take it in turns each year?

Christmas time off has been talked about a few times because we just have to decide between us who is working when. It doesn’t get allocated for us. A couple of the women that I work with have talked about having Xmas off again because they have kids and have things to sort out. I said yes but I don’t really want to work it again because I did it last year and you both were off, so it’s not very fair if the same people are getting it off every time. They are saying that the people with kids should take priority. But just because I don’t have kids doesn’t mean I don’t also have things to prepare and things/traditions of my own. I want to spend time with my family and make plans etc just as much as they do.

I was thinking of bringing it up in a meeting to my manager to say how it needs to be split fairly. Myself and my other child free colleague also deserve to have the time off and our Christmas isn’t any less valuable to those with kids. i know some people don’t care about Christmas and some people do think it’s just for kids. But for me it’s not, I have a big family that I rarely get to see throughout the year and Christmas is the time that I get to see them and spend time with them.

Would I be unreasonable to bring this up further and insist that this should be split fairly each year? How is the best way to do it without causing unnecessary drama?

I've got a great one this year.....we've finally managed to recruit a third consultant. Before it was me and one other. He's a Muslim so doesn't celebrate Christmas but does like to occasionally take the opportunity to visit family or non Muslim friends over Christmas. We've sorted it out between ourselves for 5 years now.

This year as we both ended up working last year due to lots of junior staff illness, the new consultant is on the rota for over Christmas. However, because I don't have children I should do it for the third year running because she needs to be there for young kids etc. her husband is a sahd btw so no childcare issues. Our other colleague will be on a sabbatical so she was ok with him not covering as he'll be in Australia from end November until feb. So it's me who should step up so she can have Christmas morning with her (teenage) children. My plans can be moved, apparently, and done at another time of year.

I'm getting married in Christmas Eve.

When I was a working single parent I made it very clear I couldn’t work xmas as had no childcare. Some of the people I worked with weren’t happy but the manager understood

For the record, my reading of the thread is most parents (me included) don’t expect people who don’t have kids to be treated unfairly. That’s because we are not dicks and remember life pre-children when lots of things were equally important to us.

There's no holiday clubs at Christmas thought. So if it's a single parent I genuinely don't know what you would expect them to do.

Did you not see the other thread from the parent who can't find childcare and is being asked to work over Christmas?

I do think that people who don't have childcare responsibilities should do the decent thing and volunteer to work over Christmas.

Last year’s thread on this subject had a poster arguing that children would be permanently damaged by not having a parent there on Christmas Day and that childless workers had a duty to facilitate this whenever possible.

This will be my second Christmas in this job. I work in a team of 5 and we are closed for the bank holidays but other than that there has to be at least 2 people in. Last year I worked Christmas Eve and the days between Xmas and new year. so was hoping that I would have it off this year because surely the fairest way to do this is to take it in turns each year?

Christmas time off has been talked about a few times because we just have to decide between us who is working when. It doesn’t get allocated for us. A couple of the women that I work with have talked about having Xmas off again because they have kids and have things to sort out. I said yes but I don’t really want to work it again because I did it last year and you both were off, so it’s not very fair if the same people are getting it off every time. They are saying that the people with kids should take priority. But just because I don’t have kids doesn’t mean I don’t also have things to prepare and things/traditions of my own. I want to spend time with my family and make plans etc just as much as they do.

I was thinking of bringing it up in a meeting to my manager to say how it needs to be split fairly. Myself and my other child free colleague also deserve to have the time off and our Christmas isn’t any less valuable to those with kids. i know some people don’t care about Christmas and some people do think it’s just for kids. But for me it’s not, I have a big family that I rarely get to see throughout the year and Christmas is the time that I get to see them and spend time with them.

Would I be unreasonable to bring this up further and insist that this should be split fairly each year? How is the best way to do it without causing unnecessary drama?