Completely shafted over in the christmas rota

I feel your pain OP.
i work in a care home kitchen on a two weekly rota. I’m scheduled to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the Friday, I’m absolutely gutted. This will be the 4th Christmas I’ve worked like that in 5 years as boss conveniently changes the rotas and the weeks around!

Yes, good question, how OP?

I’ve said this before but it’s a “have your cake and eat it” scenario.

Parents don’t want their kids taken into account at interview (fair) but they do want their kids taken into account once they have a job (not fair).

If childless/free workers must cover the unwanted shifts, then every team must have at least one of them. If that person leaves, the organisation has to employ another childless person. That would mean giving a childless person an advantage at interview, which would be discriminatory. But the alternative is that there are only parents on the team, and one of them must work the unpalatable shifts.

In my view the organisation should have to disclose whether it treats employees without kids less favourably, upfront, so you know what you’re in for. Or they should pay people more to work the shifts nobody wants.

What they shouldn’t do is say “oh, we have a childless worker here, they’ll work Christmas for a decade for no extra pay and with no recognition because it’s the kind thing to do!” And yet so many of us have experienced just that.

I mean it is a call centre though? Same as fire, police, ambulance, garages etc etc
You can't really call it anything else!
My job is a sales advisor but I work in a call centre
Or I was an emergency dispatcher but again in a call centre

Well obviously YABU because you are working 2/3 just like everyone else.
the fact that a 111 call handler job is classed a “call centre” is U as well while we are at it

It’s always difficult to please everyone but every company leave policy should be headlined, “WE DON’T CARE IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN!”

She did that this year.

Totally unfair. Ask for it to be looked at again. I managed teams and I always told parents "you aren't entitled to Xmas, bank holidays etc, just because you have children" holiday requests will be handled fairly, people without kids want to celebrate and see family and friends as well.

I would say no to XEve. Make XE and BD special for yourself and your family.

You’re childless?

Ah, well then - you don’t have a life therefore you don’t deserve one.

joking of course.

Yes, that sounds familiar. Thinking of the woman who absolutely had to have every half-term off to look after her DD... who was living away at university!

I left a job because of this.

We were not open bank holidays but people had to work Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and the working days in between the two holidays.

I was refused any leave at all over the festive period because I didn't have children and parents want to spend the time with their children.

My argument was that my husbands family lives a five hour drive away, so we either spend Christmas with them and do Christmas with my family on New Years Day or the other way around. Not being able to take any leave at all meant we didn't really have time to visit his family.

It came to a head one year when both Christmas and New Year were midweek. We'd been invited to his childhood friends New Years Party. I was refused any leave but was allowed to go in early and work a half day on New Years Eve. He picked me up from work, we drove straight to his parents, dropped our bags off, went to the party, got up and did a Christmas dinner with his family on New Years Day, then drove back home late afternoon as I was back in work on the 2nd. I was exhausted and that was the catalyst to leave and find another job.

The problem here is that once women begin to get flexibility for childcare it often becomes ‘permanent’ and you’ll find middle aged women still working the same part time hours and demanding the same bank holidays off as they did when they were mums with young kids often at the expense of the latter.

My workplace makes parental flexibility reviewable every year. There are no permanent part time / flexible / term time contracts. It gets reviewed annually and parents with children under 12 always get priority. Childfree people (including those with caring responsibilities) are offered flexibility from a different pot - eg they can wfh more often, work remotely for up to a year at a time, work from different locations, get more time off. This makes it fair on everyone.

The old standby of younger staff are happy having NYE off isn't always true either. Lots of younger people in our office either prefer socialising with friends and family rather than being in the pub, or they don't drink. We did our Christmas leave at the end of September - Xmas week was massively over subscribed as it always is. Only two people have asked for NYE off and that's only because they going to be abroad.

Christmas working needs to be fair across the board. In my old job it used to be rotated - boss would keep a list of who had what time off the year before. If you'd had Xmas off last time and cover was needed, then you'd be down to work it this time.

Yeah regardless of life stage I would always choose Boxing Day off rather than New Year's, especially if I was working Christmas Day (which OP will be two years in three).

I dont actually think that news years eve and day are better to have off then Boxing Day. I’m a parent of young children and I’d much rather work new years. There’s 3 bank holidays (new years eve isn’t one), and op has to work two of them. Everyone’s going to want Christmas Day off but then I’d guess that Boxing Day was the next popular to have off, so maybe they’ve thought about it and given OP Boxing Day off as she’s working Christmas Day.

OP I don't think you are being unreasonable. While I agree with the argument that parents 'shouldn't' have to work on Christmas day, I don't understand why those same 'parents' are off NYE/Day.

Why it is fair that every one works over the Christmas period it is not fair that one person works Christmas day, New years Eve and day. So the Op can not spend any time with family and friends like everyone else.

Surely it is normal to work either Christmas Eve/Day or New Years Eve/Day not both.

OP I would be careful that this company doesn't start making hard for you take any of your holiday entitlement, because one of the parent wants that time off. I had this in a company I worked at many years ago. It was of the main reason I found another job, after a year of only being able to take the odd long weekend.

@Whaleandsnail6 completely agree with your decision there - thank you for thinking about everyone and their personal circumstances. Parents working xmas day just requires a bit of imagination and reshuffle of what you do and when. With really young kids they are often up at the crack of dawn so you can easily spend a good couple of hours with them enjoying the magic of santa and opening presents before you go to work. Then do the christmas meal at dinner time.

Op I feel sympathy for you as even though Boxing Day is a BH, its not exactly one that everyone wants to have off. I hope your workplace keeps a record of which BH everyone has off this year and mixes it up for next year. If they don't, then can you suggest it?

Er no if you take a job where you have to work Christmas then that’s on you
why should other colleagues time off be dictated by other peoples choices and circumstances
I’ve been on both so if the fence with this and never used my kids as trump cards to bully people into having to work my share of bank holidays

I'd act like it's fine, I don't mind at all, be nice to see everyone over Christmas. Then come down with an unfortunate case of dontgiveafuckitis on Xmas eve.

I've got kids, and I don't mind you being fed up with the mentality. It's not up to other people to try and judge or rank anyone's "need" at Christmas.

But it doesn't sound fair, so I'm not sure how you've been shafted?

And for those asking you to cover Christmas Eve, just say no.

I am a parent and never fight for the Christmas one but always make sure I take the other holidays off - it always has worked for me, plus my managers actually gave me the Christmas days off because they were child free, kids in uni. I used to have a lovely manager, now I have another nice one - again, not fighting for it this year. Will see. The most important thing for me is the real deal - His birth

Can you suggest to make it fair you all either wrk xmas or new yr and this is rotated each year

What about Christians who want to be able to celebrate for religious reasons?

There are lots of reasons why people may 'need' Christmas off. I worked in a lovely place where some colleagues following another religion offered to cover. Of course reciprocated on their religious holidays.