To think you shouldn't have to work in the office on Christmas Eve?

I’m a nurse and even we don’t work the full day, we do a morning clinic where no one comes then pop to the office for nibbles then home it’s a nice day usually. Although I don’t work Tuesdays so off this year. Even when I worked in the wards we made it lovely for the kids get loads home if we can still can be busy. However if op can work from home why couldn’t she? Long as the work is done? Makes me thankful to never have worked in an office with such rigid people.

I’m talking about supermarkets who usually close 8-11pm and close 5-6pm on CE

@ThatsNotMyTeen the OP hasn't said anything about the office she works in or how busy it would be, something else I'd mentioned in my posts!
Some offices are quiet Xmas eve, some are busy - it being 'office work' doesn't tell us anything. Though it seems strange that the boss won't allow her to take annual leave if it's expected to be quiet.

It’s Christmas Eve

In every office job I’ve had it’s been very quiet and not the same need for everyone to be working at full pelt anyway. Even if the things you suggested were an issue, which OP hasn’t said they are.

I know that Christmas Eve is technically a “working day” but I have never worked it in my life and don’t know anyone who does - everyone takes it off as AL and enjoys the build up to Xmas. You don’t say what you do but I find it highly unlikely that it’s not possible for you to take AL because someone else is on Xmas eve if you work in an office. Your manager is being a grinch and trying to exert control. No reason why you couldn’t work on a train that day - it’s not like anyone will be getting anything real done then anyway!

I agree with posters who say xmas eve isn't just another day. It should be a bank holiday in my view. But it isn't. So in reality a business has every right to ask you to work for the money you will be paid that day. It would be lovely if they took some discretion but it's not an entitlement. I'm a hcp but work mon-fri flexi working and schedule my own diary I'll probably be told I can finish whenever I want on xmas eve but will be down on my hours, that's fine. My husband was office based and his last boss encouraged them all to wfh and finish at 2. I do think this boss is unreasonable purely because they are expecting full office working without applying that to themselves. They are also a bit of a grinch, but no one is entitled to the time off on that day, it's just nice if they get it. I'll be honest many people would "wfh" without doing much like work, so the boss would be expecting that.

This thread makes me appreciate my employer a whole lot more! We work half a day on Christmas eve but get paid for the whole day.

This. An employer who's being this much of a petty and unreasonable twat over Christmas will be a petty and unreasonable twat in other ways too.

Your manager is showing you who they are.

double standards
out of touch
lacking in empathy.

no different to any relationship - if they don't shape up, ship 'em out. Don't settle for such low standards in your leader.

LTB - Leave the Boss.

YANBU.

I only have to work half a day on CE. Someone does have to turn up every day, because I work with (small) animals.

I work in retail and it's still a 5pm finish for me

@weetiddlepop as mentioned on other posts, shops and restaurants close early on CE as buses stop early.

I wondered this too but perhaps only so many staff are allowed off and maybe that number has been reached?

just book the day off
oh you can't

were you going to wfm at your parents?

I think your boss is being a bit unfair and you'd hope with Christmas being once a year he could slightly bend rules at let you work from home. ( obviously I don't know your company so unsure as to why he's being an arse)

Unfortunately though retail staff and those in hospitality still have to work Xmas eve because it's still a normal day

My dad was doing hybrid work in the mid 90s! Fax and screechy internet dial up was the thing. I went online before Google did. He probably was there 2 days a week. One day in office and other days visiting clients.

WFH means employers can recruit people from other parts of the UK and increases their talent pool. I had an interview last month (didn’t get job) for remote customer service advisor role where the UK head office/bricks n mortar call centre is 125 miles away. There was no way I was going to apply for that job if remote work wasn’t available.

A lot of employers have policies though. So she'd have to check that. I'd have to apply to work from somewhere other than my home

WFH gig has had its day

it must blow your mind that many people did remote or hybrid working pre Covid?

I wouldn't be so quick to write it off! I did my MSc dissertation on what was then called, "teleworking" in 2005, and it seemed the way ahead back then! A lot of the theorists were advocating it. My research in my organisation at the time showed that people would have liked a blended approach. Employers were slow to take it on board though, until Covid made it a necessity for many businesses.

It's conducive to so much of a better work/life balance, I can't see employees willingly giving that up any time soon! I no longer endure a pointless commute of 1.5/2 hours max a day, which is time I can be productive either in my work or my personal life. I'm in the last few years of my working life and while there are aspects of being in the office that I do miss, I wouldn't trade WFH for the world! (It is probably less ideal in some ways for young people starting out, and I get that) but I don't think I could handle the 5 day a week commute any more and I can get so much more done from home! I have the best of both worlds really as I do have to attend meetings out of the office (home!) as well. I'm at an age where I should have been retired until the fucking government moved the goalposts!

My organisation (public sector) is actively seeking to rationalise its estate, so in time there won't be office space for very many employees. Plus they have us paying for our own heat, light and stationery, and they won't reimburse us, so it's a win-win for the employer!

Clearly you're a hater but that doesn't mean that you are right! If people were being lazy in my team, it would soon be picked up on in terms of output! It's just a more sensible way to manage instead of presenteeism!

So to summarise, OP's boss who is already WFH with his family, has said she:

• must come into the office
• can't WFH
• can't take leave even though other people have, implying deadlines aren't an issue

Even though:

• OP is able to do her job from home, again, meaning takings deadlines won't be affected
• Can't get the train after work on CE because they all stop

And people are siding with the boss on this? There's no way, you're just being obtuse for the sake of it.

Why does he get to spend Christmas with her family and not her? How is that fair?

WFH gig has had its day. It’s been abused so much by the lazyiness of people that it’s on its way out. Companies are demanding people back in the office and it’s hardly surprising. Get used to it. Whether it’s Xmas eve or any other day.

Because she'd be in a house with a bunch of her family, celebrating and getting ready for Christmas day, and not at her desk working for eight hours?

It's not so much of an assumption without evidence as it is an assumption based on common sense.

Again, if her company policy for Christmas Eve is "Come in, have a cup of tea, do the Secret Santa, put your Out Of Office on and leave before lunch", then fine, she should be allowed to 'WFH'.

But if the policy is that it's a normal working day and you need to take annual leave if you don't want to be in, same as any other day, then that's how it is. Why should an exception be made for OP when others have had to use a day's annual leave?

I've worked from home for over 20 years (in commercial and charity sectors) and have never heard of anywhere putting restrictions on WFH at Christmas time

Call in sick and potentially face disciplinary action for gross misconduct? Great idea.🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

@ThatsNotMyTeen it's not unusual for companies to restrict home working at Christmas, because there are so many extra demands that make WFH at Christmas difficult compared to other times of year. Children at home (no holiday clubs) extra guests, food prep, travelling... It's not about everyone 'skiving' but it's definitely impractical for many (unless you live alone and spend it alone, which would defeat the purpose!)