To be fed up of having to work Christmas because I don't have children

I'm dyspraxic and driving from London - Scotland is not practical or safe for me.

Anything else us childfree heathens should try?

What a load of cobblers. I’m in my forties, no children (losses like the OP). Staying out/up late isn’t my cup of tea and I’m normally in bed by 10pm on NYE! I do love and really value spending Christmas with my family.

I’d be foot downing about that shite this year.

and if ‘you wish to pick upon my childless medical conditon, can you put it in writing for the tribunal?’ Hard state or laugh depending.

it made a previous boss think again!

Not many people would want to drive that distance for so short a stay, xmascracker. I am impressed!

That's exactly as it should be.

Is it in your contract?

If not I would have simply said sorry I have made plans for Christmas eve already and if challenged that you didn't have kids said, yes, but I do have a family. It is just as important to see your family at Christmas.

I am in my fifties and until the last 10 years in my latest job I have always worked around Christmas and New Year, but it has always been shared fairly with colleagues with some flexibility, and everyone doing their bit.

Either:

Escalate to HR and submit a formal grievance.

Or

Call in sick.

I'd be tempted to do the latter out of spite if you've been there for more than two years so can't easily be sacked.

Id complaint to HR!

I finished at 2pm Xmas day before drove 250miles to my parents, spent the evening with them and half of Boxing Day then drove back for my next shift on the 27th.

It’s doable if you want to do it.

I quite agree and anyway you can do Christmas day on Boxing Day, unless you have to work both.

If the op feels so hard done by she should put in for time off over next Christmas in January. Or else find another job.

I don’t think drawing names out of a hat is fair, you could be unlucky every time. If you work Christmas one year yo get the next year off. New people take the hit first year if necessary.

No - at my workplace you can’t ‘book time off work’ over the festive period 🤦🏽‍♀️

Complain to HR.

i know what you said - and i called it for what it is. emotionally manipulative claptrap.

I haven't missed a christmas day because i chose to change my job. My DH worked plenty of christmasses.

Or are we now going in the direction that mums are the parent that really matters?

I think it's just made too complicated sometimes
It should be work your usual shifts, or if it's done another way then work one year, off the next and you can volunteer to work extra if you wanted

You can ask to swap but once only and no pestering people because it gets annoying when 4 people have asked you to swap and then sulked when you say no

@Brefugee it I said mum. Have you ever missed a Christmas Day with your children?

Awk that's not fair op, I do hear what you are saying. I had to work Christmas Eve and Boxing Day as a student and as rubbish as it was I used to think that how miserable it would be for young kids to not have a parent there on Xmas day.

more emotionally manipulative claptrap.

Many of us have spent many christmasses without one parent or other, and plenty of us have worked when our DC were small. It is part of having a job where you have to cover 24/7

DH has work numerous Christmas Day shifts (a doctor) including DT’s 1st Christmas. We just did our Christmas Day on a different day. The DT’s haven’t grown up traumatised.

A previous workplace was a bit like this - having kids seemed to trump having parents/PIL at the other end of the country at Christmas. The parents also wanted to monopolise all the other bank holidays: Easter, Spring Bank and August. Meant that they got a week off using only three or four days' leave but the rest of us had to take five. So unfair.

Are you not a trade union member? They should be able to support you with this.

You don’t work Tuesdays so they can’t order you to work that day.

You should agree to work either 25 or 26 like others.

Please do stand up for yourself, it sounds shitty. 💐

Its awful, I should report your manager to HR or whoever is highest level and you can trust. I'm so glad I work for the civil service with bank holidays, but I don't mind working Christmas and New years eve because I don't do anything really.

I would only, as a counter, say imagine your own childhood Christmases and how you would have felt if your mom wasn't there.

The only fair option I can think of is that those who worked last Christmas Day get first choice not to work it this year. Perhaps that you also don't work on both Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Not what is proposed for the OP.

Completely know where you are coming from I am in pretty much same situation. It’s very frustrating just because you haven’t got children ( whether through choice or not) feels like you are almost penalised.