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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think this isn’t fair ?

31 replies

Owlsareus · 20/12/2025 19:43

I work in a 24/7 call centre for a bank. I work three fixed days a week due to childcare, as I have a baby in nursery.

This year, Christmas Day falls on one of my usual working days, and I’ve been told I must work it. Normally, everyone submits preferences for Christmas and New Year, and shifts are allocated fairly, with the general understanding that you do either Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, not both.

However, I’ve now been scheduled to work both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

When I queried this, my manager said that because Christmas Day falls on my set working day, I have to work it and that it “wouldn’t be fair on anyone else” to allocate it differently.

I don’t feel this is fair — having set days for childcare shouldn’t automatically mean I lose the usual fair rotation

So… AIBU to think this isn’t fair?

OP posts:
youalright · 20/12/2025 19:57

Is it the type of job you have to go to or is a work from home only have to be available to take calls kind of job because I can't imagine anyone will ring a bank on Christmas day so I don't think it will particularly effect your day

Original poster
Owlsareus · 20/12/2025 19:56

CandiedPrincess · 20/12/2025 19:51

I think if everyone sticks to their set working days every year then it will always be fair.

2 other staff have set days
1 staff has set day off each week
other staff member has set days like myself
everyone else just gets random days as it’s a 24/7 rota . Manager said it’s not fair if I have Christmas Day off as it’s my set day to work. However I disagree and think that automatically assigning me Christmas Day because it’s a set day, they’ve effectively removed me from the fair process ( which is each year we fill out our preferences )

OP posts:
luckyscrunchie · 20/12/2025 19:53

I don’t think it’s fair you should work both. I’m in the NHS, it doesn’t matter if Christmas/New years day falls within someone’s normal working day in our dept. They are holidays, not normal working days, and are split between everyone. One year on Christmas Day or Boxing day, One year New Year’s Day, one year off both etc. This is the only way I’ve ever heard of it working on holiday days in any profession that works 365 days. You should have one or the other off in my opinion.

CandiedPrincess · 20/12/2025 19:51

I think if everyone sticks to their set working days every year then it will always be fair.

Original poster
Owlsareus · 20/12/2025 19:48

Egglio · 20/12/2025 19:47

But will there be years where your set working days mean you are automatically off for both Christmas and New Year? Will you be offering to work one of them to make that year fair?

Yes I have done set days with other children. I have always put a preference down and worked it , whether it be Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day , New Year’s Day as that’s the ones we fill the preferences out for

this year I’m doing Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

OP posts:
Egglio · 20/12/2025 19:47

But will there be years where your set working days mean you are automatically off for both Christmas and New Year? Will you be offering to work one of them to make that year fair?

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