Christmas leave priority

"Favouring employees with children for annual leave is not legally classified as direct parental status discrimination in the UK, but it can still create workplace grievances and legal risks. You may be able to claim indirect discrimination or breach of contract under the Equality Act 2010 by linking the unfair treatment to other actual protected characteristics."

It might not go all the way but if enough people bombard HR with complaints and grievances, I'd imagine they would change their policy pretty quickly.

What's wrong with 'breeding', it's what producing young is called.

Age is a protected characteristic - that works both ways and being treated differently for not being "old enough" to be a grandparent is age discrimination.

Disability is a protected characteristics and some disabilities prevent people from having children

Religion is a protect characteristic and advantaging non Christians more favourably because they have children for a Christian holiday is discrimination

That argument only really works when the leave conditions are first come first served.

Bizarre to make the cut of age 7 though.

Would these granparents claiming special treatment have to prove that they would be seeing the grandchildren on Christmas day?

Breeding 🤣

It's the children who are special; they can't look after themselves, so they need an adult at home.

I think you could argue indirect age discrimination (older workers less likely to have grandkids under 7, middle aged workers less likely to be grandparents and to have kids under 7 and young workers less likely to have kids at all) and potentially also indirect sexual orientation discrimination on the same grounds. I'm not a lawyer but that would probably be how I'd argue it if I had to. I'd probably try and have a quiet word before I started throwing those terms about though!

Why does breeding make you special? Why 11, why not 25 as there are those who claim adulthood starts then? Parents get a lot of concessions in employment just because they choose to breed.

Yep. What other choice do I have?

I think society should be set up to better support parents in lots of ways, and this is just one way that could be mandated.

People with grandchildren? That's absurd. Loads of people don't even see their grandchildren at Christmas.

I had kids and worked xmas days as a nurse if we gave priority to parents then some people may never get a xmas day because yes children grow up but then another employee starts with young children
So is it fair that people without children work every xmas?

Just betting someone in charge has just become a grandparent for the first time!

What if some are busy in tasks the moment the calendar opens and can’t go put in for the time? What if some share computers? For a high demand day like Christmas, second could make a difference.

rotation makes sure everyone has a chance

I think single parents/parents where the other adult works shifts or works Christmas should be prioritised as there is little paid childcare for those 2 weeks (private nurseries close here and they don't run holiday clubs). After that - first come first served.

Bonkers that grandparents feature in this list at all, if there’s going to be a list, never mind taking priority over the parents of an 8 yo! I wonder if a grandparent wrote it!

I don’t think there should be a priorities list at all. Most people want Christmas off for one reason or another.

Fairest thing is to have a rotation year on year I think.

The situation described by the OP is completely bonkers.

Even ignoring the fact that you should ask who wants Christmas leave, give a deadline for responses, then consider who had leave previously. Maybe some minor adjustments for very unusual circumstances.

But even if one accepts that those with kids should be prioritised for leave, why on earth should an 8 year old be deprioritised for seeing their parents while a 7 year old is prioritised above them to see their grandparents.

How totally mental.

My dad used to work Christmas fairly regularly. We did any of: getting up super early and doing presents before he left. Being allowed to open one small present an hour til he got home. Popping in to see him if he was working somewhere that was suitable.

Perhaps they’ve done the grandparent thing to get around discrimination on the basis of age. A few posters have mentioned discrimination but I don’t see it against any other protected characteristic unless I’m missing something?

I disagree with the premise of allocating leave in this way don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know why posters are suggesting HR etc.

Is this not discriminaton agsinst people who dont have children?
I used to be a nurse and most parents wanted xmas off but they couldnt expect it off .

Reply all - "I'm thrilled that you've put this in writing. It will make my discrimination claim absolutely iron clad" 😁

That’s ridiculous, it should be based on who worked last year etc.
I have children over 7 so would be priority 3 but I don’t feel like I’m entitled to Christmas leave over other people.

I actually am in favour of parents having priority for all school holiday leave, insofar as is possible, but that priority list is crazy. A parent of an 8 year old being lower down the list than a grandparent of a 6 year old is ridiculous!

Assuming that the holiday booking system is opened to every member of staff in the same way,I don't see anything wrong with first come first served. If people cannot get their holidays organised,they can't complain they did not get what they wanted.

Employers probably shouldn't discriminate against staff based on their reproductive status.