Christmas leave priority

It’s ridiculous and discriminatory, seemingly made up on the back of an envelope. Having worked in the NHS for many years pre and post children, Christmas & NY AL was sorted the summer before, based on what you worked last year. Lots of adults have to travel to see family and many overseas nurses will want to travel to family too. Kids or no kids was not a consideration but it was a fair and well accepted system.

To be fair, Christmas Eve leave isn’t Christmas leave… it’s a standard working day of the year.

it’s you that turned it into a Christmas leave issue (see your thread title)…. And you that is being all entitled about it!

But your solution is that people who have children have the time off. If you don’t have children but have “special” circumstances (dictated by you!) then that is ok, maybe. Otherwise, you should work to allow parents the time off? And anyone who doesn’t “dismays” you and is an example of the fall down of society?
Fortunately, yours is a ridiculous idea and is not enforceable in law or any other way.

But wont somebody think of THE CHILDREN 😱😱🤣

You have taken my post out of context. It was in direct response to a poster listing all the benefits that they suggested were bestowed on parents such as free childcare, education for the kids, child benefit etc. The obvious point is that most of these things directly benefit the child and not the parent. I was educated by the state as a child and I now use that education to earn money that I pay tax on. I don't give any money to my parents. They aren't direct beneficiaries of my education.

When i was on PAYE I use to hate the Christmas break fight! Because I didnt have children, I my leave wasn't a priority apparently! Used to fuck me off beyond belief. How dare someone devalue my time off or compare it to someone else's just because you don'thave children?! For all they knew, it could have been my mums or grandparents last Christmas etc I have just as much right to the time off as someone else.
IMO all staff should be asked who wouldn't mind working over the holidays (some parents preferred it as they got extra money) and then it would be drawn from a hat who go the priority or worked out on a fair basis, I.e. if you worked Christmas day last year then you had priority of time off the following year etc

I did ask about 300 posts back what dates the 'Christmas Leave' period in OPs company actually covered, but it hasn't been answered, I'm not sure she knows.

I'd have assumed it was Christmas day to new years, but happy to be corrected.

This is hideous and I'm sorry OP, I cannot believe this is the public sector! Of course there should be no priority, but I don't agree it should be first come first served either. It should be a rota system.

Anyone saying different is inherently selfish. Personal circumstances shouldn't come into it at all.

I think you're getting a hard time on here OP. I completely agree with you, the policy is unfair and it should work on a rota system. I would seriously consider leaving if my workplace announced this.

I don’t think she’ll ever be happy until she has a bank holiday* named after her and only she gets to take it off

*or possibly 3, to allow for 5 hour travel time each way

I spent several Christmases working when mine were young, often jn a different country away for the whole period. Their father had them and they had good times anyway. They haven’t needed therapy because I missed out on the opening presents frenzy 🙄. We just had a second Christmas when I got home. I’ve had parents in my team try to get out of working when they were rota’d to do so on bank holidays and Christmas and I just said tough, don’t like it don’t work in our industry 💁🏻.

Snivelling Sally was you once. You have been a child. You were vulnerable and relied on society making allowances for you and prioritising you to some extent. We have all benefited from this and now you seem to be so angry about the fact children exist and may warrant some prioritisation that it's scary. What on earth have children done to you?

One day you will be old and potentially rely on the same again. Instead you want your desires as an adult met today as if they are the same as the needs of those with dependents and vulnerable people that rely on them

But this rule means the OP will never be able to celebrate with her family properly because there will always be new parents moving into these priority groups. OP isn't asking to never work over this period, just to take a fair share.

No, not your days off, I saw that thank you.

Your workplace has determined 'Christmas Leave' requests to be prioritised in order of parents, but you haven't specified what those dates are to and from, I would have assumed 'Christmas Leave' to be Christmas day to new years (4th Jan), and if so Christmas eve would not be covered by their silly parents only policy. Have you checked?

So, in summary, having a parent working over Christmas doesn’t affect the health or education of the child, at all?
And yes, free education benefits parents. As a parent do you want to pay for your child’s education or would you prefer it to be free? And when your child is poorly, do you want to pay or have it provided for free? You know the answer to both those questions.
And no, of course none of it is “free” it’s paid for via tax.
But by that metric then, I, who am a net contributor by an enormous margin, who funds the education and healthcare of many many children, should get every Christmas and New Year off? Yeah, I don’t, and nor do I expect to. Why would I?

The rules don’t say she can never take it off (noting, she doesn’t even want Christmas leave off, wants Christmas leave off which in her definition isn’t Christmas leave but somehow still wants to moan about Christmas leave!). They just say others take priority, assuming their needs are met and there’s still capacity to have the day off she can.

But genuinely won't somebody think of the children? Why is this characterised as adults fighting to get their wants met whilst mentioning the children is seen as some emotive ploy when it's at the heart of rhe issue.

I'll say this again for those who are slow to comprehend. Someone is only ever going to be a parent of young kids for around 10 years on average They will work four decades at least. This means that three quarters of the time they will be the one that are going to be deprioritised. Nobody would be a perpetual beneficiary of a system like this. It is literally for the benefit of the children.

My grandchildren under 7 don’t live in this country and I won’t be seeing them over Christmas…… would I still get priority over parents of an 8 year old - not that I’d want to. The whole premise seems batshit crazy

This is utterly ridiculous and I say this as someone with two children under 7. Your employer has essentially decided the age that kids stop believing in Santa.

The only thing I’d be submitting is my resignation letter.

@Itchthescratch thr quote fell out the post but -

And when do the childfree get any of these benefits to be with their family on Christmas day?

A childfree person wpuld never benefit in the system, let alone in perpetuity

ETA - unless you saying a family is only a family if it contains children? Careful....