Christmas leave priority

Why would grandparents of under 7 get priority over actual parents? That’s ridiculous!

If you were a grandparent you could claim priority. But not actually see your grandchildren. How will they prove it ? Think grandparents being priority over parents with kids over 7 doesnt make sense . What did people do before rotas had to be non discrimatory ? Take turns or in my place of work , people who didn't celebrate Xmas as a religious festival often volunteered for at least one of the three popular dates .

I have had a job like this in the past and would say it is one of those things that only works well when everyone involved is reasonable and prepared to give and take. It only takes 1 or 2 people to take the “well I HAVE to have xyz off because I have a child, no childcare, need to go to parents for XYZ days” and suddenly it’s either for everyone else to just give up or it’s to a manager to sort out anyway.

This. It’s really not anyone else’s problem that you’re a parent/single parent/need to travel to relatives/can’t find childcare etc. yes, the UK is pretty abysmal when it comes to affordable childcare and there should be more help for working parents but it’s not something that your childfree colleagues should bare the brunt of year after year. I am a mother of small children but it drives me mad when certain people in my team insist every year that they ‘need’ to have Christmas, Half Term, one exact week in Summer etc off. If you had it last year, either take your turn and work this year or hope that your teammates like you enough to willingly agree to work, but if two people come to me as manager wanting the same dates off I won’t even consider who has kids or not.

I agree with you, and that’s as someone who falls under Category 1. It’s not your employer’s place to decide who Christmas leave is most important for - imagine if they said priority 1 would be the biggest church goers!

This is the only correct answer!

I was thinking this, to be honest especially for grandkids how would you prove it anyway? Children would be harder to lie if you’ve been there awhile as would have been mat/pat leave but grandkids you could just make it up as you go along. They aren’t going to ask for birth certificate or passport proof so you can just make up whatever age and amount of grandkids you fancy if you don’t want to work it every year

First come first served isn’t fair either. Rotation is the only fair way. However I have worked places where people are suddenly ill when it’s their Christmas to work.

You had a point that there is no paid childcare available at Christmas and that could be considered a valid reason to prioritise single parents who have no close family.

But to prioritise them for all school holidays would be unfair and unnecessary. Holiday clubs exist for a reason and people with children should be expected to use them. If they can’t, then unpaid parental leave exists.

Outrageous. And it's a minefield; what if someone would dearly love kids and hasn't been able to have them? What if someone has lost an adult child who would potentially otherwise mean they had grandchildren?

Sex, age and a disability are though. How many people have endometriosis or another disability and cannot/struggle to get pregnant? What about people who have had cancer and are infertile? This policy specifically rewards people who have children and grandchildren. So those who physically cannot have kids are at a disadvantage.

It took me years to get pregnant due to endometriosis, I would certainly be going to HR about this ridiculous policy. It was already bad enough I had to endure fertility treatment for years but then to be told I wasn’t worthy of having Christmas off due to no fault of my own would have tipped me over the edge to be honest. I say that as someone whose husband is working Christmas Day this year and who has a baby. He had last year off though. The only fair way is to rotate it imo.

It also raises significant questions about if this is indirect discrimination against younger and older workers too.

One can't help thinking about those whose child has died, and those who have recently suffered a miscarriage, or are battling infertility. There will also be people with a terminally ill close relative for whom it will be their last Christmas.

There will also be staff who have already been denied leave over Christmas on a number of previous occasions, and are being refused leave yet again, or adults who have caring responsibilities for adult family members.

Having a blanket rule which discriminates against the childless is unreasonable. It also discriminates directly against devout Christian employees without children in the 'right' age bracket.

What do people with children want? All the holidays? Christmas, New Year, Easter, all the bank holidays, half terms, the entire summer holidays?

People always have this debate each year. It’s very short sighted of this “boss” to have made up this priority list. They need to engage the team 365 days a year and this will turn a lot of people away if they are effectively told they can’t expect a reasonable chance of leave if there are lots of parents/even grandparents taking priority. The fairest way for anywhere I’ve worked is that it is rotated. Days are divided between people requesting them, look at the previous year if that applies to tenure of staff. We all know when Christmas is each year, I had to plan ahead and couldn’t assume my childcare was any concern of my colleagues when it came to time off. Now my children are grown up and I wouldn’t work anywhere where I was deemed less likely to be able to have Christmas off than anyone else.

I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but there are many parents, especially single parents typically women, for whom neither of these options would be financially viable.

Holiday clubs where we are £45+ per day, and there are about 1/4 of places compared to need here so even if you can afford it you’re not guaranteed a place. Unpaid parental leave again is great but counts on being able to afford to be unpaid for potentially weeks.

It should be parents first.
No it shouldn't.
People who aren't parents may not be parents for all sorts of reasons that are sensitive/out of their control.
And if someone isn't a parent but HAS parents, why shouldn't they be able to see them over Christmas? Having children is a choice; having parents isn't.

It's dreadful. Christmas is not less important for non parents and it's imo even more important for singles to connect with their wider families at that time.

It should be against the law.

Do u really think everyone gets those days off ?

That's bonkers.

I am currently having fun NOT doing our Christmas rota. 3/4 of the requests come with a sob story.

It’s a wildly unfair list. For example where’s the single parent category- who is going to be able to find paid childcare? Some people have families a flight away and might like to see all of their family in one go. What about people with sick parents or grandparents? Etc

It should be state a preference for NY or Christmas then what did the person work last year? If there’s going to be a preference then somebody who worked Christmas last year should be priority.

Holiday clubs don't exist in all areas, or for all ages. But you're right that parents should be able to use them where possible, and I have said before on here that I think there should be more of a national focus on school-based holiday clubs over breakfast clubs, personally.

Re. unpaid parental leave - again, I agree that's a fair option, but it still causes the same problems of priority when booking leave for busy times. In a business that mandates e.g. 50% cover at all times, it doesn't matter whether I'm requesting paid or unpaid leave.

I’d be furious. I have a right to see my family at Christmas, just as much as people with kids. Fortunately my work is very fair.

That's how my previous employer did it. Whether or not you had children didn't enter into it.

You got priority for Christmas Eve if you'd worked it the previous year. I was happy to work it every year but that was my choice

YANBU: What a crazy policy.

They're breaking the law is discrimination. Point that out to them. It should be rotated.

I'd be asking HR how they've equality impact-assessed and objectively justified that policy because there could be indirect discrimination there.