Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Would you ask dd to not work in restaurant this weekend?

134 replies

thetinsoldier · 16/12/2021 18:42

Dd 18 has PT job in restaurant. Would I be U to ask dd to cancel her shifts Fri and Sat night? We are planning to see family in England over Xmas, 400 miles away, leaving Monday.

We have booked holiday cottage, Tesco order etc and I don't want to have to cancel if dd catches Covid!!

Help - wwyd?

OP posts:
AndTime · 16/12/2021 18:59

Would you let your employer down so you can see family at Christmas? If not why is your job more important than hers!

Cocomarine · 16/12/2021 19:00

@thetinsoldier

Yes of course I have, thanks, but I'm also selfishly thinking about seeing my family who we haven't seen for 9 months...
Why not? I’d have thought that as we all knew Covid has highly seasonal behaviour, that even before Omicron you’d have gone in the summer!
SummerHouse · 16/12/2021 19:01

I was in a restaurant today. It was empty. When it should be full on Christmas do season. I think she should ring and ask if they are looking to step anyone down?? If so she would like to volunteer as her parents are worried. Worth a try. Her employer might be wringing thier hands wondering what to do with so many staff and so few bookings.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families
ilovesooty · 16/12/2021 19:01

@thetinsoldier

She asked friends if anyone can swap...
Fair enough if they will. Otherwise I think she should turn up to her shifts as agreed. The country is full of people who can't just opt not to go to work.
janbaby22 · 16/12/2021 19:02

I think our family xmas is more important than her job Shock

ElectraBlue · 16/12/2021 19:02

'Cancel' her shifts?

She is not a customer cancelling a reservation, she is an employee who has to do her job...

She will probably be sacked if she refuses to work and can say goodbye to good references from this employer.

But if the job does not matter to her and she can easily find a new one/does not need the money then she might decide to follow your suggestion.

fairynick · 16/12/2021 19:03

I work casual shifts at a bar and went last Saturday and tested positive for covid yesterday. I’ll be isolating all over Christmas.
To the person who said that it’s selfish to not go and what about the restaurant - honestly, who gives a flying fuck?
If she’s catches it, doubt they will pay her for two weeks whilst she’s off isolating. Hospitality has suffered, but we don’t need to break our backs for the sake of a job.

Original poster
thetinsoldier · 16/12/2021 19:03

@SummerHouse

I was in a restaurant today. It was empty. When it should be full on Christmas do season. I think she should ring and ask if they are looking to step anyone down?? If so she would like to volunteer as her parents are worried. Worth a try. Her employer might be wringing thier hands wondering what to do with so many staff and so few bookings.
Good idea but not the case here...
OP posts:
xxxGirlCrushxxx · 16/12/2021 19:03

op read your posts back

its all but, but,but

manager should have thought of what?? why are you blaming management?

Original poster
thetinsoldier · 16/12/2021 19:03

I wonder if you'd all be giving this advice if it was your family Xmas stake!!! 🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
thetinsoldier · 16/12/2021 19:05

@fairynick, I'm sorry to hear that! Hope you feel ok.

Dd is on a zero hours contract so no, I don't think she'd get any sick pay at all...

OP posts:
Original poster
thetinsoldier · 16/12/2021 19:06

@xxxGirlCrushxxx

op read your posts back

its all but, but,but

manager should have thought of what?? why are you blaming management?

Manager should have thought of higher risk of staff having to isolate/test positive for Covid and should have hired more staff - not rocket science!
OP posts:
Borracha · 16/12/2021 19:07

Are you going to ask everyone else in your family to isolate before Christmas? Because it’s just as likely one of you will pick it up in the supermarket, on the bus, at a play date, in the office etc.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking her to be especially careful in terms of mask wearing, hand washing etc but I think it’s sending a real shitty message if you ask her not to work and I say that as someone living overseas who hasn’t been able to see family for over two years.

PickledPeppa · 16/12/2021 19:07

@thetinsoldier

But when she agreed to work weeks ago, the situation with omicron wasn't anything like it is now. I think our family xmas is more important than her job... 🤔
And when she applies elsewhere and has to explain why she lost her previous job - "My mum wanted to go on holiday" will sound lovely too, won't it?

YABU

Shallwegoforawalk · 16/12/2021 19:09

She's 18, an adult, it's her decision and you should not interfere or put any pressure on her whatsoever if you wan the to have a good work ethic and not think jobs can be chucked away on a whim for a "holiday". It's a really poor example to set.

Mrsjayy · 16/12/2021 19:09

My DD works in retail maybe I should ask her to quit so we have a nice Christmas 🙄

Beachbreak2411 · 16/12/2021 19:10

Unreasonable sorry! Hospitality is on its knees and needs the staff and the income. Tell her to wear a mask and wash hands often. She’ll be massively letting down her colleagues if she cancels shifts and you aren’t exactly setting her a good example of work ethic if you encourage her to let people down.

xxxGirlCrushxxx · 16/12/2021 19:10

maybe the Manager does have more staff, but is still relying on existing staff....he couldnt predict Omicron though could he eh??

you sound unhinged.....and your poor DD having her mother bullying her

Beachbreak2411 · 16/12/2021 19:11

And where do you expect the manager to find these mythical staff? Hospitality staff are like unicorns at the minute!!

Kajjjer93 · 16/12/2021 19:11

The manager probably has thought, how would you know?

It's an unfair ask of your daughter, however if she does you should give her the money she would have earned if she had worked her shifts and if she looses her job over it, give her a generous allowance until she finds another job.

witchofthenorth · 16/12/2021 19:12

@thetinsoldier

But she could easily test positive any day, then the restaurant would have to find cover.

The manager should have thought about this ages ago and found more waitresses...

Are you joking!!! I'm not sure where you are but where I am, trying to get staff to even do temp cover is practically impossible. I've had vacancies listed for several months and no one applying.

I also don't want to catch covid because it would mean plans I have would have to get cancelled but I still have a job that needs to be done. It's her job and you are being very unreasonable to even ask this of her.

RavingAnnie · 16/12/2021 19:12

I would cancel the shifts (or ask her to) as long as she doesn't mind losing the job. Personally a part time job isn't worth missing Christmas over. They won't bat an eyelid if they wanted to get rid of her in the future so random loyalty to minimum wage jobs is all one way in reality.

GingerbreadandJellytots · 16/12/2021 19:13

Yes you are absolutely right your family Christmas is way more important than your daughters job. Nobody needs restaurants anyway, and there will be loads of people to easily cover her shifts. It won't effect anyone else or disrupts anyone else's plans. And it wouldn't make you entitled and teach your daughter a poor lesson at all. It's not like it's a real job anyway, so it doesn't matter. Nobody takes jobs like this seriously. Merry Christmas 🎄

NovemberNovemberDarkNights · 16/12/2021 19:14

@SummerHouse

I was in a restaurant today. It was empty. When it should be full on Christmas do season. I think she should ring and ask if they are looking to step anyone down?? If so she would like to volunteer as her parents are worried. Worth a try. Her employer might be wringing thier hands wondering what to do with so many staff and so few bookings.
That's what I was going to suggest, given the number of restaurants saying about the high number of cancellations!

Also, given what they're saying, will she even have the job come January, even if she does work this weekend.

LittleBabyCheeses · 16/12/2021 19:15

@thetinsoldier

I wonder if you'd all be giving this advice if it was your family Xmas stake!!! 🙄
Aren’t everyone’s family Christmas’s at stake, unless anyone is in a position to isolate from now onwards? My family Christmas is at stake as I am working until Christmas Eve 🤷🏻‍♀️