to think that that employees with small dc huold have preference on having xmas eve off work?

[pippylongstockings]

I work in an office with over 15 employees - 4 of us have young DC ranging from 11 to 2 years old - Surely at christmas it is not being unreasonable to think that the minority of 4 could have Christmas Eve off work?

BUT No, it is done on a random lottery - why ?

Honestly, I feel christmas is for the children and working til 4pm on xmas eve is not a happy place to be if you have kids at home waiting for you.

I think YABU (although i admit I might feel differently if I ad children) Do you get it as a 'free' day off if selected to have it off or is it as a holiday?

I like having Christmas Eve off because I live 120 miles away from my family. It might not sound far but have the M25 to contend with and it takes two hours on a good day. On Christmas Eve at a reasonable hour it can take 4 hours. I would hate to have to travel back any later!

That said, I don't think I am entitled to the time off!

I feel your pain as I'm working christmas eve this year too, but sorry, I don't think anyone should have precedence for days off [ducks for cover]. It's not like they're making you work Christmas morning and are stopping you from seeing DCs opening their presents.

Maybe you could offer to swap with someone? For instance, my SIL works in A&E, so obviously they have to cover Christmas Day. We see SIL on Boxing Day every year, so she always works the Christmas Day shift for someone with kids on the basis that they do the new years eve shift when she likes to go out with her deeleyboppers on...

Agree with babyheave in that it shouldn't matter whether you have small children or not.

I have worked either Christmas Eve/Christmas Day or New Years Eve/New Years Day in the past and it was done on a rota system. If you worked Christmas you had New Years off and you did the opposite the following year.

I have 3 dc and DD's birthday is Christmas Eve! It's a tough one but someone has to do it. YABU

yabu.

YABU. Lottery is the only fair way.

As it is Xmas eve the office should let everyone go by say 2pm as really, who is going to be doing loads of work after lunchtime! Just because we choose to have kids it does not mean our needs should be seen as greater than people without them - can't you take the day as holiday?

YABU - it drives me mad I never have any help with my children because the parents in my mums department get out a marker pen as soon as the school year is announced and book off all the school holidays, my mum is never quick enough off the mark and always misses out so she has to work all through the summer, easter and blooming Christmas :(

YABU

honestly, the kids will cope - if anything it prolongs the anticipation.

turns would be fairer than a lottery though

I think you are completely unreasonable.

And as a nurse who works shifts and has two young dcs I know what I am talking about.

When I was single I was often rostered to work Christmas Day on the basis I had no dcs and therefore it didn't matter that I spent the morning on my own (no time to visit far away family before my late shift)

I amm more than happy to take my turn now that I have dcs. I have more than one colleague without children (one of them wanted dcs but it didn't happen). How on earth am I more entitled to the day off that she is??

I worked Christmas Day two years ago, probably will again this year. 4pm on Christmas Eve is a complete and utter luxury. I have often volunteered to work til 10 (pm) on the 24th or even on call if it meant I could get the 25th or 26th off.

I really get so angry with people/colleaugues who feel that the mere fact they have children means they get all the good shifts.

I quite like working xmas eve.

I also think YABU as working til 4pm is really not that late at all and agree with posters who say having kids shouldnt give you precedence over others for days off.

My Dh has been on call for the last two xmasses and so we're just excited that for the first year in ages he'll be at home for xmas.

Little WhiteWereWolf - hope you have a fab time. I am also looking forward to Christmas Eve off if I get it; not because I deserve it due to having dcs, but because I have worked about 3 out of the last 4. :)

YABU - pre-DS i was expect to go to my parents or PIL for Christmas, so have a long drive/train journey. I'd say single, childless people are the most likely to have a long trip on christmas eve.

OTOH - doesn't bother me this year as on mat leave - but my company just does first come, first served basis to holiday allowance - from the first working day in January you are able to put your holiday requests in for the year. If others in your department have got there first, you don't get the day off.

The trouble with taking turns is that it's often not the same people there from one year to the next.

YABU. Having said, when I was childless I was always happy to take my annual leave at times other than Christmas, school holidays etc, so that people with children could benefit. But I was happy to do this because it was voluntary, and appreciated. I would have hugely resented it being assumed that I had nothing to go home for.

YABU my mind boggles at the number of situations in which people with kids think they should be given preferential treatment!

YABU

Its not a public holiday. A lottery sounds fair.

YABU.

Christmas is for everyone, not just those with young children.

My MIL is German and likes to celebrate Christmas Eve in a big way - we rarely get to spend it with them as I usually work until 1800 on Christmas Eve (practice nurse) and they are 250 miles away.

I have worked plenty of Christmasses and think that finishing at 1600 on Christmas Eve would be a luxury! I'm glad I now work in a role where I am guaranteed Christmas Day and Boxing Day off

Sorry I don't mean to piss off people who work in careers where it is a requirement to cover 365 days of the year. I know there are alot of people who work shifts/have to work xmas day etc etc - but I work in a bank.

We are not going to be busy with customers opening new bank accounts/credit cards/house insurance - we work on a rota basis all the rest of the year so I just figure that a rota is the fairest way to do it not a lottery - and if there are staff who don't mind working and will work, then the staff who want the time off because they have young family should have the preference.

YABU and 4pm is early

Sorry but YABU getting off at 4 would be lovely, my DH is away for Xmas this year and I may have to work till 10pm am really not looking forward to this.

Op if your colleagues really "don't mind" then just swap with them? Or is your manager really really awkward?

Once the lottery results are "out" then approach one of the people who are happy to work until 4 and swap?

I still think you are being a bit unreasonable though. 4pm isn't that bad, truly it isn't. Sometimes it is good to build up a bit of good will when you have dcs (imo) You know, kind of makes up for the time you might have had to take off for child sickness, childcare emergencies etc.

you are neither BU or NBU.

lottery is fair I guess though.

Mine are teens/early 20s and I always volunteer to work xmas so those with little ones can be off. I do expect to them to cover me for my new year hangover in return though!

I think if you were talking about Christmas Day itself then that's different but Christmas Eve til 4 is neither here nor there TBH.

My dh often has to work Christmas Day - this year he's doing both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on nights, last year it was Christmas Day itself. In years gone by they have got together to share out the shifts so the ones with young children get the day itself off.