To think that you shouldn't be pissed off to work Xmas day just because you have children?

[kitya]

When your kids are 15 and over and you are in a job where unsociable hours are enough. I'm fuming that someone complained today that she was the only one with kids that was working Xmas. As if us singles don't have families we would love to be with. I'm so annoyed, she's a friend as well.

Indeed. It's ok to vent. I made my mum cry because we won't be seeing her because I work over the festive period. It's just difficult all round.

Afternoondelight I think this thread has hit a nerve with people as some think their Christmas is more than someone else's. IMO everyone should be equally entitled to have the time off and no-one should get preferential treatment.

AD, I wouldn't worry about it. The world (in my experience) is full of people who do go to work on Christmas day and quite willingly allow their colleagues with young children/ill family members to have the day off.

The world is also full of people who volunteer on Christmas day to help out at homelessness shelters, answer phone calls to the Samaritans, Childline and so on.

There are also many people who invite other people's unwanted kids and other people's elderly family members into their own homes on Christmas day.

I'm not surprised she's feeling a bit hacked off if she requested the day off and got put on night shift instead. When I was a nurse, I'd rather have worked an early than nights! On nights you have to sleep at some point, so miss out anyway, plus you are knackered all day and dreading having to turn out to work just as everyone else settles down for an evening of festive telly.

If I was a manager, I'd fill the shifts with people who had the time off last year, then start drawing lots if more staff were needed. As you say, it's really not fair for one person to get six Christmas in a row off through sheer luck!

As a matter of fact MillyR when I was in a job where CD cover was needed and had no DC I did indeed work it quite happily. I am much nicer about these issues in RL than I am here :)

But it's nobody's right to be excused their share - it has to be by polite request and agreement, and the expression Thank you goes a long way.

It's the night before which I would rather do than CD infact, I'd be pleased.

I wonder how many other people are much nicer in real life than on the internet, and if the internet makes us believe that the world has become a much more selfish place than is really the case.

Its just life, if you choose to work in a profession that requires you to work Christmas and/or NY then you expect to do it, it doesn't mean that you can't have a moan with your colleagues about it.

AllGoodNamesGone I agree, NS is shit, I got a backshift last Christmas which was good as I got to spend morning with DC and we went out for dinner before I went to work, I was lucky to get NY off - they gave me NS 29/30/31st so my NYD off was my sleep day

Dh is a nurse, and a parent.He is working nightshift Xmas Eve,Xmas Day and Boxing Day.He knew what he was signing up for when he trained. 12 hours shifts so we won't see him.Most of above days he will be asleep.

We are moving our Xmas day till 23rd December,Xmas day itself will be spent quietly, with a takeaway probably :o. I can live with this,cos for the first time in years, I can relax on Xmas day without running about entertaining rellies,cooking etc. Boxing day, we will go to the sales if the shops are open, and do lunch and give him peace.

He is off New year though.

Certain doctors do say they shouldn't be on call over christmas as they have small children.

It pisses those of us who realise that we should share such anti social shifts out equally regardless of childbearing status right off!

Ueerghh! I have a relation who works in a hospital, no one forced her, she chose to train for the job, but still every year she complains that she might have to work Christmas and I get the whole speil about how she shouldn't have to work it as she has a baby. Later it was because she has a toddler and the people with babies should do it. Now it's because she has a school age child so the one's with babies and toddlers should do it. Several years on the trot she has threatened to resign if they make her do it. 10 years later she still hasn't worked a single Christmas!

I don't think it matters to her other people's circumstances. Whatever they are she will think she is more entitled to the time off. I have thought of asking her how she thinks it could be sorted out fairly. I would imagine she would again say that those with school age children should get the time off. I would then ask her why she thinks that is more important then someone else who perhaps wants the time off for religious reasons, or because it's the only time they get to visit family abroad, or those with elderly parents who might not see another Christmas etc. But what is the point? She will always think the world revolves around her.

What does "childfree wanking police" even mean?!

cor thats harsh shifts your DH got Susanne

I knew someone exactly like that. She worked the same days every single week because she was a single parent father had the kids one night a week and every other weekend, she failed to add and, if Chrismas day fell on her set days if she couldnt get it off she would ring in sick. Even if it wasnt her turn to have the kids for Christmas. Its just bleeding selfish.

kitya if someone was being so obvious in ringing in sick when they don't want to work, surely they'd just get the sack? Or am I living in a parallel universe?!

Susanne - sympathy. My dh is working 11 hours shifts Christmas Day and Boxing Day and 13 hours shifts the following two nights.

He's had to work Christmas before and it was a PITA when the children were little. Not so bad now as they probably won't surface 'til noon anyway and I'll get legless on Cava in the meantime

Generally speaking the crew try to give the time off to the ones with small children.

Well my husband is forces. Next year he will be in Afghanistan for Christmas. He will moan about the fact he won't be able to see (or maybe even speak to) our children Christmas day. As will probably all his mates who have children/family they want to see/speak with.

Luckily my work doesn't entail working CD, but because of where we are living I won't be able to see my family or my il's at all.

I understand your colleague complaining about working CD, but I wouldn't think ywbu if you were pissed off if she was trying to change her shift.

Hamster, I doubt you can prove whether someone is genuinely sick or not. I dont think it would be a sackable offence, especially as you have to have three warnings first.

I think people that do not have kids should offer to work.... children especially if they are little and believe in santa should have their parents around on that day.I think people that have no children do not quite get it,until they are parents themselves.

Why is your children's Xmas more important than my Xmas (to me) 2old?

People don't have to have Christmas on the 25th. If they can't avoid working that day there's no reason why they can't have their celebrations a few days before or after. All you do is get all the people round you would have had anyway, have the presents and the dinner etc and ignore what the date is. We've done this for several years now and we do have young school age children. DP has to work on Xmas day so we have our family Christmas early, and then me and the children go and see other family members on the 25th.
If it's all about children, family, presents and eating too much, you can do that any time - the date is purely incidental.

They can be pissed off all they wish and not be being unreasonable

To whinge when they ahve chosen that job- ah then yanbu

Hammy- Dh used to work every Christmas night (from 6 onwards) and the same bloke called in sick each year for the NY Eve shift so he always ended up working that too (was split 50 / 50)-

bloke didn;t get sacked, could not prove anything BUT when redundancies came along...

I worked 8am-2pm one Christmas Day when I was 15. I was a nursing auxillary in a nursing home. I wasn't that bothered about doing it.....the old folks still needed someone to get them up, out of bed, washed, fed etc regardless of the day.