To find this level of selfishness at work over Christmas really upsetting?

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I work in a care home, so, obviously we provide care every day of the year.

Some members of staff make it their quest to have Christmas off every single year

One nurse goes on the sick mid November until beginning of January - every bloody year

Another one uses the fact that she has grandchildren to get out of doing extra shifts to help out.

Several care assistants throw a wobbly about having to work Christmas and nag and argue all over the entire holiday.

One of them on days refuses to come in at all (because she has a large, extended family).

One of the nightshift carers also refuses to come in.

Another of them is the manager's favourite and never works Christmas either.

I'm the only one of the nursing/care staff that has children. The others are either older and have grandchildren or don't have children at all. I don't want extra time off or favours because I have children, but I do feel really angry about it because I do loads to help out and my kids are only young for a short time

I'm having to work Boxing Day as an extra this year because Little Miss Cow Skiver is on the sick again and only some of us will cover extra shifts because we are decent people..............the rest are just selfish hags and I hope they all choke on their turkey

erm ... why dont you take it off or apply if you want it off?

Yanbu

Everyone should be doing their fair share and it should be based on what was worked the previous years.

I certainly wouldn't be doing extra shifts to cover those selfish bastards.

Your management needs to pull their fingers out tbh.

Oh dear, come and work with me. I have been given the last three Christmasses off because I am the only one with young DC and everyone has been happy to work it.

This year I said I am happy to work my normal nights, just to be fair and am working Sunday night, Christmas night and Boxing day night.

I love where I work and the sense of cooperation and community among the staff. It helps that we have good bosses.

I feel sorry for you. Are you working Christmas day at all?

I can totally understand your frustration.

Maybe book next Xmas's Hols when you go back in Jan, get in first?

We can't apply to have it off. We're all expected to muck in and take our turns with sharing the hours out, which is fine by me, but some of the others don't want to share, so they just refuse. I can't act like that because I couldn't sit by and drop my colleagues in it.

I feel for you OP. I'm a Home Carer and the trade-off I had to do was working Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day so I could have Christmas Day off. Plus I have to work 7am to 9pm on Saturday.

It sucks

We're not permitted to take hols over Christmas. It's the one time of the year that we're forbidden to do this. I understand that it's part of the job, but why can't the others just be decent about it?

IMHO you have a weak management that are allowing staff to do this.

It is neither fair nor equitable to the other staff.

You get this in nearly every area and it's down to managers to ensure things are kept fair.

The piss takers on my ward have certainly had a rude awakening this year!

I do have Christmas Day off this year (first time in about 10 years), but I have to work late on Christmas Eve and an early on Boxing Day now, so it's hardly worth it and I won't be able to relax. I wanted to go out for a winters day walk on Boxing Day. I've wanted to do this for years and can't now.

They're all so sodding begrudging

well you need to discuss the issue firmly after xmas .. perhaps they take advantage of you knowing you are too work conscious (and thats an admirable trait) and will work it. but you either work it and get over it or not work and make your management hire/roster shifts properly. dont mean to sound harsh but you obviously are in a position where they dont give a shit so you need to either deal with it or do something about it.

YANBU. People seem so greedy these days or so it seems.

This was going to be my one year off and I can't have it

you should not do extra. let them pay over the odds for agency staff

...they think about themselves and no one else.

I did put my foot down last year and I told them I really wanted this year off and I was supposed to have it, but this bloody nurse has gone sick again and we have another one who's letting us down constantly.

and is there any repercussions for these staff that are rostered and dont turn up? wages cut? warnings? dismissals?

Why are they so selfish? Nursing didn't used to be like this. Where's the sense of duty? I know it's a boring and dull concept, but it's what makes things good and fair for others.

Hidden, you are solving management's problem for them. Therefore they have no incentive to fix this. Do they even know how you feel?

I used to work with someone like that, we nicknamed her Sicknote. Wish I could have taken time off to spy on her because I'd bet a year's pay she was skiving and out doing Christmassy things.

No, no repercussions at all

The nurse who's gone sick still gets her £20 bonus in the form of a Tesco voucher attached to the back of her payslip which I was sorely tempted to steal and give to a poor person. She doesn't damn well deserve it.

It just seems that everyone can do exactly as they like.

Care homes can be terrible for that - my mum was a manager in one for about ten years and many staff who were rota'd on either called in sick or just didn't turn up. My mum always had to go in and cover . I know it's because the wages are shockingly bad but my mum wasn't the owner and had no say in that. She was truly exhausted by the time she retired from years of being sandwiched between the badly paid staff who quite understandably had no loyalty and the owners who seemed to care only about costs and accounts .

I think you need to go and see your manager after Christmas and tell them that you feel very resentful about this and need them to know at this point so they can plan and organise other staff for next year so you are not put in this position again.

kilmuir makes a good point that, if they had to pay extra for agency staff, they may be a bit firmer with any shirkers so if they think you will not bail them out next year it may help focus their thoughts

I presume there is a sickness policy in place.

Disciplinary procedures should be put in place if they are taking the piss.

Sick every Xmas consecutively should warrant further investigation.

I'll tell the manager how I feel when I next see her. The colleague I'm helping out is nice and decent and I can't see her working silly hours just to cover these people. She works full time and I'm only part time, so feel bad for her.