Member of staff off sick AIBU to say AAAAAAAGH (and breathe!!)

[BallsforEarings]

Ok I sound unreasonable, we all have 'stuff' happen but here's the thing - Our company closes down EVERY christmas for the full two weeks! Always has done always will do so that we can all breathe again, especially me who has not stopped day or night for a full year due to building the business AND working out with the teams during the day.

Myself and husband have not had chance to take one single day off since last xmas and personally I have not stopped working except whilst asleep!

I am not properly off work during this holiday, since every day, including xmas eve and boxing day I've spent a few hours doing essential preparations for setting out next year's schedule, stock control, kitting out teams, calling in late payments, running payroll and to cap it all my adult daughter is in hospital and so I have personal stress with regard to that too! My staff all know that!

One of our part-time teams (of two young mums) requested to work a couple of days this xmas as they needed extra cash for their families so I relented and set up the clients for them to service for today and tomorrow, even though it meant me 'on duty' in the background lest anything should occur, I was willing to let them earn some extra and trusted all would go well so I could get on with the days' chores which are a-plenty, especially since these two expressed small disappointment that I had only arranged them a couple of jobs per day as they felt they would have liked more than that but I did what i could in the time I had. I expressed concern about their childcare arrangements because I cannot cover anyone these two days due to having enormous amounts of stuff to do plus needing some clear days without presssure, they assured me they had relatives covering for 'as long as they like' and could work any hours.

This morning one of these two called in sick because her child was ill! The other is struggling to cover as best she can! The day turned into chaos and pressure, of me rearranging things and directing her as best I could!

AIBU to insist we just close for business next xmas no matter who thinks they want to work, even if they plead poverty? I am so frazzled, needed to vent!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!

That is all!

Bloody hell, cut OP some slack will you? (not all posters)

She/he obviously slogs hard running a business, employing folk, providing a service, she's frazzled, stressed, has a daughter in hospital and has been let down through no fault of her own (granted not employees fault either).

Did you guys not see this bit: "I expressed concern about their childcare arrangements because I cannot cover anyone these two days due to having enormous amounts of stuff to do plus needing some clear days without presssure, they assured me they had relatives covering for 'as long as they like' and could work any hours." ?

If they used a childminder then obviously they can't take a sick child, but relatives can and, for the most part, do.

Do you pay them for time off sick, OP?

YANBU to shut for the full two weeks next Christmas. But I don't understand why your employer is taking a day off sick if her child is sick, that should come out of annual leave surely?

Yes balloon slayer, I noticed that too. I wasn't sure that it was op's place to be enquiring about childcare though, mind you I am on the op's side with this one!

Er no she doesn't have to take leave to cover her sick child?!

Jeez no wonder women struggle in the workplace with these Dickensian attitudes

You are entitled to take unpaid leave for your sick children, so you don't need to turf them out onto relatives you may or may not have

You shouldn't be paying SSP if child rather than employee is sick.

You have no duty to provide work if company is on official shut down & you have provided appropriate notice.

Time to toughen up OP, this is your business - your livelihood. Don't mistake employees for friends.

Of course YANBU OP - definitely close down for the whole period next year - you don't need the hassle and sound like you need a long break to recharge your batteries.

No, you don't build up holiday time on zero hours contracts. You don't work, you don't get paid. End of.

YANBU.

Next year, you should absolutely close as you want to. Your business doesn't exist to do people favours.

Expat I didn't realise that!! I thought you accrued holidays as you went along!! Sounds stupid I know, that I thought that!

I missed the child being sick. She didn't call in sick but called in as she had childcare problems. It's very hard running a smalll business. All this OP is making lots of money is frankly ludicrous. I agree toughen up.

Thanks all for letting me vent and thanks to those who understand, for those who don't - it's fine I know it's unreasonable to expect someone in who's child is sick even though they begged me to open for them. It was my responsibility when i agreed to open for them I could have said no, I get it totally, still stressed though!

Next year our doors will remain shut for the holidays, lesson indeed learned, no more favours on my own (tiny bit of) time!

I am hoping to hire an office manager this year but only if I can find the right person as they will be in charge of customer service, and must be 'right' for that!

I am in the cleaning industry, it is growing very fast, I have mostly put money In to the business this year and have missed my own wages a few times during growth, but should see a great return next year, if this year's sales are an indication, I am very grateful for my staff and take them out for meals plus give them many a bonus for covering and jobs well done etc, if we do go under it will be for those reasons not through lack of business, , however it is VERY and notoriously difficult to find quality cleaning staff so I don't really begrudge them much and they are all always happy to help out when they can I have had to turn business away due to not being able to hire and train staff in time, so I definitely value and care for them and I need them more than they need me I guess.

I guess IABU, as I noted in my original post but I still needed to vent today so good job you're all here whatever your opinions!

I'm pretty sure you do build up annual leave. I worked on a casual basis for an organisation an every 3 months I'd get a payment of the prorata entitlement to holidays I'd accrued.

So, are they paid while you're closed OP?

Yes even on zero hours contracts you accrue holiday pay. Holiday pay is a statutory entitlement and is legislated under the Working Time Regulations.

See page 6 here regarding casual and part time workers: www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/p/4/Holidays-and-Holiday-Pay-accessible-version.pdf

If an employer has employees on 0 hour contracts and fails to pay holiday pay that has accrued they are breaking the law and could have legal action taken against them via the county court or at an employment tribunal.

Not that we know the op has done this. Just wanted to make sure the facts were plain because zero hours does not mean zero employment rights.

YABU, and particularly to post this on MN. Your employee has done nothing wrong. You agreed to let them do the extra hours. This could always have happened.

Ok the way I read it was the OP has been working very hard all year, and although the business was closed to other staff and customers she was planning to be in and was going to use the time to catch up.
Staff knew this and asked to work over these closed days for additional payments. This meant OP had to facilitate this taking her away from what she had planned to do. Before committing to this she made sure staff were 100% about coming in to work and asked about childcare. I think she was entitled to do this as it was a favour to these staff to jet them come in and work and not at her request.
So after changing her plans to facilitate these staff coming in to work ie taking her away from what she had originally planned to do, one member of staff finds herself unable to come in anyway because of a sick child. It's not anyone's fault but I can understand OP feeling frustrated because she has to do the things she had planned to do plus the additional workload created by preparing for this person to come in and then not.

op were you paying them holiday pay?

^ah thank you, that is what I originally thought moving on, but was willing to accept I was wrong. Good to know.

Just close for business next year, simple as.

Are your staff on zero hours contract? Sounds like they don't get paid while you are closed.

lapsedtwentysomething why shouldn't OP post something on mumsnet?

Are you intimating that once women have children their responsibility as employees are meaningless & employers should just struggle to run businesses in ace of poor communication & childcare planning?

Some women and Mums run businesses you know

You're welcome Miss Duke :)

Zero hours contracts aren't a problem per se. Shit employers and ignorant employers are a problem though.

It's not even as though good HR advice is particularly expensive so there's really no excuse.

Some of us women and mums even run our own HR businesses providing employment law advice amongst other things

Yes and that's their choice kate, and with that comes responsibility to their staff, and sometimes family members get sick, and their is no sticking plaster that covers all eventualities - OP this is your business, don't expect anyone to care about it like you do, expect them to care even less if you don't pay holiday pay