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!

I always pay all benefits and entitlements and make sure all staff are paid well over minimum wage for all time worked - just to clear up all those issues, plus I award bonuses and incentives, i do not want my staff going elsewhere, which they wouldn't!

This team had not worked for me for very long and only on a part-time basis so would not have been paid for the full two weeks as it stood, they had a fair bit of income last week without working though, they just wanted to work this week.

I am a little confused by the people saying they may NOT have relatives to care for their children after the ladies assuring me they could work because relatives WOULD be able to care for their children for as long as they liked so PLEASE could they work - I don't think those people must have read my original post, just some of the replies! If they hadn't stated that i would not have agreed to their request!

To LapsedTwenty - my AIBU was not about my employee doing something wrong it was about me saying AAAAAAAGH about it and not relenting on two-week closure next year!

I would be cross too in your shoes. You did a favour and ended up in a worse situation. Tough lesson.

It might be worth adjusting your holiday year (say October-October) and employment terms and conditions to make sure that the full two weeks Christmas shut down is taken as holiday? Even if it means giving more than the accrued holiday at the time and then clawing it back from final pay if they leave soon afterwards. Then people won't ask to work because they're already off on full pay.

Good grief, now it's morphed into my own staff don't care (they really do, they are fab!) and I am a shit employer (they don't think so thank god!)! Good job I came here to vent, a laugh is a good as a bit of understanding from fellow humans (which I have received from some so thank you!)

I was ready for this as I've seen other threads get twisted out of all recognition from the original post and all the updates, it's like chinese whispers or something but it IS all a laugh and I do feel part of the culture now instead of just peeping in so thanks guys!

"Clients for them to service". The mind boggles!!

I know the clients to service bit made me raise my eyebrow, a bit like a shit Roger Moore.

Eh???

Tbh if she is so hard up that she is begging for work right after christmas then she is probably pissed off that her kid is sick too.

Shit happens.

Dont trade next Christmas.

Sick children don't always take kindly to being separated from their mothers and if the child is not yet diagnosed and in a stage of recuperation it is a lot of responsability for someone who is not the mother.

Sorry for your problems, OP, you sound like a good employer. Hope your business goes from strength to strength and you can take more time off next year.

Yes thanks I won't I've learned the hard way now!

Also, yes employee will defo be feeling AAAAAAAGH too and she too is not being unreasonable!! (I've decided I wasn't either - it was definitely AAAAAGH! at the time!)

Thank you so much Coyoacan

Business is at a turning point stage now where I won't have to wear so many hats so I hope to get a couple of breaks next year and be better placed to handle the AAAAAAGH moments! It all comes together in the end, I would do the same again in a heartbeat, I love it!

Two weeks is pretty extreme to close completely.

Next year I'd suggest you close between Christmas and the New Year. That's three working days, but you get over a week off. It's common for businesses to require employees to take (paid, of course) holiday for the three days.

Oh boo hoo. Unfortunately most parents are going to prioritise their own child's health over cleaning toilets for minimum wage. And guess what, parents are entitled to leave in emergencies - it's called dependency leave. But as a decent employer I'm sure you're already aware of that. Stop moaning, it's part and parcel of being an employer

WD did you miss the post where OP outlines pay and bonuses? RTT

Oh never mind Shakey they are making it up as they go along now, not that I'm bothered as I'm feeling loads better now this day's over!

Skylark - it is the industry norm to shut down over the xmas hols as not all of clients want us over then so it's win-win, but these two in particular will have more holidays saved by next year so It will be fine! I won't be making all the others work as they definitely do NOT want to and I am wanting them to stay on my team so close we will! Staff are too hard to come by to not treat them well in this industry!

The staff have said they have never had Christmas off before with any other employer (they've mainly come from retail work, where they were not treated well!) I will not take good staff for granted, as I have had bad staff in the past, but we have to go with the majority vote here for obvious reasons, I'd rather lose two than ten!

I've read the thread thanks. Doubt the OP's staff are on a high wage, they're cleaners.

Think you should send other staff member home and enjoy the rest of your break. Insist on the 2weeks next year for all.

WD, how can you walk with such as big chip on your shoulder?

OP, YANBU to be AARRRRGGGHHH :) Next year, no favor, close shop and do your thing.

WD - it depends what you mean by a 'high' wage, that would be relative, it is not high compared to say a solicitor or a city banker, but I pay the highest hourly rate that I have heard of (and at our trade association we trade such information between ourselves)

We are a premium service and not the cheapest but then I can get good staff on board - pay them a lot more money than they earned in retail or other and therefore win their loyalty therefore perpetuating the delivery of premium service delivered to the client, who in turn is willing to pay our price for such a level of service!

Good staff = service level clients will pay premium rates for therefore I can afford to pay good staff well! Everyone wins! Simples!

Chip on my shoulder about what? I'm not a cleaner, not on minimum wage nor in the habit of calling in sick.

I just think an employer should be prepared for staff not always being available and should be able to suck it up when it happens. Not go slagging their employees off on the internet because a child is ill.

When DID I slag my lovely employee off in all this? this is getting beyong fiction now!

I've been reduced from happy, hardworking business owner who treasures my staff but is having a bad day to some kind of brothel-running Fagin type character who keeps my staff at below starvation level!

Oh well all in a day's work eh?

Thanks everyone else btw! I'm off for a see y'all later!

Just to make it clear though - we are NOT just paying staff minimum wage - I would never run a company like that (lest it should come up again!) Cheerio for now!

I'd be pissed off too, even if it's not her fault, YANBU for that. Close next year, you can't rely on anyone -even yourself if you got sick- so easier to close.

Dear God she's hardly slagged her employee off has she FFS? She's venting at a situation (which last time I checked was allowed) after she changed plans for said employee to work!

People need to RTFT or GTFO!

Sakes. It's hardly difficult.

Just close for 2 weeks next year. You did them a favour by changing your rules for their sake. It sadly backfired. Of course we understand your frustration. It's annoying regardless of the reason being an ill DC. Lesson learnt. Just give a Christmas bonus next year to save any hassle.