My friend is going to call in sick on Boxing Day

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My friend works in retail on Oxford Street. Somehow he managed to get the week leading up to Christmas off. But it was on the understanding he must work Boxing Day.

He doesn't want to work that day so he has repeatedly said he's just going to call in sick

AIBU in thinking that's a bit of a dick move? And it will be really obvious he's not ill as he requested the day off initially.

He's not on a zero hours contract. Nor minimum wage. He's just being a dick

your friend might get fired.
hope he doesn't really need his job!

A few supermarkets pay more than minimum wage. Morrisons do, I know that for a fact. So the "if they pay minimum wage how can they expect loyalty" line is a bit of a fallacy.

A colleague on a 39 hour pw contract will earn more per year before tax than a great many legal assistants (in South Wales at least). I sat and worked it out once.

My first job I was ill with a shocking cold and had to ring in sick between Christmas and New Year. My boss rang me to harangue me and got my DF. He refused to get me out of bed to speak to her as I was so ill and ripped her a new one generally. She was livid but could do nothing.

They can't fire him unless they can prove that he wasn't ill. That would be unfair dismissal.

In fact, there isn't a lot they can do really. And he know this.

They can't fire him unless they can prove that he wasn't ill. That would be unfair dismissal.

No, it wouldn't.

They could discipline him, depending on his sickness percentage. People who do this sort of thing tend to not have good attendance generally speaking. Failure to keep in line with the company absence policy can result in dismissal. Fairly so.

They can't fire him unless they can prove that he wasn't ill. That would be unfair dismissal.

Of course they can fire him. Employers can fire who they want. If anyone with more than 2 years service then wanted to take them to a tribunal for unfair dismissal it costs around £1200 to even start the process.

At my work both of the Christmas Eve night staff plan to call in sick.

We need two people in the building by law so someone will have to come in.

When I worked retail, I constantly had an argument with my manager about December 23rd! My sons birthday, I tried to book it off every year, but because it's in December I always got told no.
I told my boss in no uncertain terms I was unavailable to work that day. He only ever rotated me in for it once, when I said to him repeatedly for the week prior I wasn't doing it, and didn't show up on the day. He never rotated me in again.

I worked Boxing Day and New Year's Eve that year. It sucks all holiday is banned in December, maybe over Christmas period but not the whole of December.

But your friend seems silly. I hope he gets disciplined for it because that's out of line. Staff are gonna be rushed off their feet covering him all week, now one of them will have to cover Boxing Day too. Arsehole!

Even if they did go to tribunal, it's not like a court that needs absolute proof. They just need reasonable doubt that he wasn't sick. Which most reasonable people would have.

sometimes at work, the less you do, the more you are thought of.

strange but true

ssd that's totally true.

I have a colleague who does sod all. Falls asleep on night shifts (once was still asleep when the day staff came in), is rude, arrogant and pretty unreliable.

The manager thinks he's wonderful.

He has a smug face. The gif above shows his EXACT smug face.

I'll go one step further and say being a parent is a bit similar

I know mums who are so hands off with their kids its a wonder they even remember their names, but their kids think they are wonderful and hang onto them whenever they can, my 2 have had me at their beck and call all their lives and can hardly make me a cup of tea

swings and roundabouts, I guess

He sounds like a dick!

I worked in retail for 5 years and never once got Boxing Day off. Every time the list would go round to request what shifts you would prefer it always seemed to get to me last

I remember one year I was in on Boxing Day. Whilst also happened to be my 21st birthday (worst day for a retail worker to have a birthday!) and I was so so ill. I think it must have been a virus, which left me feeling like death! If it was a normal day at work I would have phoned in sick, but because a) it was Boxing Day, and b) it was also my birthday, I didn't dare phone in because I knew they wouldn't believe me!

So instead I suffered through my shift, my dad picked me up and I slept in the car while my family finished their annual Boxing Day meal (that I never ever got to go to!)

ALSO, I have a colleague like this, we're both new and still in probation. He emailed everyone on the team trying to swap his Saturday late shift as it was his wife's Christmas party and he didn't want to get a babysitter. When nobody would swap with him he put in a holiday with a weeks notice. When that was rejected he called in sick
To top it off, we saw his wife had tagged him at the cinema that SAME day!

The week leading up to Christmas off?! Jammy bastard! I'm in retail, and had just Christmas day off! Until my lovely manager asked around for a shift swap, so I can have boxing day too.
I'd feel beyond shit leaving my colleagues in the lurch like that.

He won't be the only one planning to do this. The non-skivers will be run ragged. Very unfair.

I used to work in a restaurant/hotel/events venue, we needed more staff at Christmas so would hire lots of people who had come home from university and wanted work. They'd start in the first two weeks of December and by the 28th over half would be sacked because they ALWAYS called in sick on Christmas Eve/Day/Boxing Day. I didn't really like the fact someone who called in sick was told never to come back, but to be honest when you work in hospitality you can't expect a day off in December (legal or not), and having to work harder and longer because three different kids thought calling in sick in Boxing Day wasn't suspicious doesn't make you too sympathetic....

BTW they can investigate if they want. Friend of mine was off sick (genuine illness) and her boss and HR manager obviously suspected she was skiving because they turned up at her house to check on her. Not sure how legal it is but they still did it.

Ds used to work in a well known sandwich franchise. All the staff were early 20's, late teens and part time. They were treated last me shit.

4 were fostered to work on New Years Day. None of them turned up.

As Ds was once referred to a ' a little shit' by his manager, I can't say l blame them.

But your friend seems silly. I hope he gets disciplined for it because that's out of line.

He hasn't actually done anything yet.

Friend's dd works in mental health. She was working in a small secure unit at Christmas and the other staff rostered on failed to turn up and then called in sick - so there was no opportunity to get any cover. She was left there alone with some dangerous individuals. Friend's dd is a tough, capable girl but she was afraid and afterwards left to work in another area.

Some people don't give a wotsit about shafting colleagues.

Well when he loses his job, he'll be able to take all the unpaid holiday he likes.

It's his call, but I'm reasonably confident he will be forgoing his cushy number of the week before Xmas off for the foreseeable as they will be 'below headcount' or similar.

Entitled prick. I'm working Xmas day and Boxing Day and wouldn't cross my mind to call in sick because a) it would look such an obvious skive and b) its skeleton staff anyway and I'd be letting a lot of people down

What TopCat said I think hit the nail on the head.

Loyalty has to be both ways, zero hours contracts do not instill loyalty in the people who have them.