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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My friend is going to call in sick on Boxing Day

115 replies

00100001 · 17/12/2016 07:00

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 Xmas Shock

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.

OP posts:
oldlaundbooth · 18/12/2016 19:22

How do we know that the friend hasn't been already 'shafted' by his colleagues too?

Common occurence, they call in sick, you call in sick etc.

It sucks but it's the reality in a lot of places

1stDinkyDecker · 18/12/2016 19:23

The thing is it's not the company that suffers, it's your colleagues:(

I work in retail, we have employed quite a few christmas temporary staff to help with the extra work. Most of these are young teenagers 16/17 years old.

What amazes me is that we tell the ones that aren't being kept on usually before Christmas Eve, and then the management are surprised when they don't turn up on Christmas Eve/Boxing Day.

I am working over Christmas, basic pay, no hours in lieu, bah humbug!

OhhBetty · 18/12/2016 19:40

What a shitty thing to do to his colleagues. And I agree that if anyone is genuinely ill it makes them look bad. I work in care and one Christmas day I went in really ill because I was terrified of losing my job. They tell you not to go in when sick but the reality is if you don't you get punished in some way.

december10th · 18/12/2016 19:49

There is absolutely no reason for the shops to be open on boxing day.The retailers are just being greedy, and shoppers inconsiderate- if there were no customers on boxing day they would not open.

SabineUndine · 18/12/2016 19:57

The reason this sort of thing pisses me off is that it means that if people who are supposed to be working then are genuinely ill, they won't be believe and as often as not turn up for work when they should be home in bed.

I had a manager once agree to work on 31 December when she'd been on leave since 24 December and all through Christmas, and we all knew she'd call in sick and she did. It was obvious, but nobody could do anything about it.

bunnylove99 · 18/12/2016 20:08

I think shops should stay shut Boxing day too. However your friend is taking the rise calling a boxing day sickie. Nobody will believe he is ill and his absence will just make a worse day at work for his colleagues who will have to do his share too. It's a spectacularly selfish move, especially if he got the week before off.

Buxtonstill · 18/12/2016 20:10

So what if he has been 'shafted' by his colleagues? Two wrongs don't make a right. If you see someone shoplifting, does that give you a green light?

gemma19846 · 18/12/2016 20:51

Unless you pay his wage or sick pay why does it matter or bother you?

riceuten · 18/12/2016 20:56

Nope. His lookout completely.

ilovesooty · 18/12/2016 21:08

gemma perhaps the OP prefers not to maintain friendships with liars with no morals.

AldrinJustice · 18/12/2016 21:11

I've worked in retail at the lowest staff level (sales assistant) for over 6 years including on oxford street. Fact of the matter is while management can suspect him of actually not being ill, there's nothing they can do as it will just be an assumption if they have no proof. And I bet he won't care if they suspect because they can't prove it and he will get away with it.

I'm not surprised you have a colleague that does this. Every place I've worked there's always someone who does, no one was the least bit bothered about it, unless you were a manager you'd get treated like shit in the store anyway so there was no loyalty to the branch. No one on the sales assistant level did more work that day to fill the absence. Only thing that happened was managers arranging cover with people from other stores of the same branch.

While he went about it in a stupid way, YABU for being annoyed, what would you expect, shop assistants in most cases (esp big chains on oxford street) get paid peanuts and very little perks so for them it's like why should they work their asses off for little pay when it's so easy to just call in sick?

AldrinJustice · 18/12/2016 21:13

Also Boxing Day is double pay no? He's mad for missing out on double pay if that store does give it!

Basicbrown · 18/12/2016 21:21

gemma perhaps the OP prefers not to maintain friendships with liars with no morals.

GrinGrin only on MN would someone suggest going NC with a friend for pulling a sickie. Most of us are numbers to our employers, no more or less.

Tapandgo · 18/12/2016 21:31

Shops should shut on Boxing Day to let retail workers have time to enjoy Christmas with friends and family. They are low paid workers with long days of pressure from us shoppers - there needs to be some respite for them.
But calling in sick when you are not ill is dishonest and dumping on your colleagues is not cool at all.

atetoomanybiscuits · 18/12/2016 21:34

I actually just think that if you have time and inclination to post this kind of grumble online, you must be leading a pretty nice life. In the nicest possible way I would just let it go... It doesn't affect you!

BertieBotts · 18/12/2016 21:37

I remember one colleage phoning into work to say he was sorry but he "couldn't" get in as his car had broken down and he was stranded in another town. The boss lived in that town Grin and offered to give him a lift Grin Colleague turned up with the biggest hangover.

In our store they got everyone to mark their preferences from 1-3 whether they wanted to work Christmas Eve, Boxing day and New Year's Eve and then they tried to arrange it so that everyone got their preferred day off if possible. I always thought that was fair.

gemma19846 · 18/12/2016 21:42

Ilovesooty to lose a friendship over him pulling a sicky is ridiculous, even if it was her company it would be daft but since its not then who cares!!! Ive been refused holidays at work so pulled a sicky, my friends dont pay my wage the company does. Even if a work collegue pulled a sicky and left me in the shit i wouldnt care id do my hours and go home as normal!!!! If this is really a "problem" and think its ok to stop being friends because hes a "liar with no morals" over a sicky you need to get a massive grip on life 😂

phoenix1973 · 18/12/2016 21:49

Ssd. So true. I have witnessed this truth many, many times.

ilovesooty · 18/12/2016 21:53

Your opinion gemma

I think I can manage to agree to differ without insulting you.

pollymere · 18/12/2016 23:57

I used to work on Oxford Street. It was cut-throat hard retail. I suspect your friend will find himself without a job in the New Year if he pulls a stunt like this. Genuinely sick people go in to get sent home so it will be an obvious stunt! I once got stuck by a delayed flight and got into loads of trouble at work over it. Mine was genuine but as excuses go, a transport failure is vastly superior to calling in sick!

Adnerb95 · 20/12/2016 07:22

"Businesses are just money-making enterprises, so no loyalty ..."

Paraphrasing previous PPs. What a lazy cliche! Yeah, some are badly managed with careless, exploitative policies. Some are not. And whichever is the case, a business HAS to make money if it is going to continue to employ staff - who include the lazy, lying toad but also the hard-working, conscientious employees who would probably like to retain their jobs!

Sick of the "all employers are bastards" mantra on some of these threads.

AldrinJustice · 20/12/2016 14:47

Maybe not small or medium sized businesses adner, but the big multinational chains are. I'm not sure where you live but oxford street has branches of some of the most exploitative businesses in the country. I've had friends who pretty much have given their all to chains like these and in return had nothing. There are good employees out there as well as good employers but the general consensus on big retailers is they're not nice to the people at the bottom of their pyramid, I.e. The ones who run the shops

Basicbrown · 20/12/2016 14:50

Sick of the "all employers are bastards" mantra on some of these threads.

I also get sick of the 'employers are god and you should be grateful for whatever scraps you're given' mantra on many MN threads.

dollydaydream114 · 20/12/2016 15:00

Do you work with this 'friend', OP? I only ask because you sound cross enough to directly affected by it.

I completely agree with you that he's being a total dick and I would imagine his boss will see straight through his subterfuge ... but if he gets sacked, that's his problem. Unless you are actually one of the colleagues he's going to be letting down, it's not really any of your business how (un)professional he is at work. I wouldn't even know if any of my friends were phoning in sick to their jobs, let alone whether they were lying or not!

Original poster
00100001 · 20/12/2016 15:40

I don't work with him, no. Just hoiking! Grin

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