AIBU to think this about working bank hols etc?

[OldandJaded]

Is it unreasonable to expect that if you work in certain industries you expect to work bank holidays (easter, Christmas included) nice days, late nights/early mornings and basically the times when most other people don't work?
I don't think it is, if you work in the hospitality trade then surely it's common sense that when the majority of working folk are off, is going to be your busiest time? Therefore the increase in business needs an increase in staff? I'm astounded by the number of people who come into hospitality that say they didn't expect to have to work Christmas/New year/Easter etc and feel it's unfair.
I've also worked in health care and have heard similar complaints - people don't stop being old/ill/sick because it's a public holiday!
I do agree it sucks that some places don't offer a little extra for working these holidays, but I wouldn't expect it because it's the type of job I'm in and comes with the territory. Most places I've worked give maybe time and a half or a small cash bonus if you work Christmas day, but the other days are business as usual.
Of course the shifts need to be shared out fairly and any religious need respected.
Working shifts, late nights, weekends and holidays does have it's advantages - I get to shop in relative peace, I don't have to travel in the rush hour, if I want to go out for a meal, to a theme park, a pub etc it's usually much quieter because other ppl are at work when I'm not!
Just don't understand those who come into an industry that relies on when other people don't work and therefore want to enjoy themselves and spend money, and then complain about it!
Rant over!

When I worked retail many years ago as a student, Sundays were time and a half, bank hols were double time!

I worked as an NHS nurse and they still have unsocial hours.

Worked for a union and unsocial hours were paid at double time.

Worked in banking (head office) the the one time I worked a Saturday morning it was paid at double time.

Civil service department - we did occasional Saturday recruitment/assessment days - double time.

Think I've been lucky!

I work in retail and have to take a day's leave for Bank holidays as they are now a normal working day - except the shop is shut.

Started in retail - time and a half for "overtime", double time Sunday, double time AND time off in lieu bank holidays. Wages increased annually determined by performance.

Now - every day is a standard hours day, overtime is paid at standard rate, increases are based purely on minimum wage increases and you have to use leave for bank holidays where the shop shuts.

So people have not necessarily started in a job with the expectation that they will work Sunday/Bank holiday, or for the same money as other days of the week - stuff changes and it is usually to the detriment of the workers, ultimately they have to suck it up or lose their job so I think people really are entitled to whinge!

Now - every day is a standard hours day, overtime is paid at standard rate, increases are based purely on minimum wage increases and you have to use leave for bank holidays where the shop shuts.

My first full time job in the 1980s the business shut between Xmas and New Year - we had to use annual leave for those days, it's not new.

Old and Jaded, I agree with you.

Surely every job has its downside, and this should be considered before going into that line of work? I'm a teacher and love it, but that doesn't mean I love parents' evenings. I arrive in school at 7.30 am every day, and parents' evenings go on until 8 pm. I hate it and find it difficult to have such a long day. HOWEVER - I don't see the point in whinging about it, as parents' evenings aren't exactly a secret when you go into teaching - its part of the package.

People who are saying that anyone working at the weekend or a bank holiday should get more pay - you do realise that many small shopkeepers would really struggle to do this?? A small newsagent isn't exactly raking it in.

Now - every day is a standard hours day, overtime is paid at standard rate, increases are based purely on minimum wage increases and you have to use leave for bank holidays where the shop shuts.

The using leave for bank holidays may nit be new

But the rest of the changes seem to be recent...well in the last 30years anyway

Anyway i have sorted it

NO BANK HOLIDAYS FOR ANYONE

Rufus - lovely idea but I think, at least where I live, there'd be public outcry and the owners and staff lynched if the pub was shut on bank holidays

Sorry old

I didnt make myself clear

Get rid of bank holidays altogether, no one has one

Probably would have to give people extra holidays to make up for it

I agree though...no pub on a bank holiday!!! Travesty!!!

Rufus ha yes a travesty indeed!

Doing away with bank holidays wouldn't really affect the likes of myself so it wouldn't bother me at all but I think for some who traditionally have them off they are a much looked forward to family day or opportunity to socialise get pissed at the pub and it wouldn't be well accepted.

Absolutely old

Its mainly office workers i would imagine as obviously the emergency services work all the time as do hospitality workers, the military and others

And retail , god forbid someone shouldn't be able to shop on a bank holiday that would quite fuckup up someones quiet and relaxing family time

Prefer the pub but could stretch to a few lagers on the patio if the pub did close

Rufus We would still get by if most hospitality businesses were closed on BH or Sundays or both. It's not like the emergency or infrastructure services.

So what is the line you are drawing?

Could it be that you want the pubs and the restaurants and the theatres open, and their people having to work is just collateral damage, but you don't want to shop, so their people should ahve the day off?

Compound for sins that we're inclined to
By damning those that we've no mind to.

A Bank Holiday is just another working day, unless you work in a Bank.
The clue is in the title
Public Holidays are different and we should all have those off unless of course you are an essential service like emergencies.

I am confused andrew

What part of dont have any bank holidays is causing the problem

I thought i was clear but obviously i wasnt

I am advocating getting rid of bank holidays and giving people extra holidays

Rufus It was this line

And retail , god forbid someone shouldn't be able to shop on a bank holiday that would quite fuckup up someones quiet and relaxing family time

but it's my fault, I did not notice the underneath. Sorry.

But somehow I don't think a petition to Parliament to abolish Christmas as a holiday would do well. Cromwell tried that and they hanged him for it after he was already dead.

Nice to have Christmas day off though

Cross post there re christmas day andrew

I am really slow at typing

Really, Rufus? What about the people delivering fresh food to the shops for you to buy on 26 December, which you will not keep as a holiday?

I have three children

I really dont find shopping with them that relaxing

Hence my sarcasm

Said it would be nice

Not a necessary though

People could pick their own days for Christmas

But a second ago you were warning me that i might get hung...so i may go off that idea

OldandJaded A lot of ppl working in retail are on short or zero hours.

They cant afford to retrain. And if they are on zero hours they can be intermittent and inconsistent. But they have to keep themselves available for those hours.

Effectively being "on call" Without being paid for being on call unlike those in other professions.

Its undoubtedly a class issue.

And as for electricity companies giving engineers time off at Xmas. Its already happened in the winter of 2013. People were left without power for days due to that winters storms because UK Power Networks gave too many engineers time off. They were fined for it.
The shops still opened that Boxing Day though.

Priorities much!

Helenadove -
As already stated I am one of those people. And to be honest when I've been on short hours I've been pretty grateful for others offered - including bank holidays.
Fair point about affording to retrain.
Basically what I am thinking is that it may not be my fault I'm in this position, but it's my responsibilty and as I took a job that I can do, to earn a living, and unsociable hours are a part of that, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect me to do them.
How would you say it is a class issue?

Rufus-
I can't remember the last time I celebrated Christmas day actually on Dec 25th, the only ppl in my immediate family who automatically have the day off is Dbil and DB and for 2 years DM (retired nurse so we always had it anyway) the rest of us adults coordinate days off and have presents and dinner on a mutually suitable day. It really makes no difference at all to me, I get to celebrate Christmas with my family, the 27th appears to be a favourite!

Love being in a job which has to operate 24/7. It's allowed me to work without childcare for the first 6 years of parenthood. At which point the concept of family time became more important and I switched my hours back.

I feel sorry for people tied to office hours.

I'd advise my DC to deliberately go into such an industry.

In the course of my working life so far (round about 30 years) we seem to have gone from few discretionary spending service providers being open on bank holidays/Sundays and offering double time to those that did the hours, to more of them being open but still offering double time, to unsocial hours being written into contracts but including enhanced rates/toil, to the situation we have now where the hours are compulsory but usually for no extra pay.

Of course, this is what happens when you move to being a de-unionised casualised (oops sorry - should have said "flexible") workforce, but it does seem a shame that people doing the same jobs three decades ago had better terms and conditions.

YANBU for thinking people should expect that this will be asked of them but YABU for saying they should put up and shut up.

If you work in emergency services, healthcare, retail or hospitality you will always have to work bank holidays and weekends and most of these jobs also involve long and anti social hours. If you don't expect it then you are living in dream world. It doesn't mean you have to like it however.

There will always be some who don't mind, some who put up with it because they love the job and some who want the anti social hours (like students or parents who work opposite shifts to a partner or babysitter) but a lot of people have no choice. Yes you should expect it but imo you are absolutely allowed to moan about it because it is a horrible part of working in these industries (on a par with having to deal with asshole customers)

A lot of people end up doing retail work because there is a lot of it and a lot of people don't like the hours/customers/way staff are treated. Not everyone has a choice to work elsewhere. These industries are massive employers because they need a lot of staff to cover a wide range of hours.