To be strategically and purposely avoiding this Sunday meeting

[Amitoomuchforthis]

I woke up this morning to a message from my lovely deputy manager unfolding me of a compulsory meeting this Sunday. Literally said ‘no excuse not too come.’

The whole message was snarky, had a tone of ‘I’m up my own arse’ and was generally very short and curt.

I don’t want to go to the meeting for several reasons:

• it’s my first day off in a week
• the previous day I’m doing a 15 hour shift late into the evening
• don’t want to get up at 7am on my first day off
• the kids are away for one night, I’ll lose a precious lie in
• partner is also off, we rarely have the same days off
• and, no matter if it’s immature, I’m irked by the tone of the message

-Also I won’t get paid for the meeting

I’m also leaving in a month, the meeting will be on pointless shit such as ‘speed of service’ in the bar I work in. Just endless yapping on standards

AIBU to have booked a last minute horse riding lesson at 9:30Am for me and partner?

Still get some lie in but can’t attend meeting due to distance between work, home and horse riding

If I was leaving in a month there's no way I'd go! Tell them you already have the lesson booked and it's non refundable. Suggest if they want you to attend meetings for free on days off they might want to give more notice. Enjoy your day off!

YANBU at all - early morning meetings on a Sunday? Yuck. Or I would say you are travelling away to family / relatives / historical point of interest on Saturday after work so what a shame, you arent in the area!

Sorry unfortunatley i have already planned my day off and arrangements cannot be changed. Had i of been given a bit more notice it may of been possible. I am also working a 15 hr shift the day before and have nit had a day off in x amount of days, i am entitled to my day of rest. Please email me if i miss any important information.

Thats all you need to say x

(They also cannot expect you to go in to work unpaid, meeting or not. I have bar experience and they try and pull this shit all the time. Dont put up with ut)

YANBU - they can't force you to go in, unpaid, on your day off! Especially if you're leaving soon. Definitely tell them you have a prior commitment and won't be attending.

They really expect you to go into work unpaid

No way. Enjoy your sleep in.

Easy answer. Tell her it's God's day and you'll be at church

I'd go with "I'm very sorry but I've already made plans. If you look at the rota perhaps we can arrange an hour together to go thru things" WHEN IM AT WORK

If you're feeling nice

However as you're leaving I'd just be inclined to say you're not going end of!!

That's totally unreasonable - but don't worry you'll be out of there soon x

Yanbu

This is awful! I have a job where extra hours are expected but it's that kind of role and the flexibility works both ways. If you're in, you're paid, surely.

My old workplace (retail) used to do this - tell everyone on the friday / saturday that staff meeting was going to be 9am sunday. Except as a single parent I struggled to get anyone to have my kids at that time (if they weren't at their dads) as all my family live at least an hour away, and back then I didn't have a close friend to pop over and sit with them for an hour or two. My childminder who had the kids during my normal shifts/around school hours flat out refused to work on sundays!
I was threatened with disciplinary action if I didn't go to the meeting so I went and took the kids too as it wasn't safe to leave them waiting outside the store at 5 and 9 years old. Predictably, they sent me home. After this happened twice, the management got the message. I did make a point of attending any staff meetings whenever I didn't have my kids around (because of this), but OP I completely get where you are coming from, if it's unpaid and not during, or directly before/after your normal shift I don't see how they can make it compulsory to attend.

If it’s a bar is it related to the World Cup final in the afternoon?

Just reply saying you can’t attend but will look forward to hearing the outcome. I wouldn’t bother to give an excuse since almost anything other than serious catastrophe/ illness is better than a 7am Sunday meeting. Never heard anything so ridiculous.

Surely this is illegal. They cannot require you to come in to a meeting if you aren’t being paid to do so and it sounds like it contravenes the minimum break period between shifts anyway. How on earth do they manage to retain any staff?

YANBU they can't make you come in and say you already had plans therefore you aren’t attending this meeting, ps we might be in World Cup final this Sunday!

@OP
Reply to email "just to clarify, as it's compulsory, will it be paid? Atm I'm unable to attend due to a preexisting activity I scheduled to take place on my day off."

None of their business, that the activity is a lie-in ;) ;)

Standard mumsnet answer. Sorry that doesn't work for me.

Nope, it’s your day off.

& no, they can’t discipline you*

• unless you’re in the forces/police etc...

No way would I go. What's your boss going to do about it?!

Your boss sounds very controlling and it sounds like borderline bullying to me.

PLUS, it's the World Cup!

"I did make a point of attending any staff meetings whenever I didn't have my kids around (because of this)"
Too amenable. They didn't deserve you!

The Deputy Manager could learn how to spell for a start. I don't think it should be a strategic absence, it should be on the grounds of personal health and safety.

Other standard mumsbet response to give ODFOD

enjoy your day off - too many reasons not to go in

Or leave it and when they ring to see where you are, tell them you are drunk and in no fit state to attend.

Or 200 miles away! I don't understand how they think they can direct your free time

Isn't there some EU directive about not having sufficient down time after a long shift?

I'm pretty sure you have to have at least 11hours between shifts. Also don't you have to have at least one day off a week.

no chance!