To think that working Christmas 'for show' is ridiculous?

[blackcats76]

I work in retail, but the division of the company that I work in shuts down over Christmas meaning that there is no work to be completed and you have to essentially make up things to do. Despite this, I've been told I have to come in 'for show' on the 24th and 27th - not sure for who, because, of course, all the directors and managers will be off all of Christmas! AIBU to complain about this?

@blackcats76

YANBU at all, and ignore all the smug and virtuous 'I have worked Christmas every year since Victorian times, and were lucky to get a tangerine and a dot to dot book' comments.

Yeah we know people work all over Christmas when they are in the emergency services, taxi services, and suchlike. So what? The OP is in a place where she doesn't need to be there, and as she says the bosses are making sure THEY get Christmas off.

I never worked Christmas for the first 20 years of my work life (always broke up the Friday before Christmas and went back the Monday after New year (Or Tuesday if New year's day was on a Monday.) Then I switched jobs, and had to work 24th and 27th and 28th and 29th for similar reasons. A boss who wanted to have the place open even though there was naff-all custom. But HE had the who 10 days off - 23rd to 3rd of January!

I HATED having to onlyhave 2 days off. So shoot me.
YANBU at all OP.

I don't understand your post @blackcats76. Either the shop is open or it's closed!
Most shops are open till late afternoon on the 24th (maybe clsoing at 3 instead of 5 or 6 and all are open on the 27th unless they are tiny retail outfits where they close till the 2 Jan.

It’s better than being forced to use annual leave over Christmas when you would rather have it in the Summer.

Posted too soon!

I am glad to now have a job where I get 10-12 days off over the Christmas period. Love Christmas, hate working it. Never will again if I don't have to.

Ooops, I mean my boss had 23rd DECEMBER to 3rd of January! (on my post from 15.53!)

Obviously I don't know what the industry is like but, having worked in banking head office environments I can say we used to work Christmas Eve and 27th.

Like you we didn't have anything to do those days (we were in the training department so we 'closed for business' about a week before Christmas and tidied up, re-wrote things, caught up etc during that time).

But we went to different departments on 24th. As I'd never worked in a banking office other than training, I used to go to the post room - they're always rushed on Christmas Eve with last minute post going out ready for shut down. So I'd operate the franking machine for the day and sort envelopes. The extra hand meant the whole department got out an hour or so early than usual.

My colleagues went to the departments they had come to the training department from. Again, all hands on deck.

I used to love working Christmas Eve. We finished early, mince pies and Christmas songs. One of the managers always came round with a box of chocolates. And our managers used to roll up their sleeve. Our Managing Director worked in the post room with us, shifting the heavy bags out to the loading bay. All hands on deck.

And I can't imagine an office where there is absolutely nothing to do - even if it's just sorting out the crappy stationery cupboard or archiving the filing from that year. There's always something to do surely.

I think the point to complain about is not that you are being asked to come in for show, but the managers and directors aren't leading by example.

Where I work, we only usually get the Bank Holidays off and one or two days annual leave if we are lucky. I remember one year reading the January edition of some senior bod's "blog" where she was rambling on about the wonderful fortnight's skiing holiday she'd enjoyed with her family over Christmas. That was marvellous for morale (not).

The problem with retail is that no holidays are able to be booked from the middle of November to after the first week in Jan. Well in my place of work anyway.

The other problem being that the store may close earlier on Christmas eve, 6pm instead of 8pm, but then we have to get the store ready for opening at 6am on Boxing Day. So probably won't get home on Christmas Eve till about 10pm.

Although why folk need to shop at 6am on Boxing Day will always be beyond me.

We used to work half day Xmas eve but if you wanted it as AL it was a whole day as the second half was gifted. If Xmas eve was say a Monday we'd get gifted the extra day. If first day back was a Friday it would be gifted because actually it makes more sense to do that than have people say in heated, kit offices drinking coffee all day with little purpose.
Trades that had to provide emergency cover it was different for but thry got extra pay over the break and it covered whatever dates the office staff had.

So actually I don't think yabu but I think complaining is probably pointless

See I hate having to work around Christmas time. But everyone on team has to do their share so I suck it up and make the best of it. This year I am working the 24th and 27th. So we’ve planned to take in playing cards and basically fluff about for the day. For the 27th we’ve all planned to bring in Christmas munchies and have a laugh. Yeah it’s a pain in the arse having to go in when there is no work but we’ll have a laugh none the less. Make the best of it OP and try and have a laugh instead of seething about it and it’ll go quicker ☺️

I agree that it's not working Christmas, unless you think that not working Christmas means the 2 weeks off from about 23rd to the NY!

But having to go in "for show" seems daft.

I work for a retailer head office. We have to do store support days over Christmas, because it’s the highest pressure time of year for our retail colleagues. I’m not going to lie and I say I love it, but I get it. And I don’t really mind being on the checkouts.

You couldn’t pay me enough to work on the checkouts over Christmas. I respect anybody who can work retail or in customer service over the holidays.

Just to clarify, I'm well aware there are people who have to work Christmas! My sister is a nurse. I have a great amount of respect and appreciation for these people, and they work a whole lot harder than I do I'm sure!!

My point was that I did apply for annual leave on these days. But they want one person in for the sake of it. There is no work to be done, because this division is technically shut over Christmas. They just want someone's bum on the chair so it looks good in front of the CEOs and directors (who won't be there).

I work in head-office retail btw, not in an actual store/customer service role.

Just to make it extremely clear, I do not want these days in addition to annual leave! I tried to book them and was refused.

But surely even head office, in retail like in banking, can get queries from stores that are open until 6pm or whatever on Christmas Eve? So someone has to man the phones to deal with the queries, or do the banking for a branch or ensure stock moves out to get to the stores for the following week. Most head office departments link to stores somewhere along the line or they wouldn't be needed.

Oh well - work this year and you can have next year off then, can't you?

What is the alternative? Forced annual leave? I've always enjoyed working Christmas Eve. Everyone is in a good mood. You can usually nip off early.

You asked , you were refused. Unless you have some massive occasion on one of those days such as your daughters wedding etc. Then I'm afraid it's a case of 'get over it'. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Missed your update.

Go in and enjoy the relaxed festive pace. Save your leave for miserable February

I do sympathise with being stuck at work with nothing to do, but most of the country works Christmas Eve OP - it's not a holiday or anything - just a normal day.

You asked for annual leave and it got refused - just get in earlier next year.

If there's genuinely nothing to do apart from being on show to people who won't see you then all you can do is make sure that the right people are aware of the futility of this and ask that the rule is changed. And if they don't agree, then anyone who works in the relevant department needs to take it in turns to be in work on those days, ie you've done your turn this year, so don't have to do it again until everyone else in the office has done their share.

Take a book in, or piss about on the internet if there really won't be anything to do.

I'd relish the opportunity to get paid for doing nothing, frankly. Don't kick up a fuss, I bet there's plenty of work they could find for you, or even that you could find for yourself.

Are you really so up to date that there's nothing you could be doing? Nothing at all? Nothing you wish all year you had a chance to get round to?

Depending upon what actual job you do in HO and the specific retail sector, that means you could be the person who takes a call that x branch has gone up in flames overnight, the entire till and card payment network has gone tits up, the December early salary payment has failed, there's been a mass fight over the last packets of chestnut stuffing and five people have required hospital treatment, the online deliveries have fucked up and there are hundreds of people who don't have their Christmas food and presents, etc, etc.

Somebody has to be there in case of an all out disaster/fuck up/accident/incident so there is a real person at the end of the phone, rather than a 'we are not in the office until x date' message. And this time, it's you, unfortunately.

Don’t most people work these days? Especially those working for the NHS and emergency services.