I have been in my current retail job for almost a year. This is my first Christmas there, though I have previously worked in other shops over Christmas.
I have had issues with the manager in my current job. For example, soon after I started I requested 2 weeks' holiday, several months ahead of time. I received no response for six weeks, then a rejection email from the manager saying I needed to ask for a shorter time. I did so that same day, then didn't hear anything for several more weeks. I subsequently emailed him asking him to review holiday requests. My amended request was rejected again, with the reason given being that all holiday was already booked for the period I wanted. I felt this was unfair as I had submitted my request in good time and the delay was caused by the manager, not me. I then had a meeting with him and explained how I felt. He tried to blame me, other staff, technical failures, but took no responsibility himself. I stood my ground and he did allow me to have the time off. However this incident negatively impacted my trust in him. He comes across as charming and nice, but underneath it he is rude and inflexible.
I am contracted for 10 hours per week but, knowing they would need extra hours, at the end of September I told work I could work up to 20 hours over the Christmas period. On Tuesday of this week we received our rotas for the week before Christmas. I felt this was much too short notice as people have plans and commitments outside of work but that's besides the point. I am down to work 34 hours the week prior to Christmas, including a 12 hour shift on Christmas Eve.
This afternoon all staff have received a very long message from the manager basically saying that there have been lots of enquiries re the Christmas rota and that our contract states that we are required to work additional hours at peak times (fair enough, but I said I was available for up to 20 hours, not whatever the manager fancied!), and that there is no recourse to change shifts or even to swap shifts among staff. Essentially all shifts on the rota are final.
It's not my dream job but I do enjoy helping customers and I like my colleagues and supervisors. I just don't like how I'm treated, especially as it's for minimum wage. On one 8 hour shift this week I was left alone in a very busy department with a huge queue of customers. I was due my break at 2pm but at 3.45pm I still hadn't had it because there was nobody to cover the department I was in, even though I had asked the supervisor to sort it. A customer I was serving actually said to me, "you look stressed," and I wasn't able to make eye contact with a subsequent customer I served soon after because I was feeling so overwhelmed that I was close to tears.
I am tempted to hand in my notice and leave because I am fed up of how I'm treated. I don't want to sacrifice Christmas with my family for the sake of the "needs of the business". I don't mind working over Christmas; I have done it in previous years in retail. It's how I'm treated in this current job that I have an issue with. My notice period is 4 weeks so obviously I wouldn't be able to work it all before Christmas. Is it awful to leave a job without working your notice?
I don't want to leave my job and lose that income (thankfully I am not 100% reliant on it) but working there is beginning to affect my mental health - I was upset this afternoon when I received the message from my manager because of its tone and condescension.