Working on christmas day, the entitlement of others

[Mysticcatmum]

I have a job in a 111 NHS call centre, the office is open 24hrs 7 days a week. I have just been given my Christmas rota and to my delight I have been given off Xmas day (which I have worked previous years).

Now I have had an influx of colleagues who have children, asking me to cover their shifts since 'I have no children'.

So, my question is, AIBU for thinking that I do not (apprantly) deserve to have a christmas off with my family (who have had a rough year) all for the sake of those who have children, who have been off previous years?

Yes, and the employee is then also entitled to say "no, sorry can't, I have plans".

@Mysticcatmum I've been a nurse for 16 years. I cover a 24/7 service! Therefore I work Christmas. It's part of the job. My dad was a police officer he often worked Christmas.
This year I'm 13 hours on Christmas Eve and 6.5hour late shift of Christmas Day.
Last year I broke my foot....
So I was off last Christmas.

It's only fair that people take turns...
Everyone has family and friends. Christmas isn't just for children.
I have a young daughter who knows that people need to be looked after at Christmas and she is off school for 2 weeks where we can spend time together.

I think half the problem is that there are people like you who quite clearly state that you have children and they get it and are in no way negatively impacted. Also those who grew up with parents who worked Christmas day and were not in anyway negatively impacted.

Yet there are still those posters who think a child's Christmas will be RUINED if a parent works.

Ignoring all evidence to the contrary because it doesn't support their ridiculous narrative.

I somehow doubt they're truly concerned about the kids, they're just peeved that parenthood can't be milked for extra favours around the holidays.

If a child's Christmas is really ruined because a parent is working I would suggest that's an issue with how that parent has talked to their own child about it and expectations they have set, and not because it absolutely has to be so. 🤷‍♀️

Spot on, @GinnyBee

It's not the kids these Entitled Ones are really concerned about.

Britneyfan, your assumption that I've never worked for the NHS is wrong. It's not just the NHS that operates in an incompetent and inefficient manner either.

It is not for colleagues to sort out the childcare issues of their other colleagues and as has been said many times on this thread, it's the wheedling and pressurising that is the exacerbating factor.

Other posters have said that parents need to have time off for children's sickness and other essential times for which colleagues are expected to (and do) cover. Christmas and Summer holidays are not exigent and certainly parents should take their turn and not expect/demand other colleagues to cover.

This thread will hopefully give non-parent posters a bit of confidence in turning down these selfish requests; I hope so anyway.

@Liverpool52 @GinnyBee to me I think people are selfish and forget that they actually have to work with these colleagues for the 360 odd days of the year.
They think that because they have children they should get better shifts.
My daughter is only 4 so that's 12 years of me being childless (4 of those due to infertility) so according to them I shouldn't have Christmas Day off for those 12 years!!

We've had this at my work this year... where someone has refused to work Christmas as they worked it last year (they didn't they x1 early shift on Boxing Day and was off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) this delayed everyone getting their shifts until this week! Which meant now I'm having to swap shifts between Christmas and new year as myself and my colleagues have plans with families on those days!.

Working Christmas is a small sacrifice for the flexibility we get with my job all year round. Working 2 or 3 days per week rather than 4/5 days Monday to Friday having the commute there and back etc.

Do not give up your day for them or anyone else, you certainly deserve it

It's not often my work get it right but when it comes to Christmas they do. Around September we get asked to let whoever is organising Christmas know what we'd like off.

They then look at how many people can have the day off. Its always over subscribed so they then go back to last year and see who got it last year & they're eliminated. Sometimes they go back to the year before that and if the numbers still don't balance its down to names in the hat.

They don't ask for family circumstances nor are they factored into the decision making. Were all treated equally

I was just thinking that I'd be really proud if one of my kids if they said they couldn't make it until Boxing Day because they had swapped shifts with someone who had young kids.

😆Sure.

Yeah right

Growing up my mum sometimes had to work Christmas Day, and she was a single parent for a large part of my childhood. Neither me or my siblings were impacted as we spent what we could of the day with our Mum and spent the time she was at work playing with whatever we got for Christmas. Some years we got up super early so we could open presents before she went to work and sometimes we opened a few early on Christmas Eve. I’d say we had it better as kids as it extended the Christmas celebrations as we’d have them over a few days. We understood from an early age that what our mum done was important. I’d say we grew up more appreciative as a result and we certainly didn’t grow up entitled.

This year I’m a working Mum for the first time, being off on maternity last year I expected to work and was willing to. It’s either Christmas or New Year. I hated when I was not a parent and felt I couldn’t go see my family for the festive period, who I don’t see often, as parents always pressured me to switch. I missed many Christmas’ with my Gran in her last years as a result and it was her favourite holiday and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. Christmas is not just for children, most wouldn’t care what day of the week they got presents. It’s the parents that are entitled, and pass it on to their children as a result. Bring up your children right and you won’t have any problems.

O you know who could also swap? 2 parent family parents and those with childcare.

#inittogether❤️

Just to add, of course not if they worked the years before. Fairness for all

@lightisnotwhite you wouldn't if they had to do that for 12 years in a row because they didn't have children. 13 hour Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I used to work with an entitled mum a few years back. She only worked a few days a week but still refused to work christmas every year. The way her working days fell around christmas meant she ended up with 6 years in a row off anyway. After that she'd book them as annual leave so nobody else got a look in. There were other things that being a mum prevented her from doing as well such as not working a late shift on a Friday. That eventually turned into no late shifts at all cos she's a mum 🙄
Don't let these people guilt trip you into swapping your shift OP, you've done your fair share already.

I feel like this is the sibling of “if I didn’t have kids I’d happily swap”.

I can believe you’d feel proud. Just as I can believe the parent would happily swap once. But if your adult child was like me and missed the past 7 Christmases, I doubt you’d feel proud so much as pissed off. Just like the parent wouldn’t be happy to swap 7 years running.

Stick to your guns!
I have two young children, I'd still never dream of asking this just because someone didn't have children!

It's also the reason I work in a job where I can guarantee Xmas off! As others should if it's such an issue.

My mum worked for an animal shelter when we were kids, she had to work Christmas every so often on a rota basis. It is what it is!

Enjoy your day 😌

What absolutely baffles me is that 4% think that yabu 🤬

Ive just been on a thread where a 62 year old guy who works in a call centre is being evicted. Lots of suggestions on thread that he should house share. Which would not be suggested if he had kids

Yet you just know that if said call centre was open over Christmas people of that mindset who are parents would be haranguing him to swap if he got Christmas off

It makes sense given how many of us experience them in real life!

The trick is to offer to cover someone else's religious days - do some daytimes for people observing Ramadan, exchange a normal day for you for someone else's Passover or work over Diwali so someone else can have time off to get the food ready. Someone will then offer to do your Christmas Day as they find the day boring, with nothing else to do.

I don’t think that’s a fair swap.

Muslims/Hindus can book Ramadan/Diwali off in advance as it’s not a bank holiday so they have to book it as annual leave.

Why should they have to give up Christmas Day? It’s an opportunity to get together with family.

That’s not what the thread is about though. No one HAS to swap. It’s about the apparent nerve of people with children asking.

Of course I’d think work were taking the piss if he’d been rota’d on every Christmas. If it was his choice to give it up I wouldn’t mind either. As a grown up I can cope with doing Christmas the day after. Same as my parents did when I missed it.

@JenniferBooth and @starborne . Yes, really.

Also lots of people volunteer on Christmas Day. You know…not even bloody paid ! Soup kitchens, Christmas dinners for the community etc. It’s perfectly possible to give up your day for others. I was brought up to think if this as being a very Christmasy thing to do.

Well yes. That’s what happens in the real world. It’s not just the childless who pick up the Christmas shifts is it.

Everyone was childless at some point and those with children don’t have them forever. I still can’t see it’s entitled for young families to ask for the day off.

I also don’t believe shops if any description including garages should be open either Christmas or Boxing Day. So I am completely being BU to many on here.