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?

What have I misunderstood? 😭

Again with the faux misunderstanding. 😏

Yup, I've already addressed this in another post.... someone said something like "why not put a general message out asking if anyone can swap, rather than asking an individual to swap", and I explained because there are usually only a very small number of people that would actually be able to swap - yes in your case because you need a certain skill mix (and presumably the correct number of band 5/6/7s) but also to do with rest periods etc.

If you don't ever swap with nursing colleagues, that suprises me, but the OP isn't a nurse and clearly does do swaps otherwise noone would have asked.

Another nurse commented very early on that only once in her career had one individual ever mentioned priority for parents of young kids and they were immediately shot down in flames. Therefore I find it unlikely loads of the OPs colleagues were 💩ty enough to say "you should work my Christmas Day shift because I have kids and you don't." But we will never know....

I don't so much have an issue with the OP, I just don't think what she has written should be interpreted as it has been. She didn't say "loads of my colleagues said to me "You need to work my Christmas Day because I have kids and you don't"" but that's how it has been interpreted. If they genuinely said that, you don't need a poll, you work with a bunch of dicks.

The OP said who she worked for. NHS England's social media policy is available here https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/social-media-and-attributed-digital-content-policy/ and says,
"Ensure that the organisation’s reputation is not brought into disrepute"
"Don’t use social media in any way to attack or abuse colleagues" Making out your colleagues are a load of nasty, entitled dicks, especially if they didn't do what you represented that they did, would, I suggest breach both of the above.

Loads of stuff I think, but I don't think I was getting anywhere with explaining to you.

Anyway, Happy Christmas to you too!

Come back to this thread and it's gone to utter shit of people having pointless battles with each other I see.

Shit Saturday telly has a lot to answer for.

What are you even on about? I don’t understand 😂😂😂

Someone make it stop 😭😭😭

I guess if the NHS can trace the identity of the op then more power to them. Again I feel this is highly unlikely, but hey you have a job were more important things happen, so who am I to get in the way of what you say.

Back to the original op, I hope you stick to your decision, you are absolutely in your right to have the time off whatever your colleagues said and however many of them said it. Even one person being that entitled is too many.

I guess if the NHS can trace the identity of the op then more power to them.

If someone can trace the OP based on the handful of post they’ve made on here they should be drafted in to unsolved missing person cases as that would be some skills on their part!

So I worked in residential care homes and always worked Christmas by choice because I really enjoyed it. Even after having kids I'd work at least some time Christmas day and my husband would bring the kids in at the end of my shift to see the residents. We all enjoyed it and I miss it actually.

I always took the view that I would work Christmas because I didn't have kids and figured when my time came someone else would take the same view. As it happened I did take a year off, missed it, and I insisted on working the following year. as long as I got some time off to go to church Christmas morning and some time to open presents with the kids (a couple of years we even had them opening their presents in the living room with all the residents which was really special).

Often my husband's been in call at Christmas as well and we've just juggled things best we can.

But all of this was my choice and that's the point. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and make the best you can of it when you have children. I would never ever put pressure on someone to work, just because they don't have kids.

To me Christmas is about family and we're all different. My family is obviously my immediate family but also my church family. In the past I had my work family and my residents. To others it might be just a partner or a pet. It doesn't matter. Kids shouldn't trump that just because they are kids.

Ignore them and I hope you have an amazing Christmas

You could just do something else if you don’t understand

Pretty much no one disagrees with you that the OP is perfectly entitled to have Christmas Day off. There was no suggestion the OP was going to do anything else except say “no” to her colleagues who had asked. She doesn’t need you to repeat this.

I agree it is improbable that the OP will be traced by her employer if she’s not disclosed to those around her that she’s done this.

Gold. Absolute gold

🤣 I missed you eggy, thanks for tagging me again...

I also agree with Eggy. Sounds like a load of bull from the NHS worker.

@mnhq might want to do a sock drawer clean up I suspect😂

This thread has gone a bit weird since I posted on it several days ago

Indeed it has

You are not on your own. Not so much company but understand how the generations change. Now not working due to poor health keeps you in the loop a bit.

Did anyone else watch Stephs Packed Lunch today?

Lol. Just say ‘sorry man, I worked last year’ or ‘I have plans’ or ‘no’ or ‘why would you think your children are more important than my … that’s a bit rude and entitled don’t you think’ or ‘ your kids are being lied to about Santa, I’m sure you can lie to them about the date’

YANBU and I say this as someone who works in emergency services so Xmas working is the norm and I have kids. Everyone is entitled to time off at Xmas as it’s family time and that includes people who don’t have kids.

I work one year christmas and then the other year new year and alternate each year. I don't have children and have had this off colleauges, I decline working christmas if I did the previous christmas. They need to be fair you cannot do every christmas. Have it off and enjoy.