To expect staff to keep this day free, even if not contracted to work?

[Newyeargrinch]

Senior manager in a small business that has just paid out a considerable amount of money to sponsor a local event towards the end of the year (think Xmas fair). This could potentially bring in a lot of good publicity and business for us. The success of the event depends on having plenty of staff present to represent us. The event is on a Saturday. Some staff work Saturday anyway, some alternate Saturdays. Others are weekday only, some full time, others part time. I know full well that if we asked for volunteers or left until nearer the time, certain staff would come up with reasons why they couldn't help. Therefore an email has gone out to all staff, informing them of the date and saying we expect them to keep it free to attend this event (they will get an extra day off in lieu). Several staff replied to say they didn't know their plans that far ahead as yet but, if free, would be happy to help. We've replied that, if they have nothing planned, they can keep the day free and will be expected to help.

It has been fed back that many staff are unhappy and say that we cannot dictate what they do with their spare time.

I think it's a small ask, they've had 10 months notice and it could bring a lot of extra business our way, ultimately benefiting them!

AIBU?

Wouldn’t bother me im flexible ,you’ve given enough notice and the day in lieu would come in handy when a day of is needed . Plus it sounds like a nice change , a day at a Christmas fair instead of at work 🙂.

This!

They have probably stormed off to get HR to rewrite everyones contracts to require them to come in.

That's what one "manager" did when they asked for volunteers to man their support line on a Friday afternoon when we were contracted to leave at 1pm. Problem was they had already charged customers for the service.

No one did volunteer, hence the storming out. They came back an hour later very cross.

If I'm not contracted for that day then you cant expect me to keep it free

If I am free I will help out but I wont be declining plans or changing them

Ah see, you've confused employees for servants - if it's my free time, YOU don't get to tell me how to use it.

They're not getting a day off in lieu. Their day off is just being changed.

And however much notice is given, it's still a Saturday in December. Not a Tuesday in March, say.

You Are Being Unreasonable.

I take my DD to a drama club on a Saturday morning and my son to rugby matches on a Saturday afternoon where I spend a good hour cheering him on from the touchline. I wouldn't give that up for a work thing and I would not expect other staff to either.

Haha you are taking the piss, right?

You should have had the conversation about people being available that day before you spent any money to sponser the event, and you should be offering a far better incentive than just a day off in lieu.

This sound like the sort of thing only an estate agent would do. Our local one sponsors every tinpot "event" in sight and then smarmy men in estate agents' trousers try to accost the public and hand out cards and leaflets. Still, it makes work for the litter-pickers.

I was a Primary school teacher. We were expected to be present for the Saturday Summer fair and Christmas fair. It was a pain but at least I could take my children with me and they loved it so it was bearable. I couldn't have done a corporate type event . My son worked for a huge car hire Company while doing his masters. He was paid a very generous amount for doing the on call hours no one else wanted. He wouldn't have done it otherwise. If someone has been rostered on for their normal Saturday ( with childcare stuff to sort) and then has to do this event on the following Saturday that is going to be very difficult, especially just before Christmas

Read the op they are getting a day off in lieu. I worked last Saturday because i need a monday off in july for mydaughters graduation, july was fully booked up on holidays so i just swapped ……. Worked for them and worked for me.

Is it in their contract that they may be asked to work on the weekend and will be given day off in lieu? If not, you have absolutely cannot expect them to be there - notice or not.

They may have nothing to do on that day but that’s their business. Why should they have to come in to help the business out 🤣🤣

Maybe offer them three days off in lieu instead of one?

Asking them to give up a Saturday with their families in return for a day off in the week when the kids are at school and they'll be all alone doesn't seem like much of a reward. Not even compensation.

If you do intend to force people to attend they should be properly rewarded.

A day off is not good enough for a Saturday in the run up to Christmas!

You should have offered extra pay and ask for volunteers, eg: who wants to work an extra Saturday for pay with 50% extra for it being a Saturday

Do you have a high turnover of staff by any chance?

So the company can splash out to sponsor an event, but they can’t pay supposedly valued members of staff or organise and pay for childcare for those who would require it to work an additional non-contractee day.

An ex-employer played a similar stunt and expected everyone to attend, so people volunteered to work for free, then didn’t show up on the day to prove a point. Poor little tight arsed managers had to actually do some work for once.

🤣. Of course you are being unreasonable. Some of the staff don’t even work Saturdays and are now expected to keep a Saturday free, in the run up to Christmas, in case they are needed. Asking for volunteers, paying double time and providing a day off in lieu was the way to go.

"please keep a day free in the future that you dont normally work, because we might need you"

No wonder the OP hasn't come back

Yes YABU
If it is not a normal work day you can't tell staff they have to keep it free.
I'm actually surprised this is an actual AIBU, you can't possibly think it's a reasonable ask

How are the employees going to benefit from the extra work generated by the event? Are they bored due to underwork at the moment and desperately need more or will they be getting a significant pay rise if you take more work on?

Outside of my contracted hours, I might consider it for proper compensation but not for just toil which in my experience never really happens.

before you committed to the event I would have asked staff availability and offered a financial incentive to work not a day off

This.

Asking, and offering a financial incentive, rather than demanding and offering a day off in lieu was the way to go.

And as it's a Saturday I would have offered time and a half - or at least time and a quarter, not just usual rate.

On the off chance that this isn’t a reverse…. You’ve gone about this in such a high handed way that you’ve destroyed staff good will. You need to do a u-turn. Email round that you’ve reconsidered and would like volunteers. Time off or pay extra for staff to man your publicity events.

YOU think it's a small ask? How nice. They don't.

As others have said, you do not own these people and they owe you exactly nothing outside of their contracted paid working hours. If you want people to work that day, you're going to have to incentivise it more, eg get 2 days off in lieu for that 1 extra day worked or extra pay.

If you're that confident this event could result in extra business, it's not unreasonable to factor in the cost of extra staffing for it. If you're not sure, don't waste money you cant afford to lose on unproven marketing strategies. HTH.

There are endless threads on here in the lead up to Christmas about all the Christmas events people want to go to ( lights switch on , visit Santa etc) and lots of things like visiting relatives on the weekends before Christmas so you can have Christmas day just to your own spouse and children. Women who work fulltime, have children ( with endless flaming illnesses every December) have relatives ,Christmas plays, Christmas work events and children with birthdays in the lead up to Christmas ( my son born Dec 22nd) have enough stuff to deal without without losing a precious Saturday. Especially if you have to work another one already. Imagine the pile on there would be on here if someone started a thread about visiting their own parents in December but not bothering to go with spouse and children to visit in laws because they had to do a Saturday event they weren't even being paid triple time for. There aren't enough weekends in December for you to steal one Op.