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?

Just joining in with the many posters to say YABVVU.
I dont have kids so no childcare issues to worry about, but I would still not want to commit to working on a Saturday in December even with 10 months notice. In fact I have changed jobs in the last year specifically to get my weekends back (used to do alternate weekends and hated it).

Plus anyone would have to be on another planet not to understand that December is a really busy month for most people and December weekends are particularly busy. Apart from all the shopping and prep, there is often family visiting to arrange and loads of other social stuff to fit in, most of which cannot be organised so far ahead of time.

If the attendance of minimum staff numbers was so crucial to your event, then this should have been properly planned and resourced at the outset before you committed to sponsor it. So having dropped the ball, you really needed to get staff on side, eg by offering staff who don't normally work Saturdays an enhanced hourly rate or a Christmas bonus etc. But instead you have used strong arm tactics, which would have put my back up immediately. Don't be surprised if this backfires on you, and people suddenly remember that they have firm plans to visit Uncle Bob in Brighton that weekend.

Just to be clear, you don't have the right to dictate what staff do with their free time, unless it is agreed in their contracts. If you want staff to go above and beyond then you need to value and respect them, and reward them appropriately when asking them to go beyond their normal duties or hours of work. And then understand that they can still refuse, which does not make them unsupportive or bad employees, but just normal people with busy lives outside of work.

The employment relationship is a mutual one, and respect and goodwill go both ways.

I think your approach is unreasonable.
a better approach would’ve been to offer a day in lieu for working at such an important event. Working families would’ve welcomed that so close to Christmas

I've worked for a small family-run business. Absolute nightmare! Really poorly paid, unpaid overtime expected as standard, customer facing role and so often no lunch break either. Brain storming sessions in the evening at local pubs etc (always unpaid). We were expected to be as devoted to the company as its owners who were clueless about what their staff wanted/needed. Got out as soon as I could...

And this sort of crap is always phrased as ‘we’ need to cover this event 🙄
Errr no mate, ‘you’ need to

Does anyone else think @ElaineMBenes is the OP who has changed names? 👀👀

I think you're asking too much. You could roster all staff to work on that day and pay them accordingly, if you want them to be there. But to expect volunteers to give up their free time just before Xmas is unfair. Some will have DC to think about or are you providing free childcare so staff can work?

And if the day isn’t particularly successful in pulling in new business will the OP’s company have to close/make redundancies? She didn’t allude to it being make or break, just that it would be ‘beneficial’.

If you offered me a forced option of ‘work a Saturday in December when you could do something lovely at Christmas with your family but now have to find a whole days childcare and you can have a random Tuesday off’ with no added incentive, I would think you were a really crappy employer.

Give them more than a day off in lieu, they are giving up a Saturday.

Sod that. I wouldn't work for you.

It all depends on their contract. Ours state that on occasion, work outside contracted hours is expected,

500 posts and you don't see the op for dust

Are you paid for those hours?

YABU - you should offer time and a half pay for this, at least. And ask for volunteers, not "expect" them to keep this day free.

Well if I heard this about an employer I was interested in working for, I would no longer be interested in working for them, I'd guess you were a pretty shitty employer to work for to be honest.

You're excited for and committed to the event; they aren't obliged to be. You have 10 months to find casual workers or agency staff for the event.

You'd likely have had more success offering an incentive for the staff who don't usually work that Saturday to come in, like double time.

I get the impression this thread didn't go the way OP hoped it would.

SHOCKING that OP didn't return

YABU. A Saturday is more valuable than a random weekday. Offer time-and-a-half and ask for volunteers to do that.

We aren't paid an hourly rate, we have an annual salary.

We either receive TOIL or if agreed, overtime.

Although that is the nature of our business though. Might be trickier to persuade staff from a different industry who never have to do it.

Evidently not. Must be a reverse.

Reverse, wind up or just a clueless fool who thought they were in the right!

For me it wouldn’t be a problem if another day is given in lieu.

I'm really hoping the OP does come back!

There you go again! You are a manager who is probably already, unknowingly, exploiting the goodwill of your staff because they need to keep their job to pay their bills. You're seeing it entirely from your own pov (as a manager) because (as before) you can't/ won't/ don't choose to imagine what it might be like for them.

Have you actually read what I wrote? Because I am simply pointing out that agreeing to work and then 'forgetting' to turn up is an awful lot worse than that member of staff just saying no in the first place.
I'm not sure how you have translated that into me exploiting the goodwill of staff.

YABU, your response to those who offered to volunteer shows what sort of employer you are. They work for you and you pay them in return, you don’t own them. If you offer to pay those who don’t normally work Saturdays overtime as time and half or double for example, this may be attractive to some as Christmas is expensive as it is but just expecting something for nothing is not on