Phoning in sick on Christmas Day?

[themanors]

I work as a receptionist in a hotel
I have been told as the newest member of the team I will be working Christmas Day months in advance.
It's 11am -11 pm shift and the same Christmas Eve (my birthday)
It's minimum wage and we won't get paid extra.
My dad is 87 and isn't in the best health and I'm his only family
I'm really scared that this might be his last Christmas and I'm wasting it at work for a company who doesn't care
I asked to swap and was told no
I asked if anyone else wanted to work was told no

Aibu to phone in sick?
Il just add I'm not workshy
I never ring in sick

I'm also curious about this.
It's rubbish, but it is what it is. Call in sick if you want, but don't complain if you do lose your job. If you're okay with losing your job then it's fine! Someone has to work, you've drawn the short straw (presumably because other staff members will have already worked christmas?)
I'm sympathetic but if they've got guests booked in then not sure what the solution is.

Wow. Merry Christmas Dad, hope you like sitting around for 12 hours in a hotel lobby! You can watch the hotel adverts on their TVs!

Quit your job then! It is not reasonable to make someone else cover when you've had months of notice.

You've got plenty of time to get another job. You'd be really unreasonable and risking your job by phoning in sick Christmas day when you've made it clear you want it off. Just get another job and tell them it's the reason you're leaving. Don't be that person who fucks people over at the last minute.

Let's say you phone in sick, then they sack you. Then you need another job. Just do the right thing and get the new job now.

Sorry but that's the most obvious lie ever, I would be absolutely furious if you said you'd do it then dumped it on someone else with no notice.

You're not the only person with family commitments on Christmas Day! Almost everyone has them.

You're going to have to find another job if you ring in sick on Christmas Day anyway so might as well try and get one before then.

Think about how you would feel if you got a phone call on Christmas Day telling you to go into work because your colleague called in sick.

they’ve given you heaps of notice. The least you can do is tell them in advance you won’t be going in Christmas Day and then they can organise something g else.

it’s not about your employers rights it’s about being a decent person to the people you work with every day.

what would your dad say if you told him you were planning on pulling a sicckie at the last minute?

Precisely. Then also harder to get another job after being sacked.

So legally they can sack someone for being sick?
So if your genuinely sick Christmas Day you go to work or get sacked?

I would if you are okay with not having a job in January

It's better than being on your own all day and wouldn't need to be for the full 12h.

Are you the poster who hadn't worked for 12 years and was hesitating to take the job as you didn't want to work at Christmas?

What happened the old staff?
3 new receptionists... get out while you can. High staff turnover isn't good.

No one will believe you if you call in sick, your employer and your colleagues will think badly of you and label you a bit of a tosser. Other people in the hotel will also be working those shifts, you won’t be the only one in work.

Plan to have your Christmas celebration with your dad a few days before or after. It’s only a random date after all, the celebration and how you celebrate with people you love is far more important.

And as for your birthday, I assume you have often had to celebrate your birthday in conjunction with other arrangements, it’s tough luck, but it is what it is. Some people choose a second birthday at a better time of year and use that as their special day.

When I was a young nurse, the nurse who was to be in charge of the Christmas shift phoned in sick. This was on a children's oncology ward, and they hospital was unable to replace the charge nurse. Instead, we were understaffed for some very sick kids, one of whom was having a blood transfusion under my care. I mention this because the nurse before me noticed the blood running slowly, clamped the burette and pierced an air-hole somewhere else. Not a sanctioned nursing action and not noticed by me or communicated to me. Off she went for christmas, and by the time I, overworked and young, found out what she had done, the pressure had increased to the point where blood just sprayed out. So when I came through to check on my sick kid and their parents, there was blood everywhere. Up the wall, over the floor, on the bed, over the machines. The kid had had chemo, too, and this little biohazard was cleaned up by me over hours and hours. I also had to address this with the kid and their parents, who were rightfully concerned and angry about contamination and so on.

This would not have happened if the nurse in charge, who had talked about canceling their previous shift, had come in. My lesson - don't take Christmas off unless rostered.

Don't do it. Christmas day is just another day. Make memories on the day before or after.

Nope.

I have 3 siblings. My parents have 6 siblings between them, 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren… yet if I don’t spend Christmas with them then they spend it alone.

@Sinderalla there's a really high turnover of staff
When I started the actual owner of the hotel had to come up and cover reception
And even now we have the general manager covering

I would try to find another job before Christmas as you're clearly working for a company that doesn't care abouts it's staff in any way.

If your dad has no one else, absolutely ring in sick, there's more to life than work.
You would never forgive yourself if it was your dad's last Christmas and he spent it alone.

I think her attitude might be a fairly big clue as to why other employers aren't falling over themselves to hire her.

Another for find another job- someone else who thought they had Christmas off will have to cover you! Find a job where you know they’re closed Christmas

If you’ve been there less than 2 years they can sack you for any (non-discriminatory) reason.

I suspect if someone was genuinely sick after creating a fuss about their shift patterns some employers may insist on seeing a sick note.

Is this the bed making poster? Thought I recognised the oh dear poor little me, they are all out to get me when all I want to do is an honest days work tone!

It’s not greed for a hotel to be open over Christmas.

Your colleagues, who have been there longer, don’t owe you this day. They may have their own ailing 87yo dads and they’ve done their time.

Your employer is out of order expecting a 12hr shift on Christmas Day from someone who doesn’t want to do it, especially for no extra pay.

BUT, this is an entry-level minimum wage job. There are plenty of those around, Get one that suits you better. Let someone else who doesn’t care about Christmas have this one.

You seem to feel owed Christmas Day off because of your personal circumstances. Many many jobs and professions make employees work Christmas Day, and everyone has special personal circumstances. If you don’t want to work it, find a job where this isn’t a requirement.

Go sick.

They are being completely unreasonable by asking u to do a 12 hour shift on Xmas. It should be split between colleagues.

You are no more selfish for calling in sick than they are for refusing to split the shift.

Hang on - does your dad have dementia or similar? Is that why he wouldn't be able to understand Christmas Day not being quite the same?

If that's the case...just tell him Boxing Day is Christmas Day.

Honestly I get why you don't want to do it, but you sound quite stroppy and unpleasant about it.