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

Exactly! If the hotel didn't have any guests, they wouldn't be open.

@themanors could your dad come to the hotel and have dinner with you there on your break?

Can you hand in your notice so that you finish before Christmas?

It depends on your contract of employment. It's entirely legal for an employer to require their staff to work on Christmas Day, and not pay extra for it. It's pretty bad practice though.

Have a look at the contract and the specified holidays.

But, obviously, pretending to be sick on Christmas Day is a sackable offence, though it's pretty hard to prove. You will of course be screwing up someone else's Christmas if you do this.

You could do it, but as an alternative, pick another day and do stuff with your dad then.

Yanbu. Why should it fall on you because you are new? Seems unfair and makes no sense. Definitely look for a new job though and have a nice Christmas with your dad

Plan to celebrate Christmas with Dad on Boxing Day. Give him lots of notice.
FWIW I’ve worked both Christmas Eve and Christmas for the past 16 years and done this.

So anyone whose booked into the hotel for their own Christmas break will have to leave 24-25 and find alternative accommodation because you cba to work??! What about the chef, the cleaners, the conceirge etc they will all have to work too. Get over yourself

You have plenty of notice and time to find a different job. Having tried all ways to get the day off you will absolutely not be believed if you call in sick on Christmas Day. You will likely be dismissed, so you would to better to leave on your own terms before Christmas.

It’s not “greed” that is causing the hotel to open on Christmas Day. That is a ridiculous thing to say. It is just a commercial decision. Perfectly normal for a hotel to be open at Christmas.

I entirely understand your need to spend Christmas with your father. Just go about it the right way.

How would the employer know you were genuinely sick and not celebrating?

@PinkCast @themanors
I doubt work would allow you to take your dad to work!
I do not under any circumstances think this is even practical for an elderly poorly gentleman.

I'd look for another job, it's unreasonable for you to have to work both days for 12 hours. Failing that I'd ring in sick, screw the job.

@Michelle987 the owners of the hotel decided to make the hotel open for business
They didn't have too
They chose that well in advance so people could book
Yet these owners /managers are not in Christmas Day
It's us who are on 11.44 a hour who are there for 12 hours

Yeah I would. You've told them in advance and they haven't listened.
It's deeply unfair not to split the days.
Your dad is more important.

You can have Christmas Day on any day you want. Buck the trend - have Christmas day on 26th Dec, or 3rd Jan, or whenever you want. It's just a day with a big roast dinner - you can do that any time and make it special.

You literally just pick another day to have Christmas. It’s not difficult, just do the 23rd or the 26th. It’s just a day. I’ve worked in hospitality for years and people like you make it so much harder on the rest of us.

Thanks but I've got a job.

Honestly the way you speak to people...you'll be out of the job soon enough so you won't have to worry about Christmas.

No don't call in sick, they could use that to dismiss you.
A lot of people work Christmas, it sucks but at least you have a few months notice to make a plan or even look for a new job!
You just work around it, special Christmas breakfast and your Christmas dinner on Boxing Day for example.
My mum was a nurse and worked shifts over Christmas when I was growing up, we just made the best of it.

@themanors
Just get it off, I wouldn't reply any more....
Leave or tell them now you're not working.

Everyone who works there will have family they want to spend Christmas with.

You have four months notice to plan a Christmas around your working hours. If you call in sick, you're giving your colleagues maybe an hour's notice to rearrange their Christmas.

You work in hospitality, of course working on bank holidays will be a possibility.

Also the hotel isn't opening out of charity
It's x4 the normal price of a room
Charging £130 pp for a glorified Sunday dinner
Let's not pretend the hotel is opening out of the goodness of their heart
They up the prices yet don't up the staffs wages for this day

Op my mum and Aunty have both considered going to hotels before for Christmas dinner or to stay for a treat. It’s catering to people who want to make their own special Christmas and I’d assume they want to be welcomed on a day that they want to be as special as the ones they show on tv. They wouldn’t be open if they had no business

Who makes your Dad's dinner on a normal evening - or is it just a full Christmas dinner he can't make? I recommend either having Christmas with Dad on Boxing Day (you say he wouldn't understand this - does he have a condition which affects his mental health and, if so, does he have care at home (who are also working Christmas Day) and so he would see them on the day at least? Or as a PP suggested, book your Dad a room at the hotel and he can have a meal there and I'm sure there will be some "flexibility" where you can see him and aren't stuck on the desk 100% of the time when the desk is quiet. The colleagues you are asking to split shifts or swop will have their own reasons for needing the day, and they may have done previous years.

Can you book your dad in so you can spend time with him and you legally have to have breaks to spend with him. Don't phone in sick you'll end up sacked then getting another job would be more difficult. Or have xmas dinner with him on26th and make and leave him food for the 25 Do you live with him and make his meals currently?

Yeah, totally blackmail your colleagues so that three family christmases are buggered up instead of one.

Top idea 👏👏👏

Find a new job. That’s it. Don’t look for strangers to justify your behaviour to make you feel better.

I do think you should be getting double time for Christmas day. However if you work in hospitality, emergency services, hospitals etc. unsociable shifts are one of the downsides.

Don’t phone in sick. EVERYONE will know it’s bullshit.

Even working in an office I’ve seen years of folk bleating about not wanting to take their turn (rota, ever year) to work the 3 days in between Christmas and New Year, or Christmas Eve, because “they have children” or some other special marker. Then one of the whiners calls in sick - everyone knows it’s a lie. There’s a skeleton staff as they’ve allowed 80% off so some poor bugger ends up overwhelmed.

Stop whinging.

People who pull fake sick days aren't nice! You will ruin someone's planned christmas day.

Either quit your job in time for Christmas or celebrate Christmas with your dad on another day.