To go off sick in December?

[Sarahbd3]

I've just found out that I'll only been granted one day off over the Xmas and year new period (I mean besides the official public holidays). Names drawn out of a hat about who on the team can have which days off over the Xmas season.
I'm a single mum to two young children under 6 and, for once, I want to be able to spend a proper stretch of time over Xmas being off with them and doing all the Xmas stuff that other families get to do. Their grandparents are going to be away on a cruise so I'd have no child care anyway, unless I was off work.
I have a chronic health condition which is well known at work (although I've never previously taken any time off sick with it). In facet, I have not been off sick since a car accident 4 years ago.
On my team, it's always the same person who goes off sick for Xmas, for several weeks and nobody seems to have an issue.
Wyibu to go off sick with my chronic illness to be guaranteed the festive season with my children? To not make it look too plan I, I'd probably go off in the second week of December, rather than on Xmas eve. Maybe return second week of Jan.

Why don’t you just ask for parental leave? That way you’re not lying, you have no childcare I mean it’s unpaid but still better than lying.

Nice to see you Chat GPT!

I work in the NHS. Surgeons (not sure why you have picked them rather than any other medical specialty) get exactly the same leave allowance as paediatricians, physicians or any other doctor with the same length of NHS service. If they are taking weeks on end off (how many weeks? 2? maybe 3?) it's because theyare using a large part of their leave entitlement to do so - which will have involved swapping their on calls with colleagues as they can't take leave on those days otherwise, and can mean working some very intense runs of oncalls to do so.

Even for those in well paid/high status jobs in the NHS, there is a requirement to work around Xmas. Part of my work is in an outpatient specialty that will not be working on the Bank Holidays. 2 out of the 10 consultants have been told that their hoped leave over the Xmas/New year period can't be fully granted as otherwise there isn't sufficient cover. They each will have to work 1 day over the Xmas period. One of the consultants who has worked the entire time around Xmas and NY for the last 2 years has been given the whole time off this year. The consultants that have had time off over Xmas and New year this year and last year will be at the bottom of the list for next year, and will be the ones whose leave won't be granted when there is a pinch point in staffing.

Don't work
Or get a job where you don't havecto work public holidays
Because attitudes like this, and that of @Sarahbd3 are disgusting
Let you colleagues down
Let your manager down
Let down the people (public, patients, etc) you are working to support
Let down yourself
Attitudes such as this just demonstrate to employers why women are risky to employ; too unreliable

But you're not working Christmas, you have the bank holidays off. YWBU and screwing over your colleagues. Loads of people have to work between Christmas and New year.

@Goxhound if OP wanted ChatGPT's opinion she could've asked it herself.

I think you should start job hunting right now and find a new role, either one that does not require Christmas working, or one that does but you can declare a pre-booked holiday which will always be honoured.

This problem will rear its head every year, so it does sound like you need a better job for the long term. Good luck!

In terms of childcare, why can't you use holiday clubs?

Well don't have a job where you need to be there during wotking hours or in accordance with your Ts & Cs
Or don't work
In OPs case, she is not ill, her children are not ill, she is planning 'illness' in october, ffs

Holy crap.

The mental gymnastics some people will perform to justify screwing over their coworkers.

Staggering.

I don't actually know anyone in the real world who would do that - obviously I know a different type of people to you.

It depends on the job, I get 6 months at full pay which resets every year for example. Thankfully haven't had to use much in 12 years but it's not the case that everyone's straight onto SSP.

I'd do it to be honest, I hate names out of the hat because there's a chance the same people will be off every year. Who will look after your children anyway? Here most childcare provision closes over Christmas.

I would probably take one extra day off, and not push my luck! A compromise is needed here.

Closed over Christmas.

Holy crap.

The mental gymnastics some people will perform to justify screwing over their coworkers.

Staggering.

I know this isn't a WFH thread but given the attitudes of do many 'workers' on here is it any wonder bosses want to keep a closer eye on staff and get them back in. All those poster saying do it life's too short znd prioritise your kids when have the same attitude to skiving everyday when they work from home.

YABU. Plenty of people have to work over Christmas. You aren't the only person in the world with kids. If you don't want to, look for a job that doesn't require it. I'm a lone parent and work every day except Christmas day and new year's say.

You have to plan for this though. Why take a job that involves Christmas working when you don't have childcare?

Life is too short, do it!!! Make sure you have done all your shopping and have loads of stuff to do indoors with the kiddos so you don’t get spotted out and about.

Honestly no wonder people don't want to hire single parents. People like OP make it so much harder for the rest of us.

I presume the OP hasn’t had any leave this year given she was expecting to have four weeks of annual leave which she’s now planning to take as illness? No? Didn’t think so.

If you were the manager, how would you cover the Christmas period to make it fair? It is bad that someone is going off sick every year but don’t make it worse.

Assuming you work Mon- Friday and are getting bank holidays plus one day of leave then you will either work two days of Christmas week and four of New year week or three Christmas and three new year - it isn’t that bad. Working at Christmas can feel festive too. If you are part time it is even less.

What is your normal Childcare arrangement? It is hard if it is just your parents and they are away but get working on it as soon as you can.

And yes. It’s precisely because of people like the OP, and about 40% of the people on this thread given the survey, that employers A, don’t want to employ women.
B, don’t want to employ single parents.
C, insist on asking women about their childcare arrangements.
D, are making a greater push to get employees back in the office.

Fully agree and I'm a lone parent myself.

Yeah, go for it.

And when your employer sees you out and about, enjoying Christmas and blatantly fine, you can have even more time off in January when you're fired for gross misconduct!

Most of us will be working until we're into our 70s, most jobs are underpaid and crap, taking a few weeks off to prioritise your young children I can't personally get too worked up about myself.