Completely shafted over in the christmas rota

[Mysticcatmum]

I work in a call centre

Everyone has to work 2 out of the 3 bank holidays, I put in my preferred date of Xmas off

I have been scheduled to work Xmas day, new years eve and day

I then have the parents of toddlers asking me to cover their Christmas eve shifts as I am 'childless'. I have found out that the same people do infact have off Xmas day

Apologies, more of a rant but AIBU to be sick of the mentality of 'christmas is for kids'?! Despite me adoring the holiday

It's not cheeky to ask if anyone willing to swap Christmas eve, it's cheeky if you get shirty if no one wants to.

If I had to work the 25th and 27th and had 28th off, I'd rather swap to working the 24th and have 3 days off in a row 26th-28th rather than it in bits. So it could suit some people.

If you're working 2/3 bank holidays then really it's every 3rd year you can expect it to be Christmas day. It sucks, but it's the way that job works. And it's an essential job so they need to make sure adequately staffed.

its not unreasonable to ask, but it is unreasonable to use having children VS them not having children to guilt trip someone into swapping.

Yeah I used to work in retail, I left after my manager told me that parents had priority for Xmas Eve off. It's like no one else enjoys Christmas!

Hello lovely. HR in a call centre and working the same as you. I know we'll probably close half day on Christmas eve and new year's eve, so doesn't bother me. Have taken the crap shifts so some of my direct reports get family time, but they have made sure I'm off 27th and 30th and fist week back in Jan when all hell generally breaks loose in HR in call centers. I feel your pain as was childless and used to get the same until DPs DSS came to live with us after visitingfor Xmas 2020 at 15 and never leaving(my choice as adore him and he now calls me Mum...not crying honestly)
For context, this doesn't surprise me as we get a lot of people sending in emails to HR saying 'I want to raise a grievance as I have kids and so-and-so doesn't and won't swap with me, it's discrimination. '
I generally reply that no it's not and they are under no obligation to swap with you and it's not a grievance.
What I want to say is 'stop it, it's not and perhaps if you were nicer and less entitled someone may have done you a solid, but because you're an arse, they won't.'
But apparently that's frowned upon lol. Sending call centre solidarity xxx

"What I want to say is 'stop it, it's not and perhaps if you were nicer and less entitled someone may have done you a solid, but because you're an arse, they won't.'
But apparently that's frowned upon lol."

It's a shame, in a way, that it is frowned on, @NefertitHR - sometimes people need to hear the truth. I'm not advocating being rude or hurtful, but tactfully honest.

Those who think parents cannot possibly be away from their children must struggle to think very hard. A significant proportion of children have separated parents. Those children - of which I was one - celebrate Christmas on various days with each parent. There isn’t hand wringing on here. We celebrated Christmas usually somewhere on the 24th to 26th.

He did request that but no one else in the team agreed. Apparently the current way is the fairest, which is probably true but not for him.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius you are not wrong there! Sometimes I have to sugar coat the truth so much it makes my teeth 😬 hurt.

@BigManLittleDignity very true but sadly some are so entitled that they think everyone else should accommodate what they want and no compromise

Yes ... guilt tripping for whatever reason would come under the umbrella of getting shirty 😂

obviously not your fault, but with the money most corporate places make, and even in the public sector, waste, I don't see why they can't make the 'bad' days attractive enough that people volunteer, either in terms of pay or days off. It wouldn't cost that much and would surely be worth it in terms of goodwill, and not risking people calling in sick etc.

The only place I worked where we had a Christmas rota you only got the same 'day in lieu' for christmas day as you did for working a random saturday, and because Christmas Eve and NYE weren't BH's you got nothing extra at all (although when I became union rep I campaigned to get days in lieu for them as well, on the basis that the majority of the shift did go into the BH).

Tell them to pissoff selfish people so what you don't have kids how annoying are some people and I wouldn't work them certain 3 days by law you only have to do 1 out of the 3

I can undrrstand that everyone has to work one unpopular shift but you ars being penalised. Complain and don't agree to work them.

That’s so unfair, at least give you New Year’s Eve and day off if they’re going with the ‘childless’ angle. I’ve always known it to be Xmas or new years, not both

Policy is 2 days and you're doing two days. The unfairness is that the criterion for allocating those two days is parental status, which disregards the family commitments and needs of people who happen not to have children (eg caring responsibilities).
If you have an HR dept I would suggest mailing them to request an assurance that staff who get shifts for Christmas Day will be rotated yearly so that the process is fair to everyone.

Maintenance help desk for hotel chains and restaurants etc who offer a service themselves on Christmas Day.

In this threads case it is for someone working for a health service.

For context, this doesn't surprise me as we get a lot of people sending in emails to HR saying 'I want to raise a grievance as I have kids and so-and-so doesn't and won't swap with me, it's discrimination.

That happened to me last year. Thankfully our HR told her the same as I was (irrationally) worried about somehow getting into trouble with it. Some people have absolute brass necks!

The unfairness is that the criterion for allocating those two days is parental status

I don't think OP has said anything about how it's allocated.

"...I then have the parents of toddlers asking me to cover their Christmas eve shifts as I am 'childless'. I have found out that the same people do infact have off Xmas day" ... I think the implication is that it looks like parents of young children have got Christmas Day off, and childless are working.

Sorry to sound like a cow, but if it didn't get sorted, then I would be tempted to hand my notice in, work 4 weeks notice, then leave them high and dry for staffbin mid-December. Cheeky buggers 😠

My Oh was a civil servant and we had this every year- people with children got priority for time off- much more serious for you though, because it is the bank holidays as well. When he started in the civil service it was seniority that got you priority , once he had seniority it was if you had children. Personally this would have been a deal breaker for me- it is grossly unfair to get priority because you decided to have children- at rock bottom it is just time off and you are equally entitled whatever your parental status.

So sorry to hear that! I get why something like this would make you worry as these individuals don't let it go, as the more they create trouble, they think people will roll over to just her peace.
Interestingly as I'd given them short shrft as HR on this, they then raised a grievance against me for bullying them.

Pre kids I always offered to work Bh for anyone with kids or caring responsibilities.

Sometimes several people would ask me though so someone is always disappointed.

Say no you already have made plans.
I remember this very well, as if my plans were not valid. My family live all over and we get together every Christmas miles from where I live, some years I wanted to go too and it was seemed unimportant.

I do totally understand people want to be with their children at Christmas, but that doesn’t mean every year the childless people have to conform if they don’t want to when the job is for all to possibly cover Christmas.

I agree it sounds a bit rubbish but you’ve said everyone has to work 2 of the 3 bank holidays (Xmas day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) so that’s what you’ve got and you have Boxing Day off? Surely there must be others working Christmas and New Year’s Day?
It’s wrong of others to ask you to work Xmas Eve as well surely on the basis you are child free so I’d tell them to do one.
What did you work last year? I’d tend to think it was unfair if you didn’t get what you wanted last year either.
For what it’s worth I think it’s shit than anyone has to work Christmas Day unless they are on a vital frontline service like NHS.What sort of call centre is open Xmas day?