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

New year's eve is not a bank holiday.

Bank holidays are Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day (also 2nd Jan in Scotland).

I don't see it as that, it's a pretty common thread around this time
Generally when someone is saying they have children and can't work Christmas and then pester people without children to work it all for them. Usually from when the child is born until they're 16 because "Christmas is for children"

Been there, done that, been pestered and got the t shirt

She isn’t, though. It’s two out of the three - the same for everyone.

I suspect the parents are wondering if you’d want to swap New Year’s Eve for Christmas Eve? New year was more fun when I was young- I don’t really care about it at all now so would happily work that day. Christmas Eve is one id try and get off if at all possible. It’s often a good one If you’re not travelling, have no dependents as offices tend to shut early but I hated it the few times I’ve worked it once I’ve had children.

Can you tell them you have a holiday booked and you’ll lose money if you have to cancel? If not do that next year and/ or fake a pregnancy or relationship with step kids.

Presumably Christmas was the most popular day off so not everyone could have their first choice?
Ask for the reasoning and refuse to swap if you don't want to. If you have a special reason for not being able to work (eg you'll be alone on Christmas if you can't get a train on the evening of the 23rd, and your work cant be done remotely) make your case to your manager. Where I work, the younger child free people get first consideration because so many live in flat shares and need to make long journeys back to their families whereas the parents work near their homes.

Before I had kids, Christmas happened in my parents' house 2.5 hours away, so if I was working Christmas that would've meant being alone. And at the mercy of shit public transport whenever I was free to travel.

These days because I have little children and a house, Christmas happens in my house. It would be shit to work Christmas Day but I would still get to see everyone before and after work and join in the celebrations.

Much like OP I've always loved Christmas and much as it has changed now I have DC it's no less important to me.

Obviously not.

I wrote the duty rotas for a large hospital department for many years and I would never have rostered anyone like that unless they'd actually requested to work both Christmas and New Year, which staff from overseas with no nearby family occasionally did as they prefered to use the lieu days to extend anual leave.
Obviously it depends to some degree on how many staff there are and how many needed on duty but I'd be surprised if it couldn't be shared more equitably.
I used to aim to give everyone at least either Christmas Day or New Year's Day off. There were people who had preferences and I'd accomodate them as much as possible. When we had a bunch of young, single staff who wanted to party on NYE and sleep it off on NYD and some who had young children who didn't want to work Christmas, then great, all shifts covered and everyone happy, but having small children didn't give anyone more priority if nobody volunteered for Christmas. People with grown up children or no children still have families and friends and shouldn't be forced to work more than their fair share of the festive period or to pick up Christmas Day every year.
I would query this OP, definitely don't give in to emotional blackmail to also work Christmas Eve, and at the very least, if things can't be changed, do ensure that what you have worked this year is recorded and taken into consideration next year.

The issue with the approach of give parents grace because kids are only little for a short while, is that this is a constantly changing category of people. New colleague joins who has young kids, existing colleague has a baby etc. it's not a static number.

I understand the argument about Christmas being important for young children. However I've seen the fall-out from a former job, where a Christian employee wanted Christmas day off for religious reasons, but was told their request was less of a priority because he didn't have children. There are people for whom Christmas is a religious holiday that they want time off to celebrate - what about their requests?

@buffyspikefaith yup! I agree!

I've been qualified for 14 years! I now have a 5 year old and take my turn working Christmas.
If i never had children (which was nearly a reality as we struggled to conceive) would i be expected to work every Christmas?!
Fuck no!

My dad was a police officer and worked a lot of Christmas it never affected us. We had lovely Christmas' and we were festive on other days as well!

You have my sympathy OP. I worked 7 Christmases, got last year off and it basically caused WW3 as the parent who got rota’d was outraged by it and then called in sick. She’s now smug as anything as she’s got her 9th one off and I’m rota’d on again.

The parents I work with are nightmarish though - they all believe they’re entitled to never work any shift that inconveniences them, and it does my head in how much they’re pandered to.

Don’t cover or swap anything. I’ve always hated NY so was never a fan of the endlessly-toted “oh you’re childless, you must prefer going out and getting smashed” narrative.

Is there a deal where you get Christmas Day off next year.
Do they swap you all around each year so in the long run it’s fare

why "technically?" you are doing the 2 days, just like everyone else.

Realistically Christmas day is going to be the one day off everyone wants, so if things were absolutely fair you'd only get it off every three years. Unless you are going to drip feed and say you've done it the last 5 years then you've not been screwed at all. They sound like they've done as much as they can by making sure the people working Christmas day aren't doing Christmas Eve and Boxing Day - technically you could have been rota'd to do all three.

If you really like Christmas surely you'd prefer to be working NYE than Christmas Eve?

It sounds like even if you got Christmas Day off this year you'd be moaning about working Christmas Eve, Boxing day, NYE and NYD, plus moaning the next two years when it was your turn to work Christmas day, so can't see what you'd have been offered that you would be happy with!

People nagging you to swap Christmas Eve as well is a different thing and nothing to do with the rota, just tell them no or offer to swap for christmas day instead as others have suggested. If you feel that people are unfairly nagging or guilt tripping people to cover their days suggest something to management - i.e. people can only put request swaps in an email/on a board/at a designated time and nobody is allowed to ask anyone in person.

I do think Christmas is for small children, and it's good if their parents get the day off. So I would be one of those that would volunteer to work Christmas if I had none, or they were older. Tis the season of giving and all that

Yanbu. Is Xmas eve counted for the allocation?
Just tell any askers that you are doing your share of hours, and you have nothing to add.

Working Christmas Day and Boxing Day would be worse.

How would a fake pregnancy help with her not having to work 2 of the 3 bank holidays, like she (and everyone else) is doing this year?

they aren't though? They are working 2 out of 3, just like everyone else. How do so many people old enough to be posting on MN not know when the bank holidays are? They're (the ones we are talking about, obvs not May etc) the same every year!

OP has actually been comparatively lucky in getting Christmas Eve off.
Their work could have scheduled OP in for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and NYE = still only 2 BHs. They seem to have tried to be as fair as possible by giving people working Christmas Day, Christmas Eve and Boxing Day off. You can't please everyone.

That sounds shit OP! When I was a cabin crew they gave me a flight to Saudi Arabia on Christmas Day when I had requested it off 😫

Very cheeky of the parents asking you to take on their Christmas Eve shift, I’m a single parent and wouldn’t dream of asking. A simple blunt NO if they are rude enough to ask again.

back in my Army days, the default for those setting the rosters was for marrieds with kids to have preference over Christmas, and singlies to have preference for new year.

I used to volunteer to do the christmas stuff because i had no children (woman, not allowed back then) and i was more often then able to avoid having to work on NYE (didn't mind a shift, but a guard duty was hellish on that night).

OP, can you offer to swap NYE for Christmas eve (if you don't mind that?)
Otherwise - just smile, "not possible" and move on.

I think you might be projecting with your very agreesive response there.

OP - Different days will be important to different people. They’re all working 2 out of 3 bank holidays so you haven’t been shafted as such. But if you aren’t happy with your designated days then you should look to discuss with your team to see if they have any desire to swap!

I think too many people interpret ',family friendly ' as 'young family friendly'! Family is family.

be glad you're not in Germany. The day falls on the day and that is it. Christmas Eve is usually a half day (but not a legal requiremet) as is NYE.
So if Christmas Eve falls on Friday, you're back at work on the Monday

Why? What's the problem with just saying, 'No, I can't cover for you.'?