To think you shouldn't have to work in the office on Christmas Eve?

[oliverwe]

I work in an office environment. Some people work from home fully remotely, most people are in the office 3-4 days a week. My manager has decided that we must come in 5 days a week. That is minus him and other managers of course, who usually go to their country houses for long weekends.

My folk live in Cornwall and I'd like to go and see them for Christmas. It's about 6 hours on the train or driving.

Manager has told me he expects me in the office on Christmas Eve. I can't take annual leave as other people are. AIBU to think I shouldn't need to be in the office? I can and used to work from home so it's just grinch behaviour.

The reality is that so many people are off over Christmas that Xmas eve isn't a normal working day, you can't progress things in the usual way so it's holding the fort type work.

Your manager is being a twat.

It does seem very mean spirited, especially if managers are working from home! I’m not sure what else you can do though other than call in sick (although they will know exactly why!) and get your request for a/l in quicker next year.

I work in IT, we have loads of deadlines end of the year and we also need to be working because our clients might have problems we need to help with.
BUT our management is always present, handing out chocolate milk or other festive treats to show the employees they are really around.

OP seems to be proposing that there should be an extra paid holiday every year, but only for office-based employees. I'd like to see any politician take that one up!

The thing is, if Christmas Eve holidays become ‘a thing’, then people will still start demanding 23rd December time- off, so they can get to Granny's house for Christmas Eve…

Obviously in reality Christmas Eve is not just like any other day. The thing is in employment law it is. So any difference to a normal working day is down to the goodwill of your employer.

Hmm, and be asked if she also wants his responsibility as well?

Right? But it's not for the OP in light of the reasons she's given.
If you have any constructive advice, I'm sure OP would be happy to hear it...

Because if she's already at home, bags packed, she can likely be on the road to Cornwall as soon as she's finished work.

That's just semantics. If a person's family lives six hours away by car and you want to be with them on Christmas morning then, yes, you NEED to travel on Christmas Eve, if not before.

Then they NEED to book time off work, like they would any other time of the year.

They don't if they can travel up the night before then work from home (albeit their parents!?) This is just the boss being unnecessarily Grinchy.

So many corporate bootlickers on this thread. OP can do her job perfectly well from home, including from her parents Christmas Eve. Its an arbitrary rule that management themselves won't adhere to but expect OP to for no real reason. Sad that some people are so indoctrinated that they think this sort of thing purely for the sake of it is reasonable.

The last 3 offices I've worked, there was no expectation for people to come in on Xmas eve. One was an events company, one was a tech company and one was a school. Given the choice I wouldn't work somewhere with rules like your place OP. I get why some roles need people to work onsite, but if a job can be done remotely then I think it's only right to allow flexibility for workers.

Very miserable. Christmas Eve is the best day of the festive period. I used to work in education and when I stopped and realised I might have to work on Christmas Eve, I was distraught. We run our team on a skeleton of volunteers, as we do need physical presence. For all the typical hairshirt mumsnetters who say it’s just another day - it’s not, and it’s clear that the OP would have taken leave if she could.