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.

Do you not have the imagination to realise that some places and services are really busy on Christmas Eve?

This thread is about offices, it’s literally in the first sentence…

Most offices are not a hub of activity at 4pm on CE.

Clearly the op isn’t in an office that is essential and MUST be open Christmas Eve or I imagine she wouldn’t be so disgruntled about having to go in unnecessarily would she.
Like I said upthread, I’m a HCP who works over christmas and new year- because my work is actually essential 365 days a year and I accept that. I’d be pissed off if I worked a job where my boss had me in for the sake of it.

The reality of being a working adult I'm afraid. I mean we could all decide to bog off home early, leave the deadlines unmet, come back to a load of complaints and fines, unhappy clients leaving and ultimately lose revenue for the company but that wouldn't be a great long term plan really.

Arriving at midnight at the earliest?

So many horrible posts in this thread from people who are gleeful about the op having to work Christmas Eve, just because they are. Imagine being so spiteful and miserable that you’re happy that someone’s missing christmas with her mum. Nasty bunch.

The reality of being a working adult I'm afraid

Well not really since so many of us don’t have to do that on CE.

Schools are off on Christmas Eve, it definitely isn't just another working day.

The MD of our company has decreed the Christmas night out is on the 23rd and still expects everyone to come in for Christmas Eve to work until he decides on the day when the office will close. I've booked the time off as I do every year because we have a holiday lodge we get from the 22nd for the week. Loads of other people wanted to go off on the 20th but boss got arsey and blocked them taking leave.

There is absolutely no business reason for doing so, there will be no vital work done on those days. My biggest client general has staff off for the whole of the previous week and the only clients who set deadline for "before Christmas" are idiots who want something on their desk so it can sit for two weeks until,the come back.

All this is to say, there are absolutely unreasonable bosses, who want to feel like they control their staff and make decisions for maximum inconvenience rather than for business need.

@oliverwe there's still time to find another job hand in your 4 week notice before Christmas!

You’re telling that to someone who worked nights last Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the late (13:30-20:00) the year before and Boxing Day and new years night the year before that. In a proper adult job.

i still don’t begrudge office workers Christmas Eve off with their families. Because I’m not spiteful.

What if everyone in every profession wanted to 'get gone' for Christmas.

The emergency services are on duty 24/7/365. Should we all do that?

Christmas Eve is Tuesday. She could easily get to Cornwall on the Sunday, and work at her parents' house Monday and Tuesday.
If he's WFH regularly, he shouldn't expect his staff to do 5 days in the office every weak, especially over Christmas when public transport is buggered. It is terrible management.

It really depends, there are plenty that are for international companies, internet/tech based companies, companies with call departments related to abuse over the holidays, many with HQs in countries/cultures that don't celebrate Christmas, many related to public transport etc.

Rubbish. I’m able to work from home but trying to figure out how I can have the day off. I need to carry over 2-3 days annual
leave for next year as we’ve got quite a big holiday booked. Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day IMO 😂

@oliverwe my hubby always gave the admins in his office the week off and roped me in instead. we still closed at 1pm. then we always had solictors secretaries email or fax an urgent job that needed to be done that day. the minute the secretaries pressed the send button they ran out their office doors so we couldnt even ask a question about the jobs! you cant wfh and travel at the same time though! that is just a stupid argument!

I don’t have a job that can work from home, but I would be very irritated if I’d had to be in the office on this occasion of my job could be done from home and my boss was working from home. How horrendous for staff morale and well being! What’s the reason for not having to be in the office? Does it affect the business?

The city of London empties out considerably over the course of CE, even more so with wfh. Imagine all those law firms, banks etc with workers who just don’t know how to adult & keep a business afloat.

Part of my work was in an office. It was busy on Christmas Eve.

@potatocakesinprogress it doesn’t depend, as I said the majority of offices are not a hive of activity late afternoon on CE.

NB this doesn’t mean every single office…

I won't be working on Christmas Eve. I no longer have to. However her employer has every right to expect staff to attend the office if they see fit.

Part of my work was in an office. It was busy on Christmas Eve.

I used to work in a shop on Bond Street & it was dead by the afternoon if you want anecdotes.

A little flexibility goes a long way. You won't be flexible in return when he needs a 'favour'.

The emergency services are on duty 24/7/365. Should we all do that?

🤦‍♀️

I hate working Christmas Eve and in the last nursery I was at we closed at 6pm Christmas Eve and yes we literally had parents turning up at 5:57pm, mostly parents who had been home all day
And we were open again on the 27th.
People say it's a normal working day but it shouldn't be or at least most places should close around lunchtime.
I'm now a carer for DS so not working out of the home and am so excited about Christmas Eve. We've planned a dvd day of Christmas films and a takeaway.
But yeah it's rubbish having to work Christmas Eve and it's incredibly shit if manager's don't work it (ours used to sneak off about 2pm, then send her DH to pick up their DS up about 5 o clock.)

Agree. Squeezing pennies of profit should not come before a people's need to practice their cultural traditions and be with family. I hate what has happened to our countries.

Mine is technically an office, but a small call centre and we are busy up until we close
People will try ringing us on Boxing Day as well, then ring on the 27th and complain we weren't open for 2 days
NYE is also a fairly busy one

Hmm if the managers were going to be in the office then I’d say YABU but because they WFH then I’d say YANBU.

We are asking our team to work in the office as normal on Xmas Eve albeit with an early finish but then managers will be in too.