It's a bit of long are we being unreasonable!
I work in the hospitality industry which includes working days and nights till 6am and have done for many years, for the first 5 years in my field I had set days off (Wednesday/Thursday) I changed departments and no longer had these days off set in stone anymore. But more often than not I would have those days off as it meant I would be working on the weekend. Also fine and to be expected, I'd get the odd weekend off here and there which was a welcome change.
Then a few years ago they introduced a 'flexibility clause' into everyone's contract meaning that they could change your shift pattern/days of work whatever they wanted, if you showed up to work that was you automatically accepting the contract. But flexibility works both ways we shouted and a system was implemented where we could request ad hoc days off. As the rota was always changing and you'd have any idea what days or nights you'd be working the following two weeks, you could request days off months in advance, so you could plan your life, attend events, visit family etc (our earliest shift finish is 8pm but you could be working a night shift)
Then last week an email went out saying we're no longer allowed to put day off requests in, if someone on our department is on holiday it will be automatically declined (I work 4 days a week, so have 3 days off a week)
Then another email was received that says we're no longer allowed to request days off at either side of a holiday request. ( so for a weeks holiday I'd have requested my 4 days holiday and then my days off either side, usually just the two days, like if you took a week off working a Monday to Friday job you'd have the weekend off.
Currently as it stands we have a flexible rota that only works one way, no day off requests, and holiday has to be used for any time off you require. There are no set shifts, so we'll have no idea what days we'll have off at any given time. I request days off sometimes more than 6 months in advance, and am now being told that if someone requests holiday at the same time it will be declined, despite us having to have our days off that week. They're declaring we have to use holiday for any time at all we want to take off. Our holiday for the year for full time is 28 days. Surely it's a digital system and they could use a first come first serve approach like they do with holiday requests.
Now my question is, who is being unreasonable here, us or the company.
Obviously I've had enough and this is the last straw, so I'm looking for another job, but I'd just like to get some perspective are we being unreasonable to expect flexible rotas to work both ways.