AIBU to think this isn’t fair ?

[Owlsareus]

I work in a 24/7 call centre for a bank. I work three fixed days a week due to childcare, as I have a baby in nursery.

This year, Christmas Day falls on one of my usual working days, and I’ve been told I must work it. Normally, everyone submits preferences for Christmas and New Year, and shifts are allocated fairly, with the general understanding that you do either Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, not both.

However, I’ve now been scheduled to work both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

When I queried this, my manager said that because Christmas Day falls on my set working day, I have to work it and that it “wouldn’t be fair on anyone else” to allocate it differently.

I don’t feel this is fair — having set days for childcare shouldn’t automatically mean I lose the usual fair rotation

So… AIBU to think this isn’t fair?

But will there be years where your set working days mean you are automatically off for both Christmas and New Year? Will you be offering to work one of them to make that year fair?

Yes I have done set days with other children. I have always put a preference down and worked it , whether it be Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day , New Year’s Day as that’s the ones we fill the preferences out for

this year I’m doing Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

I think if everyone sticks to their set working days every year then it will always be fair.

I don’t think it’s fair you should work both. I’m in the NHS, it doesn’t matter if Christmas/New years day falls within someone’s normal working day in our dept. They are holidays, not normal working days, and are split between everyone. One year on Christmas Day or Boxing day, One year New Year’s Day, one year off both etc. This is the only way I’ve ever heard of it working on holiday days in any profession that works 365 days. You should have one or the other off in my opinion.

2 other staff have set days
1 staff has set day off each week
other staff member has set days like myself
everyone else just gets random days as it’s a 24/7 rota . Manager said it’s not fair if I have Christmas Day off as it’s my set day to work. However I disagree and think that automatically assigning me Christmas Day because it’s a set day, they’ve effectively removed me from the fair process ( which is each year we fill out our preferences )

Is it the type of job you have to go to or is a work from home only have to be available to take calls kind of job because I can't imagine anyone will ring a bank on Christmas day so I don't think it will particularly effect your day

Imagine for example, your working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday etc. Would it then be fair that you end up working every single bank holiday Monday just because it’s your normal working day? Of course it wouldn’t. Bank holidays are always staffed differently to normal working days.

But a preference is just that? The shift needs to be covered and if there isn’t enough people willing to work a day that they wouldn’t normally then it’s down to you as it’s a working day surely?

What has time manager said about news years day if you only need to work one of the two?

The Christmas Day is already covered
I’m actually on as extra
he said that he has to allocate me Christmas Day , as it’s my set working day and it wouldn’t be fair on others

So what happens New Year’s Day then?

I am working that too, as I usually work wed

The main issue for me would be finding out so late or have you just assumed you weren’t working?

Is that a typo, NYD is on Thursday

Sorry yes I work wed and Thursday

You need to check your contract and what it says about bank holidays really.

When I worked in hospitality , if it was your usual day to work, then you worked it, so I had to work my fair share of Christmas days. Not fair for others who don’t work that day as a usual day to have to work it, there will be some years you don’t work any of the “special days”

Unfortunately I just had to suck it up and work it. My children were young then too.

I would reply and say “that is fine but I want your confirmation that I am not working Xmas Day, Boxing Day or NYD for 2026, 2027, 2028 & 2029 as these do not land on my set working days.”

(Actually Boxing Day 2029 is - sorry.)

Next year you get Christmas Eve and day off, that will be fair if you work this year and get next year off

I’m on the fence.

Usually you don’t have to work Xmas Eve, Xmas day and New Year’s Day or you do hang days etc so that it’s fair on everyone.

But I used to work for a job that was on a rota - 4 days on, 4 days off.
I could not do this due to childcare and asked for set days with the agreement that if my work days fell on bank holidays, Xmas etc that I would be the one to work.

Usually we just fill out a preference sheet. We work one of them .
in other years I have always put a preference down ( despite them not always falling on a day I work) as my wife is off to have the children. As I thought only fair

Have you asked if anyone will swap with you? 20 years ago I was single and couldn’t care less about Christmas, I would happily have worked it for someone who didn’t want to, and did although I got paid double time for it too.

Can you WFH? I doubt many people will want to phone their bank on Christmas Day?

I think if you have set shifts then that's what you work. It will suck some years but others will work in your favour.
I work for the NHS, 2 sets shifts a week. I get both Christmas and new year off this year but next year I'll be working. (I don't have kids and would be happy to swap shifts if anybody asked but so far nobody has).

So to clarify, the historic practice is that all bets are off in terms of fixed working days and you consistently work one of the 'key shifts' over Xmas or new year even if these didn't fall on your set days (eg if you worked Mon/Tues/wed and the holidays fell Thurs/Fri/sat, you would still work one of those shifts in addition to/instead of your normal shifts?)

or have you always had your set shifts fall on at least one of those days (not sure how many days you work!) and you're just using the 'preference to swap your one Xmas shift for a different Xmas shift?

If it's the former, they are being massively unreasonable. If you've took a turn on years you weren't contracted, then they can't expect you to do them all now. If you were just only ever doing the number that fell on your working days, then it's more reasonable to insist, because in other years you'll be off entirely again!

Yes , so I have participated in putting preferences down and working my non working days for Christmas Boxing Day and new year. As it’s how it’s always been an I thought I was being fair taking part in the preference list and working them ( even when falling on my NWD)