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Original poster

Christmas Eve

86 replies

fufulina · 22/09/2021 15:06

Hi - we’ve just been told that the company of giving everyone Christmas Eve off and gifting that holiday to staff. Christmas Eve is a Friday this year and I don’t work on Fridays. HR have told me to suck it up. I think that’s unfair, as full time workers gain an extra day of holiday that I don’t. What does anyone in HR think? Thank you.

OP posts:
CorrBlimeyGG · 23/09/2021 18:19

So many people willing to accept shit treatment! Probably more likely because it's affecting someone else, not them.

You are entitled to equal treatment, and not to be treated detrimentally by virtue of being a part time worker. Therefore you're entitled to this time off (on a pro rata basis). You're also entitled not to be treated unfavourably should you choose to assert your statutory right.

flowery · 24/09/2021 08:10

I wonder if thinking about it in monetary terms would help people see the importance?

If OP is paid £100 a day and work 0.8 of a week, she is effectively being docked £80 of her wages. If someone came on here and said they’d been underpaid by £80 would people tell them to “suck it up” and not make a fuss?

ChessieFL · 24/09/2021 08:19

This is interesting! I work for a massive global company and they always give an additional day off at Christmas, but it’s always on a fixed day and if you don’t work that day you don’t get the day off another time. I had always assumed as a big company that they knew what they were doing and it was legal, so interesting to find out it isn’t. It doesn’t actually affect me as I’m FT so get the day anyway, but it does show that they don’t always get things right so will be vigilant about things in future!

MrsLargeEmbodied · 24/09/2021 08:34

it doesnt really seem unfair to me

PennyWus · 24/09/2021 08:37

It is a goodwill gesture, a gift. The company doesn't have to do this for anyone, it isn't discriminatory, it isnt an established custom to give everyone a day off. It is just dumb luck.

If Christmas Eve was Thursday they probably wouldnt give anyone the day off, they've probably just done this because it makes a lovely long Christmas weekend...which you are presumed to get anyway, as you don't work Friday!

If you happened to work Fridays, you'd get the day off, so that's not discriminatory.

If an FT employee is off sick on that Christmas Eve Friday, they wouldn't have a right to ask for another day in lieu because they couldnt enjoy the gift.

If the company decided to buy everyone pizza next Christmas Eve on your day off, you wouldn't go in and complain you missed the pizza, and please could you have a pro-rata 80% share of a pizza on one of your working days, and enjoy a lunch break extended by 80% of the extra time thr FT employees were given to eat the pizza? It would be absurd.

It's a treat, it is shame you are missing out
If your manager decided to buy each of the team a Christmas gift of a box of Quality Street, your FT colleagues wouldn't feel upset if you got the same size box as them, rather than a box that was only 80% the size of theirs. They wouldnt complain to HR that the part-timers were being favoured, would they? If you happened to be on a diet when you were given the box of chocolates and so you couldnt enjoy it, you wouldnt give it back and ask for the cash so you could exchange it for some healthy apples, would you?

Willow19C · 24/09/2021 08:50

@PennyWus

It is a goodwill gesture, a gift. The company doesn't have to do this for anyone, it isn't discriminatory, it isnt an established custom to give everyone a day off. It is just dumb luck.

If Christmas Eve was Thursday they probably wouldnt give anyone the day off, they've probably just done this because it makes a lovely long Christmas weekend...which you are presumed to get anyway, as you don't work Friday!

If you happened to work Fridays, you'd get the day off, so that's not discriminatory.

If an FT employee is off sick on that Christmas Eve Friday, they wouldn't have a right to ask for another day in lieu because they couldnt enjoy the gift.

If the company decided to buy everyone pizza next Christmas Eve on your day off, you wouldn't go in and complain you missed the pizza, and please could you have a pro-rata 80% share of a pizza on one of your working days, and enjoy a lunch break extended by 80% of the extra time thr FT employees were given to eat the pizza? It would be absurd.

It's a treat, it is shame you are missing out
If your manager decided to buy each of the team a Christmas gift of a box of Quality Street, your FT colleagues wouldn't feel upset if you got the same size box as them, rather than a box that was only 80% the size of theirs. They wouldnt complain to HR that the part-timers were being favoured, would they? If you happened to be on a diet when you were given the box of chocolates and so you couldnt enjoy it, you wouldnt give it back and ask for the cash so you could exchange it for some healthy apples, would you?

So you would be happy, if you worked part time and your employer said, everyone full time gets a bonus, but you get nothing, because you're part time?

Come off it. You'd be kicking off.

123rd · 24/09/2021 09:01

I'm in the same position. Don't normally work Friday, company have given half day on Xmas eve. Oh well,51 weeks off the year I don't have to work Friday. And I'm very happy with that set up So for one week I will suck it up.
Really can't worry about it

JackieCollinshasnoauthority · 24/09/2021 09:07

@flowery

I wonder if thinking about it in monetary terms would help people see the importance?

If OP is paid £100 a day and work 0.8 of a week, she is effectively being docked £80 of her wages. If someone came on here and said they’d been underpaid by £80 would people tell them to “suck it up” and not make a fuss?

Probably, based on my experience of Mumsnet.
MeanMrMustardSeed · 24/09/2021 09:09

If someone worked Wednesday to Friday though, and were given the CE Friday off, as a percentage of the working week, they would be getting a massive benefit as a PT worker. So I guess it’s luck of the draw.

flowery · 24/09/2021 09:09

Paid time off work is not a “goodwill gesture” and should not be compared to a few Quality Street or a bit of pizza. Even for low paid workers we could be talking at least £50 in monetary value.

Part timers are entitled to the same amount of paid leave as full timers, pro rata. Therefore if full timers get more paid leave, so should part timers. Simple. It’s not difficult to grasp and it’s not difficult for the company to administer either.

mobear · 24/09/2021 09:10

When I was on mat leave my work gave everyone Christmas Eve off and they had to credit me a day’s holiday. As p/t work is mainly done by women with childcare responsibilities I’d have thought there is an element of sex discrimination in this, particularly when taking into account the rules if you were on maternity leave.

TractorAndHeadphones · 24/09/2021 09:26

The fairest way would be to swap your day off or give you time off in lieu.
However for the first part - you should be expected to stay late. Because you’re a part-timer your benefits are pro-rata so you shouldn’t get a full day off. Fair’s fair

MolyHolyGuacamole · 24/09/2021 09:46

Call in sick one day and have a nice day off

PinkTonic · 24/09/2021 09:54

Why do people keep on defending it when there are HR professionals and at least one employment lawyer on here explaining why it’s not ok? It’s illegal to discriminate on the basis of part time working. Giving fewer paid holidays to part timers is discriminatory. What has been described by the OP is unfair and illegal and it doesn’t matter whether or not they call it a goodwill gesture.

eldorado02 · 24/09/2021 10:04

My employer did this a few years ago and as a part time worker, I got the equivalent time off pro-rata. There was absolutely no quibble whatsoever, so I’m baffled that this can’t be allowed.

flowery · 24/09/2021 10:35

@PinkTonic

Why do people keep on defending it when there are HR professionals and at least one employment lawyer on here explaining why it’s not ok? It’s illegal to discriminate on the basis of part time working. Giving fewer paid holidays to part timers is discriminatory. What has been described by the OP is unfair and illegal and it doesn’t matter whether or not they call it a goodwill gesture.
Because there is still a divide, with people perceiving part timers as less important or an inconvenience
Mantlemoose · 24/09/2021 23:19

I don't work a Friday and I would be happy enough that I had a long weekend every week so it wouldn't bother me at all. It's a nice gesture imo.

flowery · 24/09/2021 23:32

@Mantlemoose

I don't work a Friday and I would be happy enough that I had a long weekend every week so it wouldn't bother me at all. It's a nice gesture imo.
Presumably you have a long weekend every week because you not only don’t work Fridays but also don’t get paid!
Willow19C · 24/09/2021 23:40

@Mantlemoose

I don't work a Friday and I would be happy enough that I had a long weekend every week so it wouldn't bother me at all. It's a nice gesture imo.
Has it ever occurred to you that maybe people don't work part time to have long weekends? Maybe they work two jobs. Maybe they have caring responsibilities? Maybe they look after an elderly parent who needs round the clock care for three days every week. Maybe they have children. Maybe they have disabled children. Maybe they are disabled themselves and can only commit to working part of the week.

Maybe, just maybe, not everyone working part time is just working part time to enjoy long weekends.

GreenClock · 07/10/2021 20:53

My workplace would not do this. Very poor behaviour.

FitAt50 · 07/10/2021 21:23

Company does something lovely but yet people still complain - I think its a lovely thing and you should be happy for your colleagues.

prh47bridge · 07/10/2021 23:32

@FitAt50

Company does something lovely but yet people still complain - I think its a lovely thing and you should be happy for your colleagues.
No, it isn't a lovely thing because they are illegally discriminating against a part time employee.
Kite22 · 07/10/2021 23:51

I think it depends a bit on what you do / how big the company is / if you need to be covered if you aren't there / and so on.

I would "bank it" and when I wanted some time off in the coming weeks / months, I would have a quiet word with my manager, and ask if I could take it in lieu of the extra day everyone else got on Christmas Eve that I missed out on.
This doesn't work so well if someone has to cover you, or if you are an employee of a really big company where there tends to be less flexibility.

SleepingStandingUp · 07/10/2021 23:56

Suck it up, it's a gift and you don't qualify. You're not missing out because you're not working anyway.

We usually get the afternoon off on Christmas Eve. If you book it as leave instead you have to book a whole day. If you don't work it, you don't get it. Simple. It's a Christmas gift FOR THOSE THAT ARE W WORKING THAT DAY

daisychain01 · 08/10/2021 06:14

It's a Christmas gift FOR THOSE THAT ARE W WORKING THAT DAY

What a wonderful kind employer, openly giving their full time employees a Christmas present and excluding their part time employees. It speaks volumes about how little they value their part time employees - who are more often then not women. Turkeys voting for Christmas springs to mind.

More like they haven't thought this through and are pretty damn clueless about employment and discrimination laws.

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