To be shit scared I'll loose my job

[SunshineInCorwall]

We have a first come, first served for Christmas and if you work one Christmas Day you get the next off. Most of our team have children under 8.

This year its my turn to work. Howver, that every other Christmas I've been due to work recently, there has been some emergency and I've had to call in a day or so nefore Christmas. Kids sick, DH sick, you know real life!

Just overheard two colleagues seriously talking about whether they "take the hit now" and offer to swap with me now or which one will be on call to cover me over Christmas, so they can manage expectations for their kids, they seemed really worried as noth have had to step in on a previous Christmas. Our team leader also overheard and just said to them that she's "aware" and will move heaven and to protect their break. (she's already working running the whole dept over Christmas so won't see her children at all, so not sure what that means)

I'm shit scared that something will happen and I will loose my job. What can I do? My husband is wonderful but useless so can't leave him to anything.

Would you quietly approach colleagues and ask them to swap?

No you don’t quietly ask one of your colleagues if they’ll give up yet another Christmas Day to cover your ass, you take it as a wake up call and go to work ffs. You’re a big girl, “real life” isn’t an excuse. It’s usually used by CFs to do as they please and sod the rest.

Is your DH really that useless or are you a control freak - there are a lot of mums around who can't be doing with their husbands putting odd socks on the kids or cooking them beige food while they're not there. Not ideal, but hardly worth ruining other peoples' Christmases for.

If he really is that useless, tell him to grow up and look after his own children.

Yet another woman procreating with a useless man! So many threads on here with difficult situations caused by that!

This! You have two whole weeks to call in every single favour you're owed, and warn everyone on that list that whatever happens, you will be turning up for work.

Jeez this has to be a joke right?

I’ve always worked in care and there’s a few varieties of these people.

There’s the ones that get themselves signed off for the two week Christmas period.

The ones that start sniffing a few days ahead of time then inevitably call in on Christmas Day.

And the ones that come in, claim they’re unwell and make such a fuss the other staff insist they go home (which was planned).

If I were the other colleagues I’d turn my phone off and let OP crack on.

Real life, my arse.

Organise emergency childcare now for Christmas, and pay for them to be on call, instead of getting your dh a Christmas present (his gift is being tolerated to be so adorably incompetent)

No, he grows up and you go in work and don't ruin your colleagues Christmas

You chose this man to have children with, so surely you thought he was worthy and capable, no?

Leave him to it if there's an 'emergency' ... it's called parenting and he needs to get on with it.

My husband is wonderful but useless so can't leave him to anything.
He is an adult - treat him as one.

Would you quietly approach colleagues and ask them to swap?
If you want to lose your job, crack on. That is the way to go.

Sounds as if you are Teeing one up already to be honest. Also sounds as if you (and your DH) need to grow up and take responsibility.... you know, real life !
Just as well you have conscientious colleagues and a team leader who sounds amazing. Don't take advantage of them 😡

Honestly it’s an unwritten rule. If you are Rota’d to work Christmas you work Christmas! No matter if you’re unwell etc or kids unwell etc you find someone else to care for them. I couldn’t forgive myself having ruined someone else’s Christmas unless it’s a close family bereavement/ emergency hospital admission etc. everyone assumes sickness at Christmas = pulling a sicky. Whether you are or not

Are you saying you can't leave your husband to parent your children by himself?

I notice the OP hasn’t returned. This is too far fetched to be true.

You are absolutely taking the piss and I agree with the pp who thinks you’d already planned to call in again this year. You have a husband. Unless he’s in hospital he will just have to manage should some convenient crisis arise.

I used to work in the leisure industry so have come across my fair share of people who didn’t want to work the less pleasant shifts. If that’s what the job needs then that’s what you do. Those that tried to get out of taking their turn got short shrift from everyone else. And everyone knows when people are taking the piss. I remember one year having a competition between different sites to see who had the most people calling in ‘sick’ on Boxing Day/new years day. We know.

This thought I suspect OPs reputation is not salvagable. She will always be the flakey one who conveniently gets ill at Christmas.

I can't believe your even actually thinking about asking for a swap

Come on OP it's obvious you come up with any excuse (or maybe even lies) to avoid working Christmas. I'm not sure how you can still show your face at work tbh. It's do or die. Either find a way to work come hell or high water or if I was your colleagues I'd be making zero effort to make your work life comfortable from that day on. There's very little genuine reason for not turning up to a Christmas shift and shitting all over your colleagues so just grow up

You are ripping the piss, either on here or in your work 🤣

I'm not usually so irate at this stuff but you can't seriously be expecting to pre-emptively make your colleague work your Christmas shift on the off chance something happens which means you'll be unable to work it, and on top of that your DH helping you out isn't even on your list of potential solutions?

Genuinely what are the chances of a repeat bout of illness directly on Christmas day that is so serious that you would need to be at home that your DH can't help with.

If you're genuinely worried about losing your job over this because you've demonstrably not done your fair share of Christmas days so far, do you not think it's a poor solution to play right into your team's fear of you leaving them to cover your shift again? Do you not think it would be wise to instruct your DH to be available?

Christmas is on a Sunday this year, lots of people will be off work and most importantly, as you are due to work anyway, surely you have already had to arrange childcare as you know a full year in advance that you will be working?

I ont understand. Why would you be asking to swap? You can work.

I agree, or it must be a strangely constructed reverse.

I struggle to believe that a husband can be that useless.

I feel it's an exaggerated excuse to get the outcome the OP wants, which is not to work at Christmas.

Also struggling to believe that there's an emergency every single Christmas.

No wonder the colleagues are moaning, they have every right to.

I don't actually believe this post. If you missed one Christmas you were supposed to work you surely offer to work the following one - and it sounds like you have missed a few.

It has similarities to one or two other recent threads.

Get your shit together and turn up for work.

Not sure how you could ever repay the colleges that have jumped in the previous years for what? A DH who is unable to look after HIS children?