Opinions Please - Work Issue.

j.e.j.

amus wrote: »

IMO it does sound like your colleague was being purposefully awkward. If it were me I would just make sure I dont bother offering to cover for her when she might need it.

I agree with your post, but I think a tit-for-tat thing could escalate and get out of hand. I think the management need to get involved here and nip the situation in the bud.

amus

Fire_Fox wrote: »

She is clearly being unreasonable about October. Everyone is not being treated the same, two years in a row you have decided to work Christmas eve and offered the opportunity to someone on the basis of them having small children. Preferential treatment.

You have not explained how covering the phones affects others, does it mean they can't have a lunch break or that they have to have a short lunch break or have to go late/ early? How often are the extended lunches for the nursery?

Surely its up to her to decide when she wants to take her holidays? Do you seriously expect OP to take holidays/flexi she doesnt want just because that will mean somebody who wants it off can have the time off?

My colleagues (some with, some without children) often want to get off early on a Friday. I always work the late because it suits my arrangements. Should I stop working the lates on Friday just because it may be perceived as unfair on me to do it all the time?

GobbledyGook

I think she sounds grumpy, but can understand her getting grumpy over the Christmas issue. If there is an extra 'off' spot for Christmas then the allocation of that should be done fairly rather than just assuming a trade between two people is ok.

She may be thinking about future years. If the OP is happy to work Christmas Eve then does that mean every year they will work and the other lady will be off every year? That wouldn't be fair at all and I can totally understand that being extremely irritating.

amus

j.e.j. wrote: »

I agree with your post, but I think a tit-for-tat thing could escalate and get out of hand. I think the management need to get involved here and nip the situation in the bud.

Perhaps, but I usually just find its more subtle than that (perhaos not the case in OPs office judging by the attitude of this lady).

Theres a woman in my workplace who will never ever offer to stay late if somebody asks for cover. Thats fine thats her choice. An e-mail went round the other day, her asking for someone to cover her late. Surprisingly, nobody offered!

Fire_Fox

amus wrote: »

Surely its up to her to decide when she wants to take her holidays? Do you seriously expect OP to take holidays/flexi she doesnt want just because that will mean somebody who wants it off can have the time off?

My coleagues (some with, some without children) often want to get off early on a Friday. I always work the late because it suits my arrangements. Should I stop working the lates on Friday just because it may be perceived as unfair on me to do it all the time?

What are you on about? Where have I said the OP should change their holidays or flexi time? If you read the entire sentence and the entire thread the unfairness clearly about who is offered the opportunity to have Christmas eve off.
" ... offered the opportunity to someone on the basis of them having small children. Preferential treatment."

GobbledyGook

amus wrote: »

My coleagues (some with, some without children) often want to get off early on a Friday. I always work the late because it suits my arrangements. Should I stop working the lates on Friday just because it may be perceived as unfair on me to do it all the time?

What if you working late all the time meant one person got away early? Would it be fair if no-one else got the opportunity to finish early rather than just the one person?

amus

Fire_Fox wrote: »

What are you on about? Where have I said the OP should change their holidays or flexi time?

Yes sorry I have, just re-read.

I still dont see why the woman was grumpy, she had had the christmas before off also, so if she wanted to put in for the leaving early she could have done.

OP had this woman expressed a desire in leaving early this christmas also?

amus

GobbledyGook wrote: »

What if you working late all the time meant one person got away early? Would it be fair if no-one else got the opportunity to finish early rather than just the one person?

It doesnt work like that, our office has a rota system for late nights, so everybody does their equal share on different days.

It would be unfair in an office full of people if only 1 person on the whole team was on the rota for every friday (unless volounteering of course).

GobbledyGook

amus wrote: »

It doesnt work like that, our office has a rota system for late nights, so everybody does their equal share on different days.

It would be unfair in an office full of people if only 1 person on the whole team was on the rota for every friday (unless volounteering of course).

I was just trying to liken it to the OP's workplace.

In the OP's case it reads if at least 2 people work Christmas Eve. Last year the OP worked and the Mum and Grump were off. This year the OP (and presumably one other) are due to be off with the Mum and Grump working. If the OP is happy to work then why should it automatically be the Mum who is off in her place? Surely if there is an extra Christmas Eve off then there should be some sort of fair procedure between ALL of those working to allocate it? I can understand why she's hacked off.

*Not saying the woman is a grump btw, just to make it easier to read.

Errata

j.e.j. wrote: »

I agree with your post, but I think a tit-for-tat thing could escalate and get out of hand. I think the management need to get involved here and nip the situation in the bud.

Absolutely, and it's already got out of hand which is what usually happens when people make decisions they don't have authority to make and people get railroaded in to going along with the herd whether it suits them or not.