staff cover christmas period

barnaby-bear

kirstycobie wrote: »

anyone have any advice or know anything i should say when she pulls me?

Say nothing - just be vague, nice and uncommittal - if you didn't raise it this is all on her.

Ask her to explain it put it down in writing because it's all complicated and you just do the caring stuff :-D Say it's a bit much to understand and could she explain in writing so your friend who is married to solictor/union rep. can explain it to you slowly.... you didn't raise it! Don't debate it just say you'd like xmas off but appreciate the need to cover and your commitment to adhere to your contract and the business' need. Vague waffle. Personal debate - AVOID.

Then post the explanation here.

Wyndham

duchy wrote: »

It is completely relevent in this context as some other staff offered to swop off so she could spend Christmas day with her kids but weren't allowed to.

On a more personal note I'm working the holiday through choice Christmas Day, Boxing Day NYE and NYD as when MY son was small everyone I worked with made sure (without me asking ) that anyone with small children didn't have to work Christmas day...and although I work in a different company now I feel I'd like to volunteer to ensure no-one with small children gets lumbered with it. (NYE is a no brainer as I hate NY drunks and people moaning about what a crap year they have had isn't really my thing) FWIW I think your attitude stinks -I have no time for parents who pull the "but I've got kids"card at every turn -but I don't think the OP is doing this ....and if her collegues had no problem with it-it's rather pathetic that her manager (and you) do. If staff can sort their shifts out in an adult and amicable fashion -why not !!

People have all kinds of situations, not just with kids, which may mean they want time off at Christmas. My parents live 250 miles away, and I don't think it's fair for them to be alone on Christmas day so prefer to to and see them, but it's a major undertaking as you can't just 'pop in' at that sort of distance. Similarly, the rest of my family are scattered around the country, and again, Christmas is a time when we make the effort to try and see each other.

Christmas is not just about children, though I appreciate that's part of it, but for me at least it's about family, and that, for me at least, is complicated by distance.

We've had these debates at work as we're opening between Christmas and New Year (which is a false economy with all kinds of baggage, but let's not go there!) so for the first time in years I'm working New Year's Eve....

Gordon_Hose

I think if you have a problem with working Xmas/New Years then it's probably wise to stay away from work that involves it.

It is irrelevant who the manager has given the week off to, it is irrelevant that you've got kids, it is irrelevant that others have offered to work. The manager has made her decision, unfair as it seems (to you).

I used to work 12 hours shifts, 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off. This involved working Xmas or New Years, I also had young children. If you were rota'd to work it, you worked it. If you worked one year you were guaranteed the next year off.

If you're still in the job next year and you've not got it off then I'd be looking at the fairness of the situation.

kirstycobie

LATEST.......

so with me asking him about me doing more hours over the 3 xmas bank hols than then fulltimers he has taken four hours off me and so i am now only doing 12 over the xmas bank hols, so i am now in all of xmas day!wish id never mentioned it now!
, and he has changed all my other shifts now and i am now 3 hours under the total hours i need to do this month and has taken 15 extra hours off me.
is it just me reading into things too much or is he trien to be a d**k?

SarEl

kirstycobie wrote: »

LATEST.......

so with me asking him about me doing more hours over the 3 xmas bank hols than then fulltimers he has taken four hours off me and so i am now only doing 12 over the xmas bank hols, so i am now in all of xmas day!wish id never mentioned it now!
, and he has changed all my other shifts now and i am now 3 hours under the total hours i need to do this month and has taken 15 extra hours off me.
is it just me reading into things too much or is he trien to be a d**k?

I am a bit confused as to who we are talking about about here as "he" was formerly a "she" - are there two managers here? But I am afraid that this sounds like an example of being careful what you wish for. You have now got what you wanted - you are working fewer hours over the Christmas / New Year period in line with the rules that you quoted. I cannot really see where you can take this now, as you said it wasn't fair that you had to work so many hours over period, and now you don't have to.

Gordon_Hose

kirstycobie wrote: »

LATEST.......

so with me asking him about me doing more hours over the 3 xmas bank hols than then fulltimers he has taken four hours off me and so i am now only doing 12 over the xmas bank hols, so i am now in all of xmas day!wish id never mentioned it now!
, and he has changed all my other shifts now and i am now 3 hours under the total hours i need to do this month and has taken 15 extra hours off me.
is it just me reading into things too much or is he trien to be a d**k?

Sometimes it is safer to keep your head below the parapet.

kirstycobie

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

Sometimes it is safer to keep your head below the parapet.

lesson learnt the hard way!

dont see why he had to change me back to xmas day tho, esp when one of the other member of staff offered to cover it in the first place.

i am absolutly devastated, i have been saving up all year for xmas day and now i am not going to be able to share it with my kids

Gordon_Hose

Not being funny, but, as SarEl says above, you approached your manager to complain about working too many hours. Your manager has reduced your hours in line with your complaint.

Now you have an issue that all the hours will be worked on Xmas day.

I get the feeling that whatever your manager would have done, wouldn't have been satisfactory to you. Unless it was the whole day off.

Like I said, sometimes it's better to keep your head down and get on with it. Especially for something as trivial as this.

I used to be in the Army, I was away more Christmases than I was home. Have a thought for all our Forces serving abroad over the festive period.

At least there's no chance of you having your legs blown off.

debrag

I'm doing 12.5 hr night shifts all over Christmas (3 nights) then 2 12.5 hr day shifts that weekend, no-one else is doing 5 shifts Christmas week only me. I'm just putting up with it at least I get New Year eve + day off.

dawyldthing

celebrate it really early with opening presents and have a late meal at home with the family as you will still have some time with the family. Then make boxing day really special. Its a pain having to work xmas day, but its part of the job as people still need support (i'm working xmas day for the 2nd year in a row, but its part of the job really as they still need support as its just another day really)