Question about other people doing your shift at work

Lily-Rose_3

Asking on behalf of my friend.

Her husband works in a job where he does 5 days on, 5 days off, 5 days on etc, (won't say what he does as it may be too much information.) No Christmas time is allowed off unless it falls on your 5 days off. (If you get it off that's great, if not, tough - unless you can get someone to switch.)

He is due in 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th December, then off 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, and in 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th, then off 30th, 31st, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd...

So a colleague of his has asked him if he wants him to work 25th and 26th for him. My friend's husband didn't ask, this man asked him if he wanted it off, and if so, he will work it for him... So he will get 7 days in a row off, including Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and also Boxing day, AND he gets new year's eve and new year's day off too. This guy has offered though.......

My friend's husband worked Christmas day and Boxing day last year, but I think they were the last 2 days of the 5 on, and not the first IYSWIM, and despite the fact Christmas day is triple time, and Boxing day double time, he didn't seem to be much better off after tax and so on. So he told his colleague 'yes' to those 2 days. So he is now off 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 26th, and back on the 27th.

Although it's unlikely to happen, what happens if said colleague rings in and says he can't make those 2 days after all? Will my friend's husband have to go in, as they were his shifts originally? Or will the colleague have to, because he asked him for the 2 days, and the manager confirmed it and everyone knows the colleague asked for the shifts and wants to do them.

getmore4less

NO ONE here can tell you.

It is up to the company how they manage swaps and cover.

As a guide how do they cover sick and holidays.

GlasweJen

It would be unusual for a company to allow someone to just rock up and do someone else's shift. In all of the companies that I've worked for and who allowed shift swapping there was a process in place and a policy around it. One place had a form to fill in and needed a managers signature, if the swap fell through it was up to the original shift holder to cover the shift, in another place it was both people approaching the manager and writing up on the calendar who was swapping.

Has this swap been authorised by the company and if so what's their policy if the swap fails? Also how are the hours being made up as it looks like one person will just work 2 extra days over a compulsory working time while your friends husband will lose 2 days work? I'm going to assume from the OP that the husband hadn't applied to have the days off as holidays?

TELLIT01

Company policy will dictate how that situation would be handled. If it's just an informal arrangement between 2 work colleagues I would expect it to be down to the person who was rota'd on to cover it. If formally agreed by management, then it would be for management to sort it out, just as for any other sickness absence.
Not directly relevant to the question, but is this colleague just working 2 additional shifts for no pay or will the friend have to cover 2 of their at some future point?

ohreally

In previous jobs if this arrangement was made it was regarded as unofficial and if the individual failed to turn up it would be regarded as the rostered party's list shift.

duchy

ohreally wrote: »

In previous jobs if this arrangement was made it was regarded as unofficial and if the individual failed to turn up it would be regarded as the rostered party's list shift.

I've worked for a company where if you were covering a shift for someone you had to advise officially and the rota was changed so it became your shift . Other companies I've worked for would not change it officially and it was the responsibility of the person whose shift it was originally to make sure their shift was worked , by whom wasn't of interest to the company but you carried the can for your own shift.

Perhaps instead of asking you her husband should be asking his immediate supervisor ? If you get it wrong "but my wife's friend said it would be OK" isn't going to be much of a defence ...is it ! Why is his wife asking you ? Does she not believe him? It does sound like his workplace is like many with 365 working that you tend to get Christmas OR New year off but not usually both . I'll sometimes offer to cover Christmas shifts for people with small kids as people did the same for me when mine was tiny however I'd probably not offer to someone in your mate's position but offer to someone who had a bad shift pattern over the holidays instead.

Lily-Rose_3

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Company policy will dictate how that situation would be handled. If it's just an informal arrangement between 2 work colleagues I would expect it to be down to the person who was rota'd on to cover it. If formally agreed by management, then it would be for management to sort it out, just as for any other sickness absence.

Not directly relevant to the question, but is this colleague just working 2 additional shifts for no pay or will the friend have to cover 2 of their at some future point?

Yeah I would think this too. If it's been agreed by management (which it has been,) and the rota has been changed for the person promising to work the shifts to work them, (which it has been,) it's up to management to sort it, should that person not turn up. Me personally, I would have made plans by then, and wouldn't even be answering the phone to my employer on Christmas morning or late Christmas Eve, let alone going into work, when someone else was meant to be doing it, and it had been agreed by management.

GlasweJen wrote: »

It would be unusual for a company to allow someone to just rock up and do someone else's shift. In all of the companies that I've worked for and who allowed shift swapping there was a process in place and a policy around it. One place had a form to fill in and needed a managers signature, if the swap fell through it was up to the original shift holder to cover the shift, in another place it was both people approaching the manager and writing up on the calendar who was swapping.

Has this swap been authorised by the company and if so what's their policy if the swap fails? Also how are the hours being made up as it looks like one person will just work 2 extra days over a compulsory working time while your friends husband will lose 2 days work? I'm going to assume from the OP that the husband hadn't applied to have the days off as holidays?

In answer to you (and several others,) yes, it has been authorised by Management, the colleague asked if he could do the 2 extra days, my friend's husband said yes, and they both went to the manager and asked, and he said yes. The other colleagues know about it too. The rota for December had been done, (as some colleagues work varying shifts, as well as the few that work regular ones,) and the manager has altered it on there.

He isn't taking any holiday, as he has none left, and will lose the 2 days pay. But my friend said he has worked 7-8 days overtime in the last 3-4 months, and doesn't mind losing the pay. They aren't rich, but aren't on the breadline, so can weather 2 days lost pay. She said he would rather be at home, especially after working last Christmas too.

She said he doesn't know the actual company policy, or if they even have one, like whether the person originally meant to do the shift would have to do it, or if it would be down to the manager because he authorised it and even changed it on the rota on the wall. I would think the latter, but I think he needs to find out for sure from his manager.

The reason I asked is because my friend and her husband are planning something, and if they go ahead, he definitely won't be able to go to work, should the other man not turn up.

I think in a situation like this, it would be unfair (and this is just my opinion,) to ring and drag him in Christmas morning if the colleague who promised to work it phoned in and said he wasn't coming in, as by that time, he would have made plans. I mean, what if he has been drinking til 2am? He'd still be drunk by the time he had to drive to work, and he lives 15 miles from it!

Thanks folks. I will tell my friend what's been said on here. And tell her she needs to get her husband to check 100% with his manager if he wants a definite answer.

LMG1305

It really is down to company policy. One of the departments that I manage works on a shift basis and my rule is that if they agree to swap a shift, it has to be done in writing (email is fine) and then the swap overrides the original rota. So the person who agreed to swap is then responsible for that shift regardless of the situation, so if they then need to swap again or are sick, they can't just say 'oh it was so & so's shift'.

Alderbank

Lily-Rose wrote: »

...the manager...said yes. The rota for December had been done...and the manager has altered it on there.

I would say that the employer has certainly accepted and confirmed the swap. Good news.

Your friend's husband should make sure he has an official copy of that rota though. My daughter used to work shifts and the rota was a whiteboard:eek: in the store manager's office. There were frequent short notice alterations which of course caused arguments and staffing problems