Can Walmart make my son work Christmas Eve?

[jenrose66]

Unfortunately when you work for a 24 hour operation and you are low man on the totem pole you get stuck with all the terrible shifts. It's a sad state of the society we live in. It's not just essential services like healthcare, fire, police, etc...who are expected to work holidays...it's everyone! When I worked in insurance we were open 24/7 365 days a year.

You say your son is a minor. Just have him call off, this isn't his career.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My son is a minor. He has been working at Walmart for about 2 months. He received his schedule and he is scheduled to work on Christmas Eve. We normally go to church on Christmas Eve, so this is throwing our whole family off. Not only will he not get to attend church services, but neither will one of us parents.
My husband seems to think that an employer cannot make you work if you have a religious obligation like church services. Is he correct? I cannot find anything on Google about it.

Your son has a retail job which includes working holidays. Yes, it stinks but that is retail.

Does your son want to be fired from this job? That is what you have to ask yourself. Personally this sounds like poor work ethic to me and I would never allow my kid to ditch their job unless it was an emergency.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

My mom has worked at Walmart for 7 years now. And I can tell you she has never gotten a day off in December outside of her normal scheduled days off.

Walmart's policy is noone can take a day off starting just before Thanksgiving until into the new year.

7 years and she's never had Thanksgiving,Black Friday,Christmas Eve or New Years off.


And can I just add that no matter where I've worked it always amazes me the sheer number of people who suddenly turn religious when it comes to Christmas Eve. All year long you never hear one word about them going to Mass and the Christmas week schedule comes out and they're complaining because they absolutely cannot miss Midnight Mass.

 

[Imzadi]

I don't get why his working will keep you (both parents, rest of family) from going?

I assumed because one parent must drive their son...

I'm wondering this, too. How long is church? Isn't the son going to be at work? Does a parent have to accompany him at work?

What time is Walmart closing that one parent has to miss all of church? Is Walmart closing at midnight and he will miss midnight mass? Can't the son call ahead of time and arrange for a taxi to bring him either to church if everyone else is already there, or take him home, if that's closer. Maybe a fellow co-worker drop him off after they both get off work?

Maybe the one parent who misses church with the son can go together on Christmas day. It will be a new bonding experience.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I'm wondering this, too. How long is church? Isn't the son going to be at work? Does a parent have to accompany him at work?

What time is Walmart closing that one parent has to miss all of church? Is Walmart closing at midnight and he will miss midnight mass? Can't the son call ahead of time and arrange for a taxi to bring him either to church if everyone else is already there, or take him home, if that's closer. Maybe a fellow co-worker drop him off after they both get off work?

Maybe the one parent who misses church with the son can go together on Christmas day. It will be a new bonding experience.

All excellent ideas
Yes, OP, Wal Mart can insist that your son work or else be fired. Yes, nearly everyone working on that day has had to rearrange family time/church around the schedule. It is what happens. Why on Earth would the teen have more priority in scheduling than the adults with little kids, the long time employees, etc? I truly cannot imagine taking a retail job within a couple of months of Christmas and not assuming you would be working on Christmas Eve.

 

[SandrA9810]

As a minor, the work rules are generally geared to those in school, with school days. During "winter break", they can work up to 40hrs a week at 16 years old. There are laws about how late they can work, even on a non school night, but it's still pretty late.

It's just the way retail jobs work, and on his application, he probably stated he would be willing to work weekends, rotating schedule, and holidays. It's pretty much standard on any application these days for availability.

My aunt at Cracker Barrel, can pretty much not ask for any time off from two weeks prior to Thanksgiving till after the first of the new year. And she's been there 3 years now (which is a long time considering turn over rates).

 

[kellyg403]

If he wants to keep his job, I would say yes he would have to work his schedule. Retail during this time of year is hard and everyone has to be available to work. That being said, and I don't mean this to be harsh, but your son could have gone to his management and said, 'I don't mind working such and such day but is there anyway I can work such and such shift so that I can attend religious event with family'. As a manager in retail, one of the hardest parts of my job is the minors and teaching them how to have a job. He is not asking for the day off, just a certain shift and that is way easier for us to schedule around. And very rarely do I say no. And I say that because you always have the one person who doesn't come to you until after the schedule is out and wants you to change it.

The schedule is out. So, I would think this will be a tough one. If your family has this tradition every year, this could be turned into one of those teachable moments. He knew it would happen and 3 weeks ago he could have put in his request, or you could have reminded him to put in his request to avoid this.

Kelly

 

[golfgal]

If you work retail, you will work on Christmas Eve. You pretty much just have to face that your kids are growing up and things will be changing. There are going to be times he won't be home at all for holidays from here on out. It is what it is.

 

[bicker]

I once took a stand about getting off for Christmas Eve.

I think it often comes down to how valuable the employee is, and how concerned the employer is about losing that employing and/or finding someone else who wants the job instead. I know that some folks in my office get leeway afforded them, in terms of working conditions, that others working in my office (including folks who "need" those accommodations far more) are not granted.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Absolutely they can make him work. His status as minor has nothing to do with any perceived right to observe his faith. He will just have to make alternate plans as many Americans have had to do for decades with an unaccomodating employer. Also, 12/24 is NOT a holiday. And in the future, he should put requests in super early. Schedule requests are never guaranteed, but those who ask early have the best shot at an optimum schedule.

When I worked, I would often request a particular schedule instead of the whole day off. That was usually easier to accomodate.

But yeah---they can do that. No reason or law why they should not be able to do that.

 

[dyna]

My DH was an electrcian for a well known dough factory who worked 3rd shift. He had to work Christmas eve 1 yr because Christmas was on a Monday an his vacation did not offically start until 7 am Monday morning. At the time he had 25 or 30 yrs with the company.

YES I can see Sprawlmart making ppl work on Christmas eve....

 

[Tiger926]

Good luck, OP, in figuring out your Christmas Eve, and you will have to do so without your son. When you work retail, that's the way it is, and when you work for Walmart, that's always the way it is!

I'm not sure why you or your son would think that during the busiest retail season of the year, he would not have to work?

Tiger

 

[Bob NC]

You say your son is a minor. Just have him call off, this isn't his career.

That's the way to instill the old work ethic.

 

[anniemae]

That stinks! What are his scheduled hours? Maybe he could switch with someone who has an earlier shift if that is allowed?

 

[descovy]

In the retail world, pretty much no employee wants to work Christmas Eve, for lot's of reasons. If the store is open the management has to staff it.

As your children grow up, you will sometimes need to be flexible to accomodate their work, school, activities and relationships. That's just how it is. Try to work around it, don't give him grief. Him going to work is the right thing to do.

You know, if NO ONE shopped, dined out, went to the movies on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, this wouldn't be a problem. Stores and restaurants would close, or work with a thin skeleton crew, because no one would want to be there.

But as long as people want to take their family to eat at IHOP on the way to Grandma's, folks aren't done shopping on Christmas Eve (why does Dec 25 sneak up on us every year??) even shop and eat out on Christmas Day, there will be mothers, fathers, sons and daughters missing out on family traditions.

I've spent much of my young adult life working restaurants/retail during these holidays. And nothing burned me more than the whole fake-symapthy "sorry you have to work on Christmas" from customers too self-centered to realize if you were truely sorry, you'd have your pancakes at home on Christmas morning and not at IHOP. Seriously, did you know IHOP's busiest day is Christmas Day? And no it's not full from people who have no place to go, or non-Christmas people either

This year, I work Christmas Eve at Target. I'm a mom of 3 kiddos. I would love to have the entire day off, and my family would love to have me home. But traditions will get tweaked around, and we'll still have a lovely Christmas.

That said, you can bet your sweet booty that when I get Thanksgiving and Christmas days off, WE STAY HOME!!! It works both ways, if I don't want to work those days, I have no business asking someone else to cater to me at the stores/restaurants on those days too.

OP, since this upsets you, I hope you will think twice in the future before YOU shop at Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve, etc...

 

[eliza61]

I can't believe he thought he wouldn't have to work Christmas Eve? In retail this is the busy season.

 

[deegack]

It's sucks but that's the life of a retail worker. I worked retail for years and worked every christmas eve but I would request the early shift whenever possible. It usually meant I worked early on the 26th but it was worth it

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'm not sure why you or your son would think that during the busiest retail season of the year, he would not have to work?

Tiger

I think when people have never worked retail, or never worked retail during te holiday season, it's just not something they even think about.
Kind of reminds me about another thread here on the DIS several months ago about public library hours, and someone wondered why anyone would go to the library on a weekday during the day! If all you've ever known is Mon-Fri 9-5 hours (that's all your parents ever worked, that's all you ever worked, etc) it might not occur to you that people working in the service industry have competely different schedules.

 

[eliza61]

You know, if NO ONE shopped, dined out, went to the movies on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, this wouldn't be a problem. Stores and restaurants would close, or work with a thin skeleton crew, because no one would want to be there.

But as long as people want to take their family to eat at IHOP on the way to Grandma's, folks aren't done shopping on Christmas Eve (why does Dec 25 sneak up on us every year??) even shop and eat out on Christmas Day, there will be mothers, fathers, sons and daughters missing out on family traditions.

c...

Remeber though descovy, Christmas season is a religious holiday for Christians. We have many in this country who are not and do not celebrate the holidays.
My SIl is Jehovah witness and they go out on Christmas day because for them it's just like any other day.

 

[descovy]

Remeber though descovy, Christmas season is a religious holiday for Christians. We have many in this country who are not and do not celebrate the holidays.
My SIl is Jehovah witness and they go out on Christmas day because for them it's just like any other day.

Surely, a Skeleton crew could handle the Jehovah Witness crowd. It wouldn't have to be all hand on deck, busy, busy busy (mandatory shift or et fired!) because all the non- Christmas folks need a vaccuum cleaner at Walmart or a cup of coffee at IHOP. In fact the ratio of restaurant/retail employeees who don't "do Christmas" could probably handle the "don't do Christmas" crowd of customers.

Sorry, the crowds tou see Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving are folks fully participating in said holiday, who also see nothing wrong going out those days *as long as their loved ones don't have to work!*