Working On Christmas

[MerMom60_94]

Hi! Hospital RN here , 30 plus years & counting. Have worked PLENTY of all major/minor holidays. We have a union so our contract dictates holiday scheduling. We do get time & 1/2 on the holiday. I have kids & family traditions too. And I worked my holiday commitments as I raised my kids. We worked around it, as others have said.

OP, sorry but I disagree with your logic. You not using time you are intitled to take, or not asking for other days during the year doesn't entitle you to have off the 2 days almost EVERYONE wants off. You only have 2 years of senority? I have coworkers who have 25 yrs. of seniority & are still working every Christmas ( we have a lot of high seniority on our unit).

I used to have compassion as my kids got older & volunteered so others could be home with small children. No more. I have seen too many want EVERYTHING off just because " I have kids". I mean these people want off all major / minor holidays, Halloween, St. patricks Day etc. Give me a break!!
I now feel that I'll follow my contract & take off what I'm entitled to. Time for less senior employees to pay their dues.

Actually, DH has found this with some of his newer coworkers. He will be giving up his chance for the day off for someone who clearly gets the concept. There are some coworkers though that he would never, ever give the day to for the reasons you have stated.

 

[focusondisney]

Actually, DH has found this with some of his newer coworkers. He will be giving up his chance for the day off for someone who clearly gets the concept. There are some coworkers though that he would never, ever give the day to for the reasons you have stated.

Thanks for understanding!! That's it exactly..some I will still do for, others not. This is not my nature but after beig "used" for years, I just have had it!

 

[RachelEllen]

I'm a critical care physician, and our group has to cover the NICU every day of the year. I actually volunteer to take Christmas every year in exchange for Thanksgiving. As a nonChristian, its a pretty boring day off! (Much more so when I was single - nothing open, crummy television, etc. However, even with a family, I'd much rather have Thanksgiving day off. So far, my groups have all been really happy to let me be the designated Christmas person)

 

[Chicago526]

This year my DH actually got Xmas off, but usually he works both Xmas eve and Xmas day. He prints the newspaper, and that prints 365 days a year! But he put his vacation request a year ago, and he just barely had enough seniority to get it off. Probably won't happen again for another 10 years, so we plan on enjoying it!

He always works on Thanksgiving. NO ONE is allowed off that day because they need to do extra runs for the all the extra copies they sell due to the Black Friday ads. It's actually easier to get off on Xmas day than on T-day!

I, on the other hand, am off for the whole week between Xmas and NY as an unpaid furlough! Beats being layed off by a long shot...but being short money this time of year really stinks. We were told about it over the summer so we saved up for my smaller January check, but still I'm not looking forward to that small paycheck.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm 1 of 2 managers for a transportation company, more less a glorified dispatcher.

I worked for a tv station and had to work both thansgiving (sweeps, not allowed to trade shifts) AND Christmas day (went home for christmas in the morning 2.5 hours away and was back for my shift that night.

Christmas is mostly a morning holiday for me (and still is)--so it wasn't a big deal. But thanksgiving--well, no time to go have turkey elsewhere before my shift.

But one of the anchors, made Thanksgiving dinner for everyone.

I'd say, tell the Ebeneezer in you to step aside and if there are other employees stuck on this day with you in the office...maybe do something nice for one another.

It only sucks if you want let it suck.

 

[justhat]

Now THAT'S what I call having Christmas spirit. What a great guy!

Yes, it was very much appreciated! And my husband never even asked nor complained, the guy just looked at the schedule and thought of it on his own.

 

[jsmith]

[QUOTEMy DH worked Thanksgiving this year....and will work Christmas as well. Oh yeah, he is 10,000 miles away, deployed, as well....OP, count your blessings you can still spend time with your family for the holidays....
][/QUOTE]

Mine too-along with about 250 thousand other american service members around the world. God Bless them all.

Be glad that you are working and able to be at home with your children-as much as having to work the holiday sucks-there are worse things.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Growing up my Dad was a firefighter (now retired) so I spent my first 16 Christmas' without him as it was done on seniority (although by the time he had seniority we were grown so he would give his Christmas day to the other guys who had little kids at home). It's nice that he had to make that sacrifice for other's safety and for us to have a roof over our head and food on the table but it's even more nice to have him home now .

 

[TeresaNJ]

I've had to work holidays for the last 18 years since I'm an RN. It sucks, but that's the way it is. Hospitals don't close for the holidays.

 

[Albort]

I've had to work holidays for the last 18 years since I'm an RN. It sucks, but that's the way it is. Hospitals don't close for the holidays.

you gotta admit though, holiday pay is totally ftw!!!

ive worked basically every holiday for the past 3 years...

 

[clovergirl5]

dh worked on Thanksgiving and told me that his employer told him to plan on working on Christmas. It sucks! We will celebrate Christmas on the day before. He works in a factory that makes powdered baby formula.

 

[Planogirl]

We don't work holidays luckily but I'm having trouble scheduling vacation at my workplace. I used to have no problems but they've let so many people go that there are fewer slots available. We make our requests every 6 months and I couldn't get a week off in June like I always have. No vacation in June this year. That's not exactly fair either.

And yes, I'm lucky that I have a job. It's a horrible job but it's better than nothing.

 

[locolala]

I'm lucky.. my military DH is home right now, but he's taking over a shift and a half (18 hours straight at the office) on Christmas day so people who have kids can stay home with them. I'll probably just hang out at home and watch movies and study, having made a huge dinner the night before to send with DH so that the other people who have to work can have a nice meal. They don't have the option to not work, he's in 24/7 office. It's just how it goes.

 

[wdwfan16]

I read the first two pages, so you may have answered it after. OP why do you not take off any days? Don't you get paid vacation days, sick days or floating holiday?

 

[mickeymedic]

I'll be working Christmas. I worked Thanksgiving this year, too. I actually don't mind working Christmas - our family has never been committed to celebrating Christmas on the 25th. We've always celebrated on multiple days between Thanksgiving and New Years - whenever we could get the various family groups together.

Now, I was sad to work Thanksgiving this year. We always do a large family gathering in PA for Thanksgiving. I hated having to miss it this year. Hopefully DH and I will both be off next year.

 

[waltsgirl]

You guys are right, thank God I do have a job, as much as it stinks. I'm just upset because I know all that I do and sacrafice all year long, one would think my boss would be a little more understanding. There are 3 other people that don't have families that can cover for me bur it is what it is

Will the "boss" be working?

 

[Jeninindy]

Will the "boss" be working?

How would that matter? Being the boss means you get to take the time off you want and having your employees work....

 

[a1tinkfans]

I was just informed by my boss that I have to work Christmas.. This SUCKS and my family is MAD. I was told that since I had Thanksgiving off(my normal day off any way) that it's not fair to the other office personal.. Well hopefully I hit the Powerballby then. Anyone else working?

That does stink!
I recall many years ago, a newlywed and no dh home on christmas...all alone and we were on opposite shifts like two ships passing in the night for several mos, OH the memories ...maybe THATS WHY we're celebrating 25 years soon
Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS anyway!!!!!
Just wanted to add...that LAST week the dh said he got to take off three days AFTER Xmas, FIRST time ever having off after (or before for that matter) and a co-worker, also management, said, he wanted those days (dh has seniority) to which the other boss said, well, then "ill just call in sick" which basically means IF he does call in sick the dh HAS to go to work as they HAVE to have someone in...now THAT will stink...it really is FIRST time the dh will be home after holiday to hang out with our ds, and he is now a TEEN! OH the drama,. the dh will be SO MAD if he is forced to work and thus forced to use days that are left in calender year, you cannot use following year...got my fingers crossed that the other guy does NOT call in sick........we shall see............

 

[klacey1]

Sorry, OP. Don't really have anything else to say but that it stinks. My mom is in the hospitality industry, but thankfully she has Christmas Eve and Christmas off. She had to work Thanksgiving morning, though.

 

[3boymthr]

DH is an HVAC repairman and he has worked Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter and New Years and and and. Every holiday you can think of. You know cause if the heat goes out or the basement is flooding someone has to fix it. He doesn't get paid time and half or anything like that but a flat per incident rate of $75. Don't get me wrong its a good rate and sometimes it works out to triple time but it can work out to be as little as $5 an hour if it's a huge repair. That's just the way it is.

There have been times when he as literally worked from 7 AM on Friday to 5:30 PM on Monday - straight thru the whole weekend without a break for dinner or sleep or even a change of clothes. And he then has to work the rest of the week - no days off until the next Saturday. That's just the way it is.

You either put up with it or find another job.

Is he on call on Christmas this year? No, and he hasn't been for the last 6 years, simply because one of the guys he works with is Jewish and has no kids so for him it's not big deal to work that day. His co-worker actually wants to work that day to guarantee New Years and President's day off. OTH DH has been on call for the last 6 Thanksgivings, Labor Day this year as well as Easter and Memorial day. He's missed 5 Thanksgiving Dinners, 3 Easter Dinners, and a couple of Memorial Day and Labor Day celebrations. And although it's been a few years since he's worked Christmas, believe it or not even when he's been on call for Christmas some how it has worked out that he's never had to miss the kids opening presents from Santa, but he has missed Christmas Dinner and we know that the day when he misses opening presents could happen any time and we don't complain, we just deal. We're just happy he has a job that pays well and that he likes (well except when he hasn't slept for three days ).