'I have no choice': Single parent pressured to bring kid into work this Christmas because daycare is closed, Scrooge boss rejects her PTO request

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 27, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

We're nowhere near the Holidays, and yet we already have employers being awful about time off on Christmas. Here, we have a single parent who works as a dietary aide at a medical facility. We trust her when she says this is not exactly an environment she is comfortable bringing her kid to work in on any day, especially Christmas. When she recently learned that the daycare where she sends her kid would be closed on Christmas, and she realized she had no other alternative but to request time off, her managers were less than understanding. They insisted that she come in on Christmas despite having several months to figure out a simple alternative. 

We believe the Redditor when she says that her work environment is not a comfortable or suitable one for her kid, even if it's just for one day. After all, it is is medical facility. There are sick people all over the place. OP also said that her managers were well aware of her challenging situation as a single parent with no help outside of her kid's daycare center. Talk about ruining the Christmas spirit already by adding so much stress this far out. Furthermore, what kind of Scrooge boss makes a kid come into a medical facility to sit around while his Mom works all day on Christmas?!

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section. For more content like this, check out this post about a job candidate who withdrew his application after being deliberately misled.

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  • 01
    Font - r/antiwork. Posted by u/blaaaah28 1 day ago Job asking me to bring kids into work when I have no childcare on Christmas?? I've been working here for over a year. My daycare is not open and not providing child care on Christmas. My job knew my situation before hiring me a year ago as well. I do not have any family or friends etc someone who could care for my kids when daycare isn't open. I'm a single parent doing this all on my own. Well I texted my manager letting her know I can't work th
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  • 02
    Font - Today the shift lead comes in and tells me idk if the manager has texted you about it but we need someone for breakfast shift Christmas Day. You can bring your kids in to do the shift. I work in the medical facility as a dietary aide. I will not and do not feel comfortable bring my small children around sick people and my job in general. And I start at 6 a.m. and on Christmas?? My child has bad anxiety too and can't sit still for a 4 hour shift. I've never done that in my life. I just tol
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  • 03
    Font - TheArmoursmith - 1 day ago . Does your employer have appropriate liability insurance and safeguarding procedures for you to bring your kids to work? 1.8k Reply Share
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  • 04
    Font - blaaaah28 OP. 1 day ago Of course not 937 Reply Share TheArmoursmith. 1 day ago Sounds like a workplace safety issue then. 860 Reply Share
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  • 05
    Font - Harrigan_Raen. 1 day ago "I was not requesting Christmas off, I was informing you I was unavailable to work. If I can not use PTO for day, I will take the day as unpaid." 1.7k Reply Share
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  • 06
    Font - Roflattack 23 hr. ago I shocked my boss saying this when he denied my vacation request. He went into full blown "I write your checks...." mode. Still took my vacation. 824 Reply Share
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  • 07
    Font - D Catch Me If You Can09. 1 day ago "Unfortunately I'm unable to allow my children into my work space; it's unprofessional and frankly violates MANY different codes and regulations. I would hate for a complaint to be filed " If they insist "the expectations are..."
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  • 08
    Font - "I gave you multiple months heads up that I'm unavailable. Your expectations do not alter my availability. You can either accept the advanced notice of a temporary change in my availability or deal with being short staffed the day of. Frankly the reason why I'm unavailable is completely irrelevant that i chose to disclose so that you would better understand my situation. Moving forward i won't be so forthcoming so as to prevent you weaponizing my children against me" 447 Reply Share
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  • 09
    Font - Ok_Alps4323 23 hr. ago I would just be sick, and not even be sorry. That would be the worst Christmas ever for your child to go to work with you at 6 am and sit around bored. There is no child care at 6 am on Christmas. That's an unreasonable ask, even if you had friends and family in the area. I'd start looking for a new job in the new year if you think it'll be a problem. 202 Reply Share
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  • 10
    Font - Formal-Phase2459. 23 hr. ago What level of Scrooge do you have to be to tell your workers to bring their kids to work on Xmas.what kid wants to be at their parents job on Xmas.these people don't even deserve employees 120 Reply Share
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  • 11
    Font - hstarbird11 21 hr. ago You can best believe in 10 years that your employer will not remember your name, your face, or if you showed up on Christmas Day. But your child will remember for the rest of their life every single Christmas you either weren't home or they had to go into work with you. No job is worth sacrificing your families well-being. Please stay at home with your child. 106 Reply Share
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  • 12
    Rectangle - iheartstartrek - 1 day ago Just don't go. Or call in sick. They will have to handle it.
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  • 13
    Font - verucka-salt 1 day ago . This is terrible. OP, please don't go in. Your kids' Christmas shouldn't be spoiled. Kitchens aren't safe & I'm so bothered by this. I work in a hospital too but our clinic is closed. You should get to be off because of your situation. Ugh. This really bothers me. I'm sorry honey.
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  • 14
    Font - daisychain0606 - 22 hr. ago I managed a salon with 7 ladies under me. Corporate insisted that they put in requests for their vacations. I told them no they didn't have to. After some push back from my GM, I said. "My girls have set schedules (which corporate hated) and even with set schedules, things happen and they need to use vacation days. 90% of hairstylists are single moms and you guys don't have PTO. So if they want to use a vacation day to take care of a sick child, they can. I mak
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  • 15
    Font - TruckThunders00 22 hr. ago I'm a single parent too, with no family in the state and a very small support system. This is something that has worked for me in the past, but YMMV. Idk what your health insurance/Copay situation is like... But a telehealth appointment is usually pretty quick and usually has a much lower copay (for me it's $15). Telehealth is much more common on insurance plans these days.
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  • 16
    Font - If you describe flu-like/viral symptoms they'll most likely provide you with a doctor's note (for you or your kid, depending on how you go about it). I know it's a bit unethical, but so is the way your employer is acting.
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  • 17
    Font - I know you should not have to pay anything to meet the minimum childcare responsibilities expected of you, and on Christmas day, but if my back is up against the wall, $15-$30 would be worth it for me take the day off and enjoy the holiday with my kids. Any walk in clinic could probably work too, but that usually means higher co pay and it'll be harder to lie to someone in person.
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  • 18
    Font - Some of us have a hard time lying to people. That's a good thing. I completely understand any hesitancy to lie like I am suggesting. The world we live in is very much designed to have a one income family unit with a stay at home parent that can take care of these things. Our society is not at all designed with single parents in mind. Sometimes single parents have to work the system to get by. It is what it is. Your boss may sense that it's bo, but if you have a legit doctor's note, there'
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christmas workplace-stories toxic-manager jobs work stories toxic-workplace manager work single parent parenting toxic-boss reddit thread Reddit company toxic-work-environment
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