Boss Forces Single Mother To Bring Her Children To Work on Christmas Day

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Oct 24, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

Nobody wants to work on Christmas. It doesn't matter if you celebrate the holiday and take it incredibly seriously or if you couldn't care less about decking the halls. Nobody should be working on Christmas, and I'm sure many people of all faiths agree with that sentiment. Unfortunately, some places of employment must be open 365 days a year, and in those cases, management has to decide who is most entitled to stay home on Christmas. To me, the answer is quite apparent. Parents, especially parents without childcare for that day, should not be forced to work on such an important holiday for families. One hospital worker, a single mother, recently got told two months in advance that she'd be forced to work on Christmas morning. Management had the audacity to tell her that she could bring her kids to the hospital for her 6 AM shift. What great help! 

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  • 01
    Font - r/antiwork u/blaaaah28. 1d Job asking me to bring kids into work when I have no childcare on Christmas??
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  • 02
    Font - 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 as well. I do not have any family/friends 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 messaged my manager letting them know I can't work that day cause no child care. They never responded.
    via u/blaaaah28
  • 03
    Font - Today the team leader comes in and tells me we need someone for breakfast shift Christmas Day. You can bring your kids in to do the shift. I work in medical building 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 told her I don't think I can do that and that was tha
    via u/blaaaah28
  • 04
    Rectangle - TheArmoursmith • 1d Does your employer have appropriate liability insurance and safeguarding procedures for you to bring your kids to work? 41.9k ↓ ... Reply
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  • 05
    Rectangle - blaaaah28 OP • 1d Of course not : 4975
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  • 06
    Font - TheArmoursmith • 1d Sounds like a workplace safety issue then. 886 ...
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  • 07
    Font - MOO Tophertanium. 23h And get the supervisor or your manager to email you stating that due to staffing level needs, they are requiring/requesting you bring your child to work with you. Forward THAT email and their response to your personal email. Then contact OSHA and the labor board and anyone other relevant government agencies. 723
    via u/Tophertanium
  • 08
    Font - justisme333 21h ● Notice how your manager didn't txt you back? The issue was told to you verbally? Send them an email asking about the safety issues in bringing your kids in to work on that day as there is no one else to cover the shift. When they reply verbally, send an email back detailing their answer and ask if you understood them correctly. Get this stuff in writing. Make it a THEM problem. 664
    via u/justisme333
  • 09
    Rectangle - Harrigan_Raen • 1d "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." Reply 41.7k ↓ ...
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  • 10
    Font - Roflattack • 1d 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. 4831
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  • 11
    Font - Fixerguy415. 1d Had one pull that "Yes and writing those checks to pay me for the time, care, and skills which I RENT TO YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO DICTATE MY ENTIRE LIFE. See you after my vacation. The work phone is staying on my nightstand and I'll respond to messages and emails when I return. If the plant catches fire, call the fire department." ... 512
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  • 12
    Font - Squishy97 22h This is my favorite line when a boss asks why they can't reach you during your vacation- "but what if there's an emergency and I need to reach you?!" "Then call the appropriate first responders" ... 190
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  • 13
    Font - Harrigan_Raen • 1d IMO, back when I was in high School and College and worked jobs that were non-fixed schedules. I put my foot down then about this. "I have an availability, you tell me when to be here. If my availability changes, you have a new set of parameters to work within. Tough fire me or move on." I almost never used vacation time, because I would always just tweak my availability, or swap shifts. Best paycheck I even got from Red Shirt + Khaki's place was when they fired me for
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  • 14
    Font - Formal-Phase2459 • 1d 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 Reply 130
    via u/Formal-Phase2459
  • 15
    Font - CatchMelf YouCan09 1d "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..." "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. Frankl
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  • 16
    Font - Ok_Alps4323. 1d 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. Reply 4200 ...
    via u/Ok_Alps4323
  • 17
    Font - daisychain0606. 1d 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 make the sch
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  • 18
    Font - hstarbird11 23h ● 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. Reply ... 106
    via u/hstarbird11
  • 19
    Rectangle - artificialavocado • 1d ● SocDem Managers and shift leads always have off? Way to lead by example. Reply 33
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  • 20
    Font - Rough_lan 1d ● See which manager is willing to take care of your kid. :p This is why we need stronger unions. Reply 447
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  • 21
    Font - yogigirl23 23h S I used to work at McDonald's, and every year, I would take off Christmas and boxing day to be with family. And every year, without fail, they would schedule me. I told them I'm not requesting it off, I'm telling you I won't be there. If you don't like it, then I quit. They learnt pretty quick. No job is worth missing family time, especially a minimum wage job like McDonald's. Spend Christmas with your family, they can find someone else to cover those 4 hours. Reply 415 ..
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Tags

childcare christmas daycare antiwork jobs job kids mother work toxic-boss PTO Horrible Bosses bad bosses mom children toxic-work-environment
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