'Am I the [office Grinch] who stole Xmas?': New hire of only 4 months wants senior IT employee to cover his holiday shift since he doesn't celebrate Christmas, gets a big ‘NO’

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Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Dec 7, 2023 6:00 PM EST

Who hasn't had to work a holiday shift? It just comes with the territory. If you're a new hire, you have to put your time in and work some of the hard shifts. That's just how the cookie crumbles. You think you will get the holidays off before the more senior employees who had to give their holidays up years before you? I don't think so, babes. So the audacity of this new hire in this Reddit story is palpable. A senior IT employee usually works the Christmas break and never minded it since he doesn't celebrate it. However, the last Christmas break he worked was so chaotic and exhausting, especially since the team became short staffed, that he requested the next holiday off immediately—and got approved! However, now as we approach the holiday, a new hire of only 4 months wants him to switch shifts with him. His excuse is that he celebrates Christmas so it's only fair. The thing is, however, is that the company has Christmas day and Boxing Day (the day after) off, so he really just wants the days before the actual holiday off. It's baffling how this new hire can't see the entitlement reeking from this? Of course, the senior employee said no, but now he feels like the office Grinch. What do you think?

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  • 01
    1 "Never again!"
    via Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels
  • 02
    Posted by u/PotentialXmas hole 21 hours ago AITA for taking Xmas off when I don't celebrate? Not the hole
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 03
    Long backstory but needs some context.So I (31 M) have been working for this company for just over 5 years and this will be my 6th Xmas working here. I work in IT and we used to have a couple of us working from my team over Xmas to handle emergencies and make sure everything runs smoothly.
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 04
    I have always worked over Xmas because I am Muslim and don't celebrate it and honestly didn't mind because it is generally quiet and I can get loads of stuff done that we are usually too busy for. Our team as well as the company got downsized in the middle of 2022, bringing my team from 9 to 4 (1 Manager, 3
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 05
    Techs), so I worked 2022 Xmas by myself. Well to put it kindly it was a show. To cut a long story short- There was a network outage overnight due to faulty piece of equipment that needed replacing.- Got quotes from vendors to provide replacement equipment and same day delivery and
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 06
    installation.- All quotes need to be approved by Directors of department, reached out multiple times to mine (who was 000) and got no response- Reached out other directors who were 'WFH' and they didn't want the cost associated with their department and all of that other office politics b it.- Eventually get
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 07
    authorisation but it's after 3pm, too late for same day fix, issue gets resolved the next morning.- People were by the length of downtime. I simply said to myself never again and immediately put in holiday for Xmas 2023, not wanting to deal with that again. Manager
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 08
    approved, happy days. So here is where the issue lies, over the course of 2023, my manager left and one of my colleagues was promoted (fairly so) and hired one of his buddies to take his old job, he was qualified so I had no issues.
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 09
    All was good until a few weeks ago when my new manager realises I have taken Xmas off and this means the new guy (been here 4 months) would be covering Xmas. We had a conversation and he mentioned me taking Xmas off, I jokingly said something along the lines of
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 10
    'After last year, I ain't doing that again.' and we shared a laugh and I thought that was the end of that. Instead, I have been getting asked by both my manager and the new guy if I could take my PTO earlier in the month and cover Xmas multiple times. I simply kept rebuffing them.
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 11
    The vibe in the team has shifted and I have been getting short, curt answers or no answers at all when asking questions as if they are trying to freeze me out. It's petty and childish, but I can do passive aggressive and petty as well, so when someone came to my desk yesterday for help, we got to chatting and I asked about
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 12
    their holiday plans, and then they asked about mine. I raised my voice so they could hear and said 'Not a thing, me and the wife will probably be sat watching TV most of the time' the looks I got of disdain were great and I loved it. I went to dinner last night with some friends and told them my tale, some
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 13
    found it hilarious, some were less amused. So reddit am I the shole who stole Xmas? *EDIT: Sorry, I wasn't clear, the person working gets Xmas Day and Boxing Day (26th) off as they are public holidays. They will be working the Wed-Fri of between Xmas and NY.
    via u/PotentialXmas***hole
  • 14
    Piper6728 21 hr. ago Poperintendant [50] NTA ● You are no less deserving of that day or any PTO, you've done it already, if they have issues working xmas then thats the company's fault, not yours, if they cant do what the company requires then they shouldnt be working there
    via u/Piper6728
  • 15
    Arifstotle 21 hr. ago ● NTA - Time off is first come, first served, you don't need to justify why you want it off.
    via u/Arifstotle_
  • 16
    Natural_War1261 17 hr. ago Partassipant [3] Absolutely, and I find it .... Interesting that the guy, 4 months in, thinks he should get prime holidays off. Oh yeah, Manager's buddy.
    via u/Natural_War1261
  • 17
    Aetra 4 hr. ago I hate it when people think their coworkers shouldn't have Christmas off just cos they "don't have a family”. I mean, I have a family: my husband and parents and cousins and nephews and niece and in laws and friends. Just because I'm not a mum doesn't mean I don't have a family.
    via u/Aetra
  • 18
    Apart-Ad-6518 20 hr. ago Ishole Enthusiast [5] ΝΤΑ You worked a lot of xmases & you have the same right to PTO & chill time during the xmas period as anyone else, you put in for the time & it was approved.
    via u/Apart-Ad-6518
  • 19
    It's no one else's business if you celebrate Xmas or not, it's your PTO to do with as you please.
    via u/Apart-Ad-6518
  • 20
    Top-Bit-1982 · 20 hr. ago NTA You booked your days off a year in advance, you have valid reasons, and you've been at this company 10 times longer than your new colleague.
    via u/Top-Bit-1982
  • 21
    Yes, you don't celebrate Christmas but you have the right to take the days off that you had scheduled a year in advance. They had plenty of notice. The other guys aren't big ah either but I think you are right to stand your ground
    via u/Top-Bit-1982
  • 22
    Heloise_Morris - 20 hr. ago Poperintendant [60] NTA Your request for Christmas Day off approved it doesn't matter if you don't celebrate Christmas. It's the same argument people make when you are single. Well, you don't have a family as tho people were dropped out of the sky by a stork. You don't have to be
    via u/Heloise_Morris
  • 23
    married to have a family. The majority of the people who take Christmas Day off don't spend it in church praying. They spend it kicking back with family and friends. Some people go to the movies.
    via u/Heloise_Morris
  • 24
    It stinks to be the new hire but the low person on the totem pole works the holidays because they don't have seniority. If people are taking offense that you plan to spend Christmas doing the same thing they do, oh well, not your problem.
    via u/Heloise_Morris
  • 25
    Gamerthon98 - 20 hr. ago NTA. It's unfair that you're expected to work Christmas because of your religious background. You booked time off a year in advance, with valid reasons.
    via u/Gamerthon98
  • 26
    The office has no right to judge you for your choice, nor do they have right to be petty because 'you DON'T CelEbRatE ChRIsTmAs', nor does anyone have the right to pressure you into giving up your time off, or taking it earlier to appease others.
    via u/Gamerthon98
  • 27
    And if your manager is worried about the other colleague covering the Christmas shift, then your manager should've hired someone who's skills they were confident with. If things were to go up again, that's not your fault and, though they'd probably try to blame you,
    via u/Gamerthon98
  • 28
    they'd have no right to insinuate as such. You've worked the past 5 Christmas's, you deserve this one off and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
    via u/Gamerthon98
  • 29
    Marzipan_civil. 19 hr. ago Partassipant [2] Nta. The actual problem wasn't that you were working Xmas, it was that the level above you (who needed to approve the order) were psing around. I wouldn't want to deal with that either.
    via u/Marzipan_civil
  • 30
    sugarlump858-18 hr. ago Parta ipant [1] NTA. He's low man on the totem pole. That's how that works. He hasn't paid his dues yet. Being the boss' buddy will make it tricky, though. If you have an HR department, you might do well to bring it up with them.
    via u/sugarlump858
  • 31
    In my company, neither my bosses nor co-workers can ask you to change your PTO once it's approved. I traditionally go through the whole next year calendar to put in for extra holiday time and mine and my kids' birthdays.
    via u/sugarlump858

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holiday shift entitled co worker working christmas employee christmas break job tech employee entitled new hire IT employee working holidays workplace it department entitled entitled coworker christmas shift r-entitled Reddit tech jobs entitled people entitled employee
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