Should Parents Have To Work At Christmas

Should Parents Have To Work At Christmas

I am a lone parent and up until last week was a respected night carer, having worked for 18 months for the same employer.

Last year I worked Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, fine by me.

This year I was scheduled to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve and day, night shifts.

Now I understand I have to do my fair share but spoke with my employer and explained as a lone parent to three small children I would be unable to get child care for the Christmas Eve shift, even if I could have, my children’s Christmas would have been ruined, Santa wouldn’t come until I returned home, small children forced to wait several hours for me to get home and a very tired mum.

My employer in his wisdom decided it was my choice to have children and he would not change the rota.

Well I’d rather lose my job than my children, there was no one to look after my children that night and would never in a million years leave them home alone, I had no option but to hand in my notice, I debated just going “sick” for the shift but knew my employer would take disciplinary action.

I spoke with a group of mothers at a playgroup and many thought my employer was being unfair, but one mum said “why would you get a job that requires you to work over Christmas to start with?, those without children deserve Christmas off as well.

So this began a debate, should parents have to work Christmas?

Should dads get as much time off as mums, should lone parents get priority?

Well in an ideal world everyone would get time off, but hospitals, care homes, police and fire services and many other professions have no other choice but to remain open.

I do feel that people should be given the option to work on which days suit them during the festive period, there are people who enjoy working other Christmas for the over time or simple do not celebrate it.

If staff cannot come to arrangement to cover shifts then I do feel Christmas Day should be given off to those with small children.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, should parents get Christmas off?