Business As Usual--on Christmas Day

[dougiezerts]

Do any of you have jobs that require you to work on Christmas? If so, does that bother you, or are you OK with it?
I don't like working on Christmas; the customers are extra sucky!

[TNT]

At my company, internet tech support never closes and if we're scheduled to work on a holiday, we're supposed to work. In actual practice, though, almost no one is forced to work holidays. The pay is double time and a half and that attracts plenty of volunteers.

At my previous job I wound up working at least part of every holiday. That one only paid time and a half for holidays... and we didn't even get that if we were already on overtime. I didn't really mind... we usually did something special for our clients (adults with severe mental health problems) and that was always fun.

If I worked in retail and had to work a holiday... that I wouldn't like at all.

[Hempress]

I worked on Christmas Eve/Day (third shift) at Wawa and it wasn't that bad. I was shift supervisor and Christmas means double time, so I made 18$/hr that day. And that was before I had a family of my own so I didn't really care about Christmas much. Most of my customers that day were nice because they felt bad for me. Not me, though. I volunteered for those hours.

[MadMike]

My mom is a nurse, and since people don't stop getting hurt or sick just because it's a holiday, she would sometimes have to work Christmas. She'd get out of it whenever she could, just so she could be home with us when we opened our presents, but every so often she'd have to work a Christmas.

Now that my brother and I are both grown up and out of the house, she and my stepdad (who is a doctor at the same center) usually offer to work Christmas so that the coworkers that still have kids at home don't have to.

[Kitten in the box]

There was a rumor floating around that my workplace would be open Christmas and they would ask for volunteers....and even though "no one shall be forced to work Christmas Holiday"(as per contract regulates) if no one volunteers then work assignments may be given...(sounds contradictory to me....they cant force you but if no one volunteers then they can force you to work it) *sigh* anywhoo if it were me I would take the write up. I am NOT working Christmas Day. And if the customers are smart...(which they are NOT then they will opt to stay home as well.)

[Seanette]

When I worked in a motel and at 7-11, I had to work holidays. In fact, at 7-11, the boss would adjust schedules so even people who would normally have that day off had to put in some time (overtime pay, but STILL.....). One colleague there was a Jehovah's Witness and willingly swapped shifts to give others holidays off if possible (since she didn't observe them anyway).

I honestly think the worst holiday at a convenience store is New Year's Eve, especially if you work swing or graveyard. Many too many drunks.

[AFpheonix]

We're open, and people volunteered to work the 2 shifts I have for Christmas.

It's not too bad, some people come and pick up some refills that day, others have emergency scripts, but in general it's pretty slow. Gives me time to get some crap done.

[Casino Jockey]

we are closed from midnight to 9 am and only beacuse of govt regulations (i'm in a casino) otherwise we'd be open all through the day. and it doesn't bother me, as i was made aware of this sort of thing when entering the industry.

[El Barto]

I work in a CVS and we're going to be open. Corporate's excuse this year is people still get sick on holidays and need their medicine. But they're closing the pharmacy 4 hours before the front store. They're doing that tomorrow too. The greedy bastards just want bigger bonuses.

I volunteered to work tomorrow afternoon and another supervisor volunteered to work all day Chirstmas. She likes the 10 hours of double pay and does it every year.

[rvdammit]

My brother and his wife are both prison guards so they have to work some holidyas. But I think arranging for the due date of their first kid for Christmas Week is going a bit far to get the time off.

[BlakeMP]

One of the upsides of being a teacher -- pretty clear demarkation of your time off.

[Kiwi]

Im pretty lucky, they gallery completely cuts down on hours (and pay which sucks) at christmas and were closed xmas day, boxing day and new years day and even our hours the other days are alot shorter, but....were still open...

my boyfriends office on the other hand (and the gallery administration)....closes on christmas eve and doesnt re-open until the new year....WITH PAY

I so have to get off the bottom rung!

[Jester]

Christmas is no big deal to me, as (a) I am basically an agnostic/pagan type, (b) descended from Jews, and (c) all my family is scattered to the wind (Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, England...). So I will get New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off as I always do, despite that violating all logic in the food service industry...because, as always, I will volunteer to work a double on Christmas Eve AND on Christmas Day. And trust me, the sympathy tips from people who pity me (though I volunteered) are well worth it.

May just order an extra bottle of blue curacao for those shifts, so I can continue last year's idea of "Blue Christmas Margarita" specials. Tomorrow, Thanksgiving, I think I am going to run specials on Wild Turkey bourbon and Vodka/Cranberry drinks. On Christmas, as I did last year, will be bringing in my own eggnog and doing an additional special on Captain Morgan's rum and eggnog. And whatever doesn't get drunk, I will drink! I love eggnog! If anyone has any other funny or amusing ideas for holiday themed drink specials, send me a private message and let me know.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I volunteer to work at the paper on the holidays (even though nothing is quite as depressing as typing up obits on Christmas) because all but three members of my family I either live with or can have access to within a 30-minute drive. I don't get paid extra but I generally do enjoy my work, and it's nice to have some peace and quiet up here, not to mention that I get out of cooking and cleaning on Thanksgiving

[Brighid45]

We don't have to work Christmas as that would offend our employer's sensibilities--not to mention he would be forced to pay us holiday pay and an hourly wage, a thought that probably strikes utter horror in his cheapass little cinder of a heart--but we usually work our butts off right up to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. We'll have both days off AND Saturday this year though, as Christmas is on a Monday. Woohoo! Three-day weekend!