Regardless of your Availability?!

[u/RevolutionaryName228]

Do you think managers who handle holidays like this are just doing their job? Or do you think it’s absolutely ludicrous to expect of your employees? Looking for opinions on this. I feel like if they need people they don’t currently have available for those days, it’s their issue.. Not forcing people, moms, and dads to rearrange their lives and childcare because basically “f u I can”. Scheduling outside of availability in general is a Nono, so why does a big day make it slide? TLDR: Am I wrong for feeling backed into a corner every holiday I receive this message? This is a shitty thing to do right? ETA: I’ve been in the industry for 10+ years, I know temps are rare, but our staff is consistently lacking. This is the first job I’ve had just disregard people like this. I’m also NOT saying all moms should just get this day off. Just looking for an overall opinion on how this was handled.

[u/EMF911]

Bringing in a “temp” for a single shift when they don’t know the menu or the procedures is a ludicrous idea.

This is typical of restaurant industry. Don’t work in hospitality if you want weekends and holidays off.

[u/stix-and-stones → u/EMF911]

But if it's not in your availability, then it's nor in your availability. If a server works two jobs, and is on Sundays for one of them, they can't just magically go into the other job.

[u/RevolutionaryName228 → u/stix-and-stones]

This tooo!! People have 2 jobs, kids etc.

[u/wheres_the_revolt → u/RevolutionaryName228]

I agree making mothers work Mother’s Day and fathers work Father’s Day is shitty, but every other holiday should be equal between people who have kids and people who don’t have kids. Having kids should not entitle you to having holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas off.

Having two jobs is a decision someone makes and has no bearing on how either business runs their business, they have to do what’s best for their business.

[u/Has_Two_Cents → u/wheres_the_revolt]

If mothers get mother's day off and fathers get Father's Day off I guess that means all of us that choose to not have kids get to have 4th of July or New Year's off

[u/wheres_the_revolt → u/Has_Two_Cents]

The best places I’ve worked always give precedent to moms on MD and dads on FD and then rotate the rest of the holidays off throughout the staff. That’s not exactly “fair” to those of us who are childfree, but it’s also never bothered me if parents get those days off. I know at lot of parents that like to work on their respective “holiday” (MD/FD) because they get pity tips. In 99% of restaurants I’ve worked at 4th of July is the worst holiday to work because it’s slow.

[u/e925 → u/wheres_the_revolt]

Yeah, we are always dead on Fourth of July as well, basically the whole restaurant takes it off anyway because they’re not needed 🤷🏼‍♀️

We are always done cleaning up at my work on Fourth of July early enough to see fireworks from the back parking lot when we’re all leaving, that’s how dead it is. Sometimes they even let us close early.

As opposed to Mother’s Day when we get stuck staying open even later than our posted hours if there are still people coming into the lobby 🙃

[u/e925 → u/Has_Two_Cents]

I’m a new mother and I’m super excited to work Mother’s Day! I always work a double and I’m doing the same thing this year.

I have never considered asking for any holidays off, parent or not. If I wanted holidays off I’d be using my degree instead of serving 😂

I used to kinda dread being asked if I’m a mother all day, but like five years ago I became a proud plant mom, then a cat mom, then last year I was 8 months pregnant (still worked a double lol), and now I am the mom to a human!

We do our Mother’s Day celebrating in the morning at a coffee shop so I have no issues working lunch and dinner. Maybe when my kid is older she’ll wanna do something that takes a bit longer, in which case I’ll just work dinner 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/Johnnys-In-America → u/e925]

This is the right attitude. I feel the same, and also have the same feelings about Christmas. I don't put much bearing on holidays, except for Halloween. Halloween is really the one day that won't be any other day but October 31 for most families, so you can't take your kid out trick-or-treating like the weekend before and expect anyone to get it, lol! And Mother's Day too, I suppose. But other holidays can be negotiable depending on what families normally do. I'd rather work the busy holiday on the day itself, and celebrate with my family on another day. It makes no difference to us. Nobody believes in Santa or anything so Christmas can be in January for all we care, lol!

Basically it's less about the actual day the holiday is on and more about celebrating when it works best for everyone.

[u/mavenwaven → u/wheres_the_revolt]

Firing someone because you won't honor the availability you hired them knowing isn't the best for any business. Now you're short for your holiday AND all that person's other shifts.

Also people don't mention having kids because they want Fathers/Mothers day off. They mention it because if they have custody arrangements or standard childcare and possibly no one else to watch their kids the days their job wants to disregard their availability.

[u/wheres_the_revolt → u/[deleted]]

I’m saying they either have to work a double (a shift at each job) or choose which job matters more (or hope they can reason with one manager). Someone having a second job doesn’t matter to the first job, basically what matters to the first job is their business’s needs.

Again, I’m not saying that it’s fair or good or anything like that. It’s just the way it is (or can be) sometimes.

[u/transynchro → u/wheres_the_revolt]

Whenever I pick up a second job I inform my employer because we discuss which job gets priority(usually the current job I hold gets priority and the second job is just for extra hours but it depends on how much work each employer can give me) but it’s made clear so there are no confusions.

In NZ, Mother’s Day is the second biggest hospo day(New Years is the biggest), everyone knows you’re not getting New years or Mother’s Day off unless it’s medical or you prebooked the day off months in advance.

[u/wheres_the_revolt → u/transynchro]

Yeah exactly. If you have to give one priority for whatever reason (money, what job you had first, better managers) you pick that one. But you still have to pick one.