Christmas, Children....Working Retail Hours... (7)

Just wondering if other single parents out there is finding it hard to enjoy Christmas (or the Holiday Season) and juggle having to find time for the kids, your home and working in retail....

I am currently working in upper management for a company that has now told us that we cannot have the weekend after christmas off, we have to work christmas/new years eve and boxing day... HUH???!!!

I know that they would be welcome to spend the Christmas with their dad...but *selfishly* I feel I deserve to be with my kids for the holidays because its a "happy" time for them and i want to share that.

Obviously I got into retail because it accommodated my hours and my need to be there for my kids...(while my "ex" got to further his career... ) as i also worked around his schedule....

Anyone else facing this?....How are you managing?

hey girl

ok, well I am NOT a single parent or a parent for that matter!

BUT, I too have problems when it comes to the holidays...

I work ALL Day on the eve.....both of them....and the three days in between christmas and new years

I am ALWAYS the last one to show up for christmas eve dinner.....ALWAYS....everyone else MAYBE works 1/2 a day but nope, not me....alll freaking day and that alone, SUCKS

in the industry I am in (Construction) plants are shut down and really, I come to work for nothing....cannot call anyone cause all the offices are closed....I tell this to my boss' and still, they say nothing...worst part? EVERYONE else is home, relaxing and I am stuck here.....(the rest of the staff in my office is in sales...nobody is selling asphalt in december! thus them being home, chillin )

Regardless that I am single, I have a family too...my brothers/sisters and THEIR families and they plans things to do during the day with their children and always invite me...I always have to refrain from going cause I have to work.and then, get the info when I get home...on what a wonderful time they had.....

regardless of retail or office, the fact of the matter is that it's all up to upper management.....

I went to 9-5 because I liked the idea of being at home in the evenings and get to plan things...but lately, hasn't worked that way

oh well, guess everyone has a cross to bear.....

ps: wouldn't work for retail ........EVER.....

huggs to you Urs!

Yep wikked
been there .. done that....13 years of working every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day...and it sucks big time..the kids don't understand and by the time you have time off..you're exhausted.
any way you could swap with someone, so you have a couple of days off and so could they (job share)? That's what we did when I left there..people with families got an extra day off at christmas, and singles got the extra time off for new years....
I now work for a company (office) that has a plant shut down...so I'll actually be off for a month..not sure that's good either..but i can use the rest...
I know it's not easy, hang in there!

When I joined this company back in June, I requested the time off in July on the "Company Calendar"...I did know about the "black out" period for December....what i thought it meant is that you were not GUARANTEED the time off, but now know it meant NO TIME OFF!! (So I cannot even switch shifts because every other manager has to work as well)

Like you Hug I have done this for the past 8 years...and i understand that it is "retail" (which is all they seem to be repeating to me...), however i chose retail, and stayed in it, because it was what accommodated my hours when the kids were much younger.

No children don't understand...but i know it has long term effects that you were "never there"....and then comes the day when you do have time for them...and they seem to be "never there".....

I feel i'm a good manager, and i believe they think that as well, I've even offered up my resignation....or even to step down from management...they can't believe i would go to those lengths, and don't want to "lose" me....I can't believe that all of this is over TWO DAYS out of the 365 that i dedicate to the company!!

It is my first experience working for a company where the holiday is not split between the managers (there are 4 of us) and all managers are expected to work.

I am so sorry wikked..your company really isn't family friendly.

Make sure the kids know you'd rather be with them than work, and just do what you can.

Hi Hug...

Thanks for your kind words...it has been a very stressful week with this up in the air...

However, I was told yesterday that the district manager has decided to authorize the weekend off for me

They did not want to lose me and they don't want me to step down and they also mentioned that even though we all went through this this week, they were very impressed that i held my ground.....ALL FOR MY CHILDREN...