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[LouiseA]

I've just found out I have to work over Xmas! Any else got a job that requires them to work over the festive season? Please don't say I'm suffering alone!

Kind regards

Louisa

Brighton jobs | Worthing jobs | Southampton jobs

[Robin Tetley]

Thankfully not this year for me. Though last year at a taxi company I used to work for I had to do a 4pm till Midnight shift. Working alone doing two peoples jobs because they didn't want to pay two people double. It wasn't fun.

[Bob]

We get triple pay for Xmas day so usually get more people wanting to work than they need. They put the names in a hat. I wouldn't mind but haven't offered this year.

[Gota]

Louisa when exactly are you working? Is it just Christmas day or Boxing day as well? Did you have any say in it? I wouldn't mind because family Christmas' have never really been my thing. The option for me isn't there though. I'd jump at the chance of triple pay.

[Pepper]

I worked Christmas day as a home health care aide a few years ago.  I basically spent the day taking care of an elderly person as family members came in periodically to drop off a Christmas gift. 

Normally I didn't mind, but I think I should have been paid extra for working on a holiday.

[Robin Tetley]

I'm suprised you didn't get double pay for that.

Though at least you were doing something nice?

Well I guess nice is subjective, but I mean something worthwhile. You were looking after somebody and that's lovely.

[Pepper]

Yes, I agree.  I should have been given extra pay.  Another thing that bothered me about that day was I'm suppose to be taking care of my elderly client, right?  Well, later that day we took a ride to visit her daughter and husband and had dinner at their house.  That was nice, but after dinner they stuck me in the kitchen to do everyone's dishes!  My job is to take care of my client.  Not be the maid.  I could have said something, but I was shocked and didn't want to cause trouble on Christmas Day.

[Robin Tetley]

That's tricky. And not very nice.

Though in doing a job you weren't there to do and NOT saying anything actually says lots about you and your character I think.

I hope that made sense.

[Pepper]

Hi Robin,

Yes that does make sense.  Hopefully, it says something good about my character 

I suppose it really bothered me because I wasn't even asked to do the dishes.  Instead I was expected to do them.  People just started giving me their dirty plates and the daughter gave me instructions on how to load the dish washer.  It was very awkward for me. 

It would have been better if she would have said, "Would you mind helping us with the dishes?"  Of course, I would feel better about the situation because I was asked.  As a result, I always make a conscious effort to ask people instead of telling them to do something.  I hope to never make someone feel the way I felt that day. 

[Robin Tetley]

Hi Pepper,

I think it does say lots about you.

Is it possible that the family of the person you were looking after (or, "your client" which is probably the new PC term) didn't know you weren't to do general household chores?

I think you're outlook is positive about not wanting to ever make people feel the way you did that day. At least you've learnt something from a bad situation.

It sounds rather trite but somebody once said that there are no bad situations simply learning curves.

Triteness aside this is how I TRY to look at things that happen to me.

I ask myself, what can I learn from this? Even if I wasn't wrong in the slightest.