Cover shift doesn't cover Christmas.
Discussion
Quick bit of background.....
I'm in a role that provides 24/7/365 staffing, with a shift roster drawn up long in advance.
Christmas, Easter and every other bank holiday, religious festival, Olympic games, Royal weddings and so on are seen as just another day.
But....
We're introducing a cover shift to provide more formalised cover for annual leave (at present it's just chucked out there as overtime) and a colleague has been volunteered to draw up a set of rules for this new shift.
There is a proposed clause whereby those on shift over "the Christmas period" cannot take annual leave on the basis the cover shift would have to step in (as they would at any other time of year), and "it's not fair because as it's Christmas everyone will want to take leave so we might as well just roster the cover shift to begin with".
Apart from the pissing-in-coffee cups that could ensue when one person's Christmas at home is seen as more valuable than the next person's, is this ring-fencing of an individual's entitlement to a guaranteed Chirstmas holiday entirely above board?
Thanks in advance.
CK
I'm in a role that provides 24/7/365 staffing, with a shift roster drawn up long in advance.
Christmas, Easter and every other bank holiday, religious festival, Olympic games, Royal weddings and so on are seen as just another day.
But....
We're introducing a cover shift to provide more formalised cover for annual leave (at present it's just chucked out there as overtime) and a colleague has been volunteered to draw up a set of rules for this new shift.
There is a proposed clause whereby those on shift over "the Christmas period" cannot take annual leave on the basis the cover shift would have to step in (as they would at any other time of year), and "it's not fair because as it's Christmas everyone will want to take leave so we might as well just roster the cover shift to begin with".
Apart from the pissing-in-coffee cups that could ensue when one person's Christmas at home is seen as more valuable than the next person's, is this ring-fencing of an individual's entitlement to a guaranteed Chirstmas holiday entirely above board?
Thanks in advance.
CK
I use a similar system on both my operations. If somebody wants xmas then they need to ask there opposite guy to cover, I won't force somebody who is rostered off shift to work the xmas unless they want to.
It's not that one person xmas is more important than anyone elses but everybody wants xmas so why should the person who is supposed to be working it have it off.
It's not that one person xmas is more important than anyone elses but everybody wants xmas so why should the person who is supposed to be working it have it off.
phil-sti said:
I use a similar system on both my operations. If somebody wants xmas then they need to ask there opposite guy to cover, I won't force somebody who is rostered off shift to work the xmas unless they want to.
It's not that one person xmas is more important than anyone elses but everybody wants xmas so why should the person who is supposed to be working it have it off.
Why shouldn't they though? If they've got leave to take, why should when they take it be given some kind of weighting based on the impact it might have on the nominated cover?It's not that one person xmas is more important than anyone elses but everybody wants xmas so why should the person who is supposed to be working it have it off.
To my mind it sets a risky precedent of starting to dictate when people can or can't take leave. Not sure it's completely legit either is it?
The cover shift isn't the "opposite" guy.....it's a recognised part of the roster specifically for covering leave.
Unless you want leave at Christmas, apparently.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 15th January 16:25
Because somebody has to work christmas and the fairest way is "if your on, your doing it"
I have 2 operations but as an example my day shift is as follows
4 x 4 on 4 off guys
1 flexy staff member (holiday cover)
so the flexy guy has no fixed shifts get paid the same as the 4 on 4 off (48 hours), works more hours per week. basically can be asked to anything.
4 on 4 off works less hours (42 hours)has a set rota across the full year that doesn't change, only works 183 shifts per year.
Now not being funny but why shouldn't the flexy guy have xmas off if he isn't working? he gets messed about all year and the one saving grace is that he will have xmas off. do you think that's unfair?
I have 2 operations but as an example my day shift is as follows
4 x 4 on 4 off guys
1 flexy staff member (holiday cover)
so the flexy guy has no fixed shifts get paid the same as the 4 on 4 off (48 hours), works more hours per week. basically can be asked to anything.
4 on 4 off works less hours (42 hours)has a set rota across the full year that doesn't change, only works 183 shifts per year.
Now not being funny but why shouldn't the flexy guy have xmas off if he isn't working? he gets messed about all year and the one saving grace is that he will have xmas off. do you think that's unfair?
Difference is the "flexi" guy is a rolling roster, so the bloke who gets told he can't take leave at Christmas might also be the one who gets told he's covering Easter as the guy who didn't have to cover Christmas is taking leave.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 15th January 17:01
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