Well, stay away from the car biz if you don't like working holidays. Christmas and Thanksgiving Day- that's about the holiday hit parade right there. The flip side is, because you aren't paid on hours or salary (generally), a day or weekend off could cost you a few grand, so it's not a problem either.

 

Ask them if the change is set in stone. Indicate that you had made travel plans (if true) based on the previously advertised schedule, and ask for consideration of that, as you're not the one who made changes to the work schedule late in the game. Often managers are somewhat flexible if they think they have screwed up. If you can't get whatever it is you're looking for, tell your manager that the change has inconvenienced you, and that you feel that the company did you an injustice. Then drop it and go to work.

My company has a posted holiday schedule as well, which works great for the folks in the corporate office. Those of us in field locations can take those days off only if the job can stand it. There are lots of times that the jobs can't stand to be un-staffed or understaffed, so we work. I'm a salaried employee, so no overtime or any of that other stuff that most of the guys get, work 60+ hours per week, and don't whine about it. It's my job - I agreed to do it knowing what the time requirements were, and agreed to a price to do it. I love my work and take pride in getting it done, even when it encroaches on "my" time.

 

Yes, all your points ring valid to me as well. The main reason I am bitter about this stems from my perceived inequity across two geographic locations.

The Chicago location gets the following
better pay
10 holidays vs 5
cafeteria prices that are half Salt Lake City's
and standard leave early on Friday practice.

And this bothers me because when we officially merged on 1/1/2005 it was advertised as "ONE" company to facilitate employee buy-in.

Yes, I will work if I have to. I won't call in sick because two negatives don't make a positive.

I just want to gripe for the employees that we all are. Thanks to everyone for sharing their points of view. I suppose the ultimate solution would be to quit and find a job that caters to my "luxuries". I will say I am not just sitting back and taking it. I voiced my opinion "this sucks", in just as many words, to my boss, the VP. I have a good enough relationship that he can filter out the unnecessary emotion. I am also communicating with an HR rep that I trust to understand why the inequity between locations exists. I won't make a federal case about it, but if I can understand why then maybe I can buy-in and become more productive.

Anyway, thanks! Keep it coming if you have anymore opinions, if nothing more than to just share.

 

I spent 16 years on call 7/24, the phone would ring and I would be on the next plane to somewhere. Having a holiday canceled or being called off the golf course was routine. Sometimes being unconvinced is just part of the job.
Dono

 

Looks like my two employees will be able to cover these two days 12/24 & 12/31, I'll be able to offer them a day off somewhere else, and they will get double time pay.

It does pay to speak up!

 

Question... do you get bonuses/options and are they bigger when the company is more profitable? Are your annual increases/raises larger when the company is more profitable?

If the answer is yes.... If the company can give more when things are good shouldn't the flip side be they can ask for more when things are bad?

Sort of like unions... they want more benefits for workers when things are good but will rarely give them back when things are bad.

If the answer is no, then my analogy doesn't apply.

 

Good deal roozter!

 

I've seen this when it comes to different divisions within major corporations, too... One division is in NJ, the other in AZ, work hours, vacation days, you name it are different. One division was bought up, and "merged" into the parent.

There are, of course, differences in what they can get away with from state-to-state, but it's also what was negotiated at that physical location as to all the little frills, like breaks, and the above stuff. When a company takes over, there must be some law that says they can't *****-nilly change the pre-negotiated "worker's rights".

One place I worked for (as a consultant) changed hands I don't know how many times, Westin, Schlumberger, Loral, Lockheed Martin, etc. They continued to conform to the same, what I call "worker's rights", that had been negotiated when there used to be a union there decades before.

It's like it's set in stone somewhere...

 

Yes, but we are so far off the budget this year that there will not be any bonus based on beating budget. And 2 Saturdays will not make up $1.6 million.

 

It is called board room fluff. The upper management is catching hades for the bleak profit/loss line. So , sitting around the big board room wooden slab, the CEO looks down to his second in command and says " What are you going to do about this despicable bottom line James " ? The second in command says enthusiatically , " SIR. I will make all the salaried people peasants work Christmas EVE , that will teach them to work harder ALL year long ! SIR !! " And all but the peasants, live happily after....

 

Yes, however we couldn't have worked any harder this year. Our budget was developed last year assuming 20% <i>growth</i> in 2005 of resources over 2004. However, we have had a decline in resources of 13%. Even on that decline we are beating the prior year revenue by 12.5%. Therefore, we have worked our butts off to gain efficiences on the resources we have.

 

My company has a very common philosophy...
If you're salaried (read, management), enjoy your holiday, take a few days off, come back when you feel like it, and here's a bonus for your troubles..

Hourly schmucks like me... their motto is, Back to work, peasant. We can't afford for you to have holidays, families, or time off.

 

Well since my company also takes the week of between Christmas and New Years I can speak to that some. We get 12 days a year for holidays. We use 7 of those days at christmas. We also get Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor day and 2 days at Thanksgiving. We gave up all the other holidays so we could have the week at Christmas. Its kinda nice but it is real long haul between New Years and Memorial Day.

I know many people don't really get any holidays at all.