Why the term "Family Oriented" bother me....

[NYChistorygal]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

The truth is, when you have kids you still need to make a living. And the daycare is not open on the weekend.

When the boss is calling around for someone to come in on short notice, who is going to be more likely to be able to come in? The single person, or the lady with three kids who has to call around and find a sitter? I used to manage a small store. When I needed someone to come in on short notice, I knew who was more likely to be able to come in and who would show up sober and ready to work. I also knew who would say they had to call around to try to find a sitter, and who would call me back four hours later (during which time they were supposedly getting a sitter and coming in) and say they hadn't been able to find anyone. I would call the single people in first, because I didn't have all day to find someone and they were more reliable.

If it's a scheduled shift, not something unplanned, and the other person does not have seniority over you, then it's completely reasonable to expect that person to be able to work their share of weekendds, regardless of whether they have kids or not.

If a job requires weekends, it requires weekends. Period. If a parent cannnot work weekends, then they shouldn't accept a job offer that requires it.

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by NYChistorygal

If a job requires weekends, it requires weekends. Period. If a parent cannnot work weekends, then they shouldn't accept a job offer that requires it.

Ohhhh, you'd be surprised (well, maybe not..) at the people who accept jobs like that and then try to change the rules, especially playing up the sympathy factor

[jsqueezer]

Originally Posted by silverwing

Ohhhh, you'd be surprised (well, maybe not..) at the people who accept jobs like that and then try to change the rules, especially playing up the sympathy factor

True, true, true. I'm retired from corporate-land, but vividly remember working in a department full of mommies and daddies who would be hired to work full time and agree to the conditions of the job, which were that sometimes the nature of our work required occasional evenings and out-of-town assignments. Somehow, once hired, the mommies and daddies then expected to be allowed to work part time, leave early, never put in a bit of overtime, and never go out of town.

I was routinely turned down for vacation during Christmas-New Years break and Easter/Spring break, and expected to work late to take up the slack for the ones who had faaaaamily obligations, because I was a single female, who obviously had no life at all outside of that job. It became nauseatingly, glaringly unfair.

Needless to say, I left and moved to a better work environment, where people were treated fairly. I often volunteered to work the crappy breaks so parents could spend time with their kids when they were home from school. It just grated when it was unwritten departmental policy that single people got the crap assignments and worked the long hours.

[LOL_Whut]

Originally Posted by jerseygal4u

I guess I got mad because she is the type of person that talks about her familiy all the time,whereas I'm quiet. I rarely say much to anyone,because I figure its nobody else's business. I also figured she was making an Assumption that I don't have a family,or I don't want to spend time with my family.

We were asked to work weekends,but work it out amongst ourselves how we were going to do it.

Sounds like you're making the assumptions, not her.

You're coming across as unusually bitter & defensive about a standard conversational phrase. I suspect you have resentment or baggage built up that has very little to do with your co-worker's innocuous description of her own weekend. Stop chatting with her if you're "triggered" easily.

The weekend work is a separate matter. If your co-workers are having difficulty "working it out amongst ourselves", then take that issue up with management.