Are Companies Within Their Right To Fire Workers Who Don't Want To Work (employees, 2014)

[mkpunk]

In the recent week there have been several new reports of the badside of Black Friday including several companies like Kmart and Target threatening employees with the threat of being fired for not wanting to work Thanksgiving Day. My question is it right that despite Thanksgiving being a national holiday based around family that companies can fire employees that wish to celebrate the day similar to a religious holiday?

[NJBest]

Yes... especially when working is in the business's best interest. In retail, it's widely known that there are a few big shopping days that make or break the revenue for a particular quarter. When you work in retail, you have to accommodate these major shopping days. If a particular retailer cannot meet the demands of consumers on these big shopping days, they will lose a large amount of revenue to a competing retailer... which would result in a bad quarter.

Deciding to work retail without participating in the industry's most important days is just not an option.

There is no reason why an employer should not be able to force someone to work on a shopping day as important as Thanksgiving night (or any other holiday night, religious or not), given how important the day is to the business and industry as a whole.

[mkpunk]

Originally Posted by NJBest

Yes... especially when working is in the business's best interest. In retail, it's widely known that there are a few big shopping days that make or break the revenue for a particular quarter. When you work in retail, you have to accommodate these major shopping days. If a particular retailer cannot meet the demands of consumers on these big shopping days, they will lose a large amount of revenue to a competing retailer... which would result in a bad quarter.

Deciding to work retail without participating in the industry's most important days is just not an option.

There is no reason why an employer should not be able to force someone to work on a shopping day as important as Thanksgiving night (or any other holiday night, religious or not), given how important the day is to the business and industry as a whole.

Really, it is not as much as a slam dunk as you may think it is. This Time article lists that with these Black Friday sales as an actual deterrent to later sales citing the law of diminishing returns with the quarter actually slowing after Thanksgiving Saturday sales (when the traditional weekend sales finish up.) That and also all the various petitions prevent it.

Listen, I get it. There was an untapped market for this that was finally tapped in on in the last two years and people do show up. However should it be at the expense of those who wish to spend a family holiday with their family? If someone elects to work that day, I won't complain BUT to force them to work with the threat of firing is something different altogether.

[NJBest]

Originally Posted by mkpunk

Really, it is not as much as a slam dunk as you may think it is. This Time article lists that with these Black Friday sales as an actual deterrent to later sales citing the law of diminishing returns with the quarter actually slowing after Thanksgiving Saturday sales (when the traditional weekend sales finish up.) That and also all the various petitions prevent it.

Listen, I get it. There was an untapped market for this that was finally tapped in on in the last two years and people do show up. However should it be at the expense of those who wish to spend a family holiday with their family? If someone elects to work that day, I won't complain BUT to force them to work with the threat of firing is something different altogether.

What is a retailer supposed to do? There are mobs of people that show up on these days. They need all their staff. The only other option is to shut down. But that doesn't bring sales later on in the quarter because those shoppers already went to a competitor because they were open.

Just like any industry, you know you have to work certain days. I have to work on New Years because of the industry that I'm in. I do it without complaining because I chose my job. The same applies to retail. Retailers are stuck being open because, otherwise, they miss their sales. The post office is closed on Thanksgiving. Perhaps that's a great place to work for those who don't want to work retail.

So does it make sense to force them to work? Yes, because it is the expected norm of the industry and detrimental to the business.

[Poohbear1234]

Honestly that is one of the breaks in working in retail. Seasonal employees are generally asked if the can work black Friday, day after Christmas, etc. If they object they aren't hired. Nobody wants to do it, but it comes with the territory.

[jwiley]

While I have mostly avoided retail my entire career I did work in the Casinos for a few years, it is understood when you take the job that you will be working holidays. You know that when you take this type of job that you will be working on their biggest days of the year, and while it sucks it is not something that you should be quitting your job over.

[camanchaca]

And people say unions aren't necessary anymore.

[jwiley]

What do unions have to do with anything? Union or not these stores would still be open on their biggest days, and people would still be required to work it. Happens in the casinos in New Jersey and in Las Vegas.

[Blinx]

Employers can basically do whatever they want. But since when is Thanksgiving a major shopping day?? Black Friday, sure, but not the holiday itself.

If the employment situation were better in this country, I'd love for everyone to walk off the job on Thursday. But they simply can't, since they can't afford to be fired.

[usayit]

Originally Posted by Blinx

Employers can basically do whatever they want.

Absolutely.... The laws are not in the best interest of the employee. If you are in an at-will state, the employment can end without cause, given reason, or warning.