Archived How can I get Christmas eve off for religious reasons?

[Tardis77]

I always asked for an early shift but got the whole day off. I Always asked for the Saturday before Easter off, I pretty much live at my church that day and I always asked for Easter Sunday off, the store wasn't open but I just asked for it off just in case but it sure did cause a few questions when it said time off by my name and everyone else schedule said available.

 

[Bullselle]

I always asked for an early shift but got the whole day off. I Always asked for the Saturday before Easter off, I pretty much live at my church that day and I always asked for Easter Sunday off, the store wasn't open but I just asked for it off just in case but it sure did cause a few questions when it said time off by my name and everyone else schedule said available.

Ha, that's pretty funny. How long were you working there when you requested time off?

 

[BullseyeBud]

I rarely, if ever, post...but this thread had the potential to spiral out of control, so I felt compelled to put perspective on this. As a GSTL for 6 years, I have heard just about everything...
If we use your logic @Bullselle, you need to look at just how far this could go. Some people are spiritual, and non-religous. Should they not be granted to "holy days?" This is why time-off requests SHOULD NOT need an explanation. I work a 30 hour a week part-time job for benefits, while running my own consulting firm--and I have legitimate business conflicts that come up in the workplace. Why should MY needs get prioritized over or under someone else's because of religious commitments? Why do some who value family time over religion get denied important days off? First come, first served is the only way to look at this in a LEGAL objective. (With two degrees and more than 10 years in non-profit, corporate, and private management--trust me, I've READ the laws.)
You committed to the job. You committed to an availability. Stand in line, fill out your forms, and BE READY to properly trade with someone if you were not granted it. It's what EVERYONE else has to do when they plan their life events in the future. If it TRULY was this big of a passion for you, it was your responsibility to disclose that a heck of a lot sooner than now.

 

[Bullselle]

I rarely, if ever, post...but this thread had the potential to spiral out of control, so I felt compelled to put perspective on this. As a GSTL for 6 years, I have heard just about everything...
If we use your logic @Bullselle, you need to look at just how far this could go. Some people are spiritual, and non-religous. Should they not be granted to "holy days?" This is why time-off requests SHOULD NOT need an explanation. I work a 30 hour a week part-time job for benefits, while running my own consulting firm--and I have legitimate business conflicts that come up in the workplace. Why should MY needs get prioritized over or under someone else's because of religious commitments? Why do some who value family time over religion get denied important days off? First come, first served is the only way to look at this in a LEGAL objective. (With two degrees and more than 10 years in non-profit, corporate, and private management--trust me, I've READ the laws.)
You committed to the job. You committed to an availability. Stand in line, fill out your forms, and BE READY to properly trade with someone if you were not granted it. It's what EVERYONE else has to do when they plan their life events in the future. If it TRULY was this big of a passion for you, it was your responsibility to disclose that a heck of a lot sooner than now.

Okay, okay, you don't have to yell.
First of all, I fully understand that I don't have to get the time off. We never agreed when I was hired that I would get Christmas eve off, so I can't expect them to give it to me. That was never my point. I just wanted to know how I could go about requesting time off for religious reasons, and how good my chances would be of getting it off.
Second of all, I am incredibly pissed that retail is the way that it is and that it's so difficult for people to get time off for valid reasons. Some people are angry at me for not wanting to work on Christmas eve. I think that anger's being directed at the wrong person, but I'll agree to disagree.
Third, my response was not based on my own logic. Companies are legally required to make religious accommodations for you. They are not legally required to accommodate to you wanting to spend time with family. Yes, if you requested what they view as "too many religious holidays off", they don't have to hire you, but they cannot put that as the reason they didn't hire you. That's against the law.
My point to that OP was that some people really do get a lot of religious holidays off or other religious accommodations made in entry level positions. He/she seemed to be under the impression that it doesn't happen often. But that's really not what this post was about.

 

[awbuckit]

Just wanted to throw this out there.
One lady I've worked with for probably 4-5 yrs takes off a MONTH every summer for Ramadan. A MONTH!! But since it's in the summer and she's only 1 cashier asking for it off, she gets the time off.
Let me try that for Christmas Eve or the week of Christmas or Easter and it'd be a HUGE NO!
Here's a list of things that happened or do happen on 12/24. Pick one and tell them you observe it and/or celebrate it. lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_24

 

[Bullselle]

Just wanted to throw this out there.
One lady I've worked with for probably 4-5 yrs takes off a MONTH every summer for Ramadan. A MONTH!! But since it's in the summer and she's only 1 cashier asking for it off, she gets the time off.
Let me try that for Christmas Eve or the week of Christmas or Easter and it'd be a HUGE NO!
Here's a list of things that happened or do happen on 12/24. Pick one and tell them you observe it and/or celebrate it. lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_24

Lol that's what I'm saying! Taking one day off should not be this much trouble!
Thanks for showing me that list, I got a good laugh out of it. I think I'll request time off for Iceland's 13th Yule Lad day.

 

[Retail Girl]

A few things: I don't work Sunday mornings because of church. I don't work the evening of Ash Wednesday, the evening of Maundy Thursday or the evening of Good Friday (I don't observe anything for Easter Saturday). They work with me.

As for Christmas Eve, we really don't close early. If we are open until 10pm, that's back to our normal hours. This means I won't leave until 10:30pm, and that means I miss every single church service offered by my church. So legally Spot needs to accommodate me and give me the evening off. I am entirely consistent in my worship life, and this falls right into this. Of course this does not make them happy, and if I want to push it for my legal rights, I am going to pay for it every other week of the year.

Second, Ramadan does not require that Muslims take off the entire month. In fact, it is explicitly discouraged. She is taking advantage of her holiday. And I guarantee that will not as easily fly when if she is still employed with Target when it rotates back to falling at the same time that Christmas does.

All this to say, I don't know of any churches that have all day services that would preclude you working an early shift. So you may get your religious accommodation, as you very well should. But I don't believe you should take advantage of it, either.

 

[Bullselle]

A few things: I don't work Sunday mornings because of church. I don't work the evening of Ash Wednesday, the evening of Maundy Thursday or the evening of Good Friday (I don't observe anything for Easter Saturday). They work with me.

As for Christmas Eve, we really don't close early. If we are open until 10pm, that's back to our normal hours. This means I won't leave until 10:30pm, and that means I miss every single church service offered by my church. So legally Spot needs to accommodate me and give me the evening off. I am entirely consistent in my worship life, and this falls right into this. Of course this does not make them happy, and if I want to push it for my legal rights, I am going to pay for it every other week of the year.

Second, Ramadan does not require that Muslims take off the entire month. In fact, it is explicitly discouraged. She is taking advantage of her holiday. And I guarantee that will not as easily fly when if she is still employed with Target when it rotates back to falling at the same time that Christmas does.

All this to say, I don't know of any churches that have all day services that would preclude you working an early shift. So you may get your religious accommodation, as you very well should. But I don't believe you should take advantage of it, either.

I get what you're saying, but I'm not trying to take advantage of the holiday, I just think that if you celebrate Christmas eve, you celebrate the whole day. Or at least where my family is from, we do that.
Don't you want all of Christmas off, even if they only have Christmas service in the morning? It's the same for me on Christmas eve.

 

[neversaynever]

How come I'm the only person that has never heard of celebrating Christmas Eve?

Sure some people have services early on that day to allow the actual day to be family time, but Christmas Eve is not the holiday, Christmas is.....

My bank is always open a 1/2 day unless it falls on Sunday, and that was in CA and now FL. Banks love "holidays", and even they don't get it.

Anyway, talk to your HR and have a copy of your church services handy, and hope for the best.

Oh and my store had a sure fire way to get it and the 26th off - get the most red cards in November.

 

[sigma7]

@Bullselle put in the request now. We won't make that schedule for another three weeks. There is still a chance you can get it scheduled off if you act now. Not everyone will be needed to work that day. Just understand that you may be working every other day that week if you even do get the 24th off.

 

[Producer]

A few things: I don't work Sunday mornings because of church. I don't work the evening of Ash Wednesday, the evening of Maundy Thursday or the evening of Good Friday (I don't observe anything for Easter Saturday). They work with me.

As for Christmas Eve, we really don't close early. If we are open until 10pm, that's back to our normal hours. This means I won't leave until 10:30pm, and that means I miss every single church service offered by my church. So legally Spot needs to accommodate me and give me the evening off. I am entirely consistent in my worship life, and this falls right into this. Of course this does not make them happy, and if I want to push it for my legal rights, I am going to pay for it every other week of the year.

Second, Ramadan does not require that Muslims take off the entire month. In fact, it is explicitly discouraged. She is taking advantage of her holiday. And I guarantee that will not as easily fly when if she is still employed with Target when it rotates back to falling at the same time that Christmas does.

All this to say, I don't know of any churches that have all day services that would preclude you working an early shift. So you may get your religious accommodation, as you very well should. But I don't believe you should take advantage of it, either.

I get what you're saying, but I'm not trying to take advantage of the holiday, I just think that if you celebrate Christmas eve, you celebrate the whole day. Or at least where my family is from, we do that.
Don't you want all of Christmas off, even if they only have Christmas service in the morning? It's the same for me on Christmas eve.

I'm very religious, but you annoy the hell out of me. Please do your store a favor and put in your two weeks now. They'll easily find someone to replace you who doesn't believe they're more important than everyone else in the store.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

@Bullselle, please put a request in for that day off without delay. Be advised it maybe denied due to lateness of request.

 

[oath2order]

How come I'm the only person that has never heard of celebrating Christmas Eve?

Sure some people have services early on that day to allow the actual day to be family time, but Christmas Eve is not the holiday, Christmas is.....

My bank is always open a 1/2 day unless it falls on Sunday, and that was in CA and now FL. Banks love "holidays", and even they don't get it.

Anyway, talk to your HR and have a copy of your church services handy, and hope for the best.

Oh and my store had a sure fire way to get it and the 26th off - get the most red cards in November.

In my area, it's HUGE with Spanish families, some consider it more of a holiday than Christmas itself.

 

[RetailWorld]

If

Are you going to ask for Good Friday and the Saturday before Easter also? How about Ash Wednesday? Those are pretty religious and I promise you, Target won't be closed. Perhaps you should have mentioned in your interview that you want all religious "holidays" off. Then you wouldn't have to quit because you probably wouldn't have been hired.

I doubt it would be a problem getting those off. As long as he puts in the time off request the standard 3 weeks in advanced, he'd be fine.

But, Christmas Eve is a major retail day. Typically it's 2x the sales of a normal day. So, I wouldn't expect it off. "Needs of the Business" and all that. And being under 90 days, why do you deserve to have it off versus some of the multi-year veterans? The rest of the store would love to have Christmas Eve off, but we all knew what we were getting into when applying for retail.

 

[Flow Trainer]

It depends on your work center and your leader. To our family, Christmas Eve is a big holiday. For the past 25 years my family and my husband's family gather at my home for a Christmas buffet. It takes an incredible amount of work on my part for many days leading up to the 24th. When I was first hired, as a seasonal employee, I knew I had to work Christmas Eve and I did, but as an early morning flow member, we started at 2am and I was out the door by 7am.

Now I am an early morning backroom team member. And every year since on October 1st I put in my time off request for Christmas Eve. And I was lucky to have every request approved. This year I requested December 23rd through the 26th off. And my request was approved. I am extremely grateful for that. I don't mention it to anyone. I am very lucky.

 

[buliSBI]

According to the federal government, Christmas Eve is not a official federal holiday.

http://www.archives.gov/news/federal-holidays.html

 

[Mhugh220]

Two things: Separation of Church and State - As much as America claims to be a Christian nation we sure don't let religion interfere with greed.

Second- Christmas/Easter seem to be viewed more for celebrating Santa/Bunny than celebrating the life/death of Jesus. Not by Christians, but by pagans/non-Christians. Maybe that's our penance for overwriting pagan holidays with Christian stories (Santa/Easter Bunny have pagan roots, as does the days they are celebrated. December 25 is pagan birthday of their one god).

Back to topic - I don't think requesting off on Christmas Eve is asking for much. We should respect all religions and let their followers observe religious days. Atheists - just like what you believe in - I have nothing.

 

[neversaynever]

In my area, it's HUGE with Spanish families, some consider it more of a holiday than Christmas itself.

Like actual Spanish from Spain?

I lived in a huge Hispanic/Mexican area (California) for 35 years and never encountered this. We also always only worked till noon company wide (since our guys started at 2am, that meant they pulled a full day usually).

Everyone I knew, including me, had family gatherings on Christmas Eve in order to satisfy both sides of families. But, it wasn't religious in nature. Well, unless you wanted to bear the wrath of my grandmother.

All I could think of while trying to go back to sleep last night was, "so if Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, then is Christmas Eve about Mary being in labor? Because after 3 kids without epidurals, I'm down for a holiday about ME the day before their birthdays....."

 

[Best TM NA]

Have you tried performing miracles in public and calling yourself a prophet seems to work everytime!

 

[thetargetman]

By law Target can not give you a hard time about reasonable religious accommodations. I get off for Shabbos (Friday night to Saturday sundown) and off for the Jewish holidays that require me to not work. I give plenty of notice and I do not take advantage of it. I suggest you put it in as soon as you can and not wait to the two weeks before, also you should right down in the comment section of the request that it is for religious reasons and if any ETL or TL gives you a hard time be prepared to explain it to them. I have another TM who works in the café who takes Sundays off for religious reasons but she is also flexible and works with the team.

 

[Bullselle]

A few things: I don't work Sunday mornings because of church. I don't work the evening of Ash Wednesday, the evening of Maundy Thursday or the evening of Good Friday (I don't observe anything for Easter Saturday). They work with me.

As for Christmas Eve, we really don't close early. If we are open until 10pm, that's back to our normal hours. This means I won't leave until 10:30pm, and that means I miss every single church service offered by my church. So legally Spot needs to accommodate me and give me the evening off. I am entirely consistent in my worship life, and this falls right into this. Of course this does not make them happy, and if I want to push it for my legal rights, I am going to pay for it every other week of the year.

Second, Ramadan does not require that Muslims take off the entire month. In fact, it is explicitly discouraged. She is taking advantage of her holiday. And I guarantee that will not as easily fly when if she is still employed with Target when it rotates back to falling at the same time that Christmas does.

All this to say, I don't know of any churches that have all day services that would preclude you working an early shift. So you may get your religious accommodation, as you very well should. But I don't believe you should take advantage of it, either.

I get what you're saying, but I'm not trying to take advantage of the holiday, I just think that if you celebrate Christmas eve, you celebrate the whole day. Or at least where my family is from, we do that.
Don't you want all of Christmas off, even if they only have Christmas service in the morning? It's the same for me on Christmas eve.

I'm very religious, but you annoy the hell out of me. Please do your store a favor and put in your two weeks now. They'll easily find someone to replace you who doesn't believe they're more important than everyone else in the store.

Wow. All I did was try to explain my own Christmas eve tradition so that the OP understands that it's important to me to have the whole day off. Why did you interpret that as me saying that I am more important than other people in the store? That's a stretch.

 

[Bullselle]

How come I'm the only person that has never heard of celebrating Christmas Eve?

Sure some people have services early on that day to allow the actual day to be family time, but Christmas Eve is not the holiday, Christmas is.....

My bank is always open a 1/2 day unless it falls on Sunday, and that was in CA and now FL. Banks love "holidays", and even they don't get it.

Anyway, talk to your HR and have a copy of your church services handy, and hope for the best.

Oh and my store had a sure fire way to get it and the 26th off - get the most red cards in November.

It's just a tradition we have. I think it's a cultural thing as well as a family thing. It's one of the few times I see my extended family, and I don't do any work on that day, including shopping. I don't even leave the house. I guess it's more of a personal tradition, but I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way as well.

 

[neversaynever]

Wow. All I did was try to explain my own Christmas eve tradition so that the OP understands that it's important to me to have the whole day off. Why did you interpret that as me saying that I am more important than other people in the store? That's a stretch.

You do know that OP means "original poster" right? Which is you? I thought I'd point that out in case you didn't.

It's just a tradition we have. I think it's a cultural thing as well as a family thing. It's one of the few times I see my extended family, and I don't do any work on that day, including shopping. I don't even leave the house. I guess it's more of a personal tradition, but I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way as well.

Ahhhhhh, see, there is a difference between "it is a holiday" and "it is a family tradition/cultural thing".

I'm not discounting that, and for YEARS that was the only time I saw parts of my family on my Mom's side. Command performance at my grandmothers. We shifted it to my house when my grandpa passed away and then to my mom's.

But for some people that is also what they do on Thanksgiving - and no one can claim that it is a religious holiday for them. It is one steeped in great tradition and getting crapped on by the current retail working environment.

The part I bolded, that is what makes it NOT a religious holiday and request. Some people truly have religious things - you are claiming it as religious and you aren't even going to Mass/Church services.

I'd go to your ETL-HR and say that you would prefer to NOT be scheduled on Christmas Eve, that you failed to mention it in your interview because you just didn't realize people worked that day (i'm going to assume you are young??). But that you are more than willing to open/work whenever on the 26th. Volunteer for it, try to "trade it".


Retail is rough on family life and traditions. Keep that in mind as you pick a career in the future - you might not have a choice. Work dictates your schedule in a lot of areas.

 

[sher]

Two things: Separation of Church and State - As much as America claims to be a Christian nation we sure don't let religion interfere with greed.

Second- Christmas/Easter seem to be viewed more for celebrating Santa/Bunny than celebrating the life/death of Jesus. Not by Christians, but by pagans/non-Christians. Maybe that's our penance for overwriting pagan holidays with Christian stories (Santa/Easter Bunny have pagan roots, as does the days they are celebrated. December 25 is pagan birthday of their one god).

Back to topic - I don't think requesting off on Christmas Eve is asking for much. We should respect all religions and let their followers observe religious days. Atheists - just like what you believe in - I have nothing.

There are lots of Christians in the states, but it's not a Christian nation. It's not supposed to be, anyway. That's essentially what the separation of church and state is all about. And as you said about all the pagan traditions rooted in how Christmas is celebrated, plenty of atheists celebrate Christmas... And plenty of atheists respect your right to observe your religious traditions in whatever way is in line with your beliefs. I think the loud, angry atheists make the group look bad. My belief system is rooted in deism, but there was a time where I may have been atheist and I was never ever disrespectful toward anyone else's beliefs. I still like going to church, and listening to gospel, though lol, so I'm a bad example. But I know a bunch of nonjudgmental atheists.

On topic, I honestly don't think it'll be that tough to get Christmas Eve off if you talk to them now. Whenever I see posts that are like "how do I get this day off?" Or "will they make me work BF even though I usually fly states away for t day?" Or whatever, I'm wondering why they didn't talk to a team lead or hr person before asking strangers on the Internet.

 

[Bullselle]

Wow. All I did was try to explain my own Christmas eve tradition so that the OP understands that it's important to me to have the whole day off. Why did you interpret that as me saying that I am more important than other people in the store? That's a stretch.

You do know that OP means "original poster" right? Which is you? I thought I'd point that out in case you didn't.

It's just a tradition we have. I think it's a cultural thing as well as a family thing. It's one of the few times I see my extended family, and I don't do any work on that day, including shopping. I don't even leave the house. I guess it's more of a personal tradition, but I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way as well.

Ahhhhhh, see, there is a difference between "it is a holiday" and "it is a family tradition/cultural thing".

I'm not discounting that, and for YEARS that was the only time I saw parts of my family on my Mom's side. Command performance at my grandmothers. We shifted it to my house when my grandpa passed away and then to my mom's.

But for some people that is also what they do on Thanksgiving - and no one can claim that it is a religious holiday for them. It is one steeped in great tradition and getting crapped on by the current retail working environment.

The part I bolded, that is what makes it NOT a religious holiday and request. Some people truly have religious things - you are claiming it as religious and you aren't even going to Mass/Church services.

I'd go to your ETL-HR and say that you would prefer to NOT be scheduled on Christmas Eve, that you failed to mention it in your interview because you just didn't realize people worked that day (i'm going to assume you are young??). But that you are more than willing to open/work whenever on the 26th. Volunteer for it, try to "trade it".


Retail is rough on family life and traditions. Keep that in mind as you pick a career in the future - you might not have a choice. Work dictates your schedule in a lot of areas.

Oh, I've been using OP to mean other poster. I've been doing that for a while too, whoops.

We're back to the whole it isn't a Holiday thing that people have been saying. It's not a federal holiday, but I don't like people saying that it's not a holiday at all because it definitely is. Just think of all the places that are closed on Christmas eve for religious reasons. Retail stores tend to be open on Christmas eve only because of the increase in holiday shopping, not because they don't think it's a " real holiday".

I said it was more of a personal thing because it seems like not everyone who celebrates Christmas celebrates Christmas Eve, so I meant "personal" in the sense that Christmas eve is very important to me personally, not that I want it off more for personal reasons than anything else. Hope that makes sense.

Also, I should've put that I don't leave the house with the exception of going to church. I don't see that as work because it's church. But things like holiday shopping, Christmas attractions, etc., I don't do any of that.

I expected to be scheduled on Christmas Eve and other important holidays because I have open availability (except for a few hours on Sundays) but I did not think that they would make a big deal of me requesting time off for Christmas eve. Target seemed like one of those jobs that would work along with your schedule, because they gave me that impression during orientation. Now I see that any request is going to annoy them, even when I'm still available the majority of the time.