A manager’s Christmas break work schedule for an 18-year-old has sparked fury on the internet.
In a post on Reddit, user u/sugabeetus shared a photo of their kid’s roster to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit. According to the post, the manager announced that because local schools were out for winter break, students’ normal availability would be disregarded.
Newsweek reached out to u/sugabeetus via direct message on Reddit.
My 18-year-old’s Christmas break work schedule
by u/sugabeetus in mildlyinfuriating
“The manager informed everyone that since there was no school, he’d be ignoring their set availability,” the original poster (OP) wrote. “The schedule came out yesterday. I guess f*** any plans these kids or their families might have.”
The teen’s schedule reportedly covered nearly the entire holiday period, from December 24 through December 28, including Christmas Day. While it’s not clear where they worked, the shifts included Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Christmas Day from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by multiple early-morning and full-day shifts in the days after.
At the time of writing, the post has received 41,000 upvotes and over 9,000 comments, with many users sharing similar experiences from their own teenage jobs around the holidays.
“When I was in school and working, my job had the school’s calendar and always knew when we were let out early or off from school,” one commenter wrote. “Anytime they knew we had a half day from school, my work schedule that day would be 1–9 p.m. Then basically full time shifts during Christmas break.”
“My old job did this too and I never really realized how messed up it was until a few years later,” another replied. “You don’t get to change my availability just because you know I’m off school.”
Several commenters emphasized that availability is meant to be a boundary, not a suggestion. “If they asked that was one thing, but scheduling me to work a Monday morning because you know I don’t have school that day was kinda [sic] overreaching for a stupid high school job,” one person wrote. “Should’ve told them to pound dirt as that’s outside my availability.”
The thread also drew input from other parents, some of whom contrasted forced holiday work with involuntary time off. “My 18-year-old got let go a few days ago, which kind of sucks,” one parent shared. “But I’m secretly delighted for us all to be off enjoying Christmas together.”
Another wrote, “I was let go a few days ago from my banking job. A real gut punch but at least I’m able to see every single one of my daughter’s Christmas performances.”
Managers and workers from the service industry also weighed in, noting that while many students willingly open their availability during breaks, it should never be assumed.
“We do have blackout dates during this time, but that doesn’t mean we can schedule people outside of their availability,” one manager commented. “They don’t have to open up their availability for school breaks, but they do because they like their job and want to work.”
Others agreed that teenagers should not be pressured to sacrifice family time for low-wage jobs. One blunt comment summed up the prevailing mood: “He should just quit. He’s in high school. This is a meaningless garbage job.”