AITA For Refusing To Work Thanksgiving So My Co-Worker Can Celebrate With Her Kids?
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AITA For Refusing To Work Thanksgiving So My Co-Worker Can Celebrate With Her Kids?
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For two years, I worked every major holiday at my demanding job, where an unspoken rule dictated that newer employees and those without children should cover shifts so parents—especially mothers—could be with their families. This year, I was finally scheduled to have Thanksgiving off, and I was thrilled to spend it with my fiancé and our families.
Then, my coworker June, who was hired at the same time as me and had two young children, asked me to swap shifts so she could be home for Thanksgiving. I declined, explaining that I had my own important plans. She wasn’t happy and accused me of breaking the "informal code" of the office. The tension grew as she spread passive-aggressive comments and tried to turn coworkers against me.
Things escalated when HR called me in for a meeting. June had filed a complaint, claiming I had created a "hostile work environment" by refusing to accommodate her. Fortunately, HR dismissed her claim after finding no evidence of wrongdoing, though they left me with a vague warning about "team harmony."
Later, a coworker, Lisa, revealed that June had actually requested Thanksgiving off months ago and had been denied. She had always known she was scheduled to work but had planned to pressure someone into covering for her at the last minute. Furious but unwilling to engage further, I let it go.
Then, the night before Thanksgiving, Lisa texted me: June had called in sick. Everyone knew she was lying, but management had no choice but to scramble for coverage, ultimately forcing a senior manager to step in—someone who was not happy about it.
By Monday, the fallout hit hard. The manager who covered for June started looking into her attendance history and found a pattern—June had repeatedly taken "sick days" around holidays and long weekends. She was called into a serious meeting, and though the details weren’t public, the change in her demeanor was obvious. The entitled attitude, the passive-aggressive remarks, the office-wide expectation that child-free employees should bear the burden—it all disappeared.
As for me, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my fiancé and our families, guilt-free. When I returned to work, no one questioned my right to have a holiday off. Funny how quickly things change when someone gets caught playing the system.
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