Employee Refuses to Work Every Holiday Just Because She Is Childless: “Leadership Needs You”

Workplace fairness, holiday scheduling, and equal treatment policies can quickly become sensitive. When time-off requests are approved or denied based on personal status—being childless—rather than performance, it raises questions about workplace culture, HR compliance, happiness, and career success. Susanna shared her story after years of quietly covering major holidays and finally requesting one week that truly mattered.

Hi everyone,

My name is Susanna, and for the past 3 years, I’ve worked every major holiday. Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s. Well, basically, if there was a shift to cover, I was on it. I never complained. I figured that, you know, being dependable would help my reputation and maybe even my career long term.

Last summer, I asked for one specific week off: back-to-school week. Not because of school shopping or kids, no, I don’t have children. I requested it for a long-planned family reunion that rarely happens. It meant a lot to me.

My boss denied it almost immediately. When I asked why, he actually scoffed and said, “You don’t have kids. Parents need that week more. Also, leadership and executives need you.” I just stood there for a second. What could I say? But that comment stuck with me.

That night, I went back through three years of schedules. And the pattern was crystal clear. The same small group of childless employees, including me, had consistently worked holidays. Meanwhile, employees with children were rarely scheduled during those times.

The next day, I filed a formal complaint with HR. I attached the schedules, highlighted the repeated assignments, and referenced the company’s equal opportunity policy.

Apparently, HR confirmed the pattern almost immediately. My boss looked genuinely shaken when they called him in.

Now the office feels tense. Some coworkers quietly thanked me. Others are keeping their distance. I didn’t file the complaint to cause drama. I did it because personal life choices shouldn’t determine professional treatment.

So I’m wondering: did I do the right thing by escalating this to HR, or should I have handled it differently?

— Susanna

Bright Side readers, we want to hear from you: Is being childless in the workplace being treated as unlimited availability? Should career growth, promotions, and time-off decisions depend on parental status, or should work be measured by performance, not family structure? When childless employees consistently cover holidays while others are prioritized, is that fairness?

Share your honest opinions in the comments about work culture, career balance, and whether being childless is unfairly shaping leadership expectations.

• Next article: I Refused to Answer a Work Text on My Day Off—It Cost Me a Promotion