How selfish am I if I say I don't want to change shifts? Update: I said no

[Lord Evermore]

Email from my boss (with XXXX's to remove customer name):

I?d like to pose a question to you. How would you feel about moving from your current weekend night shift to a weekday shift (M-F, 10:30a-7p)?

John is dealing with some personal issues at home which would be helped greatly if he were home during the week. To that end, he has asked about the possibility of moving to the 3rd shift weekends.

One of the benefits of coming to days would be more exposure and training on some of the higher level activities (XXXX installs for one). I believe that this would probably be appealing to you.

My shift right now is 7PM to 7AM, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I get paid 40 hours for working slightly less (scheduled 12 hours a night but I come in a bit early and leave a bit late so it's like 38 hours). I also get paid an extra 2 bucks an hour for shift differential.

This is the shift I was hired to work. The guy John is the one who had this shift before me, he moved on to the first shift schedule when someone else moved to another department. He'd been working 3rd shift weekend for several years. Ever since he changed, I've heard from the other people on first shift when I talk to them that he hates working first shift because it's so much busier, and because he stopped getting all the overtime pay he was getting before (due to a rotating schedule that we don't do now).

I don't particularly love this job, it's just a job that doesn't stimulate me mentally and never will, but it's easy, and I love working my shift. Night shifts are the greatest for me. I really don't want to leave it. I also don't really think there are any major problems at home for John, I think there are just minor problems like after-school care for the kids which are a convenient excuse. I don't really KNOW of course.

I am psyching myself up to say no to the request, because it just is not the best thing for me. I don't want to work daytimes, and I like having 4 days off each week. But I have a terrible problem with feeling guilty when I say no to people; it's hard to put my own desires over what other people ask for, because I don't want to be selfish, and I don't know how to judge where the line is between selfishness and just doing what's best for me.

I'm also not sure how to word a refusal.

Edit: Okay so I replied and said no. See below for the exact words.

 

[Reel]

Who has better standing with the boss? If you do or it is a toss-up, then tell him you can't do that.

 

[spidey07]

wanna get fired?

Say no and quickly become "the difficult employee"

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: spidey07
wanna get fired?

Say no and quickly become "the difficult employee"

You would suggest swallowing a $2/hr paycut? Or perhaps, at the least, suggesting that while the hours shift, the compensation remain the same?

Because I fail to see why he should give up $80 a week to John - hell, maybe financial trouble is the personal trouble he is having. In which case, that should be between John and management.

It is obvious the way the last paragraph is worded, however, that the boss is urging compliance.

 

[Rage187]

ask for the $2 extra an hour.

that or tell them you already work another job during the week.

 

[JDrake]

mUCHO selfish

 

[mugs]

Man that sucks... I'd love to work 3 12 hour days.

 

[codeyf]

Ask if it is on a temporary basis.

How about something like:

"I can probably do it for (insert time period here). However, starting (insert corresponding date here) I have committed myself to another obligation based on my existing schedule that at this point I am unable to break."

Win-Win

 

[Lord Evermore]

Originally posted by: spidey07
wanna get fired?

Say no and quickly become "the difficult employee"

They're quite happy with me so far. I'm always willing to work overtime or trade shifts with someone, even if means working 10 days straight. If anything, John would be considered the difficult one, he's a complainer. However he has many years with the company, whereas I've only been there 7 months.

Saying no can't make me "the difficult employee" can it? Would they expect anybody to just do whatever they're ever asked regardless of whether they want to or how it affects them? (I know that sounds rhetorical and sarcastic, but seriously.)

 

[91TTZ]

Do not do anything that's not beneficial to you. If the other employee has personal issues at home, they're just that- personal issues. His personal issues should not adversely affect your work life. If you like where you're at now, stay there.

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore

Originally posted by: spidey07
wanna get fired?

Say no and quickly become "the difficult employee"

They're quite happy with me so far. I'm always willing to work overtime or trade shifts with someone, even if means working 10 days straight. If anything, John would be considered the difficult one, he's a complainer. However he has many years with the company, whereas I've only been there 7 months.

Saying no can't make me "the difficult employee" can it? Would they expect anybody to just do whatever they're ever asked regardless of whether they want to or how it affects them? (I know that sounds rhetorical and sarcastic, but seriously.)

I think codey-f has your answer. The missive from your employer is not just a request on behalf of John, but a suggestion that you familiarize yourself with XXXX. Because of this addendum, denying the request will appear that you are saying you are not interested in advancing your knowledge or your career...

Personally I'd try and argue being comped the difference in pay in the interim, as well as stating a firm date at which the former shift resumes.

 

[theeedude]

Tell the boss to save the drama for his mama.

 

[Lord Evermore]

What if I'm not interested in advancing my knowledge or career?

Actually, there's really nothing regarding XXXX that I'm not familiar with. When I was training, I did a lot of work on that particular customer and was learning right alongside everybody else as they were a brand new customer, with a brand new service being provided. There are a few things that I don't DO with that customer, since they don't do anything special during my shift, but since I'm not on first shift, I don't NEED to get more experience doing those things. Circular reasoning: I should learn how to do XXXX-related work, by moving to first shift, when only first shift needs to learn it.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Tell him that you have trouble adapting to a different sleep schedule and it would cause some very serious impact on your personal life if you had to make the change.

 

[JS80]

If you want to have a great reference for future jobs, I suggest you do it. Make sure to keep your pay.

 

[dxkj]

No, you are not selfish, do not do it.


I have been in a similar job where the 5 day a week job sucked, but the night shift is great. (except I have to work 3 12 hours one week and 4 12 hours alternating weeks). Dont do it, you make 4k more a year working that shift, and it frees you up during the week. Explain that you are willing to switch shifts around occasionally if training on XXXXX is needed so that you can better serve the company, but that you really need to stay on the shift you are on for XXXX reasons. Be that girl, pet, family, etc, any reason


If your boss is decent he wont care, he is probably just doing this from pressure from HR or something

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Tell him that you have trouble adapting to a different sleep schedule and it would cause some very serious impact on your personal life if you had to make the change.

Fair enough.

My response would then be "do you value your position here, because we all have to make sacrifices. your statement tells me a lot about where your priorities are"

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Tell him that you have trouble adapting to a different sleep schedule and it would cause some very serious impact on your personal life if you had to make the change.

Fair enough.

My response would then be "do you value your position here, because we all have to make sacrifices. your statement tells me a lot about where your priorities are"

Then John should make some sacrifices, starting with his personal issues at home.

 

[conehead433]

Tell them you'll do for an extra $10 an hour. That's what it will be worth to you to get used to sleeping different hours and radically altering your social life.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Tell him that you have trouble adapting to a different sleep schedule and it would cause some very serious impact on your personal life if you had to make the change.

Fair enough.

My response would then be "do you value your position here, because we all have to make sacrifices. your statement tells me a lot about where your priorities are"

Then John should make some sacrifices, starting with his personal issues at home.

John has already applied/approved for FMLA and we are accomodating him. Are you a team player? Because this conversation is leading me to believe you are not.

I really wanted to make this easy for all of us but unfortunately know because of your resistance and attitude I have to get HR involved.

 

[silverpig]

A friend of mine got preferential treatment on shift scheduling because he said he had encountered sexual performance problems due to an odd sleep schedule due to work (I can't sleep, and now I can't get it up). It was BS, but they don't mess around with that stuff and gave him the good shift

 

[BobDaMenkey]

I don't think that you'd be a "difficult employee" by not wanting to switch. Besides that, you'd be taking a pretty big cut in pay ($2 an hour is big, period) I don't think that it's reasonable to automatically shift over to a daytime shift like that.

Tell them that you're really happy with your shift right now the way it is. That you might consider switching to the first shift, if you get the extra $2/hr included in it, and on a "trial" sort of basis with firm dates set before you agree to even do it.

John needs to suck it up and deal with his decisions too.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Tell him that you have trouble adapting to a different sleep schedule and it would cause some very serious impact on your personal life if you had to make the change.

Fair enough.

My response would then be "do you value your position here, because we all have to make sacrifices. your statement tells me a lot about where your priorities are"

Then John should make some sacrifices, starting with his personal issues at home.

John has already applied/approved for FMLA and we are accomodating him. Are you a team player? Because this conversation is leading me to believe you are not.

I really wanted to make this easy for all of us but unfortunately know because of your resistance and attitude I have to get HR involved.

Let John cover the ~$4000/year expenses the position change will cause me. And I doubt management would act like that. If they really wanted to give John his shift they would have changed it without asking. If you ask, you have to expect the person might say no.

 

[BigJ]

Nevermind

 

[Farbio]

i don't think you're being selfish, but a need for a end date of it is definitely something required

and the loss of pay is unacceptable - they are asking you to do something for them and they're going to ask you to pay for it?