[SPLIT]Differences in Culture (was:Things I miss from the USA)........

I think that's one of the things I appreciate about the UK - it definitely has more of a 'newspaper culture' than the US.

I was thinking this exact same thing today at the airport when EVERYONE around me had a newspaper and I was sitting there listening to a news podcast. My BF goes nuts if he can't get a paper in the morning. At home, the only person I know who reads the paper religiously, beginning to end, is my mother. My dad only reads the funnies! 

If newspapers were published on Christmas Day / Boxing Day, most staff would want these days off, so the newspapers would have to force some people to work those days.  And as you say, it would probably be the junior staff who are forced to come in.  Doesn't seem fair to me.

That's why seniority comes into it - to make it fair. For example, you can't have worked at a place 3 months and expect Christmas off in front of someone who has worked there for 10 years. And that is also why there are financial incentives (holiday time, double time, etc) for working on holidays, to encourage people to want to work those days, which also helps make it fair. I mean, who wouldn't want to come into work on a day where virtually nothing happens, for twice or three times the pay? You'd be surprised at the amount of people that are willing to work Christmas. So you may have a scenario where the 10 year employee opts to work Christmas, get the extra pay (which may be even more depending on their contract because of their length of service), and the 3 month employee gets it off.

Then again, maybe that's just an American thing? And another example of the cultural differences in attitudes towards work?

Can I also point out, the newspapers are actually put together and printed the day before, ie a Xmas day edition would have a deadline day of 24 December so it wouldn't mean working on Xmas day anyway.

As for extra pay. Ha! My husband has been told he can have days in lieu for working the bank holidays.

If newspapers were published on Christmas Day / Boxing Day, most staff would want these days off, so the newspapers would have to force some people to work those days. 

It would depend on the composition of the staff.  I wouldn't mind working Christmas if it meant I could make more money and/or get another paid day off in lieu on a day that was actually important to me.

Can I also point out, the newspapers are actually put together and printed the day before, ie a Xmas day edition would have a deadline day of 24 December so it wouldn't mean working on Xmas day anyway.

I think there is also a "What will the neighbours think?" aspect to not publishing on Christmas. I used to work for a supermarket with Jewish owners.  One of the owners once told us that they had to close on Easter Sunday because staying open would upset their Christian customers, even though they would lose sales, the day meant nothing to them and they had staff members who would be willing to work.

I'm not picking on you specifically, and please don't take offense, but sometimes people who celebrate Christmas and Easter don't really understand that those holidays truly have no meaning for those of us who don't celebrate them.  I don't look at them as a chance to spend time with my family, but two days of the year that I'm stuck at home with nothing to do.  Could we have gotten together as a family?  Absolutely.  But then it would be a family gathering for holidays we don't celebrate, which (for me) doesn't feel right.

Just my 2¢/2p/etc.

I understand that. I know that there are holidays that have no meaning for me and would be bored if I didn't have anything to do. For those people, I'm not against them being open.

I just don't think that people who want to be home with their families should be forced to work, but unfortunately it does happen. I have no problems with places like emergency services being open or if a place is open and the employees volunteer to work.

Can I also point out, the newspapers are actually put together and printed the day before, ie a Xmas day edition would have a deadline day of 24 December so it wouldn't mean working on Xmas day anyway.

Our local city paper in the US was put together and printed during the night before, so my friend who is the night production manager would have to be there until the wee hours of Christmas morning.

Our local city paper in the US was put together and printed during the night before, so my friend who is the night production manager would have to be there until the wee hours of Christmas morning.

Did they see Santa on the way home? 

II just don't think that people who want to be home with their families should be forced to work, but unfortunately it does happen. I have no problems with places like emergency services being open or if a place is open and the employees volunteer to work.

That is why companies give paid time off. If I want to stay home on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, I ask my boss for the time off in advance. It's her responsibility to make sure that my essential work will get done, and she doesn't have to let me have the days off. It means that I have two less personal holiday days.

If newspapers were published on Christmas Day / Boxing Day, most staff would want these days off, so the newspapers would have to force some people to work those days.  And as you say, it would probably be the junior staff who are forced to come in.  Doesn't seem fair to me.


Vicky

Them's the breaks. Most people, like Britwife's husband, understand that in order to make it in the newspaper industry, you will work holidays sometimes, especially if you are junior. But as Stella noted, there is almost undoubtedly some sort of rota because there have to be senior folks on hand, too.

Same with many other industries - both critical and non-critical. Doctors expect it of course. But I work in private health insurance and we have a rota system. I know people who want to work in retail (i.e. management level, not the students working the shop floor for extra cash) and they know they have to work holidays.

And yes, FunGirl, this idea of 'one day' where everyone can spend it with family is ludicrous and frankly, offensive to me. And I like Christmas! The closest to my mind is Thanksgiving but obviously you don't have that here!

That is why companies give paid time off. If I want to stay home on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, I ask my boss for the time off in advance. It's her responsibility to make sure that my essential work will get done, and she doesn't have to let me have the days off. It means that I have two less personal holiday days.

I guess there isn't a way to make it fair for everyone. It doesn't quite seem fair to me that people who celebrate Christmas can get the day off without having to take a personal day, but you would have to take personal days to stay home on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.

Did they see Santa on the way home? 

 

What makes spending time with the family on Christmas any different than any other day???

Just to add in days of old, the Scots always had newspapers on Christmas Day.
It was a normal day and many people worked on Christmas Day.

New Years was a whole different story. Nothing was open but people's homes to well-wishers.

In fact, today in Scotland shops are allowed to open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
England still has laws on shop opening hours. I think based on size, number of employees etc.

Just to add in days of old, the Scots always had newspapers on Christmas Day.
It was a normal day and many people worked on Christmas Day.

New Years was a whole different story. Nothing was open but people's homes to well-wishers.

I don't know about the rest of the UK, but I do know that here in Wales Christmas wasn't a big occasion until Victorian times. New Year's Day was the important holiday.

.

 The closest to my mind is Thanksgiving but obviously you don't have that here!

A Brit told that they celibrate Thanksgiving on July 4th