A child-free employee shared how she was repeatedly scheduled to work Christmas because coworkers with kids were given priority. After covering both Christmas Eve and Day one year, she refused to do it again—only to be labeled “uncooperative” by her boss and HR, who implied her job was at risk.
Her story highlights a common workplace issue: child-free employees feeling exploited during holidays. Experts say the tension often comes from poor scheduling transparency and unfair policies, not from parents or non-parents themselves.
