Dear Prudence,
I am happily single and a cat mom. My work has mandatory weekend overtime because the company is so overwhelmed, and it goes seven days a week. I am an early riser and live close by—so it is no skin off my nose to go in at 6 and be out by noon. Our supervisor is hands-off on the schedule unless you try and wiggle out of it. I often come to cover my more overburdened colleagues for their weekend shift … if they are willing to pony up for it. I spent all my twenties being expected to work every holiday or school vacation because my time was never as valuable as a parent’s, despite having aging parents of my own (they live overseas and I haven’t seen them in two years because of the pandemic). Or a life. Or interests. So I basically bargained with several of my coworkers to cover all their weekend shifts if they gave me their guaranteed holidays this year.
Except “Gwen.” Gwen thinks because she has kids, she is the center of the world. She constantly complains that I will not cover her, but calls me a bitch for asking her to cover New Year’s this year. Because that is such a child-friendly holiday. The arrangements I have made have been on the down-low, but Gwen is threatening to go to HR. She will not win, but she could bring everything down with her since HR is notoriously averse to conflict. What do I do here?
—Holiday Bet