Can an employer require me to work alternate days, resulting in high childcare costs?

Questioner

I have been working for the same company for 5 years. Wednesday has been my day off all those years because my employer liked it. I arranged for my children to be sitter so that they go to my grandmothers and sister-in-law, which means we have no childcare costs. Now my employer demands that I work on Wednesdays, which means I lose my sitter, my grandmothers and sister-in-law (they work that day themselves) and I have to make high childcare costs. Can my employer expect me to comply with this?

Lawyer

That depends on the exact circumstances. If you have had the same day off for 5 years, you could say that this has become a fixed agreement. Is there anything about a fixed day off in your contract, the terms and conditions, the collective labor agreement or the office manual? In employment law, the terms good employers and good employees are used. For example, a good employee can be expected to adjust a workday if there is a good reason for it. Example: illness or dismissal of a colleague, which means that someone is needed (temporarily) on Wednesdays. On the other hand, this also means that an employer usually cannot suddenly go back on an agreement that has been going on for 5 years without good reason. Whether or not there has been consultation can also play a role. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or require legal assistance.