Dh working chol hamoed

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 4:05 am

We are in Israel and most people are still working on chol hamoed as well. Its how it is. Dont be upset at your husband or his boss. Try seeing it in a positive way, that he has a job. I know it stinks. And sad that he can not do anything on the days that maybe the rest of your family has off. I know, the struggle is real.
So many are in the same boat. Hugs OP.

amother

Cyan

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 8:16 am

I used to work every chol hamoed, right up until yom tov and motzei yom tov too. Until I said no more. I saw less senior people take the entire thing off, saying they were going away for pesach (idk if they even were) and I decided life is too short. I'm gonna spend pesach with my family. And sukkos too. So now I take them off but still need to spend a half hour a day working remotely to stay on top of my job. It was so worth making the switch and now I get to spend time with my kids.

amother

Cerulean

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 8:36 am

I’m actually debating taking a job in a frum place now, and working chol hamoed and erev chag is one of the big sticking points. Earlier in my career I did, then as my kids got older I would use my PTO to take the full chag off. In frum places the mentality is that because everyone will want off, no one can take off (except the owner). My family is really only together on chagim (kids don’t have winter break together, they are in camp all summer etc.) so we really value the time we spend together then.

amother

Ginger

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 8:41 am

I always work on chol hamoed What

I also work erev y”t.
I can’t just take off a week straight. But I do get off for legal holidays. That’s not fair that your husband’s boss at least doesn’t give him that.

gingleale

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 8:45 am

When I worked for a drum company we were closed yom tov including chol hamoed but we never got legal holidays off. I saw it as a trade off for not needing to use vacation for yom tov.

amother

Hotpink

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 8:57 am

#BestBubby wrote:

I think parents who work on chol hamoed should try to take off ONE day so they can
do a family chol hamoed outing.

In my for job, (Jewish Office) we co-ordinated so that we were not all taking off the same
day, but everyone took off one of chol hamoed to be with their family.

Lucky that your boss allowed it. Mine did not. I once asked for a couple hours off on chol hamoed (not a full day) and instead of simply denying my request my boss yelled at me for 15 minutes. I never had the audacity to ask again.

amother

Silver

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 9:09 am

amother [ Denim ] wrote:

My DH has Jewish and non Jewish employees. He cannot treat them differently and he cannot afford to close his business for 10 days. Anyone can use PTO whenever they want.

I never worked for a Jewish employer. I always had to use PTO for yom tov and any other time I wanted off. That's how life works.

but does he give off for legal holidays? Usually if you have that setup you get legal holidays off.

amother

Amber

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 9:11 am

My husband is working chol hamoed too. Jewish boss. He gets 10 days off a year, total. Rosh hashana and Yom kippur are on weekdays this year, as are part of Sukkos. There just literally are not enough days left for him to take off. I am due right after Sukkos--guess what, he is only going to be able to take off the day of the birth. This also means getting zero days off in the summer. He is working Friday until 5:30. He's also in college at night, which means I have ZERO help from him for pesach prep. It SUCKS. And also, its is what it is, we need his salary. Have to be grateful for the good parts of this job and HIRE HELP. I will be taking my kids on trips during chol hamoed with my parents.
in this company, the Jewish workers don't get legal holidays off, but the non jews do--this is a trade off for the jews missing work days for actual yom tov--not chol hamoed.

amother

Smokey

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 10:00 am

Please, please,
Show your dh how much you appreciate how hard he works and how impressed you are.
Don’t badmouth his boss, it won’t make him feel better. On the contrary, it will make him resentful.
Tell him “ don’t worry about us at home, we are so lucky to have such a dedicated father that works so hard.”
I’ve seen the fallout doing it the other way. It doesn’t pay.

amother

Tan

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 10:35 am

I work for a frum boss. He made huge changes this year.

I now have to use vacation days for the actual Yom tov, first anf seconf days. I have an option of working on Chol Hamed or using PTO.

I had to use PTO for purim as well.

I have just enough PTO to cover Yom tov and Chol Hamoed fully. No vacation days left.

honey36

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 11:05 am

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

My husband doesn't work on Chol Hamoed.
On the other hand, he works 6 days a week- on Sunday also.

Same. He also usually works legal holidays, and motzai Shabbos when its a decent amount of time. I'm thankful he has the flexibility to do so though.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 11:21 am

Kind of like the 21st century version of the 20th century shabbos nissayon in America. Halacha generally says you close in most situations but the lost profits of those days are just too hard to pass up. The difference is that when the boss goes against halacha (some hold its deoraysa on chol hamoed) and forces the Jewish employees to work (non davar haavud just harvacha) it actually becomes muttar for them in most cases (davar haavud). The boss still transgressing however. Probably most bosses simply lack awareness of the severity of the issur and what chazal say is the punishment of one who is “mevazeh es hamoados”- ein lo chelek leolam habah. Ask any of them how much they would sell their olam habah for and they wouldn’t do it for a months worth of profits. Simply a lack of awareness.

amother

Pink

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 11:23 am

Same and he's his own boss! He's only going in one full day and the rest half days bh. Still annoying to be left to entertain the kids. Can your dh not use a couple days from his sick days?

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 11:29 am

My DH is the boss
If it's not actually Shabbat or Chag he is working.
It is not a matter of not being able to pass up the money earned on chol hamoed. It's the fact that the business would go under if we were closed chol hamoed.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Mar 21 2021, 12:12 pm

amother [ Powderblue ] wrote:

That a situation that is actually muttar, provided one has exhausted other alternatives and consulted with a Rav. But it’s a fine like between that and issur. For example, if the company would not go under if it was closed Tuesday chol hamoed but opened the rest of the week, Tuesday would be assur. If there were other inconvenient options that would work, or if being closed would simply mean less profit it would likewise be a problem. A good through consultation with a Rav is really important here.