I'm sorry, the offer sheet I signed lists my schedule as Monday through Friday. Are we on call? No? OK well then I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea that in taking this job, we already committed to 5 out of 7 days in a week. 5 specific days, mind you. So if we have any personal obligations or appointments for ourselves that we need to schedule in advance, we are only left with Saturday and Sunday, and in most cases, just Saturday as many things are closed, unavailable, or only available in reduced hours on Sunday.
In my case, I take guitar lessons on Saturdays. I have no kids and no girlfriend so currently this is the most important thing in MY life. My whole life outside of work revolves around it. Luckily, my teacher granted me a make up but that isn't the point. I know there's many in here that will say they just wouldn't show up to work that day but we all have different circumstances and for me that's not an option. Also, bringing that up to my boss would cause more harm than good unless I was prepared to skip out on work that day because I already know what would happen. He would determine it unimportant, at which point I would view him in an extremely negative light for thinking he can determine what is or isn't important in other people's lives. Like, what's the system? If someone else said they have school that day is that good enough? Me personally, I don't care about their school. But it's important to THEM. So you don't even have to like guitar, but it's important to ME. Besides, we're both paying for an education in something that may or may not benefit us financially in the future.
Well… it's a hard job (on the body), but it's a good, secure job and it pays well, and other than this and their strange vacation policy, I don't really have any complaints, but this is still rant worthy for me just because I don't like the fact that you think we're just sitting around ready and waiting to report to work. Or apparently, that's at least what you expect from us.
Edit: The part where I say mentioning my class will cause more harm than good, what I meant to say is it's basically a lose lose regardless as it will produce the same outcome. Either I tell him exactly what my obligation is on Saturday creating the problem I stated, or I don't divulge any specifics, specifics he will definitely ask for which I will then withhold, also creating the same tension as the first scenario.