Voice groggy, I mumbled my way through the call. Unable to go back to sleep, I stared into the dark and remained wide awake when the next call came in around 2 a.m. With heightened anxiety, I listened to the employee at the other end who wasn’t sure she could make it to her shift the next morning at 7 a.m.

What am I going to do if she can’t work? Who will agree to cover a shift on Christmas Eve?