Company gets rid of incentive to work on holidays and weekends, act 'surprised and disappointed' when nobody signs up to work holidays: 'You only get as much loyalty as you're willing to pay for'

If you remove the incentive to do something, you can't be surprised when nobody does it. 

Humans are simple creatures. We like to be rewarded for what we do. It's a complex system in our brains that can mainly be boiled down to "I deserve a treat for what I do." And we're not wrong. We do deserve treats for what we do. It doesn't have to be something huge, just a recognition of the effort that we put into something. Our brains will reward us with endorphins when we exercise. Our tastebuds will reward us for cooking a delicious meal. And our jobs reward us with money for our work. That's just the way it goes. But sometimes the wires end up getting crossed in this last example, and employers forget the main reason their employees show up to work every day. 

Another thing that humans appreciate is rest. As much as we're willing to work hard, we need time off. It's why we have the concept of a weekend. We need a couple of days to reset and enjoy our lives outside of work. Not only is it a core human need, but it also makes us better at our jobs. Holidays are a built-in time for us to do just that. Most of us are coming off the longest stretch of holiday that we usually get. We probably appreciated the time to reconnect with our loved ones and take our minds off work. But what if our employers tried to get us to clock in?