Must employees be given days off for holidays?
There are no holidays on which the law requires an organization to close its business. In general, an organization should determine its holiday policy based on its cost considerations, competitive pressures, geographical practices, and organizational culture.
How many employers provide days off for holidays? According to government statistics, paid holidays are provided to 92% of full-time employees in medium and large private businesses, those with more than 100 employees.
Which holidays are most often designated as days off? Most organizations designate the following as nonworking holidays:
- New Year's Day,
- Memorial Day,
- Independence Day,
- Labor Day,
- Thanksgiving Day, and
- Christmas Day.
To these basic six holidays, many organizations add other days. The average number of paid holidays is 10.2, including floating holidays and personal holidays (for example, the employee's birthday or the anniversary of the date the employee was hired). Frequently added holidays are:
- President's Day,
- Good Friday,
- Veterans' Day,
- Columbus Day,
- the day after Thanksgiving,
- a day at Christmas
- or a day at New Year's.
What is a "floating" holiday? Among the organizations that grant them, the definition of floating holidays varies. Some organizations view floating holidays as specific days that they assign as additional holidays. For example, if New Year's Day is on a Saturday, the employer might assign New Year's Eve as a holiday. Their purpose being to provide employees with extended weekends. The floating holiday dates are usually announced in the first quarter of the new year. Other organizations view floating holidays as personal days off that employees may schedule when they wish after obtaining prior approval.
What are the federal holidays? The federal government has declared New Year's Day (January 1), Independence Day (July 4), Veteran's Day (November 11), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November) and Christmas Day (December 25) as legal public holidays. Monday federal holidays that are observed are Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (3rd Monday in January), Washington's Birthday (3rd Monday in February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Labor Day (1st Monday in September) and Columbus Day (2nd Monday in October). Federal offices and agencies are not open on federal legal holidays and federal employees (other than as necessary for health and safety) are given those days off.
What about state holidays? Local custom and state law affect the decision about which holidays will be designated as nonworking days. For example, Martin Luther King's Birthday is a holiday celebrated by schools but not by many employers. In addition, government offices observe holidays, such as election days, that private employers do not. The states may also designate particular holidays. Be sure to check State Laws for the laws that apply in your state(s).
Reprinted with permission. © CCH
Must employees be given days off for holidays? There are no holidays on which the law requires an organization to close its business.
Must employees be given days off for holidays?
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