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By now, everyone can guess I'm a bit of an eccentric employer. So, out of curiosity, I was wondering what days off you get each year. For 2017, these are the days the office is closed with pay or days employees can take as one of their 3 other optional holidays with pay:
Jan 1 - Jan 4 - Continuation of Winter Holiday. Office Closed - Paid Days
Jan 16 - Martin Luther King Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Feb 14 - Valentine's Day. Office Closed - Paid Day (I'm a hopeless romantic)
Feb 20 - Presidents' Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Mar 3 - Employee Appreciation Day. Office Closed - Paid Day
Mar 31 - Cesar Chavez Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Apr 26 - Administrative Professionals Day - Office Open - Paid Day for admin staff only.
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - and National Explosive Ordnance Disposal Day. Office Closed - Paid Day (between the two, nobody will be at work anyways so might as well give it off)
May 19 - Armed Forces Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
May 29 - May 31 - Memorial Day. Office Closed - Paid Days
Jun 11 - King Kamehameha Day. Office Closed - Paid Day This was a tradition to honor our very first client, I just kept it going.
Jul 3 - July 7 - Independence Day. Office Closed - Paid Days
Sep 4 - Sept 8 - Summer Is Over Now Get Back To Work Day. Office Closed - Paid Day
Oct 13 - Monday is Bosses Day So No Excuse For A Cheap Gift - Office Closed - Paid Day
Nov 7 - Election Day - Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Nov 10 - Veterans Day - Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Nov 20 - Nov 24 - Thanksgiving. Office Closed - Paid Days
Dec 21 - Dec 31 - Winter Vacation - Office Closed - Paid Days
Employee Birthday - Office Open - Paid Day for Birthday Employee
In addition, employees can request an additional 4 paid days in celebration of a recognized event such as religious observance, affinity observance, established remembrance, etc.
What sort of business is this? Just asking, because unless it's child care (or something similar) I've never heard of a week off for Thanksgiving or all that time off the year ending. I also think you're opening you're usual to being seen as racist when you're not closed for MLK, but you are for Valentine's day. Same, prejudice, for things like Election and Veterans day. Not be punny, but I think they trump Valentine's day. I'd also, an employee, rather have those days off than all that time off between November and December.
Waiting for all the people to weigh in and tell us about how businesses have it so hard and cannot afford to provide benefits, plus people should only get paid when they are on the job.
My employer gives 10 paid holidays per year. For 2017, they are:
Monday, Jan. 2: New Years Day (in lieu of Sunday, Jan. 1)
Monday, Feb. 20: Presidents Day
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day
Tuesday, July 4: 4th of July
Monday, Sept. 4: Labor Day
Thursday, Nov. 23: Thanksgiving
Friday, Nov. 24: Friday after Thanksgiving
Monday, Dec. 25: Christmas
Tuesday, Dec. 26: Floating Holiday
Wednesday, Dec. 27: Floating Holiday
Also, everybody is required to use 2 vacation days: for Thursday and Friday, Dec. 28 and 29.
By now, everyone can guess I'm a bit of an eccentric employer. So, out of curiosity, I was wondering what days off you get each year. For 2017, these are the days the office is closed with pay or days employees can take as one of their 3 other optional holidays with pay:
I count more than 3 optional holidays listed below.
Quote:
Jan 1 - Jan 4 - Continuation of Winter Holiday. Office Closed - Paid Days
Why did you pick Jan. 4 as the last day? It results in a 2 day workweek.
Quote:
Jan 16 - Martin Luther King Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Feb 14 - Valentine's Day. Office Closed - Paid Day (I'm a hopeless romantic)
Feb 20 - Presidents' Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Mar 3 - Employee Appreciation Day. Office Closed - Paid Day
Mar 31 - Cesar Chavez Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Apr 26 - Administrative Professionals Day - Office Open - Paid Day for admin staff only.
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - and National Explosive Ordnance Disposal Day. Office Closed - Paid Day (between the two, nobody will be at work anyways so might as well give it off)
For real?
Quote:
May 19 - Armed Forces Day. Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
May 29 - May 31 - Memorial Day. Office Closed - Paid Days
3 days for Memorial Day? That also results in a 2 day workweek. If you are generous enough to give 3 days for Memorial Day, it would have made more sense to be May 26-30.
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Jun 11 - King Kamehameha Day. Office Closed - Paid Day This was a tradition to honor our very first client, I just kept it going.
That falls on a Sunday. Do they get off Monday, June 12? Or is this just a holiday in name only? Is your office in Hawaii?
Quote:
Jul 3 - July 7 - Independence Day. Office Closed - Paid Days
Sep 4 - Sept 8 - Summer Is Over Now Get Back To Work Day. Office Closed - Paid Day
Wouldn't it make more sense for the week off to be before Labor Day, rather than after? Aug. 28 - Sept. 4, and then drop some other random holiday.
Quote:
Oct 13 - Monday is Bosses Day So No Excuse For A Cheap Gift - Office Closed - Paid Day
Oct. 13 is actually a Friday, not a Monday.
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Nov 7 - Election Day - Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Nov 10 - Veterans Day - Office Open - Paid Day as Optional Holiday
Nov 20 - Nov 24 - Thanksgiving. Office Closed - Paid Days
Dec 21 - Dec 31 - Winter Vacation - Office Closed - Paid Days
Employee Birthday - Office Open - Paid Day for Birthday Employee
What if an employee's birthday falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or another holiday, as mine does this year?
Quote:
In addition, employees can request an additional 4 paid days in celebration of a recognized event such as religious observance, affinity observance, established remembrance, etc.
Is that the only vacation time that they get? Then again, it's still quite generous given all of the holidays listed above.
What sort of business is this? Just asking, because unless it's child care (or something similar) I've never heard of a week off for Thanksgiving or all that time off the year ending. I also think you're opening you're usual to being seen as racist when you're not closed for MLK, but you are for Valentine's day. Same, prejudice, for things like Election and Veterans day. Not be punny, but I think they trump Valentine's day. I'd also, an employee, rather have those days off than all that time off between November and December.
First, although I and only I make the final decision as to what day I will give my employees off and if it will be with pay, I don't come up with these days in a vacuum. I accept feedback from the staff as to what days they would like to have off. Some are based on the ability to create three day weekends, so a mid week election day or a friday party day, guess which one they pick. Just because people have been trained like pet monkeys in a cage to have certain days off, doesn't mean when the cage is open they will still want those same thing.
Now, as for all the weeks periods they are off, it's a very simple and easy explanation. Those are the historical slowest and almost comatose times in our industry. Many of our clients are focusing on other issues, working with reduce staff, or just taking a break from continuation of the project. Sure I can keep my employees busy doing busy work for the sake of doing something, or I can build into my bids the cost of giving them all that time off and not have to deal with time off request, reduced staffing, coverage for this and that, the sudden illnesses people get, and my employees standing around because the project site or the client or the vendors or the contractors are all slow or not working or wishing they were at the store or beach. No, just close the office, pay the employees and have one happy work force. They are not like all the other minions fighting for time to do things and having to rush this and that to meet some set day off. It's not coming out of my pocket and it's not taking anything from their pocket, Win - Win. I'm sure my staff would disagree that they would rather exchange weeks of time off for a couple day here and there just because that is what they have been trained are the only legitimate day to take off. Have you ever spent the whole day getting ready for and attending a King K Day celebration? It;s fun, try it.
As for what trumps Valentine's Day; if you see the faces of the staff when they come back from having that whole day off, the smiles and swagger says it all. It's a small price to to give something that should be an important day. The heck with President's Day, bring on Valentines Day or Cinco de Mayo. You may also have noticed that I don't have any religious days off. The employees believe that religion is a personal belief and if some holiday is so darn important they need it off to prove they are faithful, use your own vacation days.
Holidays and days off shouldn't be regimented, it should be something fun and special. Now the five Directors (we have no supervisors or managers) may not feel the same because guess who has to work while all the other staff is off!
mitsguy,
Some of the weeks are short or have been moved before or after based on project requirement or to address certain administrative needs. As mentioned above, the employees pretty much make their recommendations and when faced with having some control, they tend to not follow the crowd but rather what make sense to them.
I give the employee the friday before bosses day off so there is no excuse to not get me something nice. I don't want them off on bosses day as I would never get anything.
If an employees birthday falls on a weekend, they can pick the Friday or Monday.
The three optional days are days they get regardless so long as they select which three they want. For those holidays that are optional, they make their choice by Friday Jan 6 and it's a part of their scheduled "holiday" days off. The extra four elective days are days they can pick ANY recognized observance to take off. If they want St Patrick's day, they can use one of those four days., If they want Chinese New Years, they can add that. If they want Passover, that's their choice. Those extra days are day they select from any and will be approved unless it just can't be accommodated or the observance isn't a legitimate observance.
By now, everyone can guess I'm a bit of an eccentric employer. So, out of curiosity, I was wondering what days off you get each year. For 2017, these are the days the office is closed with pay or days employees can take as one of their 3 other optional holidays with pay:
...
Financial institution - we basically follow the Federal Reserve's holiday schedule. Which is the usual 10 holidays. Very similar to the Federal Holidays.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eevee17
What sort of business is this? Just asking, because unless it's child care (or something similar) I've never heard of a week off for Thanksgiving or all that time off the year ending. I also think you're opening you're usual to being seen as racist when you're not closed for MLK, but you are for Valentine's day. Same, prejudice, for things like Election and Veterans day. Not be punny, but I think they trump Valentine's day. I'd also, an employee, rather have those days off than all that time off between November and December.
Not common - but not unheard of either. I've worked for two that did this (Biotech and IT).
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We get the usual national holidays, plus the day after Thanksgiving off with pay. Total is 10 days. In 2016 we also got Friday December 23 as a floating holiday so a 4 day weekend.
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