Besides cops, firefighters, hospital personnel and workers at Chinese restaurants, almost nobody in the U.S. works on Christmas. And almost every employer offers workers a paid day off during the Christian holiday, according to a new survey by Bloomberg BNA.
The poll of 368 employers found that while 98 percent offer paid time off on Christmas and 94 percent pay workers to take New Year’s Day off, a significant percentage (39 percent) still plan on having some workers on the job during one or both of the holidays. The employees most likely to work are those in maintenance, security and technical support.
The good news is that 77 percent of employees asked (or ordered) to work during either of the holidays will be compensated more than usual. But only 58 percent of employers will be offering holiday wages (either time and a half or double). Eight percent of companies said they will be compensating workers with comp time and 11 percent say they will be compensating their employees through “other” means (stocking stuffers?). Only 13 percent are total scrooges: They are paying their workers the normal rate for holiday work.
Only 46 percent of employers offer paid time off for Christmas Eve and only 20 percent do so for New Year’s Eve. Overall, 57 percent of companies plan to pay employees for three or more days off this season.
"Rest and relaxation are in store for the over half of American workers who will be fortunate enough to celebrate the holidays with three days off this season," said Molly Huie, Bloomberg BNA's Manager of Survey and Research Reports.
Huie noted that 80 percent of employers plan to offer some type of holiday celebration — including lunches or dinners — the highest percentage in Bloomberg’s annual survey in a decade.
But only 61 percent of employers plan on having company-wide parties. Of those, 90 percent plan on serving alcohol and two-thirds plan on imposing some type of restriction to keep workers from over-consuming.
The Christmas bonus, once considered a staple of the holidays, is now doled out to only a third of American employees. Another 10 percent of employers give their workers gifts.
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