You’ve likely heard the term “floating holidays” used before, but you might not be sure exactly what they are. Wonder no more!
Floating holidays are a way of giving employees the ability to take some special days off, and work during others. Instead of allowing all employees to get Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day off, a floating holiday policy offers team members a certain amount of time off (in lieu of public holidays) to use on whatever days they choose.
Why Implement a Floating Holiday Policy?
Depending on your organization, this type of policy could be very beneficial. Let’s start with an example: The Fourth of July is a federal holiday, so most office workers get the day off. However, if you work at a retail shop or a restaurant, closing on this holiday may not make financial sense—after all, those workers will want to go shopping and eat out on their day off, right?
To keep reading, click here: Would Floating Holidays Work for Your Business?
Many retail companies already have this ( floating holidays) policy labeled under personal time off days. That’s if they have a work contract (usually through a union negotiation). Unfortunately these paid days are considered part of the optional benefits which can be reduced based on other costs.
Paying the OT costs for certain agreed holidays is the usual more beneficial at least for the workers who have to work despite personal need/desire to be off for the holiday. Most retail businesses will honor the OT pay for 5 key holidays which don’t need any distinction except that they are fully mandated federal holidays by law but don’t require closure of business. I am reminded of a part in the Christmas Carol story where certain businesses ( butchers and bakeries, present day labeled supermarkets) were open Christmas Day.—Even though most celebrate a gathering on that day, about 50% of the population doesn’t celebrate that holiday.
I feel there’s actually too many holidays during the year that are attached to weekends to “extend “ the holiday. But if the trend is to decrease work life time then that should also extend to those “invisible “ workers also by making full time paid time for less hours than present level to accommodate. Not everyone works white collar jobs within “business hours” but everyone deserves paid holidays.
This will only occur when employment laws cover All types of employment workers.
This is a great article, just one thing is concerning for me. If we were to pay our employees overtime to work on the holiday and then still give them time off, does that not work against the organisation?