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The Kitchen Table

Those of you who work outside the home...

13 years ago

Before I was married, if they needed a skeleton shift for work, I'd work Christmas. It paid time and a half, so I always volunteered. Later, when I did payroll for the school, I got Christmas Eve afternoon (if it was on a weekday), and the next working day after Christmas off. I'm retired now.

For those of you who work outside the home, how much time do you get off for Christmas? Or do you have to work straight through?

Shirley

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Comments (16)

oldgardener_2009
13 years ago
I do hospital work "at" home, not "outside" the home, but it's regular shift work, a regular job.

I always schedule myself off for the week before Christmas to do my shopping, but I always work on Christmas day because the hospital needs people to work on holidays.

This year, Christmas is on a Saturday, so I get it off, and I did request Christmas Eve off as well.
Terri_PacNW
13 years ago
I work for the school district..I'm off when the kids are off..so our last day was Friday the 17th, with a return date of January 3. I think Payroll only works a few days during this two weeks..as we were all supposed to have our time cards in by the 17th for next months pay..and then our payday is Dec 31 for last months. So there may be a few days involved there. Most everyone is off the same as me.

My husband works for a BIG international company..and they do "scale" down during the holidays..he took a week or so over the last 3 years..so this year it was his turn to not take the time off. He's not taking a single week day off. I'm hoping we can take a nice vacation in the spring or summer with the time he didn't use to take off at the Holidays. He gets about 3 weeks a year..plus incidentals and sick. But usually spreads it out through out the year.
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jennmonkey
13 years ago
We get Christmas Day and New Years Day paid off...since they both fall on Saturday this year, we get Friday off, and they let us leave a few hours early on Thursday. For certain staff members that have to work (we are staffed 24 hours/day), they get double time if they work the actual holiday.
lynn_d
13 years ago
I always gave my staff Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas off, and for the past few years I gave the week between Christmas and New Years off and forwarded calls to my home.

Now I have no staff and work from home....I work my business if the phone rings or my real job if my boss needs me.
samkaren
13 years ago
I work at a college so Xmas break begins at 4:30 on the 23rd and we go back January 3rd.

For me I save my vacation days during the summer so I can use them in the winter. My last day was the 17th and I go back on the 3rd. That is ......16 days off.

LOVE IT!!
SamKaren
your resident DJ
joyfulguy
13 years ago
Being retired ... every day is enjoyed as a holiday.

But - many retired folk are are so busy that they are heard to say that they couldn't find any time to go to work, if they had any ... that they're busier now than they ever were!

Being able to choose your "busy" sure helps, though!

Enjoy what holidays you have, everyone.

ole joyful

P.S. Plan now, invest now, learn how to manage money - and join that every-day-holiday crowd even sooner!

Especially now when fewer and fewer employers offer a pension plan.

o j
oldgardener_2009
13 years ago
oj, I'm one of those rare individuals who don't want to retire! I'm strange, I know, but working is very enjoyable for me (probably because my job is at home). I can't imagine not working.

I do very much enjoy my days off, though. :)
Rudebekia
13 years ago
I'm a college professor. Our semester ended last week, and I don't go back until Feb. 1. But I do grade papers up to Christmas day. . .
jannie
13 years ago
Christmas is Saturday, so Pres Obama has given federal employees Friday off with pay. Every year Christmas came on a weekend the President has done this, as far back as I can remember. Other than that, if you want time off, you have to use your vacation time.
liz
13 years ago
The last 5 or 6 years I've been off from the 16th to after the New Year...for 20 plus years I worked straight up to Christmas or pretty close to it...somebody has to be on those planes taking people to and from their family get togethers or skiing or whatever!
workoutlady
13 years ago
I have Christmas Eve and Christmas day office plus New Years Eve and New Years Day. Because two of those days fall on a Saturday, it was a "floating" holiday this year for us to use when ever we want (with supervisory approval). I used my last January. I didn't want to lose mine and if you don't use it, you lose it.
bigfoot_liz
13 years ago
we work 1/2 day thur, paid for a full day and they have a lunch for us. we are off and paid on Fri 12/24 & 12/31. 3 yrs ago they told us the 2nd to last week of the yr we were closed w/o pay :-0 ever since then those of us left, most have been laid off (turns out they are the lucky ones LOL) have saved vacation days for the last week. last yr the owners decided we would work 2 days doing inventory and off 3 days unpaid. this yr the workers are fed up and saved vacation for 3-4 days, including myself, so now they have no one to work, other than their family, and they will be open...hahahaha... we got the last laugh! this yr we have a new vacation policy, use it or lose it so everyone has saved days, forcing them to give us the last week paid. too bad they laid off almost everyone, making the rest of us do 3-4 different peoples jobs when we know we are still making millions $$ over expenses & costs. even some of their kids are getting fed up ~ liz
User
13 years ago
The store I work at is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When I went for my job interview, I specified that I will NEVER work on Christmas Day. I got the job. Because my regular shift is Monday through Friday, I get Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. I requested the 27th and 28th off as well as my daughter and her boyfriend came home for 2 weeks, and I wanted to spend a little extra time with them. I was pleasantly surprised that my employer gladly gave me the time off. With pay, of course. I'm using vacation days.
Lindsey_CA
13 years ago
My husband and I both work full time for the State of California. When Christmas is on a weekday, we get the day off with pay. When Christmas is on a Saturday, as it is this year, we get 8 hours of "Holiday Credit" - which is like 8 hours of vacation time. You schedule the time off when you want to be off. You can use it as soon as the first work day following the holiday, or you can save it to use whenever... When Christmas falls on a Sunday, we get the next day (Monday) off with pay.

(Same goes for all of the other holidays that we get that can fall on a different day of the week. The exception is Veteran's Day [November 11]. If it falls on a Saturday we get Friday off with pay; if it falls on a Sunday we get Monday off with pay.)

Every year the Governor signs an Executive Order giving full-time state employees 4 hours of "Informal Time Off" (ITO) for the Christmas/New Year holidays. No, not 4 hours for each -- it's a total of 4 hours. We can use it to take the afternoon off either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve (or if they are on a Sunday we can take the afternoon off the preceeding Friday), or we can save the time to use later. For the folks who work less than full time, there is a chart showing how much ITO they get on a prorated basis.

You can also use any accrued leave time (vacation, CTO, holiday credits, saved ITO, etc.) to take time off, but you have to request it in advance and obtain approval for your request.

Hubs and I both earn 21 vacation days each year (14 hours per month, for 12 months, for a total of 168 hours, which is 21 days, which is just over 4 work weeks). But state offices are almost deserted this time of year, so it's nice to be there and be able to get stuff done without constant interruptions, so I don't like to "waste" my vacation hours taking time off for the holidays. And, I don't think it's worth it to waste the 4 hours ITO to take the afternoon off on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve because everyone is "cut loose" around 2:30 anyway. My husband's office has already told everyone that they will be allowed to leave at noon on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Scissors mentioned "using or losing" floating holiday credits. It used to be like that in our state service, but then an employee sued, saying that he'd earned the time and it shouldn't be taken away (they put a cap on how many vacation hours you can have on the books, etc.), and the court ruled in his favor. So, now they can strongly encourage you to use up your time, but they don't wipe it off the books. Right now I've got 72 hours of holiday credits (9 weekend holidays) on the books as well as 4 years' worth of holiday ITO, in addition to my vacation hours, CTO, etc., etc. And this year's holiday credits and ITO will get added to my leave balances, too.
3katz4me
13 years ago
We usually have one day off for Christmas - this year it's Friday since Christmas is on Saturday. Our office is also closing at 2 on Thursday. Since everyone's salaried that is with pay. There have been times when we've had Christmas & Christmas eve holidays but it seems like more recently we've rec'd a floating holiday instead meaning you can take the day off whenever you want.
jel48
13 years ago
We have a paid day off for Christmas and one for New Year's. If the holiday falls on a Saturday, normally we have Friday off, and if the holiday falls on a Sunday, we have Monday off.

This year is a little different. We have Friday off for Christmas (normal for a Saturday holiday) but we have the Monday after off for New Year's even though New Year's day is Saturday. This is because if we took the Friday off for New Year's we'd be taking a day off in 2010 for a 2011 holiday!

I'm actually working half days this week Tues-Thurs and then taking off Friday and all next week. We're allowed to take the week between Christmas and New Year's off (using vacation days) every other year if we want. That gives everyone a chance at having a longer vacation at Christmas time.

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