I’ve recently blogged about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and the idea of taking a vacation overseas as opposed to participating in a more traditional family-oriented celebration. The one item I forgot to talk about is requesting time off from your employer. October has arrived and there is no time to waste (if it is not too late already) to decide which days to take as vacation time before the end of the year. You will need to consider the total number of vacation hours remaining according to your most recent paycheck stub, the roll-over policy at your employer, and the list of holidays recognized at work. The list of holidays in Q4 is what this blog post is all about.
The last two months of the year include a handful of company holidays and with it the opportunity to turn one or two “free” holidays into a full week or two of vacation. I’ve compiled a list of all the possible holidays left for the year which may appear on your official List of Holidays, along with advice on how to leverage the holidays to maximize your time off from work. Make sure to consult your work calendar as distributed by HR to double check the actual days you are given as paid holidays. Those of you who perform critical functions that never sleep such as police, fire, and emergency workers may not have the same level of flexibility, so this is also the time for the rest of us to give thanks for your hard work.
List of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Holidays for 2010
Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 25, 2010
Most employers offer Thanksgiving Day (learn more at the History Channel) as a paid company holiday as most businesses are closed. As you know Thanksgiving Day is always the last Thursday in November so the actual date varies from year to year.
Day After Thanksgiving – Friday, November 26, 2010
The day after Thanksgiving (always a Friday) is a nice day to have off, but many employers do not offer a second paid holiday for Thanksgiving. Since so many Americans spend Thanksgiving with family, either at home or by heading out of town to visit extended family, it is very common for employees to take Friday as a vacation day if it is not already a company paid holiday. The Friday after Thanksgiving is for many the kick-off to the holiday shopping season (with stores opening at an insane hour to offer “early bird” discounts), people in retail and related businesses will most likely have to work that day. My advice is to appreciate the reality of people that are required to work on Black Friday and if you are out shopping, give these hard working individuals your support.
Christmas Eve – Friday, December 24, 2010
This year Christmas Eve arrives on a Friday with the actual Christmas Day holiday coming on a Saturday. For employers that give staff just one day off for Christmas, the day will most likely fall on the previous day which is Christmas Eve. Either way you will have at least a three-day weekend to spend the holiday any way you like.
Christmas Day – Saturday, December 25, 2010
For those in the fortunate position to receive two days off from work for Christmas, there are two possibilities for which days you actually have off as paid holidays. Since Christmas Day is on a Saturday this year you may have Friday and Monday off from work while others may be given Thursday and Friday. Regardless, it will be a much deserved four day-weekend for you.
New Year’s Eve – Friday, December 31, 2010
I am not entirely sure how many employers offer New Year’s Eve as a paid holiday in addition to New Year’s Day, so check your holiday calendar and see if you are working for an organization that goes above and beyond the basic set of holidays recognized by the U.S. federal government. Since New Years Eve is always exactly one week later than Christmas Eve, this day also falls on a Friday. The same logic applies as to whether you will be entitled to a three-day weekend or a four-day weekend this year.
New Year’s Day – Saturday, January 1, 2011
The final holiday in this list actually falls in 2011, and may not appear on your 2010 calendar of holidays at work. This can cause some confusion unless you have already been given access to the 2011 holiday calendar, but you can usually go by what happened the previous year. Once again since New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday, you may be given Friday off (especially if you do not have New Year’s Eve off), or the holiday may be observed on the Monday which is January 3, 2011.
Leverage the Holiday to Take One, Two, or Three Vacations
How many vacation days will it take for you to turn your Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s paid company holidays into a full week or two of vacation? Do you have enough vacation days (or hours) left to take the last two weeks of 2010 off entirely, or did you take most of your vacation time earlier in the year. Some people prefer to work over the holidays, especially at the end of the year since the workplace will be quiet and offer fewer distractions. For most it is a popular and easy way to use up their remaining time off, especially when the roll-over policy severely limits the number of days that you can save for next year. So as I mentioned earlier, now is the best time to consult your home and work calendars, list of family obligations and vacation destination ideas, and the your last paycheck stub to verify how much vacation time you are due. Based on all these factors, figure out which days to request time off, get it approved by your manager, and put reminders on your calendar for co-workers to be aware of your absence.
Happy Traveling…
-Scott
Very nice post mate !
It make`s a holiday planning a lot easier!
greeting from holland.
I took vacation days right before or after a holiday and my co workers are mad because now none of them can take a long weekend. I put my. Request in months ago. Did i do them wrong?