Holidays

by Jessica Flora
The holiday season is approaching, and employees are focused on Thanksgiving dinner, holiday shopping and their upcoming time off. How should an organization go about continuing business without disruption?
Creating a holiday policy for employees will help alleviate some common issues employers face during this time of year. Communicating this policy annually will also remind employees of the importance of the policy.
The survey says:
According to AAIM Employers’ Association’s 2015-2016 Policies and Benefits Survey of 150 St. Louis and central Illinois businesses, the average number of paid holidays per year is nine. Furthermore, the average number of paid floating holidays businesses provide to their employees is 1.5.
Suggestions to consider when creating a holiday policy:
• Employees who work on a holiday: Consider making an incentive for working on a holiday to increase attendance and minimize the need to want to be off.
• Attendance requirement: Creating a requirement that employees be present the day before or after a holiday (excluding pre-scheduled time off) to receive holiday pay will decrease the amount of call-ins.
• Company- or department-wide shutdowns: If you’re in an industry that can be shut down for a few days, consider shutting down a day before or after the holidays.
Employees tend to be unproductive during this time because of excitement and personal commitments. n
Jessica Flora, PHR (solutions.team@aaimea.org) is on the Research and Solutions Team for AAIM Employers’ Association, which helps Missouri and Illinois companies manage their people and processes.