One-Third Of Employers Require Some To Work On Thanksgiving, According To Bloomberg BNA Survey

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Not all American workers will be enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at home next Thursday, according to findings from Bloomberg BNA's 2014 Thanksgiving Holiday Practices Survey.  While more than seven out of 10 surveyed employers have scheduled paid days off for both Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday, 33 percent of all responding organizations will require at least some employees to work on the national holiday, down slightly from 37 percent in 2013.

"While 97 percent of employers will designate Thanksgiving a paid day off, a number of organizations will require at least some employees to work on the holiday," said Matt Sottong, Bloomberg BNA's Director of Surveys and Research Reports.  "The good news for workers who are required to spend the holiday away from friends and family is that most will be compensated in the form of extra pay, additional time off or both.  In fact, 74 percent of employers requiring Thanksgiving duty will provide workers extra pay and/or leave this year, up significantly from 55 percent in 2013." 

HR professionals will have access to the survey with a complimentary trial of Bloomberg BNA's HR Decision Support Network, which provides human resources news, strategic white papers, custom research answers, webinars on the hottest HR topics, survey and research reports, and tools for strategic planning.     

Bloomberg BNA has been tracking Thanksgiving employer practices since 1980 and this year's survey is based on a survey of over 350 senior human resource and employee relations executives representing a broad cross-section of U.S. employers. 

Among the survey's key findings:

Employees responsible for public safety, security or maintenance are most likely to punch the clock on Thanksgiving Day.  Security and public safety workers (12 percent), service and maintenance staff (12 percent), and technicians (11 percent) are most likely to draw holiday shifts.

More employees who draw Thanksgiving shifts this year will get something extra in their paychecks, leave balances, or both.  Among 120 surveyed employers requiring Thanksgiving duty this year, nearly three-quarters of the surveyed firms will provide employees time-and-a-half (39 percent), double-time (25 percent), or a combination of overtime and compensatory time off (10 percent) for working the holiday.  Most of those indicating "other" holiday compensation policies (12 percent) also reported generous remuneration. 

Those at small organizations are more likely to see a four-day holiday weekend.  Three-quarters of organizations with fewer than 1,000 workers (75 percent) have slated paid holidays for both Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday this year, while just over three-fifths of larger employers (61 percent) will be so generous.  In addition, Thanksgiving work shifts are planned by barely one-fifth of smaller firms (22 percent), compared with three-fifths of firms with at least 1,000 employees (61 percent).

Thanksgiving work requirements have declined slightly in the past few years — and holiday shifts were more common in the early 2000s. Thirty-three percent of responding employers will require at least a few employees to work on Thanksgiving Day this year, down slightly from 2013 (37 percent) and 2012 (36 percent).  Reports of Thanksgiving work shifts consistently exceeded 40 percent from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s, reaching 48 percent in 2000 and 47 percent in 2002.

Thanksgiving gifts — turkeys, luncheons, gift certificates for food — will be given at a minority of employers. Thanksgiving gifts appear somewhat more widespread in 2014, with 20 percent of all responding organizations having some type of employee gift planned for late November, up slightly from percentages recorded over the previous nine years (11 to 14 percent from 2005 to 2013).  Eleven percent of firms will hold Thanksgiving luncheons or dinners, 6 percent will distribute gift certificates for food, while 4 percent will send workers home with a turkey.

About Bloomberg BNA
Bloomberg BNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bloomberg, is a leading source of legal, regulatory, and business information for professionals. Its network of more than 2,500 reporters, correspondents, and leading practitioners delivers expert analysis, news, practice tools, and guidance — the information that matters most to professionals. Bloomberg BNA's authoritative coverage spans a full range of legal practice areas, including tax & accounting, labor & employment, intellectual property, banking & securities, employee benefits, health care, privacy & data security, human resources, and environment, health & safety.

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SOURCE Bloomberg BNA

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