"It seems that despite the weakening economy, if you’ve still got a job, you’re likely to take some time off around the holidays," said Jared Bernstein, director of the Living Standards Program at The Economic Policy Institute and board member of The Workforce Institute. "It’s good news, because compared to other countries, we take much less vacation time, and given all the economic anxiety out there right now, hard working Americans could use some time to kick back with their families over the holidays."
Employers get into the holiday spirit
This year’s "Working the Holidays" survey also showed an increase in the practice of giving employees the entire time off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. This year, 20 percent of respondents who work full time say their office will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day as opposed to 18 percent in 2007. This is a practice that can benefit both the employer and employees.
"As a non-profit, our strong benefits package offsets smaller compensation packages, and more time off is an important part of that," said Ruth N. Bramson, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts and a member of the board of advisors of The Workforce Institute. "This year, with the way the holidays fall on the calendar, it made sense to close for the entire week. Once we evaluated the cost-benefit picture, it was an easy decision. The reality is holidays are a slower time for Girl Scouts activities and employees really appreciate having the time off to spend with loved ones. It is particularly helpful for folks who travel to visit families and now can stay longer or travel at off-peak times. Add to that the money saved by not having to heat and light the offices for those days, we really felt it was a win-win decision for everyone."
Scheduling time off can be a "bah humbug!" experience
Twenty-one percent of survey respondents who work full time said they have trouble coordinating schedules with co-workers to take time off during the holidays - up from just 11 percent in 2007. The holidays present a unique scheduling challenge, where large numbers of employees are requesting the same days off, but it is critical for many employers - such as grocery stores or movie theaters — to be staffed appropriately to deal with the holiday crowds and still provide excellent customer service.
"Employers may be expecting less trouble finding coverage this holiday season, anticipating that not as many people will be requesting time off because of the economy," said Joyce Maroney, director of The Workforce Institute at Kronos. "Our survey shows that people are, in large part, not letting the economy affect their plans for taking time off. At the same time, more people are expressing that they have difficulty scheduling vacation time during the holidays, setting up what might be a real logistical challenge for managers in charge of ensuring adequate coverage."
"This year, again, we were surprised by how few employees use an automated solution for time off requests - just 24 percent this year up from 20 percent last year," continued Maroney. "Workforce management solutions - whether it’s a time and attendance solution that lets you standardize how employees request time off and keep track of who is working when, or a scheduling solution that enables quick, easy, and appropriate re-shuffling of workers - really can make these problems easier to deal with, resulting in employees feeling they have more control over their own schedules and employers getting the coverage they need to stay on top of the business needs of the season."
