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Report: Most Employers Giving Time Off This Thanksgiving

A new report indicates that most employees will be enjoying a long weekend, and those who do have to work will be well compensated.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, employers are no turkeys.

That’s the primary finding of the latest annual edition of Bloomberg BNA’s Thanksgiving Holiday Practices. Nearly all employers surveyed are offering paid time off to all or most of their employees, and roughly 80 percent are extending the perk to Friday as well.

But not every employee gets to enjoy a little time away.

“About one-third of establishments will require at least a few workers to clock in on Thanksgiving Day, indicating that some organizations do not shut down completely on the national holiday,” the report states. That’s down from 36 percent last year. Although not at its nadir—between 2009 and 2011, the number of employers with people working fell below 30 percent—it’s close. The employers most likely to have some people on the clock are large employers, such as retailers and manufacturers, as well as nonbusiness employers, such as hospitals and schools.

Employers, however, are likely to offer workers benefits in return for their Thanksgiving Day service. The report found that 80 percent of the 137 organizations surveyed will give extra financial compensation, while 16 percent will offer comp time. Just 10 percent said they were giving regular pay to their employees.

Speaking of extra perks, some employers (22 percent) give their workers a gift of some kind, such as a lunch (11 percent), a gift certificate for food (7 percent), or a whole turkey (4 percent). The trend is most common among manufacturing jobs.

“A robust economy may be the reason behind so many employers being so generous with time off during the holiday,” Molly Huie, Bloomberg BNA’s manager of surveys and reports, said in a news release. “However, as is typically the case on national holidays, some workers are required to punch the clock, and this year three in 10 employers are will require some employees to spend a day at the office.”

Curious to learn more? The Bloomberg BNA website has the full report [registration required] or check out the infographic below:

Infographic

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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