If you’re calling the federal courts today (Friday), odds are you may not get someone. Yesterday, President Biden signed a bill making it law that Juneteenth (which is a Saturday) is now a federal holiday. The day commemorates the end of slavery in the United States when Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and
- Did you hear about the guy who went into a rage when he got the shorter end of the wishbone?
He just snapped!
In prior posts, I’ve described how Valentine’s Day and Halloween have been fowl holidays for employers. Many a harassment or discrimination complaint has been based on those holidays.
But what about Thanksgiving?
I’ve previously talked about Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) day in prior posts (including way back in 2008!).
But this year, I was curious — have any race discrimination claims used evidence relating to the day to support a claim?
Turns out there have been a few.
One of the stranger ones was a
Why do we celebrate Labor Day?
And should it be celebrated on a Tuesday instead?
It’s one of those holidays that we celebrate, but my guess is that most people have no idea on the answer. But several (many?) years ago, I touched on this on the blog and I thought it would be fun
It’s mostly a coincidence that my colleague, Jarad Lucan returns today with a post on a favorite topic of ours: Holiday parties. While most of it isn’t groundbreaking (holiday parties haven’t changed all that much over the last decade), Jarad really focuses in on the key issues.
So, enjoy your holiday parties over the next
The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur is quickly approaching. While most people know that Jews are supposed to fast on that holiday (and ask G-d for forgiveness for their sins), one of the other traditions of the holiday is that Jews are supposed
My colleague, Marc Herman, returns today with a holiday-themed post filled with — workplace safety issues? Read on.
Holiday season shopping . . . the home to nostalgic tunes, perpetual lines, frenzied bargain hunters, overflowing parking lots, and OSHA.
For those who can’t remember your government acronyms, it’s the United States Department of
What is it about the holiday party that makes otherwise decent, hard-working people lose their mind?
Alcohol is certainly the main reason, in my view. Open bars are invitations to lots of craziness. (Just ask Katy Perry.) Since it is unlikely (and unrealistic) that all companies will move to “dry” parties (though some
For several years now, I’ve been posting about Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the impact in the workplace. (And as Ryan McKeen notes, it is properly called Martin Luther King Jr. Day). Today I want to go a little deeper.
Everyone knows about the "I Have a Dream" speech (and if you
Over the last few years, I’ve been running a popular post about Columbus Day and the origins of the work holiday in Connecticut. Indeed, it has its foundation as a federal holiday and is listed in the United States Code (5 U.S.C. Sec. 6103).
Columbus Day is officially on October 12th (celebrating Columbus arrival on October 12, 1492), but it is celebrated on the 2nd Monday in October as a result of the federal law. So, if you work for a federal or state employer in human resources, or otherwise, you are likely going to have next Monday off.
But it is also one of those holidays that private employers increasingly have decided do not merit a vacation day. A survey from a few years ago showed that just seven percent of employers in California, for example, give the day off to their employees.
A common question that arises, however, is why? Why do employees for private companies not have to close on a day that has been designated by the federal government as a national holiday?
The answer is actually quite simple: Because Congress didn’t cover private employers in the law. And state law doesn’t mandate any requirements on private employers either. And so, while employees may complaint (perhaps rightly) about the difficulty of some child-care arrangements for some closed schools or otherwise, employer continue to have discretion about the days that it designates as holidays.
Some employers have created their own work-arounds, allowing employees to take 1-3 "floating holidays" for days like this (or other types of holidays, like Yom Kippur or Three Kings Day). That’s a sensible practice. But regardless, these types of policies should be discussed with employees so everyone knows what day is a holiday and what day isn’t.
Continue Reading Columbus Day is Coming. And Most Employers are Open.