The winning pick for Christmas work holiday: Monday [The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa]

Dec. 02--When it comes to scheduling employee holiday time to fulfill employer obligations this year, the clear winner is Monday.

Christmas and New Year's Day both fall on Sundays this month, the day when most employees are already scheduled to be off work. That gives employers little choice but to designate another weekday as the holiday.

Three-day weekends will be the norm, with most employers contacted by SourceMedia indicating Monday was chosen as the closest day to the actual holiday.

Human resources specialist Jennifer Carroll said TrueNorth Companies in Cedar Rapids is reverting to a rule of thumb for national holidays.

"If a holiday falls on a Saturday, we recognize Friday" at the financial services and insurance provider," Carroll said. "If a holiday falls on a Sunday, we recognize Monday."

Many businesses, of course, won't be giving out three-day weekends. They include most retailers.

Lindale Mall Senior Marketing Manager Lisa Rowe said the holiday schedule this year will provide extra shopping opportunities, and retailers want to take advantage.

"An extra Saturday for sales before Christmas is ideal," Rowe said. She thinks the biggest holiday shopping day, dubbed "Super Saturday," will nevertheless fall on Saturday, Dec. 17. That's because many people will be traveling to visit friends and family on Dec. 24, or will already have completed their shopping.

A good number of retail employees also will have no rest on Monday, Dec. 26. It is, Rowe explained, a "huge shopping day" because after-Christmas sales draw out so many shoppers. Those sales may get an added boost this year because so many potential shoppers will be off work on Dec. 26, and the mall plans to open early at 8 a.m.

While many stores will be open, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 might be hit or miss in terms of banking. Some financial, like Wells Fargo, will observe the holidays on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Others, like Veridian Credit Union, will be open on those dates.

Cedar Rapids' largest private employer, Rockwell Collins, typically gives most employees the time off between Christmas and New Year's. This year, the holiday will stretch from Friday, Dec. 23, through Monday, Jan. 2, 2012.

Employees at ESCO Group in Marion will be among many enjoying a four-day weekend. The company ordinarily provides a holiday for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Since both holidays fall on a weekend this year, ESCO employees will take Friday, Dec. 23, off in observance of Christmas Eve, and Monday Dec. 26, off in observance of Christmas Day.

"Our employees are happy about it, because if they're traveling it will give them extra time to come back, and if they have visitors it will give them extra time to get on the road," said Stacy Postier, ESCO marketing director.

Employees of ACT in Iowa City will be able to take two consecutive four-day weekends because the company provides a holiday for New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve as well as New Year's Day and Christmas, a spokesman said.

For other companies, the financial markets may dictate when to take the holiday. The New York Stock Market is closed on Monday, Dec. 26, and Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, according to the New York Stock Exchange/EuroNext web site. That drastically reduces the value of working the Mondays to financial companies like RBC Wealth Management in Cedar Rapids, which will take the days off.

ACT

Steve Gomier (sp?)

ACT actuallly allows two days for each holiday, so it will be the Friday before and the Monday following.

Both for Christmas and New Year's.

Cindy Nodorf, TransAmerica

Christmas celebrated Dec. 26 and will be closed Monday, Jan. 2, in observance of Memorial Day.

Esco Group in Cedar Rapids

Stacy

Will take Christmas Eve on Friday, Dec. 23 and Christmas Day on Monday, Dec. 26.

We'll Celebrate New Year's Day on Monday, Jan. 2.

Our employees are happy about it, because if they're traveling it will give them extra time to come back, and if they have visitors it will give them extra time to get on the road.

"It will help our employees out in such a busy timie of year and family issues are extreme important to our employees and a big emphasis for our company."

Jennifer Carrol (sp?) HR department at True North companies.

Rule of thum at TrueNorth is if a holiday falls on a Saturday, we recognize Friday. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, then we recognize Monday. That's our general rule of thumb for any national holiday.

RBC Wealth Management

New York Stock Exchange closed Monday after Christmas.

We will be off Jan. 2 for New Year's Day.

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(c)2011 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

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