As you know, beef production businesses cannot completely stop for holidays. You and your employees, however, are members of families and social groups that have holiday expectations, traditions and plans.
We usually think about holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. There are, however, additional holidays. In this article, we look at the 11 federal holidays, starting with the special holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's – where all but essential services are closed. The remaining federal holidays are divided into those where non-retail businesses are typically closed and those where they typically are open. Remember also that some of your employees observe additional holidays important to their religion.
The special holidays
I was thinking about what proportion of the total workforce works on special holidays such as Christmas. It has to be very small. Most people would think of emergency room doctors and nurses, police and fire personnel, and perhaps airline pilots as the few who must work. We know also that livestock farms have employees working as well.
Let me suggest some things you might consider to lighten the load for those who must work:
- As with everything, planning is key. Make plans so that only tasks that absolutely must be done on the holiday are assigned. I know I would not be happy if I had to work on a holiday doing tasks that could have been done in advance or on a later day. Even better, engage your employees in the planning so they better understand what must be done on the holiday and have ownership in the plan.
- Speaking of planning, work with your employees to schedule shifts and tasks, to the extent possible, so employees do not miss important religious services or family events. Communicating with employees this desire can be powerful both in intent and in deed.
- Arrange to do something special for those who do have to work. It could be providing hot chocolate, cookies, fruit or something culturally appropriate. Be certain to say, “thank you,” and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts.
- You deserve to be with your family; however, if you are near the farm and have a few minutes, take the time to say hello, thank them for being there and maybe deliver the treats mentioned previously.
- As those who work leave, or when they next return to work, express your appreciation for their working on a holiday.
- These are paid holidays for most employees and often time and a half or double time for hourly employees who must work. You may want to consider similar adjustments to your compensation policies. Early in my Cornell employment, I was asked to provide some suggestions for the dairy facility. I remember asking how they get employees to work on Christmas. The answer was that there was no problem because they were paid triple time.
Holidays where most non-retail businesses close
The three holidays included here are Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. On these days, employees, except those in retail, typically have a paid vacation day. The expectation of most families, and in most communities, is that these are days for family activities, traveling or just relaxing.
Perhaps a good way to approach these holidays from a work standpoint is similar to how you approach Sundays. This will typically mean doing only necessary work. For those that must work, consider some of the ideas from the discussion of special holidays.
Compensation policy for these days is also important. These days are typically paid holidays for most non-retail business and government/education employees. I encourage you to consider making these paid holidays for those with tasks that can be scheduled on other days. For salaried employees who must work, allowing some time off at another time is an option. For hourly employees whose work allows shortened hours, payment for normal hours should be considered.
Other federal holidays
There are five holidays – Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Juneteenth, Columbus Day and Veterans Day – that are rarely considered holidays by businesses. You don’t need to modify work plans or compensation policy for these days. You do, however, need to recognize that some employees will have special requests as spouses and school children will often have the day off.
There are three other days – the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve – when some employees will be in similar situations to these other four holidays.
Holidays present many challenges to businesses like farms and ranches that operate seven days a week and 24 hours a day. They also can be an opportunity to show that you value your employees by working with them to balance the needs of the farm and their families' needs and desires.
