Holidays can be stressful, but your holiday policy shouldn’t be

Holidays mean time off from work to celebrate with family and friends. But for many people, the holidays are filled with tension. Although holidays themselves can be exhausting and stressful, your holiday policy should provide a sense of clarity and relief—not anxiety.

Which holidays to observe?

Under federal law, employers aren’t required to give their employees holidays off from work. Though there are a few states that mandate employers to observe certain holidays, being a Scrooge about holidays is no way to foster employee morale and good will. Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas observe the federal law and don’t require employers to give time off for the holidays.

Most employers observe at least six holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Government employers and some private employers also observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Juneteenth, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. Other commonly recognized holidays include the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. New to the list of federally recognized holidays is Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 to commentate the end of slavery.

If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, most employers allow employees to observe weekend holidays on either the preceding Friday or following Monday. Of course, the federal government and most states have standardized their observance of certain holidays to a specified Monday, which many private employers also choose to follow.