Thursday, June 25, 1998

Employers struggle with fitting holidays into work schedules

By SCOTT SCHOLTEN / Abilene Reporter-News

If Americans are supposed to collectively celebrate the day the United States freed itself from the British Empire, they have their work cut out.

In fact, celebrating any holiday together becomes difficult without a uniform schedule for holiday celebration, or even which holidays are celebrated.

With Independence Day falling on a Saturday this year some workers are out of luck.

At Abilene State School, when a holiday falls on a weekend, employees don't get any time off for it, according to its human resources department.

Most companies have a policy dictating which weekday their offices will take for the holiday.

If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceeding Friday is the designated holiday, said Celia Davis of Hendrick Healthcare Systems. If the holiday is on a Sunday, then the following Monday is the free day.

"At a hospital, we never really close for a holiday, but the administrative offices will be closed on Friday," Davis said.

Abilene Christian University has the same policy, said Joyce Dalzell, human resources director.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield is also taking July 3 to celebrate Independence Day.

At Blue Cross, paid holidays total 10 per year, said Dee Moore, director of operations. Employees there get the major holidays off such as Memorial Day and Labor Day, plus it gives two days on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Since New Year's Day happened on a Thursday this year, employees got Friday off, too. To round out the days, employees get a floating holiday for their birthdays.

The Federal Reserve dictates bank holiday schedules. Pam Mann, human resources administrator at First National Bank, said banks either get 9 or 10 holidays each year, depending which day Independence Day falls on.

This year is a lean year, Mann said. Since this Independence Day is on a Saturday, they don't get any time off for the national holiday.

The Unites States Postal Service gets ten holidays a year and will be closed on Saturday, July 4.