How much compensation should workers receive over the holidays, such as Christmas and New Year’s?
Holidays are a time of celebration and rejoicing around the world, whether it is the remembrance of past events or the start of a new year. Although they are meant to be a time of relaxation and recharging, some people are unwilling to give up their hours in the office, and some are even forced to be there instead of spending quality time with family and friends.
According to the State of California Department of Industrial Relations, “There is nothing in state law that mandates an employer to pay an employee a special premium for work performed on holidays, Saturdays, or Sundays, other than the overtime premium required for work in excess of eight hours in a workday or 40 hours in a workweek”.
That means employers can easily decline employees of extra pay, causing those who are overly dependent on their salary to have no choice but to work on these days.
This is a huge problem, but the solution is simple and undoubtedly effective. A federal mandate should be made that employers are given at least compensation of 1.5 times their base salary when working or forced to work over holidays.
Harris Lui, a current resident physician working at LA Medical Center who is going into radiology, stated, “Yes, I had to work a 12-hour shift on Christmas Day without a bonus in order to fulfill my contract as a resident. If I could decide my own bonus, I feel like 1.5 times the regular pay would be fair for smaller holidays, while for large ones such as Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving, double.” He also stated, “From what I have heard, oftentimes, places with less healthcare access can call locum tenens (doctors or physicians who work temporarily to fill in gaps) over the holidays. They are the ones who get large holiday premiums, oftentimes two to three times normal pay.”
Resident physicians are required to work for long periods of time and at inconvenient times, while locum tenen physicians have free autonomy and better pay. It makes no sense that an easier job has better benefits.
Ashburn Hu, a current employee at Round1 Arcade, stated, “I was required to pick two holidays to work. I had to miss my family’s Thanksgiving dinner and had to work during Christmas as well. I got 50% more pay on those days, though, which I guess was nice.”
He also said, “I feel like 50% is fairly reasonable, but I am missing important family time, so double pay would be nice.”
The lack of a break for employees can result in burnout and worsened mental health, all products that directly affect company profits and societal issues such as depression and suicide rates.
This increase in pay would also result in higher morale. This would likely lead to better customer service and therefore increased profits for the company.
The solution of giving every employee 50% more pay over holidays is absolutely fair and should be mandatory for every company or organization in the United States because it is fair compensation for workers.
