Black Friday. For a lot of people those two words mean camping outside their favorite store until it opens in anticipation of getting a ‘good deal’. For others it means trying to wake up from a tryptophan coma in time for work.
If you have to work on Black Friday, you aren’t alone. A survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released last year, says that just 66% of corporate offices will be closing on Black Friday this year, compared to 71% in 2013. And of course many workers in law enforcement, health care, hospitality, transportation, and retail routinely draw the short turkey stick for their work shifts the day after Thanksgiving.
Even though Black Friday isn’t a Federal holiday, a lot of people request the day off which leaves newer employees or those without any vacation time to cover their shifts. A lot of corporations offer holiday pay or an incentive for working on Black Friday.
Benefits of Working on Black Friday
While your co-workers battle crowds and long lines or sleep off their big meal, you will be earning:
- Money – even though the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) states that employers are not required to pay extra for working on a holiday, most companies do offer some type of holiday perk.
- Recognition – offering to work a holiday shift - when no one else wants to - can help an employee get noticed for ‘going the extra mile.’
- Extra vacation days – some employers will offer extra vacation days to employees that work shifts that most others would like off.
- Team player – showing up to work on a holiday with a good attitude shows that you are willing to help out.
- Personal satisfaction – helping others by offering to work when no one else wants to can be very rewarding.
Cyber Shopping and Loss of Productivity
Employee productivity drops during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Being prime shopping season, internet usage at work increases. Although most limit their internet usage to break time, some find shopping online during working hours too hard to resist.
Millennials (those born between 1982-2004) spend the most time on the internet at work. According to a recent study, technology represents ‘all the friends you could ever want, all the knowledge you will ever need, and all the entertainment you could desire.’ Having had the internet at their fingertips for the majority (or entirety) of their lives, connectivity is important to Millennials. They tend to blend work and life together and have developed an ‘entitlement to “me” time.’
If You Do Have To Work – Make it Fun
Whether you wanted to work on Black Friday or not, do your best to make it fun. Order lunch in, have a potluck, or share Thanksgiving leftovers. Turn on some Christmas music to make it festive. If you are the only one in the office, take this time to dig in and get things done.
Les Nessman from ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ had to work on Thanksgiving. He reported the news of the infamous Thanksgiving Turkey Drop. Hopefully your holiday will turn out better than his.
