shrm poll: 2012 holiday schedules ©shrm 2011 november 30, 2011 shrm poll: 2012 holiday schedules

SHRM Poll: 2012 Holiday Schedules ©SHRM 2011

November 30, 2011

SHRM Poll: 2012 Holiday Schedules

SHRM Poll: 2012 Holiday Schedules ©SHRM 2011 2

Which 2012 holidays will most organizations observe? The 2012 holidays that most (95% or more) organizations will observe are:

New Year’s Day (Sunday, January 1) Memorial Day (Monday, May 28) Independence Day (Wednesday, July 4) Labor Day (Monday, September 3) Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 22) Christmas Day (Tuesday, December 25)

Which religious holidays in 2012 will most organizations observe? Overall, few organizations observe religious holidays other than Christmas Day, which 99% of organizations recognize by closing on that day. Twenty-five percent of organizations observe Good Friday.

Did the economic challenges to the U.S. and globally affect the number of annual holidays organizations offered to employees in 2011 or plan to offer in 2012? The majority of organizations reported keeping the same number of holidays offered to employees despite economic challenges.

Key Findings


In general, has the number of paid holidays your organization offered in 2011 decreased, stayed the same or increased as a result of the ongoing challenges to the U.S. and global economy? In 2012, will the number of paid holidays decrease, stay the same or increase?

Note: Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Decreased Stayed the same Increased

2011 3% 96% 2%

2012 2% 96% 2%


2012 Holidays Organizations Plan to Observe

2012 Holiday Closed Close early Remain open

Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day) 95% * 5%

Monday, January 2 (Monday after New Year’s Day)** 80% * 19%

Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday) 33% 0% 67%

Monday, January 23 (Chinese and Vietnamese New Year) * * 100%

Monday, February 20 (President’s Day) 36% 0% 64%

Wednesday, February 22 (Ash Wednesday) * 1% 99%

Wednesday, March 21 (Bahá'í New Year’s Day) 0% 0% 100%

Friday, April 6 (Beginning of Passover) 6% 1% 93%

Friday, April 6 (Good Friday) 25% 5% 71%

Monday, April 9 (Easter Monday) 7% * 93%

Friday, April 13 (End of Passover) 1% * 99%

Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day) 96% 0% 4%

Note: n = 433 – 481. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. An asterisk (*) indicates < 1%. **January 1, 2012 (the legal public holiday for New Year's Day), falls on a Sunday. For most federal employees, Monday, January 2, 2012, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes.


2012 Holidays Organizations Plan to Observe (continued)


Monday, May 28 (Shavuot) 9% 0% 91%

Tuesday, July 3 (Day before Independence Day) 5% 9% 86%

Wednesday, July 4 (Independence Day) 96% 1% 4%

Thursday, July 19 (Beginning of Ramadan) 0% * 100%

Monday, August 20 (End of Ramadan) 0% 0% 100%

Monday, September 3 (Labor Day) 95% * 5%

Monday, September 17 (Rosh Hashanah) 1% * 99%

Wednesday, September 26 (Yom Kippur) 1% * 99%

Monday, October 1 (Sukkot) * 0% 100%

Monday, October 8 (Columbus Day) 16% 0% 84%

Friday, October 26 (Eid al-Adha/Festival of Sacrifice) 0% 0% 100%

Monday, November 12 (Veterans Day Observed) *** 20% 0% 80%

Note: n = 433 – 481. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. An asterisk (*) indicates < 1%. *** November 11, 2012 (the legal public holiday for Veterans Day), falls on a Sunday. For most federal employees, Monday, November 12, 2012 will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes.


2012 Holidays Organizations Plan to Observe (continued)


Tuesday, November 13 (Diwali) * 0% 100%

Wednesday, November 21 (Day before Thanksgiving Day) 5% 18% 77%

Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving Day) 98% * 1%

Friday, November 23 (Day after Thanksgiving Day) 72% 1% 27%

Monday, December 10 (First day of Chanukah) 0% * 100%

Monday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) 46% 32% 22%

Tuesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) 99% * 1%

Wednesday, December 26 (Day after Christmas Day) 15% 1% 84%

Friday, December 28 (Friday before New Year’s Day) 11% 7% 82%

Monday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve) 34% 22% 44%

Week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day 12% 1% 87%

Note: n = 433 – 481. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. An asterisk (*) indicates < 1%.


2012 Holidays Organizations Plan to Observe (by U.S. Federal Holidays)


Monday, January 2 (Monday after New Year’s Day)** 80% * 19%

Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday) 33% 0% 67%

Monday, February 20 (President’s Day) 36% 0% 64%

Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day) 96% 0% 4%

Wednesday, July 4 (Independence Day) 96% 1% 4%

Monday, September 3 (Labor Day) 95% * 5%

Monday, October 8 (Columbus Day) 16% 0% 84%

Monday, November 12 (Veterans Day observed)*** 20% 0% 80%

Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving Day) 98% * 1%


Note: n = 433 – 481. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. An asterisk (*) indicates < 1%. **January 1, 2012 (the legal public holiday for New Year's Day) falls on a Sunday. For most federal employees, Monday, January 2, 2012, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. *** November 11, 2012 (the legal public holiday for Veterans Day) falls on a Sunday. For most federal employees, Monday, November 12, 2012, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes.


2012 Holidays Organizations Plan to Observe (by Religious Holidays)


Wednesday, February 22 (Ash Wednesday) * 1% 99%

Friday, April 6 (Beginning of Passover) 6% 1% 93%

Friday, April 6 (Good Friday) 25% 5% 71%

Monday, April 9 (Easter Monday) 7% * 93%

Friday, April 13 (End of Passover) 1% * 99%

Monday, May 28 (Shavuot) 9% 0% 91%

Thursday, July 19 (Beginning of Ramadan) 0% * 100%

Monday, August 20 (End of Ramadan) 0% 0% 100%

Monday, September 17 (Rosh Hashanah) 1% * 99%

Wednesday, September 26 (Yom Kippur) 1% * 99%

Friday, October 26 (Eid al-Adha/Festival of Sacrifice) 0% 0% 100%

Tuesday, November 13 (Diwali) * 0% 100%

Monday, December 10 (First day of Chanukah) 0% * 100%


Note: n = 433 – 481. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. An asterisk (*) indicates < 1%.


Is the decision to close the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day a result of the ongoing challenges to the U.S. and global economy?

No, it's not a new practice

Yes

93%

7%

98%

2%

94%

6% 2011 (n = 51)

2010 (n = 43)

2009 (n = 42)

Note: Only respondents whose organizations will be closed the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day were asked this question. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis.


Looking forward to 2013, is your organization planning to be entirely closed, close early or remain open on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 (New Year’s Day)?

It is too early for us to decide

Remain open

Close early

Closed

11%

4%

0%

85%

n = 458


Demographics: Organization Industry

Industry Percentage

Manufacturing 20%

Health care and social assistance 13%

Professional, scientific and technical services 12%

Other services except public administration 11%

Educational services 9%

Finance and insurance 9%

Public administration 5%

Transportation and warehousing 5%

Retail trade 5%

Utilities 3%

Religious, grant-making, civic, professional and similar organizations 3%

Accommodation and food services 3%

Note: n = 457. Percentages may not equal 100% due to multiple response options.


Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)

Industry Percentage

Construction of buildings, heavy and civil engineering construction, specialty trade contractors 3%

Real estate and rental and leasing 3%

Wholesale trade 3%

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 2%

Arts, entertainment and recreation 2%

Information, publishing industries 2%

Repair and maintenance 1%

Mining 1%

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting *

Management of companies and enterprises *

Personal and laundry services *

Private households *

Note: n = 457. Percentages may not equal 100% due to multiple response options. An asterisk (*) indicates < 1%.


Demographics: Organization Sector

Other

Government sector

Nonprofit organization

Publicly owned for-profit organization

Privately owned for-profit organization

4%

8%

19%

19%

50%

n = 456


Demographics: Organization Staff Size

27%

32%

18% 18%

5%

14

n = 448


n = 470

Does your organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only or does it operate multinationally?

U.S.-based operations only 75%

Multinational operations 25%

Is your organization a single-unit company or a multi-unit company?

Single-unit company: A company in which the location and the company are one and the same. 36%

Multi-unit company: A company that has more than one location. 64%

Are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit corporate headquarters, by each work location or both?

Corporate (companywide) 52%

Business unit/division 44%

Facility/location 4%

n = 465

n = 312

Demographics: Other


Response rate = 16%

Sample composed of 481 randomly selected HR professionals

Margin of error is +/- 5%

Survey fielded October 12-November 4, 2011

16

Methodology

For more poll findings, visit: www.shrm.org/surveys

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research

SHRM Poll: 2012 Holiday Schedules

shrm poll: 2012 holiday schedules ©shrm 2011 november 30, 2011 shrm poll: 2012 holiday schedules

Documents

christmas day

veterans day

labor day

memorial day

thanksgiving day

presidents day

columbus day

number of holidays