Figuring out the holiday schedule can be tough. Most employees would prefer to spend time with family. Can you blame them? To make scheduling easier, consider offering increased holiday pay. Cody Heller, a Wisconsin dairy farmer and dairy consultant, says he offers all of his employees who have worked on his farm for at least one year double time on holidays.
These are the top six holidays many businesses give employees off according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consider paying extra on these days:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Fourth of July
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving (and the following Friday)
- Christmas
Heller says he also offers his Hispanic employees double pay on Hispanic holidays including Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day.
At a time when farm labor is becoming competitive, it’s in your best interest to consider paying extra on holidays. Heller says a study conducted by his consulting firm, Central Wisconsin Ag Services, and the University of Wisconsin found that of dairy employees who quit their jobs, 29% cited wages and benefits as the No. 1 reason and 11% cited time off as the main reason for moving on.
Read more about figuring out a Christmas schedule here.
