How many have a spouse or themselves that has to work the Friday after Thanksgiving?

[Rob_s_Wife]

**Mine is working like usual today. **
And Chirstmas/New Years didn’t fall on Sundays, he’d have to work then too.

Why is it that Americans work so hard, but don’t have near the time off of so many of our fellow industrialized nations? Production is just as high in those nations. Americans need siestas and holidays too. Don’t we?

---

My dh has 4 weeks of vacation time left in this year and, like last year, it’s going to roll over to be unused next year. He never gets approved for time off it seems unless he threatens to use FMLA paternity leave when I have a baby - then he gets a week off.

I hear it’s like this everywhere in america these days??

sigh I miss my hubby today.

 

[Kelly]

My husband is an Air Traffic Controller, and until last year I worked as a Neonatal ICU Nurse, so we have gotten very used to not only working the day after holidays, but the actual holidays themselves. Hubby worked yesterday and is at work today, fortunately Christmas falls on his regular day off this year, this hasn’t happened in many years, so we are looking forward to having a whole day off as a family on a holiday!

 

[Princess_Abby]

My hubby has his regular engineering job and then works as a consultant for another company, where he chooses his own hours. He can work as little or as much as he wants, depending on the company needs and his own time. He has been working very hard lately with all of our extra baby and health-related expenses. So, today he is working all day (from home, since he is off from his regular job) and I am grateful that he’s so dedicated to providing for our family. This morning he got up and hit some sales with me to get good deals on a few items we needed. I’m also grateful he balances his work time with time for each other, so we’re both looking forward to fun plans we have throughout the remainder of the weekend. On days where I’ve barely seen him because he’s been gone all day working and then comes home, eats dinner with me and then goes straight back to work in his office (at home) for the consulting work–I remember and he reminds me that his is for the good of our family and won’t last forever. Both of us thank God for his good education and the opportunities given to him to make the money we need for our family. I privately thank God for his unending WILLINGNESS to do what needs to be done. But it’s hard not to miss someone we love when they aren’t fully available! I don’t mind so much when he works from home because I can at least pop in to see or hug him and chat for a moment or two.

 

[Seatuck]

Mine worked yesterday and today and is working tomorrow and the day after that… My son keeps saying "why did I come home from college Dad? In a couple years he might not be able to come visit for a holiday. Such is life. It’s unfortunate but its the way it works out this year. Christmas too.

 

[AmberDale]

I’m working today and so is my husband. Thankfully the places we work are closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

My company actually has 7 paid holidays, and I’m in the office so the office is closed.
DH just gets paid extra if he works on the other holidays.
I don’t mind working the day after a holiday. If I get into the healthcare field like I want, then I’ll probably have to work on the actual holiday.

 

[Shiann]

I’m working today too, though it’s really just a catch up day. Nice and slow

 

[Aurelia]

Years ago I worked for a large department store in Chicago’s Loop. The department I worked for normally had week-ends off, but we would have to come in the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving–and they’d pay us only straight time for the Saturday because, you see, we had Thursday off.

 

[Tonks40]

I’m at work right now! So is my husband…blessed are the poor!

 

[CatCat]

My husband is working today too. Thankfully he had yesterday off though, and this year the holidays are so very cooperative, being on weekends and all.

 

[Mom_of_one]

I worked both yesterday and today. Today, I am doing a double shift—I am at home for about 10 minutes to pick up some stuff before I go to my next case. Such is the life of a nurse.

 

[Celia]

I worked today. Hubby had the day off.

My best friend works in the department store I worked in last year, she had to be at work at 4:45 this morning. (store opened at 5.) Ridiculous. She’s probably home napping now.

 

[mary_bobo]

Retired at our house. I volunteered my usual day at hospice.

 

[Brenda_V]

Neither my husband nor I had to go to work today. He is an engineer so always gets the entire four day weekend for Thanksgiving and I quit Target about a month ago to spend more time with my at home business. I did do some work for my Avon business this morning but other than that I don’t have to go anywhere to do it.

Now our two adult daughters on the other hand had to both be to work by 6 a.m. this morning! Neither one work at a large retail store. One works at a local Shoe store and the other at a Spencers (a national co.) I don’t get why either had to open at 6, why not just one hour earlier like 8 a.m. to let all the shoppers hit those big stores first (which they are likely to do).

I popped into Target today to give some of my ex-co-workers some small Avon to get them through today.

Hope all who had to work today have a good day and all customers are happy, nice and uderstanding of any lines or delays. I hope that all who had to work in health care had a nice slow day too.

Brenda V.

 

[SeekerJen]

I work in the health care industry so our health care system was up and running as usual today. However, our lab is in the corporate headquarters building, and I noticed that there were a LOT more empty spaces in the parking lot today! It makes me miss working for a university lab. The pay was much less but we got so many more days off! And it didn’t help that DH’s biotech company is closed for the 4-day weekend…

Fortunately I only worked from 9am -3pm, and we lab rats all went out for a nice 1.5 hour lunch at a favorite local restaurant.

 

[pira114]

I work anywhere from 4 to 7 days a week, 12 hour shifts. I work nights, so at least I can stay up during the day when I want to do something with the family. Which I do often. So, I walk around like a zombie, but it’s worth it.

 

[Morning_Glory]

I had to give up my regular days off this week, I finally had a Saturday off (last week), had Thursday off, and will work all weekend. Such is the life of retail.

The kicker is, with Saturday and Thursday off, I still put in over 40 hours ( a no-no), plus holiday pay, work as a third shifter-so time and a half for the 8 hours on Wed night into Thurs. My boss’ boss is gonna have a fit when she sees my hours.

This happens every year. Boy, right about now I envy that college “kid” who has made being a student a career (12 years and counting). Summers off, 2 weeks off for Christmas, week off between semesters, federal holidays off. If only I was smart enough for scholarships

 

[MooCowSteph]

Morning Glory:

Boy, right about now I envy that college “kid” who has made being a student a career (12 years and counting). Summers off, 2 weeks off for Christmas, week off between semesters, federal holidays off. If only I was smart enough for scholarships

You could always be a teacher!

 

[mjdonnelly]

Had to work on Thanksgiving, and the day after.

Power plant.

 

[ProudArmyWife]

We both had to work.
I’m a stay-at-home mom (business as usual) and my husband is in the Army deployed to Iraq. Guess he will be working on Christmas too :crying: I miss him.

 

[BLB_Oregon]

**Mine is working like usual today. **
And Chirstmas/New Years didn’t fall on Sundays, he’d have to work then too.

Why is it that Americans work so hard, but don’t have near the time off of so many of our fellow industrialized nations? Production is just as high in those nations. Americans need siestas and holidays too. Don’t we?

My dh has 4 weeks of vacation time left in this year and, like last year, it’s going to roll over to be unused next year. He never gets approved for time off it seems unless he threatens to use FMLA paternity leave when I have a baby - then he gets a week off.

I hear it’s like this everywhere in america these days??

sigh I miss my hubby today./QUOTE]
Well, production is not just as high in those nations–on a per capita basis, the American worker is the most productive in the world–but that is a trade-off that workers in other countries are more than willing to make. I think we’ve opted for a higher “standard of living” and then given ourselves a bait and switch. You have to look at a schedule like you are describing and ask, “This is living? By what standard is that?”

When does your DH ask for his time off? At some places, if you want time off during school vacations, you have to put in for it a long time in advance. Think along the lines of six months to a year.

Maybe your husband needs to ask the people in his personel department in what sense they meant it when the company gave him “vacation time.” If he has to have a baby or cardiac arrest in order to use it, that is not a vacation. Maybe there are rules to the game that he’s not aware of. Maybe he is being used, either allowing his company to push him or pushing himself in a way that puts him in a near-perpetual state of “special circumstances.”

Once he knows his real situation, he’ll have a better idea whether he should fish or cut bait with the employers he has, or whether he just needs to change his own methods of contributing at work. If the scenario now includes “they can’t get along without me for even a week or two no matter how much advance notice they get”… well, with some short-term or high-season special exceptions (like someone in management opening a new store or a tax accountant that always asks for the first week in April off), that is unacceptable.

If Mr. Bush can be spared at the White House to go to clear brush at his ranch and the Pope can vacate Rome for a good stretch every summer, your husband’s company can find a way to get him some time away from his job, too. Nobody is that indespensible.

Having said that, though… only the fourth Thursday of November is a national holiday. The Friday following it is a normal work day.