I guess Obama isn't giving us Xmas Eve?

[jackie011]

I don't think you would have heard by now- DH usually gets released around 11:30 or so that day. I don't think he's ever known in advance. (He works for National Park Service, BTW)

[mrshandy]

Yeah probably not.

We got an announcement that we got 59 minutes for Xmas eve and Friday. After that, I knew we weren't getting it.

[rubytue]

Yes. By now.

I think it was politics. Imagine giving us a bonus holiday while at the same time arguing over the fiscal cliff (I'm so sick of hearing about it I don't even want to call it that)

[calico]

I don't think that we are going to get it. Some agencies have already announced 59 minutes for their employees on Monday. Someone tried to argue with me yesterday, saying that he had to give us off b/c VRE and some commuter buses aren't running.

Yes, b/c the Prez takes his orders from VRE. 8-D

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2012 9:57:02 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Yes. By now.

I think it was politics. Imagine giving us a bonus holiday while at the same time arguing over the fiscal cliff (I'm so sick of hearing about it I don't even want to call it that)

Yeah, I don't imagine the masses would be happy paying everyone for an extra day off right now.

With that said, I think Christmas eve should be a federal holiday. I think it sucks that so many people (DH included) have to work! How do you spend time with family that doesn't live right in your town if you don't have the day off?

(yes, I know not everyone celebrates Christmas and it would be nice to have off other religious holidays too. But many jobs you CAN'T take off Christmas eve, even if you want to use vacation, and that sucks! I assume it isn't as hard to get off for other less widely celebrated holidays)

[ssmjlm]

Yeah, no holidays for us this year.

Oh and then our CG gave 59 for the 24th and the 31st which our director was quick to point out could only be used on those days, not your last day of work. WTF people, no holiday cheer I guess.

[rubytue]

We usually get 4 hours if the president doesn't (only that day and only if you arent on leave). But that hasn't even been announced yet.

[moolarkey]

We don't get off early and I work for a non-profit, not for the government.

[ssmjlm]

Dec 20, 2012 10:08:33 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

SSM, our CG hasn't sent out anything yet but I bet he will tomorrow. He is good about giving us 59 minutes

I miss having a good CG. The last one was great, this one is a micromanager.

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2012 10:00:02 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

With that said, I think Christmas eve should be a federal holiday. I think it sucks that so many people (DH included) have to work! How do you spend time with family that doesn't live right in your town if you don't have the day off?

Meh, as a fed with very little leave (because I'm so new), I really have no problem with it. I think giving days off on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and the day after Thanksgiving is a good thing to hold as sort of a bonus for good performance since we don't really get bonuses.

Most fed employees have plenty of leave, so I see no need to make more federal holidays. It's not like the majority of people who have to work on Christmas Eve - namely, retail workers - would get it off if that happened.

[keweenawlove]

That sucks. DH doesn't get it off either. If they work, they can leave at noon but it still counts as a full vacation day if they don't go in. That doesn't help much when we have a 9 hour drive to do.

[womet]

We haven't gotten 59 minutes at all this year at my agency. I'm not holding my breath for the 24th or 31st.

[gt7301b]

We usually only have to work four hours on Christmas Eve, but if you take leave you get nothing. My old boss let us work from home that day, which was awesome cause I could avoid the ILs by working. My new boss doesn't give me that flexibility, sad panda.

[lauralala]

I know it's a fed thing, but what does 59 minutes mean? Besides being 1 minute less than an hour, of course.

[cole]

Dec 20, 2012 10:16:28 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Dec 20, 2012 10:00:02 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

With that said, I think Christmas eve should be a federal holiday. I think it sucks that so many people (DH included) have to work! How do you spend time with family that doesn't live right in your town if you don't have the day off?

Meh, as a fed with very little leave (because I'm so new), I really have no problem with it. I think giving days off on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and the day after Thanksgiving is a good thing to hold as sort of a bonus for good performance since we don't really get bonuses.

Most fed employees have plenty of leave, so I see no need to make more federal holidays. It's not like the majority of people who have to work on Christmas Eve - namely, retail workers - would get it off if that happened.

The counter to that is since it's not a holiday, someone has to be in the office. Almost everyone I work with has use or lose but someone still has to work Christmas Eve out of the 9 of us.

That being said, I love working the week between Christmas and New Year because it's quiet, so I volunteered to be here Monday even though I have plenty of leave in the bank. I can just see how it would be an issue especially on staffs even smaller than mine.

[mrshandy]

Dec 20, 2012 10:23:36 GMT -5 lauralala said:

I know it's a fed thing, but what does 59 minutes mean? Besides being 1 minute less than an hour, of course.

I think anything more than an hour has a lot more paperwork to it or has to be approved by some upper authority.

59 minutes you can hand out pretty easily.

But that's my best guess. I'm sure a more educated person can weigh in.

[calico]

Dec 20, 2012 10:24:20 GMT -5 cole said:

The counter to that is since it's not a holiday, someone has to be in the office. Almost everyone I work with has use or lose but someone still has to work Christmas Eve out of the 9 of us.

This is what makes having to work on Christmas Eve a pain in the ass. Our branch consists of 4 people, including the chief. Since someone from every branch must be in the office at all times- not teleworking, physically in the office, it becomes a knockdown dragout fight around the holidays. For a while they went by seniority, but that meant I got screwed every damn holiday. We switched to rotating, but that means in order to get the day after Thanksgiving off, I had to volunteer to work Christmas Eve.

[ssmjlm]

It's b/c anything a hour and over has to be coded and given a reason. So the 59 gets around that.

[aurademystere]

A couple of years ago Astrue (SSA) gave us the day after Thanksgiving off. I seem to remember that some members of Congress got upset, so I wouldn't bet on it.

[Deleted]

I think this is one of those things that only really bothers you if you've been in the federal government for a long time. SO many people have to work Christmas Eve that I just can't get worked up about it.

[ssmjlm]

Coverage is rarely an issue as we usually have newer personnel who don't have the use or lose time.

Unfortunately my office ends up with a lot of use or lose at the end of the year, even if we plan it. We earn so much comp time at the end of the FY, that it's hard to schedule all the leave that's expiring along with the use or lose and you run out of time. I ended up donating leave to a CW last year b/c I couldn't use it all.

[rubytue]

It's not that we (or at least me) are really worked up or bothered by it. It just would have been a way to save some leave and a nice bonus after years of no raises and being scapegoats for budget issues.

And, well, every time it's been a Tuesday in recent memory, the president gave us Monday off.

And we don't even get inauguration day off this year!

Ok that last one makes me a GSwhiner lol

[moolarkey]

Look at all the retail people that have to work on Christmas Eve and many will work Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's day. Hospitals works, first responders work.