The Bright Side of Working on Holidays

Jesse | Nov 10, 2009

Most people have had to do it at least once. Whether you are in retail, you are an independent contractor making up hours or you just got unlucky this year, you may find yourself at work on a holiday.  Here is how to look on the bright side while you are stuck at work during the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays.

Photo by: LittleDan77 (Flickr Creative Commons)

There are as many reasons as there are jobs as to why people have to work or perhaps even choose to work during the holidays. While you may feel like you are the only one, you are certainly not alone. And, believe it or not, there are some rare advantages to working during the holidays. Learn how to embrace this time of workplace solitude and take advantage of its many benefits.

Getting ahead at work

If you work in an office, you will have none of the normal interruptions working on a holiday that you normally have when the office is full of people. No ringing phones, no meetings and no extra work to sidetrack you means that you may actually get something useful accomplished. Make life easier on yourself in the weeks to come and take care of those tasks that you normally do not have time for. Or, if you have the kind of job that just requires you to be present and answer phones, you can get some minor personal things accomplished while sitting at your desk, such as balancing your checkbook.

Avoiding holiday traffic

If you are bummed you didn’t take time off to visit out-of-state family, think of all the traffic hassles you’ve conveniently avoided. Let the masses deal with flight delays and traffic jams in the mad rush to fulfill holiday plans. On the other hand, your commute to work will be a breeze on the actual day of the holiday. Enjoy your smooth ride to work and don’t look back.

Receiving comp days

Most people will be reimbursed for time spent working during the holidays. Why not choose your day(s) wisely and make this work to your advantage? You can take a day in the middle of the week after Christmas (when everyone else is back to work) to go shopping and catch the after-Christmas sales. During the weekday after a busy holiday, the mall is all yours. Or, take advantage of off-season airfare and use your comp day to jet set out of town for a long weekend in an exotic island. Going against the grain and doing the opposite of the general population does have its perks.

Remember, it’s just another day

Holidays can be overrated. Some holidays can be downright boring. The anticipation leading up to the holiday is what is most exciting, such as the shopping, baking and planning. But the actual day can be, well, uninteresting. What do you do with a house full of people after you stuff yourself with food and open all the gifts? Evident from the high Christmas Day movie sales, most people go to the movie theater, where they avoid interacting with family.

So if you really think about it, you really aren’t missing out on much by working during the holidays. At least you aren’t missing anything that you can’t have any other day of the year. Hopefully, good food, family, friends and movies are available to you any time you want. Real holidays are a frame of mind, and when you learn to change your perspective and see through the hype, working on a holiday may not seem so bad.

April Lentini writes for Apartmentguide.com