Today is Veteran's Day, a holiday in the US that, with the exception of government organizations, is universally ignored. Technically tomorrow is the observed holiday that you're supposed to get off, but I've never once worked for a private company that gave the day as a holiday. The closest was Microsoft who provides two floating holidays that you could designate as you chose. If you wanted to take off Veteran's day, you could, if you wanted to observe Saturnalia instead of Christmas, more power to you, take it off. I usually used one of my two days to make Memorial Day weekend longer for the the annual pigroast we used to do. Notably, I didn't take Veteran's Day off though, I guess I figured that the two days coming up for Thanksgiving were going to be good enough. I'd usually use the other day as part of a vacation to a new country each year.
So, what's the point of this post? While technically I own a company, it's just me, so I can take any day off that I want. Besides, it's not like the company is active, so it's really a moot point. However, should I ever own a company that has employees, anyone who's a veteran will receive Veteran's Day off as a paid holiday. I believe that this should be the norm, when a new employee is brought on board, you ask for a copy of their DD 214 discharge papers and once they're provided to prove they were in the military, they're eligible for Veteran's Day off. Is this fair to the folks who work for me who aren't veterans and don't get the day off? Yes, we as veterans have provided an invaluable service to our country. Even though the huge majority have never fired a shot in anger, or for that matter even seen an engagement with an enemy, the service was still there. I think one day a year to recognize that service is not too much to ask. If the folks who work for me have a problem with that, well, maybe they shouldn't have taken the job in the first place.
So, what's the point of this post? While technically I own a company, it's just me, so I can take any day off that I want. Besides, it's not like the company is active, so it's really a moot point. However, should I ever own a company that has employees, anyone who's a veteran will receive Veteran's Day off as a paid holiday. I believe that this should be the norm, when a new employee is brought on board, you ask for a copy of their DD 214 discharge papers and once they're provided to prove they were in the military, they're eligible for Veteran's Day off. Is this fair to the folks who work for me who aren't veterans and don't get the day off? Yes, we as veterans have provided an invaluable service to our country. Even though the huge majority have never fired a shot in anger, or for that matter even seen an engagement with an enemy, the service was still there. I think one day a year to recognize that service is not too much to ask. If the folks who work for me have a problem with that, well, maybe they shouldn't have taken the job in the first place.
3 comments:
Ooooooh ... feeling a bit lazy going to the office tomorrow, are we? I'll have Gert's Baked Cheesy Rice waiting when you get home. :)
I observe Veterans Day in spirit, even if I have to go to work. It's an important holiday and we should take it to observe the service bestowed upon us.
Kelly,
Thanks for the note and the sentiments, it's always nice to hear from another wordsmith.
Post a Comment