HRE’s number of the day: Juneteenth holiday


12: Percentage of employers making Juneteenth a paid company holiday

A growing number of companies are giving workers the day off in recognition of the end of slavery–most for the first time. According to a new poll of 204 employees from professional organization WorldatWork, 12% say their employer is giving them paid time off to observe Juneteenth.

What it means to HR leaders

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Related: Companies embracing Juneteenth as paid holiday

Julie Stich, vice president of content at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, says that beyond “standard” holidays like Thanksgiving, Independence Day and Labor Day, a company’s paid holidays “reflect their culture, perspective and priorities.”

With a handful of employers quickly adding Juneteenth as a holiday this year, expect more companies to add the date as an official company holiday in the coming years.

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Kathryn Mayer
Kathryn Mayer is HRE’s former benefits editor and chair of the Health & Benefits Leadership Conference. She has covered benefits for the better part of a decade, and her stories have won multiple awards, including a Jesse H. Neal Award and honors from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and the National Federation of Press Women. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Denver.