# Do you have Friday off? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031 "2007-11-19T14:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/1 "2007-11-19T14:05:19Z")
My previous job was the first one I ever had in my life where the day after Thanksgiving was not a holiday. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who found it odd, as we had a new hire last year take off for the Thanksgiving weekend not realizing that Friday wasn’t a holiday. He said afterwards that it never even occurred to him that he was expected to come to work on the day after Thanksgiving. Now [New Jersey](http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-18-state-holiday_N.htm) has mandated its workers to come on on Friday. I guess that’s not too odd - service oriented companies usually are open on that day, since it is the busiest shopping day of the year. But white collar jobs? Heck no! We have to do our part and SHOP the day after Thanksgiving. Well, some of us do… not me… For the record, my head office is closed on Friday. Being a contractor who works from home, I _could_ work on Friday but I probably won’t. ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/2 "2007-11-19T14:16:41Z")
Nope we have it off. Many years ago we didn’t though. I was glad they changed it. We get a nice little four day weekend. I am going to have a five day weekend as I took the Monday after off too. I am going to lay around for five days and do nothing but watch TV, read and crochet while eating turkey day leftovers. I loathe shopping so I won’t be leaving the house. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/3 "2007-11-19T14:31:32Z")
We have a Thursday-Friday weekend. So yes. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/4 "2007-11-19T14:37:24Z")
We essentially replaced Columbus Day with it. We work C-Day, but we get Black Friday off. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/5 "2007-11-19T14:39:11Z")
I am off - vacation day, though… ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/6 "2007-11-19T14:39:31Z")
We get Thursday and Friday off, and I’m taking Monday and Tuesday next week (gotta use up those vacation days before the end of the year), so it’ll be a nice 6 day weekend. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/7 "2007-11-19T14:46:13Z")
Yes. I have a University job, so when they’re closed, all of their external departments are closed, too. (We end up getting 11 days off at Xmas!) ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/8 "2007-11-19T14:54:38Z")
I’m not sure if I do yet. I need to ask the boss. I hope I don’t. I don’t need to go shopping that day, as nothing I’m buying for anyone is absolutely essential to buy right then. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/9 "2007-11-19T14:55:02Z")
We have it off, but I’ve volunteered to come in because my girlfriend has to work so I might as well. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/10 "2007-11-19T14:55:19Z")
Out of 90,000… 89,992 will get the day off. There are no vacations in data center operations. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/11 "2007-11-19T14:59:28Z")
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory] Out of 90,000… 89,992 will get the day off. There are no vacations in data center operations. [/QUOTE] There are for the guys who build and test your power distribution equipment–which is me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/12 "2007-11-19T15:02:57Z")
The only jobs where I’ve had the day off after Thanksgiving are the ones where I worked for a school (first a high school, and now a University). ---
**Author:** ![wasson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4da419/32.png) [@wasson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wasson)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/13 "2007-11-19T15:19:59Z")
I have it off. In fact, every Friday we’re all outta here at noon anyway, so they tend to give us Fridays off pretty frequently. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/14 "2007-11-19T15:22:20Z")
Nope. I detest working the day after Thanksgiving. Why? Because everyone else is out of the office, and I get sick of “If I can’t talk to person X RIGHT NOW, I’m closing my account.” Financial markets are only open half a day. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/15 "2007-11-19T15:29:07Z")
Off Friday, paid. Gone fishing. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/16 "2007-11-19T15:34:15Z")
Our office is open but I took the day off. I have traditionally worked on the Friday after Thanksgiving but it’s always so painfully boring that I caved this year and asked for it off. My husband and I will be hitting the Black Friday sales. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/17 "2007-11-19T15:35:23Z")
nope, and I’ll give dollars to doughnuts that the CG doesn’t even let us out 2 hours early on either the day before or the day after. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/18 "2007-11-19T15:46:28Z")
[QUOTE=rhythmonly] Off Friday, paid. Gone fishing. [/QUOTE] The other reason that I volunteered to come in is that Friday looks to be too cold for fishing 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/19 "2007-11-19T16:05:22Z")
Yay for working for a uni! Friday off, vacation day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031/20 "2007-11-19T16:08:15Z")
Not a holiday around here, but I took a vacation day. We have a weird system, though. Our “PTO” (paid time off) covers holidays a well as regular sick and vacation days. So, if I have X hours of available PTO per year, I burn 8 of those on Thanksgiving. In a sense, I get no holidays, although my total available PTO per year is sufficient for the usual holidays, plus two weeks’ vacation (plus a couple sick days). Christmas? PTO. Flu? PTO. Week in the Bahamas? PTO. I work in a hospital, and this is the system the clinical folks get. It makes sense for them, since they don’t lock up the hospital for Thanksgiving. They just use the same PTO system for the cubicle dwellers too. This was the case at the last hospital I worked at too, so I’m guessing it’s fairly common in healthcare. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-friday-off/427031.md?page=2)