Bloomberg Law's annual Thanksgiving Holiday Practices Survey discovered that a preponderance of U.S. workers will have a long weekend over the upcoming holiday, with nearly four in five (78 percent) indicating that they will provide a day off with pay for both Thanksgiving and the following day.  For a complimentary copy of the report and to learn more about organizations' Thanksgiving workplace practices, visit http://on.bna.com/sehv30gpMDs.

"A robust economy may be the reason behind so many employers being so generous with time off during the holiday," said Molly Huie, Manager, Surveys and Reports, Bloomberg BNA. "Even though most employers are giving a full four day holiday weekend, a third of them still say they need at least some workers in the office — those responsible for the essential operations."

Among the survey's other key findings:

Those that work on Thanksgiving will get a stuffed wallet. Over eight in ten organizations (85 percent) that have employees laboring on Thanksgiving will provide some form of extra compensation, including time-and-one-half pay (33 percent), double pay (27 percent) and both extra pay and compensation time (6 percent). Only six percent of organizations will provide regular pay only. 

The larger the company, the more likely it will require some to work. Sixty-three percent of large organizations (those with over 1,000 employees) will require some to pull a holiday shift, as compared to only 22 percent of small organizations. 

Employees responsible for service & maintenance and security & public safety are most likely to be required to work on Thanksgiving. Much like in past years, service and maintenance staff (17 percent) and security and public safety workers (16 percent), are most likely to hold down the fort on the holiday. 

Workers in manufacturing are most likely to get four paid days off. Over nine in ten (91 percent) of manufacturers indicated they will provide a paid holiday to all or most of their employees on Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, compared with 75 percent of both nonbusiness organizations — such as schools, police departments, municipalities and hospitals — and nonmanufacturing companies.

Thanksgiving gifts are the exception. Thanksgiving gifts are not the norm, as only 23 percent of employers plan to give their employees gifts or host holiday luncheons or dinners.

Employers aren't likely to give workers the bird. Only three percent of organizations will give out a turkey to all or most employees. Manufacturers are the most likely to adhere to this tradition with seven percent planning to provide the holiday bird to their workers. 

Bloomberg Law has been tracking Thanksgiving employer practices since 1980 and this year's survey is based on a survey of senior human resource and employee relations executives representing nearly 400 employers. The survey was administered in September 2017 and respondents represent a wide range of U.S. employers across a range of industries.