Please consider this email sent to me last week regarding vacation and holiday scheduling. Now I have edited it a bit for readability by those outside Target.

In order to support the business needs throughout the year, beginning in January 2006, we are changing the number of Vacations allowed around Holidays and Peak Season.

Ultimately, this will result in less administration work by the scheduling team, and clearer and easier Vacation planning for the Specialist, as you will now generally know beforehand if you will work particular Holidays, instead of waiting for the schedule to be created and updated based on a “Volunteer to work or not” email. The exception to this will be Company Holidays, as explained below in that section.

Normal allowed Vactions are as follows for weekend days (W/E) and midweek days (W/D):

W/E W/D

2 3 Day Tours (1 and 2)

1 2 Evening Tours (2.5 and 3)

1 1 Overnight Tour

Corporate Holidays (New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day) :

The number of Vacations allowed will be doubled.

This will guarantee more Vacations on the Holiday, as well as guarantee adequate staffing for the Holiday itself. Depending on specific staffing needs for the Holiday, we will ask for more volunteers to take the day off prior to the Holiday, or will send Specialists home early on the day of the Holiday if call volume warrants it.

Company Holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day)
The number of Vacations allowed will be increased by 2x to 4x or more, depending on the staffing needs of the Tour.

These are no longer “guaranteed days off”. Please make sure to read this section carefully! A Skeleton crew of 1-2 Specialists per Tour will be picked from the Specialists who did not request Vacation, and the remainder will be given the day off. We will still ask for volunteers to work! Only if we do not receive the required coverage voluntarily may you be picked to work the holiday. The Skeleton crew will be determined by skills and Waitlist order, if applicable.

Peak Season

Sep 1-30, Nov 1-17:

The number of Vacations may be decreased slightly.

Oct 1-31:

Vacation will be blocked for the month

So let me give a little synopsis of this notice. Basically we are no longer guarenteed holidays off. Boooo! Although it does seem better because they are allowing more vactions at this time. Yet still, I know the truth. Employees will be given preference to contractors. I guess the Vikings aren’t the only ones getting screwed in MN. (Sorry, I had to.)