Happy Leap Day? If You're on Salary, You're Working for Free!
Leap Day only comes once every four years, so it's pretty fun . . . until you realize you're WORKING FOR FREE today. (!!!)
If you're on salary, you're working one extra day this year for the same money. And that's often still the case even when the 29th falls on a weekend.
In normal years, six days of the week happen 52 times, and one happens 53 times. But in Leap Years, TWO days happen 53 times.
This time, we get an extra Monday and Tuesday, lucky us. But even when it was on a Saturday four years ago, the two extra days were Wednesday and Thursday.
If you get paid hourly, none of this matters. It only affects people who make a set amount per year. But there's an ongoing debate about whether Leap Day should be an official paid HOLIDAY, or if people should get some kind of bonus.
A poll in 2020 found 59% of Americans think you should be paid for that extra day. But if you want to gripe about it to your boss, do it now.
Your argument won't hold much water the next time around. We get an extra Saturday and Sunday in 2028.
Originally posted on February 29th, 2024