Getting off the day after Thanksgiving?

Nearly three out of four employers are giving their folks a four-day holiday, according to BNA (via the OC Register), which is down from 74 percent in 2010 and 79 percent in 2009. The survey also shows, somewhat surprisingly, that 29 percent are requiring some employees to work on Thanksgiving (I thought it would be less). Another mild surprise: Only 26 percent pay time-and-a-half (19 percent will get double-time).

Nine out of 10 manufacturers will give employees both Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday as paid holidays. This compares with71% in non-manufacturing and 63% in non-business concerns ( hospitals, educational facilities and government organizations). A four-day holiday weekend will be much more prevalent in smaller organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees (78%) than in larger concerns with 1,000 employees or more (54%).

My memory may be failing me, but I remember when working the day after Thanksgiving was more routine. That was before Black Friday became such an important economic event - and before college football games, holiday movie-going, etc.The reality, of course, is that employers would have a hard time getting much done on Friday because so many people would just take a vacation day to fill out the long weekend.

Here's a little something to get you in the mood (bet you didn't know they were using "groovy" in 1947):