New Year Holidays 2025: How to Organize Employees' Rest on Working Days
In Ukraine, due to martial law, official public holidays have been canceled, so December 25, 2025, and January 1, 2026, are working days. Lyudmyla Smirdova, the chief editor of the Kadroland HR platform, offers three ways to organize rest for employees.
Options for Organizing Rest
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First option — transferring working days. According to Article 67 of the Labor Code of Ukraine, the working day from Thursday, December 25, can be transferred to Saturday, December 27. Similarly, the working day from Thursday, January 1, can be transferred to Saturday, January 10. To implement this option, it is necessary to issue a corresponding order.
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Second option — reducing working hours. This allows employees to work less but receive full pay for December and January, as noted by Lyudmyla Smirdova.
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Third option — granting leave. Annual leave can be provided for a duration of 1 calendar day, specifically on December 25 and separately on January 1, provided that one of the other parts of the annual leave is at least 14 calendar days. This allows employees to celebrate the New Year holidays without violating labor legislation.
According to current regulations, Article 73 of the Labor Code is currently not applicable, which affects the organization of public holidays. By using these options, employers can ensure comfortable conditions for their employees during the New Year holidays, thus improving the morale and productivity of the team.
Organizing employees' rest during the New Year holidays in 2025 is an important task for employers in the context of martial law. Considering the cancellation of official public holidays, the proposed solutions can help maintain a balance between work and rest, as well as increase employee motivation. This, in turn, can positively impact the overall atmosphere in the company and productivity in the future.