Emory Healthcare, the largest hospital system in Georgia, added Juneteenth as a paid holiday but erased Christmas Eve from the calendar:
Employees will now have to use paid time off to celebrate the December holiday.The change, announced August 31, will also let employees earn extra holiday pay for working on Juneteenth—but not on Christmas Eve.”We hope this will allow more opportunities for celebration, reflection, and education,” Emory Healthcare CEO Joon Sup Lee wrote in an email to employees. “[D]iversity, equity, and inclusion at Emory Healthcare (EHC) is about creating an environment of true belonging for our patients and team members, while ensuring equitable outcomes for all.”The move came after Emory Healthcare solicited feedback on its holiday schedule, according to the email, which notes that patients can’t make clinical appointments on paid holidays. That policy appears to have fueled a zero-sum dynamic in which adding one holiday meant axing another.”To minimize impact to patient care,” Lee said, “we will not be adding another paid holiday to our calendars. Rather, beginning January 2024, we will remove Christmas Eve from our holiday calendar and replace it with Juneteenth.”
The change even confused NAACP DeKalb County President Edwina Clanton:
“I don’t understand, why they can’t do both,” asked NAACP DeKalb County President Edwina Clanton.Clanton believes companies should recognize Juneteenth, which became a federal holiday in 2021. However, she said the move by Emory could be more harmful than good – at least initially“I’m sure it will put anger in some hearts,” Clanton added. “Why do we have to do this? Why can’t we have our old holidays off? Some more consideration, even asking the employees which days you want to give up, that may have worked better.”
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