Boosting engagement with the 2025 holiday calendar

A 2025 holiday calendar helps HR, People and business leaders plan staffing, workloads, learning sessions and inclusive celebrations before time-off requests create surprises. This archived 2025 calendar is still useful for reference, but teams planning ahead should also use the 2026 workplace holiday calendar.

Managing time off and employee wellbeing isn’t just about plugging dates into a calendar. It’s about keeping your team happy and productive. The 2025 holiday calendar can help you balance workloads, improve morale and avoid end-of-year burnout.

Here’s how to make it work for you:

Key holidays to note for workplace planning in 2025

You don’t want to scramble at the last minute because everyone’s suddenly on vacation. Mark these federal holidays so you can get ahead of time-off requests:

• New Year's Day - Wednesday, January 1
• Memorial Day - Monday, May 26
• Independence Day - Friday, July 4
• Labor Day - Monday, September 1
• Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, November 27
• Christmas Day - Thursday, December 25

Planning around these dates will save you from headaches down the road.

Additional national holidays in the U.S.

Besides the big hitters, there are several other national holidays that might impact your business or give employees extra time off. Keep these in mind when planning your calendar:

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Monday, January 20 (Learn why equity in the workplace matters.)
• Washington’s Birthday, often called Presidents' Day - Monday, February 17
• Juneteenth - Thursday, June 19 (Get tips for celebrating Juneteenth.)
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day / Columbus Day - Monday, October 13 (Learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day.)
• Veterans Day - Tuesday, November 11

While these holidays may not shut down every workplace, acknowledging them in your planning shows respect for employees who observe them. Plus, it's a good excuse to re-evaluate workloads and give your team a breather.

Which observances should workplaces be mindful of?

Your team isn’t one-size-fits-all. Consider other observances your employees might celebrate. A few worth noting:

• Lunar New Year - Wednesday, January 29
• Ramadan begins - Friday, February 28 or Saturday, March 1, depending on location and moon sighting
• Yom Kippur - Wednesday, October 1 to Thursday, October 2
• Diwali - Monday, October 20

For global or distributed teams, confirm observance dates locally before scheduling mandatory meetings, training sessions or companywide deadlines.

Leveraging holiday calendars for scheduling and workload management

Don’t leave your project deadlines hanging just because it’s a holiday. Here’s how to keep things running smoothly:

• Don’t set deadlines right before or after holidays. Encourage managers to give their teams buffer days to recover from time off.
• Get vacation requests early. The earlier you know who’s out, the easier it is to keep everything on track.
• Spread out vacations. No one wants the office to be a ghost town with half the team gone at once.
• Name coverage owners. For essential workflows, assign backups before holiday weeks begin so employees can actually disconnect.

Using the 2025 holiday calendar to boost employee wellbeing

Long weekends are more than just a time to binge-watch TV. They’re an opportunity for your team to recharge. A few things to consider:

• Add flex days around major holidays. A few extra days off can make a big difference in morale.
• Encourage people to take time off during quieter times. No one’s winning awards for skipping vacation.
• Offer flexibility for less mainstream holidays. Showing you care about all employees’ needs goes a long way.
• Model real rest from the top. Employees are more likely to use available time off when leaders avoid sending non-urgent messages during company breaks.

Aligning company culture with the 2025 holiday calendar

Holiday planning isn’t just about vacations. It’s a chance to bring your team together:

• Use slower periods for team-building. Plan events during downtime, like mid-summer or post-Thanksgiving. Just make sure it’s not a day when half your company is out.
• Schedule learning sessions. When things are quiet, use the time for internal development. The best sessions connect to how work actually gets done, not just what employees know.
• Celebrate major holidays together. Whether it’s virtual or in-person, holiday events can boost camaraderie.

Downloadable 2025 holiday calendar for workplace planning

Ready to get organized? Download our 2025 DEI holiday calendar for a longer list of holidays and observances. It’s your go-to resource for keeping your workplace balanced and on track.

Planning for the current year? Use our 2026 workplace holiday calendar to map time off, observances and workplace celebrations.

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Looking for more holiday calendars? Click the month you want to see:

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | Full-Year Overview | Downloadable Calendar