No, you don’t need to offer an alternative day off. There are no federal laws requiring private employers to provide paid time off for holidays.

However, there are potential benefits to offering an alternative day off:

• • It can boost employee morale. Employees won’t feel that they “lost” a day off—and three-day weekends are always appreciated!
  • It may save you from having to process a host of time-off requests for weekdays around that holiday.
  • It communicates your commitment to work-life balance, an important factor for engagement and retention.