The holiday season can be stressful for many retail and food service workers as people rush to buy gifts for their loved ones and sit down to eat with their families. Many businesses often flourish during these times, but who are the workers behind the counters? Oftentimes, it is students.
The Bagpiper believes that students should not be forced to work during the holidays.
Let’s take a step back: what percentage of teenagers actually work while in high school? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22.5% of high school students are employed. This means that many students balance their school responsibilities with part-time jobs. Especially for seniors managing college applications and scholarship essays, December can be a stressful time of year.
Not every restaurant and store is closed on holidays —whether that’s Thanksgiving or a religious holiday, many places remain open. However, students cannot be expected to work on these days. Schools close on these days so that students can spend time with their families, not work an 8-hour shift.
Within these businesses, local or not, students should take priority on being given days off for the holidays. Students already have to manage being full-time students and part-time workers, which is more than many adults do. Being given off for the holidays is the bare minimum from workplaces.
Without proper breaks, students succumb to burnout much quicker, which can affect their studies and grades. In the long run, a part-time job in someone’s teen years is not more important than their education, especially for those pursuing college.
BigFuture recommends that high school students work no more than 15-20 hours a week. While some students need to make their own money to pay for their wants and needs, the holidays are not the time to do so. Businesses should offer additional hours outside the holidays for students to make up for what they would miss, not force them to miss time with their loved ones.
These kids only get four short years of high school before they are violently thrown out into the real world. That’s when they’ll need to make sacrifices around holidays: when they have bills to pay. Not when their biggest worry is Wednesday’s math test.
Now, are there students from financially unstable backgrounds? Absolutely, and them working is an admirable way to try and help their family. But for the majority of people who just want extra cash for Berry Twist over the summer, consider stepping back and enjoying your last few years without- or at least with very few- responsibilities.
While students work for different reasons, the holidays are rare moments when they can settle down without worrying about school and spend time with their loved ones. The option to work should still be open, but students should prioritize being with their loved ones rather than working through the holidays.
