Does your worship staff think of you as Ebenezer Scrooge? Perhaps the staff feels like Bob Cratchit who had to plead for time off to celebrate Christmas. What complicates things is the “Christmas Show.” Whether yours is a big production or not, there are workload issues to consider. How should we give staff time off for the extra hours worked?
At The Chapel we do a six-show Christmas production. With $50,000 in costs (not counting salaries) and 10,000 tickets sold, it is a creative show and engaging celebration. Our leaders begin planning months in advance; volunteers are recruited and publicity goes out. It is a wonderful “bringer” event for families, work colleagues and friends.
Before the show, we don't have a problem with employee overtime. The issues begin at the tech and dress rehearsals. Those rehearsals are designed to show gaps, faulty equipment or programming in order to hone the production. This all translates to many full days and nights. Surprises add to the workload, like last year when we couldn't find a volunteer to program the lights.
During the two weeks of shows, the staff puts in long hours. Family time is deferred. Christmas parties are missed. Problems have to be solved, now. Plus, “Sunday” still comes every weekend. The congregation is ready for an engaging and exciting Sunday worship experience, especially in the Christmas season. With eight worship services, there are tons of Sunday plans that must be carried out.
You must pay overtime after 40 hours of work for non-exempt employees—those who don't manage staff or volunteers. Exempt employees can work more than 40 hours in a week. Yet, you want to treat all employees fairly. Once the Christmas shows are complete, you will want to give the staff a rest. It would be wonderful to say, “Take off a week or two. Shop for kid's presents. Spend time with the family.” It could be easily done if we stopped having worship services in December.
Aaron Bechtel, our assistant director of technical arts, said to me, “It used to be a real problem, especially before we could rollover vacation into the New Year.” The church used to have a policy where all vacation time had to be used by the end of the calendar year—or the employee would lose it. “So in the old days, I would work maybe one or two days after the Christmas Concert, then I was gone for three weeks,” he adds.
Now Aaron and the rest of the team can roll vacation time to the next year. They strategically take off some days in December. They carefully work enough hours so that our worship services are produced with excellence. I'm not saying that we have everything figured out, but we are working on it.
Ebenezer Scrooge was a miser, grudgingly giving Bob Cratchit time off for Christmas. Yet, Scrooge was re-born to the beauty of Christmas. Talk to your worship and tech staff about their workload. Be fair in vacation time. Then be generous to them. At Christmas, may your staffing plans reflect the love of Christ. “Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, is overflowing” (Luke 6:38).
