New York is a city that lives and breathes the phrase, ‘work hard, play hard.’ General work hours are 09:00 to 17:00, 40 hours a week, but depending on what industry you are in, those hours could be doubled. For instance, it is not unheard of for new employees in the finance industry to clock 100 hour work weeks. However, the time spent on the job for hourly waged positions is much more regulated. Employees must be paid time and a half for any hours worked over the standard 40, and a meal time of at least half an hour is required – that is federal mandated law.

If you hold a nine to five position within a company or in any governmental position, you can expect all major federal holidays off, including Christmas and Thanksgiving. This does not apply to the service industry which, especially in New York, is generally open on all major holidays. With so many religions now represented in New York, some companies now offer what they call ‘floater holidays’ which can be used for the religious event of your choosing.