Apple Once Again Taking Extended Thanksgiving Break as Tim Cook Applauds Employees' Work

As it is has done in past years, Apple is once again giving its corporate employees the entire week of Thanksgiving week off with pay, offering additional vacation days of Monday, November 25 through Wednesday, November 27 beyond the typical Thursday-Friday holiday period.

Retail and customer support employees will not have the week off as those divisions will need to continue operating, but they will be able to take their extra days off at staggered times. International teams will also be able to take their extra time off at times more convenient for their schedules.

The extra vacation days were announced in an email to employees from Apple CEO Tim Cook, as shared by 9to5Mac. The email praises employees for their work over the past year, from the launches of the new iPhones and iOS 7 to the unveiling of upcoming Mac hardware and software and more. Cook also highlights the company's "contribution to the society", including charitable, human rights, and environmental efforts.

Team-

It’s been an exciting summer. For the first time, we’ve launched two new iPhone product lines. iOS 7 was created from a deep collaboration between our design and engineering teams, bringing to our customers a stunning new user interface and amazing new features. We unveiled OS X Mavericks and the most powerful Mac ever. The App Store celebrated a new milestone — 50 billion downloads. And we continued to express our love for music with iTunes Radio and the iTunes Festival.

I had the opportunity to visit a few of our stores during the iPhone launch. There is no better place to see and feel why Apple is special. The best products on Earth. Energy. Enthusiasm. The best customers in the world. Passionate team members focused on enriching people’s lives. Innovative products that serve humanity’s deepest values and highest aspirations.

And I am proud to tell you that Apple is also a force for good in our world beyond our products. Whether it’s improving working conditions or the environment, standing up for human rights, helping eliminate AIDS, or reinventing education, Apple is making a substantial contribution to society.

None of this would have been possible without you. Our most important resource is not our money, our intellectual property, or any capital asset. Our most important resource — our soul — is our people.

I realize many of you worked tirelessly to bring us this far. I know it required great personal sacrifice.

In recognition of your incredible efforts and achievements, I’m happy to announce that we’re extending the Thanksgiving holiday this year. We will shut down with pay on November 25, 26, and 27 so our teams can have the whole week off. Retail, AppleCare and a few other teams will need to work that week so we can continue to serve our customers, but will receive the same number of days off at an alternate time. Please check with your manager for details. Our international teams will schedule the vacation days at a time that is best suited for their specific country.

I hope you find the extra time restful and relaxing. You deserve it. Details will be available on AppleWeb soon.

I am exceedingly proud of all of you. I am in awe of what you’ve accomplished and couldn’t be more excited about the future. Enjoy the time away!

The Thanksgiving week will be a busy time for Apple's retail team, with the traditional Black Friday kickoff for the holiday shopping season coming the day after Thanskgiving. While Apple does not traditionally offer the massive discounts seen at some other retailers, the company does offer modest sales on a number of its products.