More holiday time off at HP, Micron

Look on the bright side: If you work in Silicon Valley, you may not have that tough a time finding time to meet up with friends and acquaintances during the holiday season.

In another sign of the slowdown in the technology industry, employees at Hewlett-Packard Co. and Micron have been instructed to take more time off during the holidays.

In HP's case, the company is ordering employees to take an extra three days off around the annual Christmas holiday week.

"Shutting down during a period when many employees traditionally take vacation helps HP achieve operational savings and allows employees to enjoy more time with their families," the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Idaho Statesman is reporting that Micron is asking employees to take up to 12 days of time off in December and January as a cost-cutting measure to help the company. A spokesman for the company was not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this month, Dell asked employees to take off up to five days over the next three months without pay.