Holidays

Scope

This policy applies to all staff employees.

Back to top

Policy Statement

1. The university observes nine holidays and closes all offices except where continuous service is essential. Eligible employees are excused from work and receive their regular pay for these days.
   1. New Year's Day
   2. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
   3. Campus Holiday
      1. Accrues on March 1 of each year
   4. Memorial Day
   5. Independence Day
   6. Labor Day
   7. Thanksgiving Day
   8. Friday after Thanksgiving
   9. Christmas Day
2. Only the Board of Trustees or the president of the university may grant other special holidays.
3. Departments are encouraged to reasonably accommodate an employee's request to observe a religious observance or practice by one of the following methods:
   1. Changing the employee's work schedule, or
   2. Permitting the employee to take accrued time off.
      1. Non-Exempt (excluding PAO and PAU) staff may take vacation time, income protection time, and compensatory time, subject to the respective time off policy’s usage guidelines.
      2. Exempt staff and Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff may use accumulated PTO; Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff may also use compensatory time.
   3. Non-Exempt (including PAO and PAU) staff may also be permitted to use absence without pay, without benefit accrual subject to supervisory approval. See HR-06-20, Attendance, Absences, Personal Emergency policy.
4. Each holiday is considered eight hours for 100% FTE staff and is a lesser amount, as prorated by FTE, for staff employees who are less than 100% FTE and up to 50% FTE.
5. A previously accrued holiday or other paid time off cannot be used in place of the actual holiday.
6. Time off for a holiday cannot be given in advance of the date on which the observed or legal holiday falls.

Back to top

Procedures

Observed holidays, eligibility, and accruals

1. When holidays are observed.
   1. If a legal holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed on Monday immediately following the holiday.
   2. If a legal holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on Friday immediately preceding the holiday.
   3. The Campus Holiday is either a “floating holiday” that may be taken starting on March 1 of each year or a designated date determined by the executive leadership at each campus.
      1. The “floating” Campus Holiday is taken on a workday of the employee's choice, provided the employee has prior supervisory approval.
      2. The Campus Holiday must be taken by the end of the last full pay period of the following calendar year, or it is forfeited.
2. Eligibility for the holiday.
   1. On the day the university observes the holiday, a staff employee must be in active status 50% FTE or greater (employee status “A” in HRMS), or
   2. On a partial leave of absence with a reduced FTE (employee status “P” in HRMS).
3. Staff employees in the following statuses on the day that the university observes the holiday are not eligible for the holiday:
   1. Leave of Absence (L): A 30-day or more absence without pay under the Discretionary Leave of Absence policy.
   2. Temporary Reduction in Force (W); called a Short Work Break in HRMS.
   3. Terminated (T) or Retired (R). See HR-10-40, Voluntary and Involuntary Separation.
4. Employees hired or returning from a leave of absence on the day following a holiday do not accrue the holiday.
5. Appointments and separations should not occur on the day when a holiday is observed. This does not apply to the March 1 accrual date for the Campus Holiday.
6. Employees who work alternative work schedules, such as four ten-hour days, will receive eight (8) hours of pay for a holiday. Non-Exempt staff employees must cover the other hours with time-off benefits, make up the time within the same workweek with supervisory approval, or take time off without pay and benefit accruals (ABS).
7. Staff employees who accrue time off as compensation for a worked holiday must select a mutually agreeable time-off date with the supervisor, which does not create an undue hardship on the department.
   1. Non-Exempt staff must use the time off by the end of the last full pay period in December of the following calendar year, or it is forfeited.
   2. Exempt staff must take the time off by the end of December of the following calendar year, or it is forfeited.
8. Staff employees receive pay for unused holiday accruals not forfeited when separating from the university voluntarily or involuntarily.
9. For non-exempt employees, holiday accruals are included in the calculation of the overtime (FLSA) rate.

When only the observed or legal holiday is worked

1. Compensation for Non-Exempt (excluding PAO and PAU) when observed holidays are worked:
   1. For Premium Holidays, Non-Exempt (excluding PAO and PAU) staff employees required to work receive a total of 20 hours of compensation. At the discretion of the department head, the employee will receive either:
      1. Payment at the regular pay up to eight (8) hours plus pay or time off at a time and one-half, or
      2. Payment at a time and one-half the regular pay plus up to eight (8) hours of time off at the regular pay.
   2. For Non-Premium Holidays, Non-Exempt (excluding PAO and PAU) staff employees required to work receive a total of 16 hours of compensation. At the discretion of the department head, the employee will receive either:
      1. Payment at the regular pay up to eight (8) hours plus eight (8) hours of straight time pay, or
      2. Payment at the regular pay up to eight (8) hours plus eight (8) hours of straight time off.
      3. For Non-Exempt AFSCME Service staff NOT working in a 24/7 operation (such as Central Heating Plant at Bloomington), the employee has the choice of time off or pay.
2. Compensation for Exempt staff and Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff employees when observed holidays are worked:
   1. Exempt staff employees who work on a holiday and are not eligible for overtime accrue time off to be used later on a day-for-day basis, regardless of the number of hours worked on the holiday.
   2. Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff employees who work on a holiday and who are eligible for overtime accrue time off to be used later equal to the actual time worked on the holiday, up to eight (8) hours (HAC). If the employee works a partial holiday, the portion not worked is charged to Holiday hours.
3. A staff employee whose scheduled day off occurs when the university observes a holiday but is scheduled to work on the legal holiday will have the legal holiday paid according to the provisions above.

When the observed and legal holidays are both worked

1. Non-Exempt (excluding PAO and PAU) staff employees who are scheduled to work on both the university observed holiday and the legal holiday accrues the following holiday pay on the legal holiday:
   1. For premium holidays, the employees will accrue additional time off at a time and one-half rate (HAC) or extra pay at time and one-half rate (RGN + HBP).
   2. For non-premium holidays, the employees will accrue additional pay or time off at their regular pay.
2. Exempt staff and Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff employees who are scheduled to work on both the university observed holiday and the legal holiday will accrue the following on the legal holiday:
   1. Exempt staff employees who are not eligible for overtime accrue time off to be used later on a day-for-day basis, regardless of the number of hours worked on the legal holiday.
   2. Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff employees eligible for overtime accrue time off to be used later equal to the actual time worked on the legal holiday, up to eight (8) hours (HAC). If the employee works a partial holiday, the portion not worked is charged to holiday hours. 

When the observed and legal holidays are both regular days off

1. Non-Exempt (excluding PAO and PAU) staff employees whose regular day off is both the observed and the legal holiday will accrue eight (8) hours off with pay (HAC).
   1. The holiday hours must be used at a time mutually agreeable with the supervisor and which does not create an undue hardship on the department
   2. The holiday hours must be used by the end of the last full pay period in December of the following calendar year and are not paid if not used.
2. Exempt staff and Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff employees whose regular day off is both the observed and the legal holiday will accrue eight (8) holiday hours.
   1. The holiday hours must be used at a time mutually agreeable with the supervisor, and that does not create an undue hardship on the department.
   2. The holiday hours must be used by Exempt staff by the end of December of the following calendar year, or it is forfeited.
   3. Non-Exempt Non-Union PAO and PAU staff must use the holiday hours by the end of the last full pay period in December of the following calendar year, or it is forfeited. 

Back to top

Definitions

1. Premium Holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
2. Non-Premium Holidays: Campus Holiday and the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Back to top

Sanctions

Managers, supervisors, and employees who violate this policy are subject to corrective action, up to and including separation.

Back to top

History

April 2021
IU HR completed a full and substantive review to assess the ongoing need and effectiveness.

February 2021
Updated the staff employee group terms due to Job Framework Redesign Project.

May 2018
Changed MLK, Jr. Day from a non-premium to premium holiday.

April 2018
Updated wording to clarify how full time equivalent (FTE) impacts holiday accruals.

November 2017
Updated to remove PAS salary plan.

September 2017
Updates to the overtime (FLSA) explanation.

December 2016
Revised to add PAS salary plan.

Febraury 2016
Replaced all the following policies:

Back to top

Previous Versions:

• Effective Dates: 04/02/2018 - 06/15/2018

  Tracked changes PDF: Showing change of MLK, Jr. Day from a non-premium to premium holiday.

Back to top