Holidays

Scope

This policy applies to all Staff employees.

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Policy Statement

1. The University observes these nine holidays and closes all offices except where continuous service is essential. Eligible employees are excused from work and receive pay for these days.
   1. New Year's Day
   2. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
   3. Campus Holiday
   4. Memorial Day
   5. Independence Day
   6. Labor Day
   7. Thanksgiving Day
   8. Friday after Thanksgiving
   9. Christmas Day
2. The Campus Holiday accrues on March 1 of each year.
3. Only the Board of Trustees or the president of the University may grant special holidays other than those mentioned above.
4. Departments are encouraged to reasonably accommodate an employee's request to observe a bona fide religious observance or practice not included in the list above by one of the following methods:
   1. Changing the employee's work schedule.
   2. Permitting the employee to take accrued time off

5. Each holiday is considered to be eight hours for 100% FTE Staff and is a lesser amount, as prorated by FTE, for less than 100% FTE and up to 50% FTE Staff. See provision below for employees who work alternative work schedules.
6. A previously accrued holiday or other paid time off cannot be used in lieu of the actual holiday. See Holidays listed in 1.a.-i. above.
7. Time off for a holiday cannot be given in advance of the date on which the holiday falls.

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Procedures

1. When holidays are observed
   1. If a legal holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed on the Monday immediately following the holiday.
   2. If a legal holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on the Friday immediately preceding the holiday.
   3. The Campus Holiday is either a “floating holiday” that may be taken on or after March 1 of each year or a designated date determined by the president at the Bloomington campus and the chancellors at the other campuses.
      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 year or it is lost.
2. Eligibility for holiday pay
   1. To be eligible to receive pay for a university holiday, an employee must meet both of the criteria listed below:
      
      1. Be in Active Status 50 percent FTE or greater (Employee Status “A” in HRMS) or on a Partial Leave of Absence with a reduced FTE (Employee Status “P” in HRMS) on the day on which the University observes the holiday (March 1 for the Campus Holiday).
3. Staff in the following Employee Status categories in HRMS on the day that the University observes the holiday do not receive pay for the holiday:
   1. Leave of Absence (L); a 30 day or more absence without pay under the LOA policy
   2. Temporary Reduction in Force (W); called a Short Work Break in HRMS
   3. Terminated (T), Retired (R), or Deceased (D).
4. Employees hired or returning from a leave of absence on the day following a holiday do not receive pay for the holiday.
5. Appointments and terminations should not be made effective for the day on which 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. In this example, Support and Service Staff, PAO, and PAU employees are required to cover the other two hours missed with time-off benefits, make up the time within the same work week with supervisory approval, or take the time off without pay.
7. Compensation for Support and Service Staff when observed holidays are worked:
   1. For Premium Holidays, Support and Service Staff employees required to work receive a total of 20 hours of compensation:
      1. At the discretion of the department head, the employee will receive either:
         • Payment at the regular pay up to eight (8) hours plus pay or time off at time and one-half, or
         • Payment at 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, Support and Service Staff employees required to work receive, a total of 16 hours of compensation.
      1. At the discretion of the department head, the employee will receive either:
         
         • Payment at the regular pay up to eight (8) hours plus pay or eight (8) hours of time off straight time, or
         • AFSCME Service employees NOT working in a 24/7 operation (such as Central Heating Plant at Bloomington), the choice of time off or pay is the employee's.
   3. Holidays earnings are included in the calculation of the overtime (FLSA) rate.
8. A Support and Service Staff member whose scheduled day off occurs on a day when the University observes a holiday, but who is scheduled to work on the day on which the legal holiday falls, will have the day on which the legal holiday falls paid pursuant to the provisions in 7. above.
9. A Support and Service Staff member whose regular day off is both the observed and the legal holiday, will receive eight (8) hours off with pay (HAC).
   1. The time off with pay must be at a time mutually agreeable with the supervisor and which does not create an undue hardship on the department
   2. The time off must be used by the end of the last full pay period in December of the next year and is not paid if not used.
10. A Support and Service Staff member who is scheduled to work on both the university observed holiday and the day on which the legal holiday falls:
    1. For premium holidays the employee will receive receives additional time off at a time and one-half rate (HAC), or receives additional pay at time and one-half rate (RGN + HBP).
    2. For non-premium holidays the employee receives additional pay or time off at their regular pay.
    3. Holidays earnings are included in the calculation of the overtime (FLSA) rate.
11. Compensation for Professional Staff when observed holidays are worked
    1. Professional Staff employees who work on a holiday receive equivalent time off.
       1. Professional Staff employees who are not eligible for overtime (PAE) receive time off to be used later on a day-for-day basis, regardless of the number of hours worked on the holiday.
       2. Professional Staff employees who are eligible for overtime (PAO and PAU) receive 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.
12. Employees who receive time off as compensation for a worked holiday must select a time-off date that is mutually agreeable with the supervisor and which does not create an undue hardship on the department.
    1. Support, Service, PAO, and PAU Staff must use the time off by the end of the last full pay period in December of the next calendar year or it is lost.
    2. PAE Staff must take the time off by the end of December of the next calendar year or they lose it.
13. Employees receive pay for unused Holiday accruals when separating from the University either voluntarily or involuntarily.

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Definitions

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

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Sanctions

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

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History

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:

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