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2.1.13 Paid Holidays

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Authority
Approved by the Vice President for Human Resources.
Last Updated

Formerly Known As Policy Number: 22.12

This Guide Memo describes University policy on designation of and payment for holidays. Review current University holidays on the Cardinal at Work website.

Applicability:

Applies to Stanford University employees not covered by collective bargaining agreements. For policies that apply to employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, refer to the agreements between Stanford University and SEIU Higher Education Workers Local 2007 and Stanford University and the Stanford Deputy Sheriffs' Association. Agreements can be found at Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining. This policy does not apply to contingent employees.

1. Eligibility for Paid Holidays

  1. Regular staff employees (those appointed for six months or longer on a continuing or fixed-term basis and for at least 20 hours a week) are eligible for paid holidays starting with the first day of employment. Contingent employees are not eligible for paid holidays.
  2. To receive holiday pay, an employee must work or be on previously approved paid leave status on their regularly-scheduled work day, both immediately before and after the holiday. The sole exceptions are employees on seasonal/temporary layoff, or employees with approved unpaid leave status beginning the day after or ending the day before the holiday.
  3. Employees whose last day of work precedes a holiday are not eligible for holiday pay.

2. Days Designated as Paid Holidays

a. Scheduled Holidays

The days designated by the University for the observance of the following holidays are scheduled each year by the Cabinet. Those dates are normally scheduled as listed below:

Days Designated as Paid Holidays
Holiday Name Date of Holiday
New Year's Day January 1
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January - third Monday
Presidents' Day February - third Monday
Memorial Day May - last Monday
Independence Day July 4
Labor Day September - first Monday
Thanksgiving November - fourth Thursday
Friday after Thanksgiving November - as stated
Winter Holiday December 24
Winter Holiday December 25
Floating Holidays See Section 5 below

3. Policy When A Holiday Falls on a Saturday or Sunday

A holiday that falls on Saturday is observed by the University on the preceding Friday. A holiday that falls on Sunday is observed on the following Monday. When December 25 falls on Saturday and the Winter Holiday is observed on Friday, the December 24 Winter Holiday is observed on Thursday.

4. Policy When a Holiday Falls During Winter Closure

The University may have a winter closure during the work weeks that include the Winter Holidays or New Year's Day holiday. Employees in operational units that observe winter closure will receive holiday pay for holidays that fall during the closure, and may use available PTO, floating holidays, accrued vacation, unpaid time off, or any combination of these, on the remaining closure days. See Administrative Guide Memo 2.1.8: Miscellaneous Authorized Absences.

5. Floating Holidays

a. Floating Holiday Policy

For regular, full-time employees, 16 (sixteen) hours of floating holiday are available on January 1 (or date of hire for employees hired after January 1) and can be taken on any day or partial day within that calendar year that is mutually agreed upon by the employee and supervisor. For employees working less than full time, the amount of time credited as floating holidays are prorated based on the employee's regularly scheduled work hours.

b. Reporting Floating Holiday Time

  • Non-Exempt Employees: Record all floating holiday time taken during a pay period in the human resources management system (Axess/PeopleSoft HRMS).

  • Exempt Employees: It is not necessary to report any floating holiday time less than four hours. For reporting purposes of four or more hours, record a minimum of four hours or the actual time taken if over four hours.

c. Floating Holiday and Winter Closure

Employees may "borrow" up to their full amount of the next year's floating holidays to cover time that would otherwise be unpaid during winter closure.

d. Guide to Supervisors: Floating Holiday in Cases of Termination

If an employee is to be terminated and the earned floating holidays have not been used by the employee, arrangements should be made for the employee to take the floating holidays prior to termination. If this is not possible, report the unused floating holidays on the Termination Web Form. The employee will receive regular pay for the holiday.

e. More information

For more information, contact your local Human Resources Manager (HRM). For a list of HRMs, please see the Public Listing of Stanford HR Managers and Associates on the HR at Stanford website.

6. Holiday Pay Policy

a. When Day of Holiday Observance Falls on a Scheduled Work Day and Employee Does Not Work on That Day

  • Full-time and Part-time Exempt Salaried Staff - Full-time and part-time exempt salaried staff receive regular pay for the day.

  • Full-time Non-exempt Regular Employees - Full-time non-exempt regular employees receive up to eight hours of regular pay for the straight-time scheduled hours for the day.

  • Part-time Non-exempt Regular Employees - Part-time non-exempt regular employees receive pay either for their straight-time hours scheduled for the day, or for the number of hours obtained by dividing their normal number of scheduled weekly work hours by five days, whichever is greater.

b. When Day of Holiday Observance Falls on Employee's Scheduled Day Off and Employee Does Not Work on That Day

  • Full-time Exempt Salaried Employees - Full-time exempt salaried employees receive another day off with pay in the same calendar year, or when the employee's department determines that another day off is not feasible, eight hours are added to personal time off effective January 1 of the following calendar year.
  • Part-time Exempt Salaried Employees
  1. When a normal work schedule is the same number of hours daily for five days per week, the employee receives another day off with pay. However, if the employee's department determines that time off on another day is not feasible, the hours are added to personal time off.
  2. When work schedule is four or fewer days per week or varying numbers of hours daily during each week, the employee receives time off with pay on another work day for the number of hours obtained by dividing the normal number of weekly hours by five days. However, if the employee's department determines time off on another day is not feasible, the hours are added to personal time off.
  • Full-time Non-exempt Regular Employees - Full-time non-exempt regular employees receive another day off with regular pay, or when the employee's department determines another day off is not feasible; the employee receives an extra day's pay at one and one-half times the straight-time rate.
  • Part-time Non-exempt Regular Employees - Part-time non-exempt regular employees receive another day off with regular pay on another workday either for the straight-time hours normally scheduled for the alternate day off, or for the number of hours obtained by dividing the normal number of weekly work hours by five days, whichever is greater.

c. When Employee Works on Day of Holiday Observance

  • Full-time and Part-time Exempt Salaried Employees - Full-time and part-time exempt salaried employees may receive partial or full compensatory time off when authorized by the supervisor as appropriate for the operational circumstances.
  • Full-time Non-exempt Regular Employees - Full-time non-exempt regular employees receive time and one-half pay for the hours worked on the holiday and either another day off with regular pay in the same pay period, or, when time off cannot be provided, eight hours of extra pay (including shift premium, if applicable).
  • Part-time Non-exempt Regular Employees - Part-time non-exempt regular employees receive time and one-half pay for the hours worked on the holiday and either time off with pay for the same number of hours within the pay period, or, when time off cannot be provided, extra pay for this number of hours.
  • Temporary or Casual Employees - Temporary or casual employees, including student employees, receive the established straight-time rate of pay for the time worked or the overtime rate if any time actually worked exceeded eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a work week.

d. When Day of Holiday Observance Occurs While Employee is on Leave

  • When the employee is on vacation, sick leave, or other paid leave from which the employee is expected and scheduled to return to work, the time shall be charged as a paid holiday rather than as vacation, sick leave, or other paid leave.
  • When the employee is receiving Long-Term Disability payments, they will not receive holiday pay.
  • When the employee is on a seasonal/temporary layoff period not exceeding 25 calendar days, regular holiday pay for the employee's normally scheduled number of hours will be paid upon the employee's return to work.
  • When the employee is on an unpaid leave of absence, they will not receive holiday pay.