Editor’s note: The information in this column is intended for staff and faculty in the College of Education and may include information that is specific to the college. Staff and faculty in other areas of the University should contact their own unit's human resources office for information that pertains to them.
A: The Office of Human Resources announced in January the 2016 holiday schedule for University employees. In September, President Eric Barron also announced that the Friday after Thanksgiving — also known as Black Friday — will be permanently considered a close-down day for the University.
This year, Dec. 25 will fall on a Sunday, as will Jan. 1, 2017. The official University holidays, therefore, will be Dec. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30; and Monday, Jan. 2.
University policies provide, however, that if a holiday falls on an employee’s regularly scheduled day off, the employee receives another day off with pay to be used at another time. Thus, employees who normally do not work Sundays will receive a compensatory day off for the Dec. 25 holiday.
Friday, Dec. 23, is not a University holiday and offices ordinarily would be open that day. However, in order to provide a generally more desirable and efficient application of time off, University offices and operations, except for essential services, will be closed for this day as well. Therefore, the University will be closed from the end of normal operations on Thursday, Dec. 22, and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
The compensatory day earned for the Sunday, Dec. 25, holiday will be used for the work absences on Dec. 23, since University offices and facilities will not be open. Dec. 23, however, will not be an official University holiday. Employees in essential services who qualify for compensatory days but who must work Dec. 23 still will have their compensatory day off for use at a later time.
This schedule does not apply to the College of Medicine at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
When completing the attendance record in ESSIC for the November to January holidays, employees should mark the following:
- Nov. 24: Holiday
- Nov. 25: Campus closure
- Dec. 23: Holiday compensatory time (if applicable)
- Dec. 26 through Dec. 30: Holiday
- Jan. 2: Holiday
Employees in the College of Education who have questions regarding attendance recording should contact Megan Houser, human resources consultant, at mnb146@psu.edu. Additional information also may be found on the Office of Human Resources website.