The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday is the first to take place since VU’s enhanced PTO program took effect. Under the new program, both Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24) and the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 25) are holidays during which the university will be “closed.” Staff taking these days off should record the time as “Holiday,” not PTO.
The university never completely closes; some work activities must occur even when classes are not in session. If you work on a designated holiday, you will receive alternate holiday time off or be paid for the day in lieu of taking time off later. Talk to your supervisor about your options if you work on a designated holiday.
Exempt employees who report time in the Exempt Time Off (ETO) system should see both days already marked as “Holiday.” If not, you can select “Holiday” from the drop down menu to report the time. If you work on either Thanksgiving or the day after Thanksgiving, remove “Holiday” from the day.
Non-exempt employees who record time in the e-Timesheet system who do not work on Thanksgiving or the day after should select “Holiday” from the Other Paid Hours section when reporting the time. A day of “Holiday” time is equal to 1/5 of your regular working hours in a week. For example, if you regularly work 30 hours per week, you would record six hours of holiday time.
Non-exempt employees who work on Thanksgiving Day are eligible for a holiday pay differential. If you work on this day, you can record your time as “Holiday Premium” in the Differentials section. This code is only available on days that are eligible for the holiday pay differential. The day after Thanksgiving is not eligible for the pay differential.
These other holidays are eligible for the holiday pay differential:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Eve Day
- Christmas Day
If you have questions, contact Human Resources.