December 4, 2020

TO: Business Officers and UCPath Initiators/Approvers
FR: Kathy Moore, Compensation Manager, Human Resources
       Amy Arnold, UCPath Workforce Administration Supervisor, Human Resources
RE: REVISED - Holiday Pay Eligibility and General Curtailment Information

With the Thanksgiving holiday and winter break quickly approaching, questions regarding eligibility for holiday pay may arise. The information provided below summarizes holiday pay eligibility for each employee group by employee category. For more information and guidance on holiday pay, please reference the applicable policies that govern your employees (policy covered staff -  PPSM 2.210 Absence from Work, Article III, Section H or represented staff - the applicable collective bargaining agreement.)

Eligibility for Holiday Pay:

Unlike vacation and sick leave, holiday pay is earned in FULL hour increments only, and holiday pay eligibility is dependent on the employee’s total appointment percentage and exemption status. 

GROUP #1 Holiday Eligibility for Policy Covered (99), CX, DX, HX, K8, NX, PA, RX, and TX Employees

Employee Category* Monthly Paid Bi-weekly Paid
Full-Time Exempt

Eligibility: Must be on pay status** during the week in which the holiday occurs.

Pay: Receives full holiday pay.

 N/A
Full-Time Non-Exempt N/A

Eligibility: Must be on pay status** on their last scheduled workday before the holiday and on their first scheduled workday following the holiday.

Pay: Receives full holiday pay.
Part-Time Exempt

Eligibility: Must be on pay status**  during the week in which the holiday occurs.

Pay: Receives holiday pay for the number of hours in proportion to the percentage of their appointment during the month when the holiday occurs, rounded to the nearest full-hour increments.

 N/A
Part-Time Non-Exempt N/A

Eligibility: Must be on pay status** 50% of the time or more of the QWC, *** defined as the two BW pay periods preceding the pay period in which the holiday occurs (EXCLUDING holiday hours.)

Pay: Receives holiday pay (rounded to the nearest full-hour increments) for the number of hours in proportion to the percentage of time they are on pay status during the two BW pay periods immediately preceding the BW pay period in which the holiday occurs (EXCLUDING holiday hours.)

 

GROUP #2: Holiday Eligibility for EX and SX Employees

Employee Category* Monthly Paid Bi-weekly Paid
Full-Time Non-Exempt N/A

Eligibility: Must be on pay status** on their last scheduled workday before the holiday and their first scheduled workday following the holiday.

Pay: Receives full holiday pay.
Part-Time Non-Exempt N/A

Eligibility: Must be on pay status** 50% of the time or more of the QWC, *** defined as the BW pay period immediately preceding the pay period in which the holiday occurs (EXCLUDING holiday hours) plus the BW pay period in which the holiday falls (EXCLUDING holiday hours.)

Pay: Receives holiday pay for the number of hours in proportion to the percentage of time they are on pay status during the QWC in which the holiday occurs, rounded to the nearest full-hour increments.

NOTE: Holiday eligibility and compensation for a holiday are two separate issues. First, determine if an employee is eligible to receive holiday pay and then determine the number of holiday hours to pay based on the chart above's instructions. 

*Applies to Career, Partial-Year Career, Limited, and Casual/Restricted Employees.
**Pay Status, for holiday pay eligibility, generally includes time on vacation leave, sick leave, or approved leave (if less than the time period specified in the contract or policy). 
***Please note that the definition of the Quadriweekly cycle (QWC) is different between the two sets of employee groups above. 

An expanded version of the chart above, including examples, is located on the HR website at https://www.hr.ucsb.edu/ucpath/tools-and-resources under the Holiday Pay section. Also located here are additional resources that you might find helpful in determining accruals. 

General Curtailment (Winter Closure) Information (newly added):

Some campus departments may close from December 24, 2020, through January 1, 2021. The paid holidays during this period are December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. Departments that close additional days during this period (e.g., December 28, 29, and 30) will have obtained prior approval for curtailment from their control point.

For departments with curtailment dates, the Curtailment Leave/Period provisions in PPSM or the applicable collective bargaining agreement apply. In general:

  • Employees have the option to use vacation, compensatory time (if available), or leave-without-pay.  
  • An employee electing to take leave-without-pay during the curtailment closure may continue to accrue vacation and sick leave credits. 
  • Policy-covered staff may use up to three days of vacation leave in advance of actual accrual in situations where employees may have insufficient vacation accruals to use during the curtailment closure.  
  • Represented staff may be advanced vacation leave following the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreement.  

The HR/Leave Administrative Team will schedule a Zoom session next week to address questions related to holiday closures and leave of absences for staff.  Details will be sent out to the Managers/Supervisor listserv on Monday, December 7.

If you have additional questions regarding holiday pay, please access the FAQs on the HR website at http://www.hr.ucsb.edu/faqs and search for the keyword “holiday.” You can also contact Amy Arnold for assistance by submitting a Service Now ticket (HR Services>Position Management & Workforce Admin >Workforce Admin Question). Lastly, you may also contact the compensation analyst (https://www.hr.ucsb.edu/compensation/contacts) that supports your department.

Thank you and happy holidays!