University of Chicago

Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Days

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Time off policies vary, depending on your employment status. If you're a union employee, please refer to your Union contract for details on your time off. If you're a regular, non-union, full-time employee or a regular, non-union, part-time employee (working at least 20 hours per week), please see:

• Official University Holidays
• Personal Holidays
• Vacation Time
• Sick Days

General Information
The University has eight official holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day after Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Holidays will be observed on the actual day of the holiday, unless your department works on a Monday through Friday schedule. In these instances, holidays that fall on Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday, and Sunday holidays will be observed on the following Monday.

When You Become Eligible
You become eligible for these holidays as soon as you're hired.

Pay If You're Not Required to Work on a Holiday
You'll receive your regular, straight-time rate for the number of hours in an average workday. If your schedule is irregular or part-time, your holiday pay will equal one-fifth of the number of regularly scheduled hours in your workweek. If a holiday falls on your day off, you'll receive double-time pay. Holiday hours will not count toward overtime for the week.

Pay If You're Required to Work on a Holiday

• Biweekly Employees: If you have to work on a holiday, you'll receive 1½ times your regular rate of pay for the hours that you actually work on that holiday. If you're required to work on a holiday that falls on your day off, you'll receive double-time pay for the hours you actually worked on the holiday.

You'll also receive another day off with pay within 30 days before or after the holiday. If your department can't schedule that day off, you can elect to receive pay in lieu of the time off.

• Monthly Employees: If you're required to work on a holiday, you will not receive extra compensation. However, you will be granted another day off that you can schedule with your supervisor's approval.

Special Situations
Holidays that fall during your scheduled vacation time will be counted as holidays — not as vacation days. You'll have that day of vacation for use at a later date.

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General Information
Each calendar year, you receive up to five personal holidays. You "accrue" these days throughout the year: two on January 1, one on April 1, one on July 1, and one on September 1. If you do not use any of the personal days before the end of the year, you cannot carry over the unused day(s) into the next year.

To take a personal day, please schedule it with your supervisor or department.

Who Is Eligible
All benefits-eligible, staff employees are eligible for personal holidays.

When You Become Eligible
You become eligible to accrue personal days as of your first day of employment. However, you cannot use accrued personal holidays until you have completed three months of service.

Pay
Full-time employees receive their regular pay for the day. Part-time employees receive 1/5 of their workweek pay for the day.

Pay If You're Asked to Cancel a Personal Day

• Biweekly Employees: If you schedule a personal day at least one week in advance and your supervisor asks you to cancel it, you'll receive 1½ times your pay for the hours you work on that day. You have the option of using that personal day at a later date. If it can't be rescheduled before the end of the year, you'll be paid for that day.

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Union Employees: Refer to your contract for information on your vacation time.

General Information
Each year, you accrue vacation days as follows:

You may take up to one week of paid vacation after you've completed six months of service, as long as your Department approves it. However, you're not entitled to vacation with pay until you complete 12 months of service.

Generally, the length of any one vacation cannot exceed the amount you are scheduled to accrue in that year. For example, if you've worked at the University for five years and you have accrued four weeks of vacation over time (including one week of "carried over" time from the previous year), the longest continuous vacation you can take is three weeks. You may take the remaining one week of vacation at another time.

Unlike personal days, unused vacation days can be carried over into the next year. The maximum amount of vacation you can accrue is 1.5 times your annual accrual. When you reach that limit, you stop accumulating vacation until you start using your accrued time.

Generally, vacation time is paid out like any other pay. However, you can receive your vacation pay in advance of your vacation. To do so, you must give your department two weeks notice, so your request can be processed through the payroll department. In these cases, you will receive a hand-cut check.

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Union Employees: Refer to your contract for information on your sick pay.

General Information
The University depends on your regular attendance at work. However, we recognize that there are instances in which you might have to miss work due to your own illness or injury. The University gives you "sick leave" for these situations.

If you're a regular full-time employee, you accrue two standard workweeks of sick leave per year or 1/6 of a workweek per month. For example, a 37.5 hour workweek has an accrual of 6.3 hours (37.5 ÷ 6) of sick leave a month. If you're a part-time employee, your sick leave is prorated based upon the number of hours you work. There are no limits on the number of hours you can accrue during your employment at the University. 

If you're ill, you must notify your department in accordance with its procedures. For additional steps you may need to take, click here.

When You Become Eligible
You begin accruing sick leave as of your first day of employment. However, you cannot collect sick leave pay until after you have completed three months of service.

If You're Eligible for Paid Sick Leaves
If you're a benefits-eligible, full-time employee who is eligible for sick leave with pay, you may use your accrued sick leave for routine doctor appointments. If you use your sick-leave allowance for this purpose, you must inform your supervisor at the time the appointment is made, and your supervisor has to approve the absence in advance.

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