Policies

Holiday Pay

Overview

Central College recognizes holidays throughout the year when time off and compensation is provided. This policy outlines the details of how this benefit is administered.

Definitions

Holiday: days identified throughout the year where business offices are closed, and pay is provided for all eligible staff

Exempt: classification of employees that are paid a set level of compensation and are not eligible for overtime pay regardless of hours worked.

Non-exempt: classification of employees that are paid hourly and are eligible for overtime compensation if the total hours worked in a week are over 40.

 Responsibilities

Talent, Equity, and Engagement Office (TEEO): communicate and calculate holiday eligibility for proper payment based on the policy.

Non-exempt employees: responsible to record any worked hours based on time and labor policies.  Holiday time will auto populate on time card for accurate holiday pay hours.

Policy Details

The college recognizes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day. Offices will be closed during the period between Christmas Eve Day and New Year’s Day and those regular workdays are considered paid holidays as well. The specific dates of these holidays each year are defined by the pay and holiday schedule as communicated with employees.

1. When a holiday falls on Sunday, it will be observed on the following Monday. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, it will be observed on the preceding Friday.
2. When an official college holiday falls on a normal business day within an employee’s scheduled vacation period, the employee will be paid for the holiday and will not be charged with a vacation day.
3. If an employee is on an unpaid leave of absence for any reason other than FMLA, the employee is ineligible for holiday benefits observed during the leave.
4. Holiday pay is not paid when an employee is on Short  or Long Term Disability; the time off needs to be recorded as accordingly and paid through that benefit plan.
5. When an employee resigns, the college requires the employee to give at least a two-week notice and to work one week after the Christmas/New Year Holiday in order to be eligible for Christmas/New Year holiday pay (only exception is when the employee qualifies as a retiree). Vacation hours are not considered time worked for purposes of satisfying this requirement.
6. Holiday hours (assuming the employee does not actually work the holiday) are not considered hours worked for the purpose of calculating overtime.
7. The college welcomes diversity of religious beliefs and practices, recognizing the contributions differing experiences and viewpoints can bring to the community.
   1. There may be times when a work requirement conflicts with religious observances and practices. If that happens, employees may request reasonable accommodation for their religious practices.
   2. In all cases, the request must be in writing. The supervisor, director, or vice president will review the situation in an effort to provide a reasonable accommodation, when possible, to do so without creating an undue burden for the college.
   3. Employees should inform their supervisor, director, or vice president of the conflict and requested accommodation at the earliest possible time.
   4. If an accommodation is given, employees may be required to complete work assignments in advance of an absence, which further demonstrates the need to address the conflict early.
   5. Because religious observances can vary widely not only between religions, but within them as well, requests for accommodations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
8. Exempt employees:
   1. An exempt employee’s pay includes pay for the days designated by the college as holidays.
   2. Employees required to work on holidays will receive equivalent compensatory time off to be arranged with their supervisors and used within the next 7 days.
9. Non-exempt employees:
   1. Holiday pay is computed as straight time to all non-exempt employees.
   2. Any employee at .50 FTE, but less than 1.00 FTE, will receive holiday pay pro-rated based on the number of hours budgeted for the current fiscal year.
   3. Non-exempt employees required by their supervisor to work on a holiday will be paid holiday pay in addition to the applicable rate of pay for the hours worked. Required hours worked will be eligible for overtime pay.
10. Other employee status eligibility:
    1. Interns with an FTE of .5 or higher are eligible for holiday pay for holidays that fall during their internship at the prorated level of their FTE.
    2. Temporary or seasonal employees are not eligible for holiday pay.
    3. Flex employees are not eligible for holiday pay.

Last Revision Date: 1/12/2026

Policy Owner: Talent, Equity and Engagement Office