2008 HOLIDAY CLOSURE - OPTIONS FOR STAFF AND MANAGERS
The annual energy curtailment will occur this year between Thursday, December 25th and Sunday, January 4th. In addition, managers may want to consider employee requests to take leave time on the three days before December 25th in order to get a full two week break for the holidays. This is the time of the year when all employees are encouraged to take a break from campus job responsibilities for the week. Four of the days of closure are University holidays, as follows:
Thursday, December 25 (Holiday)
Friday, December 26th (Holiday)
Wednesday, December 31st (Holiday)
Thursday, January 1st (Holiday)
However, three days of closure are not holidays:
Monday, December 29th (Closure)
Tuesday, December 30th (Closure)
Friday, January 2nd (Closure)
Managers are encouraged to accommodate requests for the use of leave or alternate work schedules that will allow employees to take a break on the days of closure. Managers should let employees know as soon as possible what options they will have for December 29th and 30th, and January 2nd. In addition, managers are encouraged to consider leave requests for December 22nd through December 24th which would give employees a full two week break from work. The following is a list of options to assist managers in meeting both the operational needs of the unit and the needs of employees.
Special arrangements such as alternate schedules, accrual of compensatory time in advance, or reassignment can accommodate employees who choose not to use leave to cover the closure period. Managers who make these arrangements for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements will want to confirm in writing to the employee that these arrangements are voluntary.
Employee Relations Consultants in Human Resources are available to respond to questions about how to proceed with the suggestions provided below, or how to address special circumstances.
Campus Closure Options, December 2008
Use of Vacation - All employees may use accrued vacation leave. Sick Leave and Administrative Leave provisions are not intended for this purpose and should not be used to cover the closure period.
Using Vacation before it is earned - Any employee who earns vacation leave and does not have enough accrued vacation leave may use up to three days of vacation leave in advance of accrual to cover the three days of closure. Departments should consult the relevant policy or labor contract for the personnel program that covers the affected employees.
Use of accrued CTO - Eligible non-exempt employees who have worked overtime and have accrued compensatory time may also use it to cover the three days of closure. Departments will want to have a Compensatory Time Off (CTO) agreement on file for any employee who will use accrued Compensatory Time for the closure. Information about CTO agreements for employees covered by labor agreements can be found at the following web site, under the relevant contract: http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/hrlabor.htm
Compensatory time off information for employees covered by PPSM can be found in Section 32-C-4 at the following web site:
http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies_employee_labor_relations/personnel_policies/spp32.html
Take Leave without Pay - Employees may take Leave Without Pay. Managers will want to look closely at the impact of this action on part-time employees. For example, employees in half-time positions who take leave without pay may lose benefits eligibility and/or holiday pay. Part-time employees must be on pay status half the working hours of the month in order to receive holiday pay. That means that part-time employees must be on pay status (excludes holiday hours) for 80 hours in December and for 80 hours in January in order to receive holiday pay in those months.
Allow employees to continue to work on campus - Departments may allow employees to work during the closure period. Supervision must be available. On-site supervision is preferred, and, for safety reasons, employees should not be working alone. The supervisor assigned for the holiday period may be an alternate. The weather varies dramatically during the December period. Since the buildings will not be heated, employees should be advised that they will be working in unheated buildings and to dress accordingly.
A list of buildings scheduled for energy curtailment will be available soon.
Allow employees to continue to work by telecommuting - Departments may allow employees to telecommute for all or part of the three days of closure. Any telecommuting arrangements should be made in advance in accordance with campus policy, and a copy placed in the employee's personnel file. Policy information and a sample telecommuting agreement can be found here: http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/POLICY/DDtelec.htm
Allow employees to continue working at another site - Some departments with multiple locations, which may be in buildings that will remain open, may wish to offer employees the option of being reassigned with their own work to open buildings. Because the number of employees working - even in open buildings - will be limited, managers should make arrangements for on-site supervision and ensure that reassigned employees will be working where and when other employees will be present, for safety reasons.
Reassign an employee to another department - If employees want to work, managers may reassign them to work in open departments with work available at the employee's classification level. Managers will want to make sure that the employee who is accepting the reassignment understands the assignment responsibilities, work hours, and departmental protocols to be followed in the temporary assignment.
Adjust work schedules in advance - Departments may offer to adjust schedules for part-time, non-exempt employees so that the employee satisfies the working hours appropriate to the appointment level, prior to the closure period. For example, a half-time employee who works four hours a day could work four eight-hour days earlier in December. Because the employee will not have worked over forty hours in a week, the time is recorded as straight time worked and not overtime.
Please contact your Employee Relations Consultant should you have questions about how to proceed with the suggested options provided above, or if there are circumstances in your department that require special arrangements.