Policy Statement and Reason
For the purpose of this policy, employees include California staff only. All provisions of this policy apply, except that for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, this policy does not create any benefits not expressly provided by that collective bargaining agreement and if there are inconsistencies between this policy and the collective bargaining agreement, the terms of the collective bargaining agreement will govern.
Emerson College provides paid annual holidays to eligible staff employees so they may celebrate holidays with family and friends. Recognizing the diversity of Emerson staff employees, the College also provides eligible staff employees with personal and vacation time to use for religious and cultural holidays of their choosing. Staff employees are expected and trusted to use discretion, good judgment, and to demonstrate a professional work ethic in their use of sick time before weekends, regularly scheduled days off, vacations, and holidays.
Policy Guidelines
Eligibility
Regular full-time and part-time staff employees working 20 hours or more a week are immediately eligible to take holidays off with holiday pay as outlined in this policy.
Paid Holidays
The College reviews holidays annually and determines the number of holidays the College will observe. Emerson College generally observes the following holidays (the asterisk indicates major holidays; no asterisk indicates college holidays).
- New Year’s Day*
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day*
- President's Day*
- Memorial Day*
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day*
- Labor Day*
- Indigenous Peoples’ Day*
- Veterans Day*
- Thanksgiving*
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day*
Note: Please see Winter Break Policy
Holiday Observance
Holidays falling on Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday. Holidays falling on Sunday will be observed on the following Monday.
Holiday Pay Approval and Exclusions
- Holidays are prorated for part-time eligible employees.
- Staff employees whose positions do not require them to work on holidays will receive observed holiday pay (see below) when the observed holiday falls on a day of the week the employee is scheduled to work and the employee is in active status. The time is counted as holiday time only.
- Staff employees who are on an extended leave of absence approved by Human Resources will receive holiday pay at their current leave rate of pay if the holiday or observed holiday falls on a day the employee would have normally been scheduled to work.
- Non-exempt staff who are scheduled to work and are required to work on a holiday, receive holiday pay (see below) for either the actual holiday or the observed holiday but not both. An example is when Christmas day falls on a Sunday and is observed on a Monday.
- Non-exempt staff who are scheduled to work and are required to work on a holiday and are scheduled and required to work both the actual and the observed holiday will receive straight time for the observed holiday.
- Non-exempt staff who are scheduled to work and are required to work on a holiday, and who call in absent, will not be paid holiday pay.
- Non-exempt staff who are on scheduled approved vacation and/or personal time of 3 or more days and a holiday is adjacent to the approved vacation and/or personal time will receive holiday pay for the adjacent holiday. For example, if a staff employee is regularly
scheduled to work on Mondays and there is a Monday holiday during the employee’s scheduled approved vacation and/or personal time off, the employee will receive holiday pay for the Monday if the employee is scheduled to be off Monday through Thursday. By
contrast, if the staff employee regularly scheduled to work on has approved vacation and/or personal time off only for Monday through Wednesday, with Tuesday and Wednesday being vacation and/or personal days, the staff employee must use a vacation or personal day for the Monday absence. - Employees’ last day of employment cannot fall on a holiday.
Holiday Pay Calculations for Non-Exempt Staff Employees
Working on Major Holidays (Observed)
Full-time and part-time non-exempt staff employees (working 20 hours or more per week) who are approved and work on an observed major holiday are paid their straight time in addition to the premium rate of one and one-half (1.5) times their regular straight-time rate for the number of hours worked on the major holiday, 2.5 times pay.
Working on College Holidays (Observed)
Full-time and part-time non-exempt staff employees (working 20 hours or more per week) who are approved and work on a college holiday are paid their regular straight time and a premium rate of one (1) times their regular straight-time rate for the number of hours worked on the college holiday, 2 times pay.
Overtime Calculations
Hours paid at the premium holiday rate do not count toward overtime.
Working on Actual Holidays (Not Observed)
Employees are paid straight time when scheduled to work an actual holiday that is not observed by the College.
Other Information
Related Policies
Key Offices to Contact
Please contact Human Resources for further information regarding this policy and its implementation.
Links to Procedures or Forms
Not applicable.
The contents of this policy are informational only and are not conditions of employment. This policy does not create any contractual obligations or alter the at-will employment of the College’s at-will employees. Emerson College reserves the right to modify, revoke, suspend, terminate, or change any and all policies and procedures at any time, with or without notice, as consistent with state and federal law.
Policy Effective: May 2019