University holiday updates for faculty and staff
From: University Operations
To better align the university’s holiday leave structure to serve our faculty, staff, and campus community, Virginia Tech has revised its Policy 4315: Guidelines on Holidays guidelines.
This policy update standardizes the university’s holiday schedule and creates an official “Winter Break” holiday that will not require employees to use annual leave during the university wide closure between December 25 and January 1. The revised policy is applicable beginning with the 2024 Winter Break and does not apply to leave reporting for the 2023 Winter Break.
Why standardize holiday leave across campus
Standardizing leave around scheduled holidays provides structure and consistency to ensure all university units can plan for adequate staffing, vacations, other leave, deadlines, and work in a consistent and timely manner. Establishing consistency across campus also creates an equitable experience for all faculty and staff.
How it will work
Effective January 10, 2024, Virginia Tech employees will no longer be required to use annual leave between December 25 and January 1 when the university is closed for Winter Break. As part of this policy update, the university will reallocate the holidays granted to staff only (George Washington Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, and Veterans Day) to Winter Break, aligning all faculty and staff holidays throughout the year. This policy change will create one consistent set of paid holidays for all eligible employees.
Most university staff will accrue more annual leave hours. To mitigate the impact of the holiday changes, eligible university staff will see an increase in leave earned per pay period based on years of service. For university staff with less than 20 years of service, this will equate to an additional three (3) to six (6) days of leave per calendar year. Visit the staff leave page for additional details, including a side-by-side comparison of the old and new leave accrual plan for university staff.
Eligible faculty will receive an additional four (4) days of holiday leave during Winter Break.
With this policy update, classified staff will adopt the new holiday schedule, but annual leave accruals do not change. If classified staff would like to transition to the new university staff leave accrual schedule, they may convert from classified to university staff.
As a premier institution and leading employer in the region and commonwealth, Virginia Tech offers a comprehensive and competitive portfolio of employee benefits. This update to the university’s guidelines on holidays aligns Virginia Tech’s leave schedule with peer institutions in Virginia, creates consistent holiday leave practices, and ensures that Virginia Tech is an employer of choice that is competitive with other state institutions and local and regional employers.
For more information, visit the holiday guidelines FAQ page. Please contact your HR representative with any questions regarding this policy update.