Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:

Part-time:
Jessica Montanti – Penn State Press

Upcoming Holidays:

Thanksgiving Day
The Thanksgiving holiday will be on Thursday, November 26. The University is also closed on Friday, November 27, and this day is considered an Official Campus Closure.

Human Resources Guideline HRG10, “Handling ‘Weather Day’ Absences or Official University Closedowns Due to Weather Conditions,” provides the needed guidance for staff and technical-service employees. Therefore, in general, the following will apply:

• Employees who normally work Fridays and are not required to work, including wage payroll employees who are eligible for earned time, will receive pay for the day as if they had worked. Employees who had previously scheduled a vacation day or other paid time off will not have such time charged.
• Employees who are required to work Thanksgiving Friday, including wage payroll employees who are eligible for earned time, will receive time off equivalent to the number of hours worked.
• Full-time staff and technical-service employees whose regular day off falls on Thanksgiving Friday will receive an additional day of equivalent time off to be scheduled at another time mutually agreeable to the employee and the supervisor. Although this represents an expansion of the benefit provided for in the guideline, it is in keeping with the intention of the provision of this unique benefit.

LHR Note: Full time employees who usually work Fridays should mark this time as “Official Campus Closure” in ESSIC. Employees whose normal day off is Friday will add the equivalent time in “Campus Closure Compensatory hours earned,” found on the Paid Time Off Earned page, during the submit process at the end of the month. Compensatory time balances must be used prior to vacation.

December/January Holidays

This year, December 25 will fall on a Friday, as will January 1, 2016. The official University holiday period begins Thursday, December 24 and ends Friday, January 1. Weekdays during that period are official University holidays.

The University will be closed from the end of normal operations on Wednesday, December 23, and will reopen on Monday, January 4.

Full-time employees who are asked to work on an official University holiday must be given compensatory time and/or additional compensation according to the Holidays section of HR-34. Part-time employees with Earned Time status who are required to work would be paid time and a half for working on a holiday. Supervisors should carefully plan and budget for the staff needed for minimum coverage on these dates, and employees may only work if required.

ESSIC Attendance Record Instructions for Official University Holidays:

• For an employee who normally works on the day a holiday falls, who is not required to work: Select “Holiday” from the list of reasons. If an employee normally works more than his/her allowed holiday time (e.g. a 75% HR-88 employee who has a prorated 6-hour holiday, but his/her shift during this time period would normally be 8 hours), he/she should account for the remaining hours that day with vacation time, or must make arrangements to make up the remaining time during that same work week.
• For an employee who is required to work on an official University holiday: If non-exempt, mark the actual hours worked (exempt employees mark nothing). Then, when submitting the attendance record at the end of the month, add the compensatory time earned in “Holiday Compensatory Time Earned” on the Paid Time Off Earned page, where vacation is added each month. As a reminder, this time must be used before vacation.
• If a holiday falls on an employee’s regularly scheduled day off: The employee should add Holiday Compensatory Time when the record is submitted at the end of the month, according to the instructions in the above scenario.Nothing is marked on the actual holiday.
• Employees who have HR-88 positions should follow the guidance outlined in the policy.
• For guidance on other scenarios, please contact our office.

Note: Dickinson School of Law Libraries and George T. Harrell Library employees are provided with this information as employees of the University Libraries; however, day-to-day operational practices are guided by their respective Colleges. Dickinson and College of Medicine Library employees should speak to their immediate supervisor or local HR Representative for guidance, as necessary. Conditions of employment for Technical-service employees are further described in the “Agreement between The Pennsylvania State University and Teamsters Local Union No. 8.” Technical-service employees should refer to the Agreement for information related to the above topics.