Topics Map > Employee Handbook > 1.6 Benefits, Pay and Leave
Divisional HR - Leaves of Absence - Personal & Legal Holidays
Extension employees can find information related to personal and legal holidays under UW-Madison policy. There is also information regarding how to obtain approval to work on a legal holiday for valid business reasons.
Overview
- The University of Wisconsin - Madison Office of Human Resources has a policy for the administration of personal and legal holidays for UW-Madison employees.
- The policy covers eligibility, accrual, use, carryover, and treatment upon movement or termination of employment.
- UW-Madison employees who meet the eligibility requirements established in the policy are eligible for paid personal holiday hours as well as nine paid legal holidays per year.
- Please make sure to review the UW-Madison policy documentation for the most up-to-date information
Guidance for Extension Employees to Obtain Approval to Work on a Legal Holiday
Background
- UW-Madison policy establishes limited situations for which staff may earn floating legal holidays (UW-5050 - Section B - III.3.A & B) These include:
- If a legal holiday falls on a Saturday, the employee will be granted eight hours of floating legal holiday (prorated if part time).
- A floating legal holiday is granted to employees who are required to work on the legal holiday or if the legal holiday is on an employee's regularly scheduled day off.
- The Division of Extension expects its employees observe legal holidays. However, in limited situations the responsibilities of some positions occasionally require work to be performed on designated legal holiday.
- Work required to be performed on a legal holiday must be pre-approved by the employee's supervisor via email. Limited business-case examples of approved work include:
- Coordinating an event related to the observation of the holiday;
- Essential meeting(s) with a partner (e.g. funding partner);
- Examples of requests to work on legal holidays that will not be approved include:
- Working on a legal holiday and using a floating holiday on Veteran's Day off because the county office is closed on Veteran's Day;
- Working on a legal holiday and using a floating holiday the day after Thanksgiving;
- Working on a legal holiday because "The office is quiet and I can get caught up."
- Employees can use paid vacation or personal holiday hours if they would like to take time off on Veteran's Day or the day after Thanksgiving.
- Failure to appropriately report personal and legal holiday leave usage may result in the denial of leave or the loss of paid leave hours.
Instructions
Employees who anticipate being required to work on a legal holiday for valid business reasons should follow these instructions to make sure they are pre-approved prior to working on the legal holiday.
- Email your direct supervisor requesting to work on a legal holiday. Include the following information:
- Legal holiday on which you are requesting to work;
- A brief justification with the business reason(s) for why you will not be observing the legal holiday;
- Cc hr@extension.wisc.edu.
- Verify that you are approved via email prior to working on a legal holiday.
UW-Madison Policies
UW-Madison Personal and Legal Holiday Policy (Policy Library)
Get Help
Questions? Please contact hr@extension.wisc.edu.