U of A Holiday Schedule: What Employees Need to Know

As 2023 comes to a close, the U of A will be closed to observe upcoming holidays. 

Thanksgiving Holiday 
In accordance with the proclamation from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the U of A will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 23, and Friday, Nov. 24.   

Birthday Time Off Accrual 
Employees that earn Birthday Time Off hours from a birthday occurring in the month of December will accrue their hours on Dec. 1 instead of on their birthdate. This will allow employees additional time to use hours before the end of the year. 

End of Year and New Year 

The Fayetteville campus will also be closed, except for essential operations, from Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, through Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Five of the days during this period are official state holidays, while the other two days will either require leave or a supervisor-approved substitution.  

• Christmas Eve (Dec. 22)  

• Christmas Day (Dec. 25)   

• In lieu of Veteran's Day (Dec. 26)   

• In lieu of employee's birthday (Dec. 27)   

• Annual Leave (Dec. 28)  

• Annual Leave (Dec. 29)  

• New Year's Day (Jan. 1)    

Annual leave should be entered into Workday (or Time Clock Plus, where applicable) for Dec. 28 and Dec. 29, unless an employee wishes to use one of the below options instead. 

Annual Leave Dates for Non-Exempt Employees 

UA Systemwide Policy 435.1 states non-exempt employees in 12-month positions may work extra hours, as needed, during the earlier part of December 2023, to avoid being charged annual leave. For example, a non-exempt employee who has not accumulated enough leave time or does not wish to use annual leave on Dec. 28 or Dec. 29 may work extra hours as a substitution.   

• According to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines, non-exempt employees may avoid using annual leave by working an extra 10 hours and 40 minutes earlier in December to accumulate an additional 16 hours of compensatory time.  

• Non-exempt employees who do not wish to work extra hours earlier in December may use annual leave or regular compensatory time off.  

Action items for non-exempt employees working extra hours:  

• Employees should arrange a revised work schedule with their supervisor.  

• Supervisors should confirm that appropriate work is available and can be performed by the employees wishing to work extra hours.  

• Enter hours into the appropriate time-tracking system used by the department as "Hours Worked."  

• If the department defaults to paying overtime rather than accruing compensatory time, the department timekeeper will need to change the extra hours worked to compensatory time in the Workday "Time Entry" field.   

• Enter an annual time off entry for Dec. 28 and Dec. 29 using the reason "December - Non-exempt Comp Time in lieu of annual leave."  

• Please note: Workday configuration will pull from annual leave first if a compensatory time balance is not available.   

Departments are asked to accommodate non-exempt employees who wish to work extra hours to avoid using annual leave. Employees who have 248 vacation hours or more should not work the extra time or they will lose vacation hours going into 2024.    

Annual Leave Dates for Exempt Employees 

Exempt employees, under the FLSA, are not entitled to compensatory time off nor overtime pay for over 40 hours worked in a week.  

• All exempt employees must use annual leave to cover the time off on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29 unless they have supervisory approval to work remotely instead.  

• Employees who will work remotely should notify hrleave@uark.edu for audit purposes.  

• Employees using annual leave must enter their time off for Dec. 28 and Dec. 29.   

Employees may reach out to the HR Partner in their unit for questions or clarification about FLSA exemption status.

Happy Holidays from Human Resources! View a full list of 2024 university holiday closures. 

Your Employer of Choice  
As an employer, the U of A is committed to fostering a work environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging, works toward a meaningful purpose, and has the data, resources, connections and foundation of support to be most effective, grow and advance their careers, and thrive in their personal and professional lives.