Deadlines & Special Instructions

Any employee with a holiday comp time balance as of 11/23/25 should claim holiday comp time off first to use up their balance before claiming vacation leave. Beginning April 1, 2026, any employee that has a holiday comp time off balance and attempts to request vacation leave will receive an error in Workday prompting them to use up their holiday comp time off first. 

For eligible employees, whose work schedule includes their last workday of a week as Friday, the last day to use the 2025 Discretionary Day is Friday, December 19, 2025. For those whose last workday of a week is Saturday, the last day to use the 2025 Discretionary Day is Saturday, December 20, 2025. 

The first day to use the 2026 Discretionary Day is Sunday, December 21, 2025. For eligible employees, whose work schedule includes their last workday of a week as Friday, the last day to use the 2026 Discretionary Day is Friday, December 18, 2026. For those whose last workday of a week is Saturday, the last day to use the 2026 Discretionary Day is Saturday, December 19, 2026. 

Fort Hays State University will close for the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the business day on Tuesday, November 25^th, based on your regular shift. We will reopen on Monday, December 1^st, 2025.  Any non-essential, temporary, or student employee needing to work during the Thanksgiving break (11/26-11/28) must seek PRIOR approval from the appropriate VP. If approved, the VP will notify Accounts Payable.

Wednesday, November 26^th

Employees will submit one day of leave time (Comp time, Discretionary Day, Vacation). Employees who do not have enough time off to cover this day have two options:

1. Time off without pay: any non-essential, benefitted employee without enough hours accrued who prefers to take time off without pay will enter Leave Without Pay time off.
2. Employees who have not accrued enough leave to cover the day of leave may choose to accrue a deficit leave balance. To do so, the employee will enter Advanced Leave time off for this day. Your vacation balance will be negative until you accrue enough to catch up.

** Any essential employees scheduled to work or employees with VP approval to work will enter REG hours for the time worked.

Thursday & Friday, November 27^th & 28^th

These days are state holidays. Workday will generate the holiday time off entry for all employees that earn holiday credit. Any essential employees scheduled to work will enter REG hours for the time worked.

Fort Hays State University will close for the holiday break at the end of the business day on Friday, December 19^th, based on your regular shift. We will reopen on Monday, January 5^th, 2026. Any non-essential, temporary, or student employee needing to work during the holiday break (12/20-1/4) must seek PRIOR approval from the appropriate VP. If approved, the VP will notify Accounts Payable.

December 22^nd, 23^rd & 24^th and January 2^nd

Employees will submit one day of leave time (Comp time, Discretionary Day, Vacation). Employees who do not have enough time off to cover this day have two options:

1. Time off without pay: any non-essential, benefitted employee without enough hours accrued who prefers to take time off without pay will enter Leave Without Pay time off.
2. Employees who have not accrued enough leave to cover the day of leave may choose to accrue a deficit leave balance. To do so, the employee will enter Advanced Leave time off for this day. Your vacation balance will be negative until you accrue enough to catch up.

** Any essential employees scheduled to work or employees with VP approval to work will enter REG hours for the time worked.

December 26^th, 29^th, 30^th, 31^st

The Kansas Board of Regents has approved paid time off for these days. University holiday time off has been populated for all employees that earn holiday credit. The number of university holiday hours earned will be equivalent to the employee’s normally scheduled hours that day. Employees who have work schedules that do not require them to work these days of the week are not affected by the university holidays and will have no time off entry. If you do not see the university holiday time off entry on these days and you believe you should be eligible, contact Accounts Payable.

If you are an essential employee required to work on any of the declared university holidays, you will add an additional entry on your timesheet with the time entry type University Holiday Worked, equal to the number of hours worked. If you work a 2^nd or 3^rd shift, you’ll need to use the University Holiday Worked time entry code that matches your shift.

December 25^th and January 1^st  

These days are state holidays. Workday will generate the holiday time off entry for all employees that earn holiday credit. Any essential employees scheduled to work will enter REG hours for the time worked