Winter holidays, campus closures - Action required for staff and supervisors

Winter holidays, campus closures - Action required for staff and supervisors

In addition to the 13 paid holidays in 2025, Georgia College & State University will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, and Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, offering employees who normally work those days the flexibility to choose one of the following options:

1. Submit (8) eight hours of vacation leave on their timesheet for each respective date.
2. Or, work an alternate schedule, pre-approved by their supervisor, to make up the hours for each respective date. The supervisor must document the pre-approved schedule, share it with the employee for awareness and verify that the hours are worked. Employees should discuss their proposed alternate schedule with their supervisor, who will then approve it in writing and ensure the hours are worked as agreed.
3. Or, submit a written request (email is acceptable) to their supervisor to go uncompensated.

NOTE: Employees can request one option for Dec. 24 and a different option for Jan. 2; however, these requests should be for the full (8) eight-hour workday, not a portion thereof.

Remember, we are here to support you. Employees must notify their supervisors of their specific requests for each respective campus closure no later than Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. Employees wishing to work an alternate schedule are advised to submit their requests well in advance to ensure ample time for discussion with their supervisor and to determine an appropriate schedule.

Additional information about the campus closures on Dec. 24, 2025, and Jan. 2, 2026:

In February 2023, the holiday calendar review committee, consisting of one appointee from each division (President's Office, Academic Affairs, Finance and Administration, Student Life and University Advancement), a Payroll representative and the Staff Council Chair, met to review the 2025 plus early January 2026 Holiday calendars.

The committee's goal was to ensure a fair and balanced approach to holiday scheduling that takes into account the needs of all divisions and employees. As a result, the Holiday Calendar Committee proposed 13 paid holidays, as well as a non-emergency campus closure day on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, and Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. A non-emergency campus closure day requires all employees to take vacation leave, uncompensated leave or work an alternate schedule, pre-approved by their supervisor. A survey was conducted of all employees in February 2023, and 91.5% of respondents voted for the campus to be closed on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, along with 93.0% of respondents voted for the campus to be closed on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 (a 65.33% response rate out of all employees was received).

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Because GCSU's payroll is now processed by the USG's Centralized Payroll Processing (CPP) Team, managers must complete this SmartForm for every employee who does not submit (8) eight hours of vacation leave for Dec. 24, 2025, and/or Jan. 2, 2026. The SmartForm must be submitted no later than Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, at 5 p.m.

Managers, you will receive additional information closer to the end of the calendar year regarding appropriate timecard entry for those who work an alternate schedule and proper comments to add to the timecards of those who wish to go uncompensated.