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Holiday and Leave Benefits

OSU offers employees a variety of leave benefits designed to accommodate personal and professional needs. Availability of benefits are based on classification.

Holiday Schedule

OSU employees receive 13-paid holidays per year in line with policy 3-0709. The holiday schedule applies to OSU Stillwater, OSU Oklahoma City, OSU Tulsa, OSUIT, College of Veterinary Medicine, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and cooperative extension offices and research stations.

Leave Benefits

OSU staff and faculty who work 0.50 FTE or greater are eligible for certain paid time-off benefits. Temporary and student employees are not eligible. OSU offers an annual leave bank and a sick leave bank. Your leave balances are available for you to view in your employee portal at my.okstate.edu under the Self Service icon.

  • Administrative Leave

    Administrative leave is applied when a benefits-eligible employee misses scheduled work time due to campus delays or closures, as well as other situations defined in policy.

    We recommend reviewing the Attendance and Leave for Staff policy 3-0713 or contact your HR Consultant for clarification on administrative leave.

  • Voting Leave

    It is the policy of OSU to provide employees time off to vote in state, national, and local elections and to establish a procedure for requesting and reporting the time missed from work. Policies governing voting can be found on the web at Policies and Procedures.

    For staff, the appropriate policy is Attendance and Leave for Staff policy 3-0713, section 7.01, Voting.

    1. Under Oklahoma Statutes, a staff member may have two hours or more time off to vote, if distance to polls requires it provided all the following conditions are met.
    2. A request for such time off must be made in writing by the staff member at least one day prior to the election. The unit administrator will decide what time in the work schedule to give for voting.
    3. Staff will not lose any compensation or incur penalty for the absence if they provide proof of voting.
    4. Time off for voting is not required if the staff member has three hours after the opening of polls before the work day begins or three hours after close of the work day before close of polls. A unit administrator may change work hours to provide for such a three-hour period.
    5. If the above conditions are met, such time off to vote would be considered administrative paid leave.
  • Inclement Weather

    OSU-Stillwater is a residential and research campus with many of our students in close proximity to classes. As a result, the university seldom closes due to inclement weather and, even then, some essential services remain operable. However, the university recognizes travel to and from the campus for work may be difficult for many employees during poor weather conditions.

    Policies governing inclement weather can be found on the web atPolicies and Procedures. For staff, the appropriate policy is 3-0713, Attendance and Leave for Staff, section 8.01, Inclement Weather.

    Inclement Weather FAQs / Banner Timekeeping for Inclement Weather (pdf)

    Staff are encouraged to use extreme caution during inclement weather. The ultimate decision as to how the employee will safeguard their safety is at the employee’s discretion. If the employee feels unsafe commuting to work, no matter how close or how far, the employee is encouraged to use their best judgment. Individual decision does not exempt the employee from proper notification of an absence to the supervisor or unit administrator.

    Inclement Weather and Campus Offices Are Open

    • Employees will use annual leave or compensatory leave to cover the absence. If annual leave or compensatory leave is not available, the leave will be without pay. Nonexempt employees within the three-month orientation period may use compensatory leave, if available, or leave without pay. If an employee or dependent’s illness coincides with inclement weather, sick leave may be taken, provided it is documented in writing to the unit administrator. Employees should continue to maintain contact with the unit administrator and follow proper departmental call-in procedures regarding the need for an inclement weather absence and expected date/time of return to work.
    • If the university, due to poor weather conditions, decides to allow employees to leave early at their own discretion to ensure their safety in returning to their homes, then the time will be charged as annual leave or compensatory leave since it is at the employee’s discretion. Staff should notify the supervisor in advance of leaving when exercising this option.

    Inclement Weather and Campus Offices Are Not Open

    • In certain instances, the administration of the university may make the decision to limit access to offices on campus except those recognized as necessary to maintain essential services. Information will be posted to the OSU web site/social media and a campus-wide message will be distributed.

    Maintaining Essential Services and Programs

    • While the campus offices may not be open, a unit may require certain employees to work to maintain essential services or assist in special necessary functions. Essential emergency services include but are not limited to maintaining building operations, clearing walkways, streets and parking lots, student residential hall services, and public safety. Unit heads should determine their staffing requirements in advance to ensure the maintenance of these services. Each unit head is responsible for designating “essential personnel”, including such designation in their position description, and communicating that designation to such personnel annually, prior to any inclement weather. In other instances, certain functions or responsibilities that can be performed by more than one employee in a unit will be so identified and the employees who may potentially perform those functions will be notified. Unit heads are required to inform employees in advance of this determination.
    • Essential personnel who do not report for work or do not remain at work may be subject to disciplinary action.

    Compensation When Campus Offices Are Not Open

    • If campus offices are not open, administrative leave will be recorded for those who were scheduled to work. If an employee is scheduled in advance for annual leave or sick leave, the individual will be charged annual leave or sick leave since the inclement weather did not impact the employee’s plans to work. Although not encouraged, an employee not designated as essential personnel but choosing to work until the end of their shift, will be paid for working as usual. If an employee chooses to stay to wrap up work but leaves prior to the end of the shift, the employee will be paid for hours worked and will record the remaining hours of the shift as administrative leave.
    • Nonexempt employees working as essential personnel or in response to a request by a unit administrator will be compensated by administrative leave at straight time for the inclement weather in addition to being paid for the hours worked. Any hours worked over 40 during the workweek are subject to overtime provisions. Exempt essential personnel or exempt staff expected to work during this time will be paid their normal salaries. Comparable time off may be provided in the future.
    • If the university sends staff home early, the time worked will be paid according to the number of hours worked, and the remaining time will be considered administrative leave. If an employee decides to leave work because of concerns over commuting in inclement weather prior to an actual closing time, annual leave or compensatory leave will be charged for leave prior to closing. Likewise, if an employee arrives late at work due to concerns over commuting in inclement weather after campus offices have reopened to the public, annual leave or compensatory leave will be charged.
    • Temporary employees and student employees are paid only for hours actually worked. If unable to work, these employees may not receive anticipated compensation. The same situation may exist for employees who elect not to work due to inclement weather while campus offices remain open and do not have or are not able to use annual leave or compensatory leave. Units may choose to allow these employees to work additional hours at another time to make up the shortage of pay; however, such an arrangement would require approval by the supervisor in advance of actual hours being worked. Normal overtime provisions may apply.

    Questions regarding these practices can be addressed to OSU HR Consulting Services, 405.744.7420.

  • Leave Without Pay

    Leaves of absence without pay for personal reasons may be recommended by the department when it appears to be in the best interest of the university and the employee.

    We recommend reviewing the Attendance and Leave for Staff, Policy 3-0713 or contacting your HR Consultant for leave with/without pay questions.

  • Layoff

    While in layoff status, you are placed in layoff status and retain ties with OSU for up to one year. Certain insurance benefits will continue during the layoff unless you cancel them.

    We recommend reviewing Policy 3-0711 or contacting your HR Consultant  for layoff questions.

University Human Resources developed this information for the convenience of OSU employees. It is a brief interpretation of more detailed and complex materials. If further clarification is needed, the actual law, policy, and contract should be consulted as the authoritative source.