POLICY 10
HOLIDAYS Revised 5/24

SECTION INDEX:    Holidays

1.    Purpose

2.    Reference

3.    Application

4.    Guidance

4.1    Recognized Holidays

4.2    Floating Holidays

4.3    Compensation for Holidays

4.4    Work Schedules

1. PURPOSE

To declare the City’s intent regarding the observance of established federal or state holidays; holiday compensation for employees; and City business closures.

2. REFERENCE

None.

3. APPLICATION

This Policy applies to all regular full-time and part-time benefits-eligible employees of the City of Olympia, except where provisions are otherwise established by contract or statute (e.g., civil service rules, union contract, individual employment contract or memorandum of understanding).

4. GUIDANCE

4.1. RECOGNIZED HOLIDAYS

The City of Olympia will close City offices and suspend non-critical services in observance of the following holidays:

•	New Year’s Day	January 1
•	Martin Luther King’s Birthday	Third Monday in January
•	President’s Day	Third Monday in February
•	Memorial Day	Last Monday in May
•	Juneteenth	June 19
•	Independence Day	July 4
•	Labor Day	First Monday in September
•	Veterans Day	November 11
•	Thanksgiving	Fourth Thursday and Friday in November
•	Christmas Day	December 25

a.    If the recognized holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the day City offices will close.

b.    If the recognized holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is the day City offices will close.

4.2. FLOATING HOLIDAYS

In addition to recognized holidays as stated above, each employee will be compensated for one work day to be used as a paid holiday at the discretion of the employee, provided:

a.    The employee is not in a probationary status. Employees who are in a probationary period due to promotion, transfer or non-disciplinary demotion are an exception to this provision.

b.    The employee has not been given notice of termination of employment for cause or as a result of disciplinary action.

c.    The employee’s absence will not adversely affect the City’s operating capability and is approved by the supervisor.

d.    The employee’s use of the floating holiday must be scheduled in advance of the absence.

e.    The floating holiday must be used within the calendar year of January 1 - December 31 and does not carry forward to the next calendar year.

f.    A floating holiday may be used for illness within the immediate family as defined in Policy-Leave, Section 4.1 (b).

g.    The floating holiday may be taken in increments approved by the employee’s supervisor, as long as the total hours taken do not exceed those allowed in section 4.2.

4.3. COMPENSATION FOR HOLIDAYS

The City will compensate employees for recognized holidays and the floating holiday, as follows:

a.    Regular status full-time employees will be compensated for eight (8) hours, unless assigned to an approved alternative work period as outlined in Policy 23- Work Schedules. Regular status part-time employees eligible for benefits will be compensated in proportion equal to their budgeted F.T.E.

b.    Employees must be in a paid status the day prior to the holiday and the day following the holiday to receive holiday pay, including compensation for the floating holiday. Paid status includes: regular pay, leave with pay, workers compensation time loss, and compensatory time, and Paid Family Medical Leave.

c.    Employees will receive their regular rate of pay for each paid holiday.

d.    When a recognized holiday falls on the regularly scheduled day off of an eligible employee, the employee will be scheduled for an alternate day off.

e.    Regular status employees who are eligible for overtime compensation and are required to work on a recognized holiday will receive compensation for the holiday and for the hours worked according to the Policy on overtime compensation.

f.    An unused floating holiday is not compensable upon separation from employment.

4.4. WORK SCHEDULES

The City reserves the right to schedule employees to work or require employees to report to work on a day that is a recognized holiday. Employees will be compensated as stated in section 4.3.

Revision history: May 2024; October 2020; October 2013; September 2011; January 2000. Superseded: Administrative Guideline “Holidays”.