The Division of Human Resources has announced that CSU employees will again receive three well-being days during Fall Break.
Well being days are university-wide scheduled days of leave intended to give faculty and staff time away to rest and refresh. These days are in addition to and distinct from observed university holidays and accrued personal leave. During the 2024 Fall Break, the days are Nov. 25-27. These days are designed to provide individual employees time to unplug from work and recharge.
Below are answers to some commonly asked questions about well-being days.
What are well-being days?
Well-being days are university-wide scheduled days of leave during Fall Break that do not count toward regular annual or sick leave. For 2024, three well-being days will be observed during Fall Break, in addition to the designated holidays on Nov. 28 and 29. This will give faculty and staff without essential duties the entire week off.
Taking time off is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life integration. These well-being days reflect what have been called professional development days in previous years.
Are offices permitted to close during these well-being days?
Office hours and services may be modified to accommodate well-being days. Employees should work with their management team to determine if office closures or operating hour changes are appropriate.
Who is eligible to participate in the well-being days?
State classified staff, administrative professionals, researchers, post-doctoral fellows, graduate assistants and faculty members are eligible and encouraged to participate. Non-student hourly and student employees are not eligible and should work with their supervisors to determine their work schedule for these weeks.
Are administrative professional hourly and state classified hourly employees eligible?
Administrative professionals or state classified hourly employees who are not scheduled to work on these designated days are not eligible to participate.
If an administrative professional or state classified hourly employee is regularly scheduled for work on these well-being days, they are eligible to participate.
If an administrative professional or state classified hourly employee is considered essential for business during the Fall Break and unable to take the well-being days as observed, they are eligible for “well-being admin leave” equivalent to the number of hours worked on the designated dates to use at a later time within the fiscal year.
How will time off be reflected in the TimeClock Plus system?
For salaried employees, Human Resources will create already-approved “Well-Being Admin Leave” entries according to the employee’s full-time equivalent:
• 8 hours each day for a 40-hour work week employee
• 6 hours each day for a 30-hour workweek employee, etc.
Departmental TimeClock Plus HR users are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of those entries, particularly if the employee’s full-time equivalent changes prior to the actual date of the designated well-being days, if they work an alternative schedule, or if they will be working on the scheduled well-being days.
Departmental HR TimeClock Plus users can unapprove, edit and reapprove the hours, or delete them entirely. Well-Being Leave accruals and taken entries will be created by Nov. 1. If you are a human resources representative for a department that cannot be closed all of Fall Break, please email hr_is@mail.colostate.edu. These departments’ employees will see their well-being leave accruals on July 1 and can use the leave at any approved time through June 30, 2025. Well-Being Leave can be requested and approved through the TimeClock Plus request manager like sick and annual leave.
I have already submitted a leave day that coincides with scheduled well-being days. Can I participate in these well-being days instead of taking my leave?
If an employee wants to participate in these specified well-being days, it is permissible to rescind their leave request.
Will TimeClock Plus and payroll deadlines be impacted?
No, leave and payroll deadlines will not be impacted for 2024.
What if the governor grants a governor’s holiday on a date that CSU has well-being days scheduled?
CSU designates well-being days for the three days of fall break immediately preceding the official CSU holidays to provide a full week of time away for most faculty and staff. If the governor grants an additional holiday on a date that CSU has a planned well-being day (or on a CSU observed holiday in the same week), we will observe the governor’s holiday in lieu of one of the planned well-being days. This is consistent with our practice in recent years and provides most employees the entire week of time off without impacting campus operations when classes are in session.
I am an employee with essential or critical duties. I cannot participate in the scheduled time off for well-being days. What are my options?
Employees with essential duties who are unable to take well-being days during the week of Fall Break should coordinate with their supervisor to schedule their well-being days before June 30.
If an employee works on one or more scheduled well-being days, time must be recorded in TimeClock Plus for the dates actually observed.
Employees can request alternate time off through TimeClock Plus (as “Well-Being Admin Leave”). These days do not need to be taken consecutively. The well-being days are not eligible for payout or rollover at the end of the fiscal year.
My role and department are not considered essential and we are planning to work during these days; is this allowable?
Talk with your supervisor to determine if your role is required to support the university on the designated well-being days. If there is a business need requiring you to work these days, consult with your supervisor to identify future dates for you to observe the equivalent of well-being days during this fiscal year, which is from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
If the business need does not dictate your role is essential on the designated well-being days and you are being asked to work, you may consult with your unit’s human resources representative to determine options.
CEMML and CNHP employees
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) and Colorado National Heritage Program (CNHP) employees follow their own floating well-being days program. However, due to their unique funding model, employees of these departments are ineligible for any additional days that may be announced by the university or the governor of Colorado.
The “floating” well-being days can be used any time before June 30, 2025 (any well-being leave remaining will expire on that day and will no longer be usable nor be paid out). Well-being days do not have to be taken concurrently (employees can take 1 to 3 or all 3 days off at a time) but the leave must be taken in full-day increments.
For CEMML and CNHP employees, the days must be scheduled with the onsite supervisor and approved by the PI of the award in advance. Well-being days are designed to provide CEMML and CNHP staff the benefit of additional time off, as other university employees are afforded, while at the same time allowing for flexibility in when those days are observed.
