Information on leave, including holidays

Types of leave

• Holidays
• Vacation
• Personal days
• Sick leave
• Winter break
• Family and medical leave (FMLA)
• Shared Leave Program
• Military
• Organ and bone marrow donor
• Voting
• Additional types
• Learn about all leave types in the HR manual

Note: On September 7, 2022, the Board of Curators approved a new leave program, which is scheduled to begin in January 2024. Visit the Leave Program Changes webpage for additional information.

Holidays

The university observes nine official holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following, Christmas Day, and other days as may be designated by the president. All full-time administrative, service, and support employees are entitled to receive eight hours pay for these holidays.

When a holiday falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed. When a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is observed.

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-401 Holidays.

Vacation

All regular administrative, service, and support staff who have prior supervisory approval are eligible to receive paid vacation. Absences from work that are not caused by an illness or injury must be taken as vacation, except for: absences due to a family death, jury duty, or leaves of absence of less than 30 days treated as excused absences. Vacation must be earned before it is taken, and employees may accumulate twice their annual vacation accrual. Vacation is accrued at the following rates:

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-402 Vacations.

Personal days

Personal days are paid days off to be used at an employee's discretion. These days are subject to supervisory approval. All regular administrative, service, and support staff are granted four personal days each year (upon the hire date and thereafter credited on the yearly anniversary of hire). All unused personal days are lost at the end of the anniversary year, even if the employee is on leave.

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-403 Personal Days.

Sick leave

All regular administrative, service, and support staff at 100% FTE accrue one sick day per month of continuous employment. Though accrued throughout the month, sick leave is not available for use until the first day of the following pay period.

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-404 Sick Leave.

Winter break leave

Winter break leave is paid time off for regular administrative, service and support staff and certain non-regular academic employees during the University's systemwide winter reduced operations period.  The reduced operations period occurs between the Christmas Day holiday and the day before the New Year's Day holiday. This type of leave must be used during the winter break reduced operations period. Employees who are required to work during the reduced operations period are allowed an equivalent amount of leave to use at a later date.

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-415 Winter Break Leave.

Family and medical leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides employees the right to take a leave of absence for family, medical reasons, and leave for military families while maintaining job protection. Anyone employed by the university for at least 12 months who has worked at least 1250 hours in the 12-month period preceding is eligible for a family or medical leave (special limitations may apply to highly compensated employees). Accrued vacation time and other paid leave programs, as appropriate under university policies, must be used as part of the leave period.  Once vacation time and other paid leave programs are exhausted, FMLA leaves are without pay.

For more information, visit the About the Family Medical Leave Act webpage, or get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-407 Family and Medical Leave Act.

Shared leave program

The shared leave program enables eligible employees to donate accrued vacation leave benefits to a pool. This pool will be used to provide additional paid leave benefits to eligible employees who have experienced certain catastrophic events personally or within their family and have exhausted other sources of paid leave.

For more information, visit the Shared Leave Program webpage.

Military leave

Any University of Missouri employee who becomes a member of the armed forces will be granted a military leave of absence for military service. Individuals on military leave can choose to continue to receive their benefits, or they can suspend coverage while on military leave.

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-405 Military Leave.

Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Leave

Staff and academic faculty who have completed at least one year of continuous, fully benefit-eligible employment immediately before the leave are eligible to receive a leave of absence with pay for solid organ and bone marrow donation and recovery. Employees are only eligible for leave if the employee is the person serving as the donor.

To learn more, visit HR-416 Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Leave.

Voting

Any employee who is eligible to vote in an election held within the state of Missouri may receive three successive hours' time off with pay for the purpose of voting. If an employee's working hours are such that they permit three successive hours between the opening and closing of the polls when not on duty, they are not eligible for any paid time off for the purpose of voting. Absence due to voting must be requested prior to Election Day. It is within a supervisor's right to specify the time an employee may be absent to vote. 

Get more detailed information from the HR Manual at HR-411 Voting.

Additional leave

Additional leave types for which employees may be eligible include:

• Developmental leave
• Leave for work-incurred injury or illness
• Leaves of absence (general)
• Leave for legal proceedings,
• Funeral leave
• Administrative leave