Chancellor Mark Mone is asking all UWM divisions to consider closing buildings or offices to the public on the day after Thanksgiving and during the week of Christmas and New Year’s. This gives employees maximum flexibility to use paid leave to take days off or work remotely if duties allow. In addition, foot traffic is often normally very low in many areas on our campuses during the holidays.
For Thanksgiving, all academic and administrative buildings on the main campus will be locked on Friday, Nov. 29. The UWM at Waukesha campus will be closed to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and Nov. 29.
Over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, all academic and administrative buildings on the main campus will be locked from Monday, Dec. 23, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, reopening on Thursday, Jan. 2. The UWM at Waukesha campus also will be closed from Dec. 23 through Jan. 1.
Areas that serve students and anticipate a need to provide services to students or others on Nov. 29, and between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, may choose to stay open and staff facilities, appropriately. Those facilities should alert patrons to their planned hours over both the Thanksgiving weekend and from Dec. 23-Jan. 1.
Some employees may not have paid leave available or the flexibility to work remotely and may prefer to come to UWM to work. Supervisors should permit those employees to work and provide supervision if it is normally required.
Department managers should consider who might need access to the building and whether they have keys. Building chairs may request that a building be open and unlocked from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. by contacting the Facility Services Work Order Center. For the day after Thanksgiving, please submit the exception request by noon on Nov. 20. For the December holidays, please submit requests by noon on Friday, Dec. 20.
While UWM offices and buildings may be closed to the public, the day after Thanksgiving and Dec. 23, 26-27 and 30 are normal “work” days under Universities of Wisconsin policies. Employees performing essential functions, as determined by their unit heads, must still report to work as scheduled. Employees who do not plan to work those days should request time off and use paid leave.
