Chancellor Mark Mone is asking all UWM divisions to consider closing buildings or offices to the public on the day after Thanksgiving, to give employees maximum flexibility to use paid leave to take the day off or work remotely if duties allow.
Foot traffic is often quite low in many areas across our campuses that day, and UWM’s branch campuses have historically closed buildings to the public the day after Thanksgiving.
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.
All academic and administrative buildings will be locked on Friday, Nov. 24. 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.
Areas that serve students and anticipate a need to provide services to students or others on Nov. 24 may choose to stay open and staff facilities appropriately. Those facilities should alert patrons to their planned hours over the Thanksgiving weekend.
While UWM offices and buildings may be closed to the public, the day after Thanksgiving is a normal “work” day under UW System 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 that day should request time off and use paid leave.
