The Davis campus has revised its December curtailment program to allow “soft closures,” whereby departments and units would be closed to the public, and most staff members could choose between taking time off or working onsite or remotely.

The six curtailment days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 21-23 and Dec. 28-30. Each of those weeks also includes two university holidays: Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

“We’ve received a lot of feedback, and soft closures will provide more flexibility for holiday operations and staffing,” said Kelly Ratliff, vice chancellor for Finance, Operations and Administration. “That said, many campus services and the associated staff will be off and those services will not be available.”

As in past years, schools, colleges and divisions can still implement “hard closures,” whereby the only staff members at work would be those performing essential services. All other staff would be off, using vacation time, compensatory time or unpaid leave. Staff members without sufficient vacation time could borrow against their future accrual. During the curtailment, staff will continue accruing vacation and sick leave even if they choose to take unpaid leave.

In a soft closure, subject to approval by vice chancellor/provost or dean, staff members may opt to work even if their services are not essential, but instead may be of high importance, say, as time-sensitive, strategic in nature or critical to reducing workload backlogs.

This new flexibility comes as Chancellor Gary S. May plans a broader response to the campus’s “significant financial shortfalls,” as outlined in an announcement Monday (Nov. 23).

Human Resources has asked its HR partners in the schools, colleges and divisions to identify which positions and services will be subject to curtailment in December. Please direct questions about your unit’s operations to your internal contacts.

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