As USC evaluates its approach to campus operations during the Winter Recess period in future years, the 2024 paid Winter Recess period for eligible staff will begin Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, and end Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.
Per the Paid Winter Recess Policy, eligible employees include all USC staff except those who, as part of our commitment to our patients, spend a majority of their time providing patient care – this is constituted by a cost funding allocation of 50% or more from clinical accounts (e.g., CHLA medical group, USC Care medical group) and who will be working during this period/time.
Resource employees, per diem employees, faculty, and those claiming student status (including teaching and research assistants) are also not eligible for these hours.
Eligible staff will receive their normal allocation of Winter Recess hours, as per Paid Winter Recess policy.
As eligible staff will also receive Dec. 24, 2024, Jan. 2, 2025, and Jan. 3, 2025 as paid Winter Recess days, they will receive the following additional Winter Recess hours:
37.5-hour workweek = 22.5 hours of Extended Winter Recess
40-hour workweek = 24 hours of Extended Winter Recess
The Extended Winter Recess hours will be reflected in Workday and Kronos on or before Dec. 15, 2024. Once available, this FAQ will be updated, and you will be notified through an article in the Gateway Connect newsletter. If your area uses a different timekeeping system, please speak to your HR Partner or Payroll representative.
All eligible staff must check with their supervisor to establish how best to coordinate time off schedules.
As in past years, after confirming with your supervisor, you must submit your Winter Recess time off request in Workday or Kronos to gain approval from your supervisor.
Additional details on how to enter the time off request will be shared by mid-November.
All units are encouraged to close unless the nature of the business requires them to remain open (e.g., the hospitals do not close). We ask leaders with direct reports to assess their operations so departments may close as much as possible.
Eligible staff who must work during Winter Recess will not lose this paid time off, but you must use it within the designated periods below:
- Extended Winter Recess hours – as early as Friday, Dec. 20 of this year and as late as June 30, 2025.
- Regular Winter Recess hours – as early as Friday, Dec. 20 of this year and as late as December 1, 2025.
Please note that approval of time off is always dependent on business needs, so be sure to discuss your time off requests with your supervisor as early as possible.
No. All pay dates and payroll deadlines remain the same.
For the Regular Winter Recess, refer to the Paid Winter Recess policy. Or you may contact your HR Partner or the HR Service Center at uschr@usc.edu or 213-821-8100. Please check back for HR Service Center hours during the Winter Recess period.
The Winter Recess period for Keck Medicine employees remains unchanged. Eligible Keck Medicine staff will receive up to 24 hours of Winter Recess hours already available under the policy or any applicable collective bargaining agreement.