The Summer Wellness Hours are available for June 1 through July 31, 2026.

Summer Wellness FAQ

Here’s how you can take advantage of this seasonal benefit:

1. Summer Flexibility
   Use your wellness hours to recharge, whether that means enjoying outdoor activities, spending time with family, or simply relaxing in the sunshine. Summer wellness hours are reserved for employees who are actively working and are not participating in any leave of absence activities.
2. Flexible Start and End Times
   Employees may adjust their daily start or end times, in coordination with their team, to utilize Summer Wellness Hours while maintaining appropriate departmental coverage. Please note that these hours do not carry over and Summer Wellness Hour blocks of four must be used during the week they are granted.
3. Remote Work Considerations
   If you have an existing remote work agreement, adjustments to your schedule may be made as appropriate. Please work with your supervisor to ensure that departmental responsibilities continue to be met.

• Independence Day (July 4)
• Labor Day
• Day before Thanksgiving Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day after Thanksgiving Day
• Winter Break (December 24 – January 1)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• 4 Floating Holidays – Open*

*Floating Holidays to be taken in Fiscal Year (July 1 – June 30)

Floating holidays can be requested through the absence calendar in Workday in advance of the requested day off .

Full-time employees will be paid for time lost through specified illness-related absences during the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) and will accrue at the rate of (1) day for each month of service, up to ten (10) working days per fiscal year. The Policies and Procedures manual defines the rules for taking sick leave.

Furman University provides paid vacation for full-time employees as follows:

Some departments may require their employees to take vacation at a specific time. Vacations for these employees will be scheduled when students are not on campus or as designated by the Department Head. Rules for taking vacation are covered in the Policies and Procedures manual.

Effective January 1, 2015, an individual may take a birthday day off in accordance with University Policy 819.2.  Birthday PTO is based on the Calendar year and expires each Dec 31.

Q: How many hours off do staff get for their birthday?

A: The birthday off is equivalent to the number of hours an employee would be scheduled to work on a regular work day.

Q: What if my birthday falls on a weekend? Do I get to take a different day off?

A: Yes, a different day off may be taken, provided it is taken during the birthday month. Any exceptions must be approved in advance by the immediate supervisor.

Q: What if my birthday is on a holiday or a shut-down day for the University.

A: Staff members may arrange with their immediate supervisor to take the birthday off before or after the break.

Q: I am a nine-month employee and my birthday falls during a month in which I do not work. Do I get to take off a different day?

A: Yes, employees may make arrangements with their immediate supervisor to take a day off at another time.

Q: In 2015 my birthday falls on a day I am not scheduled to work. Do I get to take off a different day?

A: Yes, employees may make arrangements with their immediate supervisor to take their birthday off at another agreed upon time.

Q: What if my job responsibilities prevent me from being able to take off my birthday?

A: Employees may make arrangements with their immediate supervisor to take their birthday off at another agreed upon time.

Q: May I take my birthday off outside of my birthday month?

A: Whether staff can take their birthday off during a month outside of their birthday month is within their immediate supervisor’s discretion.

Q: Can I choose not to take a day off for my birthday and receive additional compensation instead?

A: Employees may not receive additional compensation in lieu of taking their birthday off.

Q: How is the birthday off different than a holiday?

A: Both are considered holidays per the policy. Employees may make arrangements with their immediate supervisor to take their birthday or university holidays off at another agreed upon time to ensure employees are available to meet the needs of the department.

Staff in positions that are regularly scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for Health and Wellness paid time off (PTO).  Eligible staff receive 5 hours of Health & Wellness PTO per calendar year with the goal of enhancing employee wellbeing.  Health & Wellness Hours may be taken at any time with supervisor approval and are to be used for on-campus “wellness” activities only.  Health & Wellness hours do not carry over from year to year and expire each December 31st.

Full time staff that are regularly scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week for at least 39 weeks per year will be granted three (3) days of paid bereavement leave per qualifying loss.

Bereavement leave provides time for grieving the loss of a family member and for the purposes of planning and attending the funeral/memorial of a family member.  For purposes of this leave, immediate family is defined as spouse, domestic partner, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and permanent members of the immediate household.

Furman will support time off for jury duty by treating it as regular work time with full pay.

Furman provides eligible staff with six weeks of Parental PTO at or near the time of the birth of a child or the adoption or foster care placement of a child under 16 years of age.

Furman provides Catastrophic Injury/Illness PTO to eligible staff to assist them during period of their own catastrophic injury/illness.

Eligible staff may request up to six weeks of Catastrophic PTO for absences necessitated by their own catastrophic injury/illness that will require them to be absent from work for 10 days or longer for the purpose of maintaining their earnings.

Summary of Paid Time Off

An employee will be allowed to take medical leave covered by the requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for up to twelve (12) weeks for a medically certified period of incapacity, illness, or injury that is a serious health condition.

An employee will be allowed to take family leave covered by the requirements and protections of the FMLA for up to twelve (12) weeks.  Family leave will be granted for the following reasons: (1) to care for the employee’s child if leave is taken within twelve months of the birth, (2) to care for the employee’s child who has been placed with the employee through adoption or foster care, (3) to care for the spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent of the employee, if that family member has a serious health condition.