Prepare for the winter closure
Winter closure is coming to Stanford. The university’s annual winter break takes place between fall and winter academic quarters, and allows for a shutdown of many university operations.
This year’s winter closure is a week longer than normal, running from Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, through Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, for those areas designated to close. Regular operations resume on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. The following dates have been designated as university holidays.
- Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020
- Friday, Dec. 25, 2020
- Friday, Jan. 1, 2021
The winter closure dates are set by senior leadership after reviewing the Stanford academic calendar, as well as the close dates for area school districts and several other factors. The timing may affect individuals and departments differently, but the overall goal is to provide an opportunity for a meaningful break from work.
In a letter to faculty and staff in September, Vice President for Human Resources Elizabeth Zacharias said the added week of break was in recognition of the extended period of disruption and stress that we’ve experienced this year. “Perhaps more than in any year, having downtime is vitally important,” she noted.
In addition to the designated university holidays, leaders have approved five extra days off with pay for employees working in departments that close completely from Dec. 14 to Jan. 1. For the areas that are not able to fully close due to the critical nature of their work, leaders have approved two additional paid days for employees to use at another time, before Feb. 26, 2021.
The Winter Closure Checklist, a list of year-end deadlines for employees, is now on Cardinal at Work and includes information on submitting timecards, benefits reminders and more.