Summer Hiatus is a leave of absence in Workday for faculty and AFT extension lecturers with 9-month service periods. Summer Hiatus indicates the eligible academic personnel will not be teaching for a designated time period, and temporarily halts their pay.
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Only 9-month faculty members and extension lecturers with a commitment to return in the fall should be placed on Summer Hiatus. Pay resumes when they return.
Faculty with 12-month service periods are not eligible for Summer Hiatus.
How Summer Hiatus Works in Workday
The Summer Hiatus leave of absence is initiated in Workday by the eligible employee’s department, and usually in advance of the actual departure (for most faculty and extension lecturers, around the first week in June).
When the Summer Hiatus leave has been approved, eligible faculty and extension lecturers going on Summer Hiatus should see a notification in Workday titled Action Taken on Your Account: Absence Request. The notification is simply an auto-generated courtesy email; no action is required by the faculty member or extension lecturer.
Upon return from Summer Hiatus (most often in September, though some faculty and extension lecturers return earlier), the eligible employee’s department will initiate a “return from leave” in Workday, and pay will resume based on the employee’s FTE and position. (Leaves with end dates of September 15 will be automatically ended by UW-IT’s Workday Application Management team with no additional action required unless the employee is returning earlier than that date.)
Initiating a Summer Hiatus Leave of Absence
Units should follow the procedure detailed in the User Guides linked in the sidebar, depending on the duration of a faculty member or extension lecturer’s leave.
How Summer Hiatus May Impact Benefits Eligibility
If you have questions about how Summer Hiatus may impact benefits and benefits eligibility, make sure to watch our webinar – hosted by the Workday Application Management team, UWHR Benefits and Academic HR – designed specifically for quarterly faculty. The session covers general questions about benefits eligibility for quarterly faculty, provides an overview of Summer Hiatus, and outlines eligibility for off-quarter benefits coverage:
FAQs About Summer Hiatus Benefits Deductions
Below, we have compiled a list of some of the most commonly asked questions about Summer Hiatus and benefits deductions. If after reviewing these resources you still have questions about Summer Hiatus, please feel free to reach out to your unit’s HR department. You can also use the Contact Us form if you have additional benefits eligibility questions.
What are 'septuple deductions'?
As pay is temporarily stopped during Summer Hiatus, and therefore no paychecks are earned, employees pay their benefit deductions ahead of time. Because Summer Hiatus lasts for six pay periods (for the six pay periods between June 16 – September 15), employees pay for six deductions in advance, plus one deduction for the current pay period (June 1 – 15).
When are septuple deductions taken?
Benefits-eligible employees who are placed on Summer Hiatus for the full summer will see the septuple deduction taken on their June 25 paycheck.
Who will see septuple deductions?
In general, 9-month academic personnel who are placed on Summer Hiatus for the full summer (June 16 – September 15) AND who are determined to be PEBB benefits-eligible by UWHR Benefits can expect to see the septuple deduction on their paycheck.
Are HSA, FSA, DCAP or LTD premiums taken in the septuple deductions?
No, your Health Savings Account (HSA), Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) and/or Employee-paid Long-Term Disability (LTD) contributions are NOT included in the septuple deductions, as long as you have no pay over the summer (eg, an additional job). In general, these deduction are not taken during Summer Hiatus, and will resume as normal upon return from Summer Hiatus.
Some additional considerations:
- FSA/DCAP: When you enrolled in your Medical FSA and/or DCAP, you were asked to elect an annual dollar contribution amount. The UWHR Benefits team then considered the length of your appointment when determining your per-paycheck deduction amount. For example, if you are a 9-month employee, your annual contributions were divided over 18 pay periods (two pay periods for nine months). If you are a 12-month employee, your annual contribution amounts were divided over 24 pay periods.
- HSA: If you enrolled in an HSA during Open Enrollment, you were asked to elect an annual dollar contribution amount. The USHR Benefits team then considered the length of your appointment when determining you per-paycheck deduction amount. Please note, you may choose to increase, decrease or stop your HSA contributions at any time during the year. If, upon your return to work, you wish to update your HSA contributions to meet your goals, simply submit your election changes in Workday.
Should I anticipate additional deductions upon return in September?
In general, all of your normal deductions will resume beginning with your October 10 paycheck. Though uncommon, in some cases employees may owe medical, dental or optional life deductions in arrears – for example, if you were placed on Summer Hiatus after the deadline and missed the septuple deduction, or you experienced a Life Event over the summer that increased or decreased your normal premium or changed your benefits eligibility. UWHR Benefits will work directly with any employee for whom this is the case.
If I am working for only part of the summer, what benefits deductions will be taken?
Septuple deductions are only taken for eligible employees on Summer Hiatus for the entire summer (June 16 – September 15). For benefits-eligible faculty and extension lecturers working only part of the summer, benefits contributions will continue as normal up until your last day of work – no longer receiving pay – and will resume as normal when you return to pay status. Any missed deductions for medical (including any Tobacco and/or Spousal Surcharges) insurance and/or optional life insurance premiums will be taken when pay resumes. However, if a faculty member or extension lecturer is currently enrolled in a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) (both health and dependent care) those premiums will be taken from any pay received throughout the course of the summer.