Employee Appreciation Bonus and Update on Vacation Accrual

Dear colleagues,

As President Monaco announced at the university town hall on December 1, we are delighted to offer a year-end bonus in appreciation for the extraordinary efforts each of you has made over the past year and a half on behalf of Tufts University. Together, we overcame unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, while continuing to provide exceptional support to our students and to one another. The bonus will be given to all eligible full-time and part-time employees who were employed at Tufts when the pandemic began, prior to April 1, 2020. The bonus will be paid in mid-December in the same way you receive your regular pay.

We also would like to update you regarding the university’s vacation policy. Last year, as one of several cost-savings measures, the university changed the maximum amount of vacation time employees are allowed to accrue to be equal to the amount of vacation earned in one year, based on eligibility. At the time, employees who earned vacation time had until June 30, 2022 to spend down any excess vacation time accrued beyond one year. We are happy to announce this deadline has been extended to June 30, 2023.

We encourage you to work with your manager to develop a plan for managing your vacation accrual. For details, please see the university’s updated vacation policy. If you have questions, please speak with your manager, or contact your HR Business Partner.

Finally, as a reminder, the university will be closed between December 24 and January 2 for the winter break. We hope you will take this opportunity to rest and recharge after this busy year.

Once again, thank you for your extraordinary efforts.

Best wishes,

Michael W. Howard, Executive Vice President
Kim Ryan, Vice President of Human Resources