Holidays and Sick Leaves — How Much Time Off Do Government Employees Get?

Are you tired of your 9-to-5 work routine? Do you feel like the private sector doesn’t give you enough time off to look after your family and personal wellbeing? We recommend applying for the civil service exams to sign up for a better work-life balance.

Let’s take a look at how much time-off do government employees usually get:

What are the different types of leaves?

Most government employees in the US earn two different types of time off:

a. Vacation leaves

b. Sick leaves

Sick leaves are applicable whenever employees have planned medical appointments for themselves or their families. Employees can also take sick days if they’re going through an adoption process.

On the other hand, vacation leaves apply for any reason that doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction’s sick leave requirements. Employees take sick leaves to take care of their health, whereas they take vacation leaves when they want to take them.

 

How much time-off do the employees get?

When an individual first enters the federal workforce, they receive only thirteen paid vacation leaves per year. However, the number of days increases with the length of their service. For the first three years, the number of vacation days per year remains fixed at thirteen. After that, they’re taken to twenty days up until fifteen years of service. After the employee completes fifteen years of service, they get twenty-six paid vacation days per year. 

All federal employees can accumulate thirteen paid sick days throughout the year, which can add up over time. There’s no limit to how many they can accumulate. The number of paid sick leaves is the same for all employees; irrespective of their service length.

Other than that, employees also get ten paid holiday leaves every year, according to the federal holiday schedule. These leaves include New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Washington’s Birthday, Martin Luther King. Jr.’s Birthday, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, and Christmas Day.

What leaves do the Suffolk Police Department employees have?

The employees of the Suffolk Police Department are given one sick leave every month. These leaves can be accumulated, and there are no limits on accumulation. For the first five years, they get one day of vacation leave every month. This number also increases along the length of their service. The personnel policy also allows them three personnel leave days and funeral leave every year. Members of the military reserves also get fifteen days of additional military leave.

The Suffolk Police Department offers excellent career growth for those who are passionate about serving the civil service. If you’re planning on appearing for the Suffolk County Police exam, Civil Service Success can help you prepare!