Vacation Leave

Purpose

The University encourages time off from work for rest, relaxation, and change of pace. The University provides vacation leave benefits for this purpose. In keeping with the purpose of vacation, full-time staff members will not receive additional pay in lieu of vacation leave except when terminating from University employment.

Eligibility

All staff members in regular positions are eligible to earn vacation leave. New staff members accumulate vacation leave credits from their starting dates, but are not eligible to use vacation leave credits until they have worked for three months. Temporary staff members are not eligible for vacation leave benefits except when stipulated in a written agreement for a long-term temporary appointment which has been authorized by the AVP of Human Resources.

Vacation Leave Accumulation

Staff Members in Non-exempt Positions - Vacation leave is earned according to the following schedule for full-time staff members in non-exempt positions:

• Through the 4th anniversary of continuous employment – 6.66 hours per month (the equivalent of 10 days/year) • From the 4th to the 9th anniversary of continuous employment - 10 hours per month (the equivalent of 15 days/year)

• From the 9th to the 14th anniversary of continuous employment - 12 hours per month (the equivalent of 18 days/year)

• From the 14th anniversary of continuous employment – 13.33 hours per month (the equivalent of 20 days/year)

Hours worked over forty (40) within a workweek are not used in calculating vacation leave accrual.

Part-time staff members in non-exempt positions, and full-time salaried staff members in non-exempt positions with leave without pay in a month, earn vacation leave in accordance with the following schedule:

• Through the 4th anniversary of continuous employment - .038462 hour x number of hours worked per month

• From the 4th to the 9th anniversary of continuous employment - .057692 hour x number of hours worked per month

• From the 9th to the 14th anniversary of continuous employment - .069231 hour x number of hours worked per month

• From the 14th anniversary of continuous employment on - .076923 hour x number of hours worked per month

Staff Members in Exempt Positions - Full-time staff members in exempt positions earn 1-2/3 days of vacation leave per month (the equivalent of twenty (20) days/year).

Full-time staff members in exempt positions with leave without pay in a month earn vacation leave on a prorated basis.

Sick Leave to Vacation Leave Conversion

Staff members who have accumulated more than seventy-five (75) working days of sick leave may convert sick leave credits earned beyond seventy-five (75) working days (600 hours) to vacation leave, converting five working days (40 hours) of sick leave to one working day (8 hours) of vacation leave. Written requests for conversion of sick leave to vacation leave can be made in the Note to Human Resources section of the monthly hours worked and/or leave record. The request will be forwarded to the Human Resources Department which will authorize the conversion and verify resultant accumulations of vacation and sick leave. If a staff member has accumulated more than the maximum sick leave balance and has not requested that sick leave be converted to vacation leave, the Human Resources Department will automatically convert five days (40 hours) of sick leave to one day (8 hours) of vacation leave.

The Human Resources Department will calculate hours equivalent to seventy-five (75) working days for regular, part-time staff members who are interested in this conversion privilege.

Vacation Leave Use

Vacation leave will not be advanced, but must be earned prior to the month in which it is used. Leave accumulated from the prior pay period will be applied to time off during the current pay period. If, after leave credits from the prior pay period are applied, a full-time staff member in a non-exempt position has leave without pay, vacation leave earned during the current month will be calculated on a prorated basis, as it is for part-time staff members, and will be available for use during the following pay period. If, after leave credits from the prior pay period are applied, a full-time staff member in an exempt position has leave without pay, vacation leave earned during the current month will be calculated on a prorated basis, and will be available for use during the following pay period.

A staff member who transfers from one department to another takes along unused, accumulated vacation leave credits which are available for immediate use. Staff members who are terminating and have unused accumulated vacation leave credits will receive vacation leave compensation upon termination, if they have worked for three months.

The final pay period’s vacation leave earnings for staff members in non-exempt positions who leave University employment before the end of the month will be calculated based on the total number of hours worked in the final pay period exclusive of overtime hours worked. The final month’s vacation leave earnings for staff members in exempt positions who leave University employment before the end of the month will be calculated on a prorated basis.

No staff member may take vacation leave unless such leave is approved by the supervisor. The staff member’s preferred vacation date requests will be considered whenever practical. However, the University reserves the right to deny vacation leave which may hinder the normal or continuous operation of the department. If scheduling conflicts arise due to multiple requests for the same vacation time off, requests will be granted based on the staff members’ length of service with the University (i.e., the longest service staff member being granted first preference for the vacation time), within the constraints of efficient departmental operation.

All staff members are expected to use their vacation leave credits on an annual basis in recognition of the regenerative value of a periodic change of routine. However, with the approval of the department head, a staff member may carry over vacation leave credits from one fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) to the next, not to exceed 160 hours (20 working days). A staff member with more than fifteen (15) years of service may carry over up to 240 hours (30 working days) of vacation leave with departmental approval. Staff members who have more than the allowable vacation leave accumulated at the end of the fiscal year will lose the leave over the maximum allowed. The supervisor’s or department head’s signature on the June “Exceptions to Regular Hours Worked For Salaried Staff Members in Non-exempt Positions,” “Record of Hours Worked for Hourly Staff Members in Non-exempt Positions,” or “Record of Vacation/Sick Leave for Exempt Staff” connotes approval of leave carry over under the maximum allowed.

Illness or injury occurring during a staff member’s vacation leave will not be changed to sick leave unless the staff member or an immediate family member (see “Sick Leave” policy) is hospitalized. Documentation of hospitalization may be requested by the supervisor.

 Holidays or bonus days recognized by the University which occur during a staff member’s vacation leave are not deducted from earned vacation leave credits.

Staff members applying for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leaves will be required to use accumulated vacation leave before unpaid FMLA leave begins. The paid vacation leave will be counted in determining the staff member’s FMLA leave entitlement of twelve (12) weeks (see “Family Medical Leave Act” policy).

Supervisors of staff in non-exempt positions are responsible for maintaining records of sick leave earned and used on the “Exceptions to Regular Hours Worked for Salaried Staff Members in Non-exempt Positions” or the “Record of Hours Worked for Hourly Staff Members in Non-exempt Positions” forms. Supervisors of staff in exempt positions are responsible for maintaining records of sick leave used on the “Record of Vacation/Sick Leave for Staff Members in Exempt Positions” form.

The Human Resources Department maintains records of vacation leave earned and used. Individual vacation balances for the pay period are printed on the staff member’s pay stub. Departmental summary reports are mailed to department heads monthly.

Workers Compensation Time Loss Benefits and Vacation Leave Supplementation

Regular staff members who are injured on the job and who are released from work for over three days following the date of injury are eligible to supplement their time-loss benefits with sick or vacation leave payments. The authorization for release from work must be approved by the third party administrator for Workers Compensation and be identified as a time loss injury. The staff member will receive Workers Compensation time loss benefits for time away from work and will be given the opportunity to supplement time loss benefits with sick or vacation leave, as follows: for every 7-day period for which the staff member receives non-taxable time loss benefits, the staff member may choose to supplement the time loss benefits with 10 hours of sick leave pay (or vacation leave pay if sick leave has been exhausted).

Supplementation will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Generally supplementation will be addressed at the point when the injured staff member returns to work because most injured staff members return to work within a month. At that time the staff member will be apprised by Human Resources of her/his sick leave balance and asked to indicate formally whether or not he/she wishes to supplement time loss payments with sick leave. If the staff member has no sick leave accumulated, then she/he will be asked to indicate formally whether or not he/she wishes to supplement time loss payments with vacation leave. In situations when it is clear that the staff members will be on time loss benefits for longer than a month, Human Resources will apprise the staff member of the supplementation option while the staff member is off work so that supplementation payments can be made in a timely manner.

The staff member must have sick and/or vacation leave accrued at the time of injury. The shared leave policy does not apply to the sick and vacation leave supplementation policy. Supplementation will not be offered until the injury has been clearly determined to be a Workers Compensation claim. Supplementation will not be available to staff members who return to work on a reduced work schedule.

Origination Date: 9/1958
Revised: 2007