Vacation Leave

Purpose

The University provides vacation with pay to any regular staff employee with a full-time equivalent (FTE) of 0.5 or greater. Vacations are to be scheduled at times that are convenient to the department and with consideration of the employee’s preference.

Note: The University encourages an employee to schedule at least five days of vacation leave consecutively, resulting in at least one full week of meaningful time off.

Policy

Vacation Allowances

Regular full-time employees in the following groups and employed on or after 07/01/83 are provided annual vacation allowances as follows.

1) Any administrative and professional staff employee earns vacation as follows:

1. 15 days each year during the first five years of continuous service, and
2. 20 days each year during the sixth year and each year of continuous service thereafter.

2) Any office and clerical, service and maintenance or technical and scientific staff employee earns vacation as follows:

1. 10 days each year during the first three years of continuous service,
2. 15 days each year during the fourth through the ninth year of continuous service, and
3. 20 days each year during the tenth year and each year of continuous service thereafter.

Note: The accrual rate is based on the established FTE for the position compared to the departmental normal work week. In cases where the scheduled work week is not consistent throughout the year, the pro rata percentage to full-time shall be calculated on an annualized basis.

3) Any regular employee with an assignment of 0.5 FTE or greater and employed before 07/01/83 shall receive vacation leave in accordance with the policy in effect at the time of that employee’s employment as long as that employee has not been involved in a personnel action (i.e. promotion, demotion, transfer etc.).

1. Any personnel action which takes place on or after 07/01/83 and which does not result in the employee’s changing position status (exempt remains exempt, nonexempt remains nonexempt) shall result in the employee receiving vacation leave in accordance with the above (Number 3) except that the employee shall not receive a reduction in vacation leave allowance.
2. Any change in position status which takes place on or after 07/01/83 and results in the employee’s changing status (nonexempt to exempt or exempt to nonexempt) shall result in the employee’s receiving vacation leave in accordance with the appropriate accrual as defined under Vacation Allowances.

Process

1) The department head or designee shall be responsible for scheduling vacations to allow for adequate staffing to meet the departmental work load. This scheduling may specify periods during which some or all employees may not take vacation leave.

2) The department head or designee shall be responsible for accurately reporting vacation leave usage. The official record for vacation leave balances will be maintained in the University’s centralized resource information system. These records shall be available for review by the employee, the Associate Vice President of Human Resources, the Human Resources Office of Employee Relations, or other authorized University officials.

Accrual and Recording

1) The vacation allowance shall be accrued on the basis of either one-twelfth of the annual allowance per month for monthly employees or one-twenty sixth of the annual allowance per pay period for bi-weekly employees.

1. An employee accrues vacation while in a paid status, excluding long term disability.
2. An employee who is in a paid status for one-half or more of the pay period shall accrue vacation for that pay period.
3. Vacation accruals will be assessed and posted at the end of each pay period. The accumulated leave hours will be available for use at the beginning of the following pay period.
4. An employee transferring from one department to another as a regular staff employee will carry into the new department accrued vacation leave.

Use of Vacation Leave

1) Vacation requests shall be approved in advance by the department head or designee.

2) Vacation leave may only be used after it has been accrued and must be taken in no less than 15 minute increments.

Disposition of Unused Vacation Leave

An employee shall forfeit vacation leave accrued and available June 30 of any year, if the leave is not used by September 30 of the following calendar year. This allows 15 months following the close of any fiscal year for use of the balance.

Form

Absence Record Form