Staff Vacation

Eligibility for Vacation

• Full-time employees, part-time employees, and partial-year employees eligible for benefits (see Policy 7.7, Employee Classifications, for definitions of these classifications) are entitled to paid vacation, the accrual rate of which is dependent upon their job classification and length of service. The schedule of annual vacation accrual rates for full-time employees is explained below.
• Part-time employees and partial-year employees will receive vacation time that is prorated according to the same percentage of time granted to full-time employees. The specific length of time allowed will be defined in such cases by consultation between the employee’s supervisor and the Department of Human Resources.
• Employees whose departments recognize longer academic breaks than do other administrative offices must take these days from their vacation accruals and report them as vacation. Time taken other than official holidays must be indicated on pay records as vacation.
• To avoid conflict of commitment, employees receiving extra compensation for instructing an academic course during administrative and general office hours must take the time from their vacation accruals and report the time as vacation.

Schedule of Annual Vacation Accrual Rates

Employees eligible for vacation will accrue the following amounts on an annualized basis:

Staff Hired Prior to June 1, 1995

Group I: Principal Administrative Officers, Senior Administrative, and Professional staff – those individuals whose assignments require the most advanced level of skills recognized in the professional field and those whose administrative assignments require broad operational knowledge and permit considerable independent action in either supervising a department or solving complex policy issues. Determination of Group I status is recommended by the Vice Presidents and approved by the President.

Group II: Job grades 12 and higher

Group III:  All Staff not in Group I or Group II

Staff Hired On or After June 1, 1995

Group IV: Staff who are not Principal Administrative Officers, Senior Administrative and Professional staff as described in Group V below.

Group V: Principal Administrative Officers, Senior Administrative, and Professional staff – those individuals whose assignments require the most advanced level of skills recognized in the professional field and those whose administrative assignments require broad operational knowledge and permit considerable independent action in either supervising a department or solving complex policy issues. Determination of Group V status is recommended by the Vice Presidents and approved by the President.

Vacation Accrual and Payout

Employees working 12 months will accrue one-twelfth of the total amount of annual vacation, each month. Employees working fewer than 12 months will accrue vacation on a prorated basis.

• Vacation will not accrue during periods of time for which the employee is on approved leave without pay, unless otherwise required by law.
• Employees may not share or loan vacation to co-workers.
• Vacation is not treated as “hours worked” for purposes of calculating overtime pay.
• Employees whose employment terminates prior to their first anniversary date will not receive pay for unused vacation.
• Employees who leave University employment for any reason and are rehired by the University within 90 days will maintain their original benefits service dates. Employees who leave University employment for any reason, but are later rehired by the University more than 90 days later, will be considered to be new employees with new benefits service dates.
• Accrued vacation paid at termination of employment may not exceed the allowance which applies during the final year of employment for persons hired before June 1, 1995, and may not exceed ten days for those hired on or after June 1, 1995. Any additional accrued vacation is forfeited.

When Vacation May Be Taken

Vacation must be accrued before it is taken. After completing 90 days of continuous employment which coincides with Staff Probationary Period, employees may begin to take accrued vacation. See Policy 7.6 Probationary Period. 

• With the exception of vacation taken in conjunction with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave or U.S. military leave, supervisors must approve all vacation and may determine periods of time when vacation may not be taken. Departmental efficiency and work needs will be the primary consideration in granting the use of vacation.
• Unpaid leave may not be taken in lieu of accrued vacation days, except when an employee is on U.S. military leave.
• When an employee has no medical leave available, vacation will be used to provide the employee with pay continuation during the medical absence. When vacation is exhausted, the employee will be placed on unpaid leave status. See Policy 7.16, Family and Medical Leave Act Policy.

Maximum Vacation Accruals

Employees are expected to take vacation and not accrue excessive balances, keeping in mind that there are limits to the amount of vacation paid out at termination of employment, as referenced below.

• If, however, the employee cannot be released from work to take vacation, unused vacation may be accumulated up to an amount equaling two times the employee’s applicable annual vacation amount, but still subject to the maximum pay-out allowed upon termination of employment.
• The capped amount at two times the annual vacation amount means no additional vacation is accrued until additional vacation is taken.

Vacation and Medical Leave

Employees who become ill or injured while on vacation may report that time as medical leave if they would have been absent from work due to the illness or injury or if the illness or injury qualifies under FMLA. See Policy 7.16, Family and Medical Leave Act. A doctor’s note may be required to substantiate the time reported as medical leave.