Vacation Leave for Faculty and Academic Professional and Administrative Employees

Eligible faculty and academic professional and administrative (P&A) employees are provided paid vacation leave. Vacation days may be used as they are accrued and are scheduled at the mutual convenience of the department/responsible administrator or supervisor and the faculty member or P&A employee. For individuals holding a 100 percent, twelve month (A-term) appointment, a total of 22 days is accrued annually over 26 pay periods on a biweekly basis. Eligible individuals at 67 percent up to 100 percent time accrue on a pro-rated basis. Vacation for any qualifying percentage of time is not cumulative beyond a total of 22 days except under special circumstances.

Unused vacation days up to a maximum of 22 days are paid out when the individual terminates University employment, providing the employee has worked 67 to 100 percent time for at least eleven months. If the employee has not worked the required time the employee’s unused vacation will not vest, and the employee will have no right to payout of any vacation balance. When an individual changes from a vacation eligible appointment (e.g., 100 percent down to 50 percent time) or position to one that is ineligible for vacation, the accrued vacation balance will be paid out.

Documentation of vacation leave within the Human Resource Management System is required.

Eligibility

Faculty and P&A (93xx, 96xx, 97xx; 9540 & 9546) employees eligible for vacation leave must hold a 67 to 100 percent time, twelve month (A-base) appointment (refer to the definition of an A-base appointment for clarification and additional information). Represented faculty are to refer to their respective collective bargaining agreement. Excluded from coverage under this policy are (1) civil service and union-represented staff, (2) graduate assistants, (3) professionals-in-training (except 9540 & 9546), and (4) "Without Salary" appointments.

This policy implements Board of Regents Policy: Employee Work-Life and Personal Leaves. The University provides to eligible faculty and P&A employees vacation leave to support well-being and as an incentive to spend time away from work to foster increased efficiency and effectiveness in accomplishing position responsibilities. Also, because it is often inconvenient for the employee as well as the department to have an individual on an A-base appointment on leave for one month (22 days) at one time, this vacation policy was established.

• Accruing and Using Vacation Leave

• um1704: Faculty/P and A Vacation Leave Reporting (PDF)
• um1704: Faculty/P and A Vacation Leave Reporting (DOC)

Subject	Contact	Phone	Fax/Email
General Information or Procedural Assistance	Primary: Responsible administrator/supervisor Secondary: Local campus, college, or administrative unit HR administrator Other (as needed): Office of Human Resources specialist or consultant	Office of Human Resources Specialist and Consultant List	Office of Human Resources Specialist and Consultant List
Document Processing	HRMS Key Contact Office of Human Resources Call Center	HRMS Key Contact List 612-625-2016	HRMS Key Contact List

A-base Appointments (A-term Appointments)

Eleven month appointments paid over 12 months. When A-base appointments are converted to the nine-month academic year, the salary is set at 9/11ths of the A-base.

Department/Campus, College or Administrative Unit

• Establishes local procedure for managing and documenting use of faculty and P&A employee vacation leave.
• Determines staff responsible for verifying correct conversion of dates of vacation leave taken into appropriate number of days taken for entry into PeopleSoft.
• Identifies HRMS academic vacation leave entry staff.
• Maintains for 4 fiscal years electronic or paper leave of absence reporting records, UM forms.

Designated Leave Entry Staff

• Enters into PeopleSoft days of vacation leave taken.

Employee

• Arranges vacation leave with reasonable notice following departmental procedures.
• Submits report of vacation leave prior to being taken or immediately following.

Responsible Administrator/Supervisor

• Manages requests for vacation leave, as appropriate.
• Ensures documentation of leave in the Human Resource Management System (HRMS).

Unit HR Administration

• Ensures campus, college or administrative unit compliance with policy and procedures.

• Appendix A: What happens to Faculty and P and A employee vacation (PDF)

1. Will automated vacation tracking be implemented for those faculty and P&A employees with multiple 12-month appointments that when combined meet the eligibility criteria of 67 percent to 100 percent time?
   Individuals in this situation will continue to be provided vacation benefits; however, automated vacation tracking will not be available. The current practice of manually tracking vacation will continue for this group as this type of situation is reviewed and a long term approach is determined.
2. What is the total maximum vacation accrual for an eligible faculty member or P&A employee with an appointment of 67 to 100 percent time?
   The total maximum vacation accrual for those eligible is 22 days regardless of the percentage of time of the employee's appointment.
3. Is a vacation eligible faculty or P&A employee permitted to use vacation leave prior to its accrual?
   A small amount of vacation leave not yet available may be used and will be tracked on the system as a negative vacation balance. Should the person leave University employment or move into a position that is ineligible to accrue vacation leave prior to accruing a sufficient number of days to cover the negative balance, the dollar equivalent of the negative vacation balance must be paid to the University.
4. Are there situations in which vacation balances would not be paid out at termination?
   Yes. Vacation balances are not paid to employees who have been employed for less than a full eleven months at 67 to 100 percent time when their University employment terminates.

• Board of Regents Policy: Employee Work-Life and Personal Leaves
• Appointment Terms
• Collective bargaining agreements

Amended:

February 2009 – Policy revised (1) to include language that permits vacation payout under specified circumstances during times of continued University employment, (2) to include automation of accrual and usage of vacation days. Policy is effective March 1, 2009.

Amended:

July 2008 - Policy revised to allow vacation days to be used as they are accrued.

Amended:

December 2007 - Policy converted to the new University-wide format for Administrative policies. Edits to clarify policy intent.

Amended:

February 2007 - Moved to Administrative Policy with edits.

Amended:

November 1990, September 1992

Adopted:

May 1954