HR Reference | Time Off

Time Off

The University provides many different types of paid and unpaid time off to help employees maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Paid Time Off

 Vacation, Holiday, Comp Time, Sick Leave, Sick Leave Pool, Family Leave Pool, Military Leave, Other

Annual Leave (Vacation) HOP 5-4110

  • Employees earn vacation hours based on their state service years.
    • Vacation time off begins to accrue on the first day of employment and the first day of each month.
    • During the first two years of state service, employees earn 8 hours a month.
  • If this is the employee’s first state job or they worked at another state entity but for less than 180 consecutive days,
    • the employee cannot use their vacation time off balances during the probationary period.
    • If the employee separates from the university during the probationary period, they are not paid out for the unused vacation time off balances.
  • If the employee has already worked a consecutive 180 days at any state entity, they may use vacation time off during the probationary period and they would be paid out the accrual if they separated during the probationary period.

Holiday Leave HOP 5-4120

  • Employees appointed to work at least 20 hours per week for at least 4.5 continuous months receive paid holiday time off.
  • Part-time employees are granted holiday leave based on the percentage of hours appointed.
  • 2023-24 Holiday Schedule

State Compensatory Time HOP 5-4010

  • State compensatory time is earned at straight time at the end of the work week when the total number of hours recorded as worked plus the total number of hours of paid time off or paid holidays exceeds 40 hours in one workweek.
  • Employees must have prior approval before earning compensatory time.
  • State compensatory time expires within 12 months of the week it was earned.
  • There is a cap on the number of state compensatory hours you may earn.
    • An employee’s state compensatory time balance cannot exceed 144 hours OR the employee’s current sick time off balance, whichever is higher.
  • The supervisor/department must review and approve the use of state compensatory time, verify that the employee has accurately recorded the use of their time, and approve the time entry.
  • Supervisors are encouraged to accommodate the employee’s use of state compensatory time to the extent practicable.
  • See HR guidelines for additional information.

Sick Leave HOP 5-4210

  • Full-time employees earn 8 hours of paid sick leave on their first day of work and on the first day of each subsequent month.
  • Part-time employees earn paid sick leave in proportion to their appointment.
  • Sick time off is not subject to the new employee probationary period.
  • Permitted uses of sick leave:
    • Employee's Medical Condition. Sick leave may be taken when an employee is prevented from performing duties because of sickness, injury, or confinement due to pregnancy.
    • Care of Immediate Family. Sick leave may be taken when an employee needs to care for an immediate family member who is actually ill because of sickness, injury, or confinement due to pregnancy.
    • Care of Family Who Do Not Reside in the Same Household. An employee's sick leave used to care for family who do not reside in the same household is strictly limited to the time necessary to provide care to the employee's spouse, child or parent who needs such care as a direct result of a documented medical condition.
    • Parent-Teacher Conferences. An employee may use up to eight 8 hours of sick leave each calendar year to attend parent-teacher conferences for the employee's children who are in pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade.
  • If an employee exhausts all sick leave, any further absence caused by sickness, injury or confinement due to pregnancy must be charged to other accrued paid leave.
  • If all other accrued leave is exhausted, the employee will be placed on leave without pay.
  • If the sickness, injury, or confinement due to pregnancy is catastrophic, the employee may apply for hours from the sick leave pool. (See 5-4220, Sick Leave Pool Policy)

Sick Leave Pool HOP 5-4220

  • Provides paid sick leave to eligible employees who have exhausted all other accrued paid leave and lose compensation because either they or their immediate family member(s) have suffered a catastrophic illness or injury.
  • Applies to any employee who is appointed to work at least twenty (20) hours per week for a period of at least four and one-half (4.5) months.
  • Eligible employees must exhaust all of their own paid time off prior to applying for and receiving a SLP award.
  • See HR guidelines for additional information.

Family Leave Pool HOP 5-4220

  • Provides employees flexibility to:
    • bonding with and care for children during the child’s first year following birth, adoption, or foster placement; and
    • care for a seriously ill family member or themselves, including pandemic-related illnesses or complications caused by a pandemic.
  • Eligible employees must exhaust all of their own paid time off prior to applying for and receiving a FLP award.
  • See HR guidelines for additional information.

Military Leave HOP 5-4430

  • Provides provides employment protection, income protection and a means for employees to secure time off when called to uniformed U.S. military service.
  • Applies to all employees except for temporary employees.
    • Students employed in positions that require student status as a condition of employment are not covered by this policy.
  • Eligible employees must exhaust all of their own paid time off prior to applying for and receiving a SLP award.
  • See HR guidelines for additional information.

Other Time Off

  • Includes emergencies, funerals, jury duty, voting, etc.
  • See HR guidelines for additional information.

Unpaid Time Off

 FMLA Leave, Parental Leave, Leave without Pay

FMLA Leave

Under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993, employees may be entitled to take up to 12-weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for any of the following qualifying reasons:

  • A serious health condition that makes you unable to perform the functions of your job.
  • The birth of a child and to bond with the newborn child within one year of birth. 
  • The placement of a child for adoption or foster care, and to bond with the newly placed child within one year of placement.
  • To care for your spouse, child (including biological, adopted, foster, step, legal wards, and children for whom you stand in loco parentis), or parent who has a serious health condition.
  • Any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that your spouse, child, or parent is a military member on covered active duty.
  • To care for a service member with a a serious injury or illness if the employee is the spouse, child, parent, or next of kin of the service member.
  • See HR guidelines for additional information.

Parental Time Off & Leave of Absence

Insurance Options while on Leave of Absence without Pay (LWOP)