Vacation leave is accrued by eligible employees who are working, on paid leave, or on Workers’ Compensation leave and meet one of the criteria below.
Employees in regular, also called permanent, staff positions (“permanent employees”) regularly scheduled to work at least 20 or more hours per week, and who are in pay status for at least one-half of the days in a month, are eligible to earn vacation leave. Full-time staff (40 hours per week) earn vacation and sick leave according to the charts below. Staff who work less than 40 hours per week earn leave on a pro-rated basis according to the number of scheduled work hours each week. Note: Leave is accrued on a monthly basis.
SHRA Vacation Leave Accrual Rates
| Years of Service | Maximum Annual Accrual | Monthly Accrual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | 112 hours | 9 hrs. & 20 min. |
| 5-10 | 136 hours | 11 hrs. & 20 min. |
| 10-15 | 160 hours | 13 hrs. & 20 min. |
| 15-20 | 184 hours | 15 hrs. & 20 min. |
| 20+ | 208 hours | 17 hrs. & 20 min. |
Prorated Vacation Leave Accrual Rates
Vacation Leave Approval
Employees should submit a request for vacation leave to their supervisor; employee preference should be considered and schedules worked out bearing in mind individual departmental needs.
Using Vacation Leave
Vacation leave may be used for a variety of circumstances.
- Vacation
- Other periods of absence for personal reasons
- Absences due to adverse weather conditions
- Personal illness (in lieu of sick leave)
- Illness in the immediate family
- Time lost for late reporting; however, deductions should be made from the employee’s pay where excessive tardiness or absenteeism occurs.
- Donations to an employee who is an approved voluntary shared leave recipient.
Note: Although approval of the use of vacation leave is discretionary, requests by an employee to use vacation leave for cultural and/or ethnic-related events should be granted if the employee has accrued vacation leave and the granting of the leave will not result in undue hardship on the department or its employees.
Carrying Over Vacation Leave
On December 31 of each year, accumulated vacation leave time over 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees) is converted to sick leave so that only 240 hours are carried forward to January 1 of the next calendar year.
Vacation Leave Payouts
If the employee separates from service, accumulated vacation leave will be paid in a lump sum. However, payment for accumulated leave cannot exceed 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees).
If an employee separates and is overdrawn on leave, it will be necessary to make deductions from the final salary check.
For more details about vacation leave for SHRA employees, see the Vacation Leave Policy.