Leave guidelines
As an employment benefit, leave provides a means for faculty and staff to take approved time off from work for various reasons. Leave packages may vary slightly depending upon employee classification. For detailed information about leave benefits, select your employee type below or contact the VCU Human Resources Leave Administration office. Note: Please contact your HR Professional for leave forms.
To whom does this apply?
University and Academic Professionals, Classified staff and 12-month Faculty. Nine-month, 10-month, Adjunct Faculty, Hourly, Graduate Assistants, Student Workers, and Work-Study students are not affected.
Why must I submit leave for the break?
Available leave categories and planned work during the winter break is different for each employee. Leave must be entered in RealTime to ensure that the leave type and days that you are using are available and correct for your situation. VCU is not able to load the information automatically for everyone.
How do I find my available leave balances?
You can view your current available leave balances in eServices. Select the Employee tab, then Leave Balances. Please note that these balances are as of the end of the last pay period, not the current date. Therefore, leave in the current pay period or future pay periods (approved or pending) is NOT factored into the balance.
What type of leave should I use?
Generally, University employees will use University Leave and Classified employees and 12-month Faculty will use Annual Leave. However, you may have other types of leave that you may be eligible to use. Best practice is to utilize appropriate and eligible leave types that might expire soon or will not roll over at the beginning of the next leave year, which begins January 10, 2021.
What if I work during the break?
Employees who are required and scheduled to work during the break should record their actual hours worked in RealTime. If the time worked falls on Dec. 21-25, Dec. 28, or Jan. 1, 2021, you will accrue Holiday Leave for the hours worked which can be used at a later date. If the time worked falls on Dec. 29-31, the amount of leave required to be used for that day should be reduced by the number of hours worked. Please refer to more specific instructions from your department, if you are required to work over the break.
What if the Governor grants additional leave?
We do not know at this time if the Governor will grant additional holiday hours for the New Year’s Eve observance. If this is granted, the hours of leave required for Dec. 31 would be reduced by the amount granted by the Governor.
What if I don’t have enough leave to use for the break?
Employees are responsible to manage their leave to ensure coverage for required leave as well as emergencies. Any appropriate leave available should be used to cover December 29-31. Please contact your manager and HR Professional who are available to discuss options with you.
If I don’t have enough leave to cover the break, can I just work during the break?
It depends on your unit. If you do not have enough leave to cover the 24 hours required for the winter break, please immediately contact your manager and HR Professional who are available to discuss alternate options based on work volume and business needs.
Can I use Community Service Leave or Enhanced Community Service Leave to cover the required leave days?
These leave types are only available when participating in a valid community service activity. If you are interested in utilizing this leave, you must receive approval from your manager prior to the winter break and provide proof of attendance to your Timekeeper upon your return from the break.
What if I need to adjust my leave used during break?
Upon returning from break, please contact your Timekeeper if adjustments to RealTime are needed.
What if I have more questions?
Please contact your Timekeeper for additional questions. You may also contact VCU Leave Administration at leave@vcu.edu or 828-1712.
Leave carry forward update:
- For University and Academic Professionals covered by the Great Place HR Policy, the university leave carryover limit will not be applied at the end of the 2020 leave year on January 9, 2021. This means that university leave balances will not be subject to the carryover limit until the end of the 2021 leave year on January 9, 2022. There are no changes to the payout maximums for university leave.
- For Classified employees and 12-month Faculty, annual leave will not be subject to the carryover limit until the end of the 2021 leave year on January 9, 2022. There are no changes to the payout maximum for Faculty and Classified annual leave.
Contact
VCU Leave Administration
(804) 828-1712