Vacation Time
Human Resources Policy: 30.021Employees paid on the regular payroll who work at least 50% time (975 hours per year) are entitled to vacation time. Official vacation time records are kept in, and are the responsibility of, the employee's department.
The Department of Human Resources is responsible for publishing and updating the University's Vacation Time policy. Departments are responsible for accurate and consistent administration of the benefit, in accordance with established policy.
Eligibility for Vacation Time
Employees Working in Nonexempt Positions During Their First Two Years of Employment
Employees working full-time (37.5 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, i.e., 1950 hours a year) accrue 10 days of vacation per year. Vacation time is accrued at a rate of one day per month and is not accrued in December or June.
Part-time employees working 50% time or more accrue vacation time on a pro-rated basis based on their percent time. Percent time is calculated by multiplying the number of hours worked per week by the number of weeks worked per year, divided by 1950 hours. Monthly vacation accrual is calculated by multiplying 75 hours (the hours equivalent of 10 days) by the percent time worked (rounded to the nearest quarter hour). Thus an employee working 60% time accrues 45 hours a year of vacation time, divided by the number of months worked each year to determine the monthly vacation acrual rate.
Employees Working in Nonexempt Positions With Over Two Years of Service and Employees Working in Exempt Positions
Employees working full-time (37.5 hours per week for 52 weeks a year, i.e., 1950 hours a year) accrue 22 days of vacation time per year. Vacation time is accrued at a rate of two days per month, but is not accrued in June.
Part-time employees working 50% time or more accrue vacation time on a pro-rated basis based on their percent time. Percent time is calculated by multiplying the number of hours worked per week by the number of weeks worked per year, divided by 1950 hours. Monthly vacation accrual for part-time employees is calculated by multiplying 165 hours (the hours equivalent of 22 days) by the percent time worked (rounded to the nearest quarter hour). Therefore, an employee working 60% time accrues 99 hours per year of vacation time, divided by the number of months worked each year to determine the monthly vacation acrual rate..
Vacation Time Guidelines
Vacation Time Accrual
An employee who starts work on the first business day of the month is entitled to the full vacation accrual for that month. An employee who starts work after the first business day of the month and before the 16th of the month accrues one-half of the normal amount of vacation time for that month. Vacation time is credited to employees at the end of each full month they work.
Vacation days are earned on a fiscal year basis (July 1 to June 30). The vacation days accrued in a fiscal year must be used by December 31 of the following fiscal year or they will be forfeited. Therefore, the maximum number of days that can be on the department records as of January 1 is 12 (five for employees in nonexempt positions with less than two years of service). The days that remain on January 1 are only those accrued in the current fiscal year, i.e., 12 days maximum (five days for employees working in nonexempt positions with less than two years' service). Any time in excess of this maximum accrual is forfeited.
An employee whose two year anniversary occurs at any time during the month, or who is promoted into an exempt position after the first of the month will accrue two days (pro-rated for those working less than 100% time) for that month.
Vacation Time Usage
Vacation time must be earned before it is used. No borrowing is permitted.
If an employee takes vacation on a day when they are normally scheduled to work a long day, e.g., 10 hours, the number of hours normally worked is deducted from the vacation accrual.
Accrued vacation time may be used when an employee is sick, with the permission of the supervisor.
During the employee's first three months of employment at Brown, vacation time is earned, but does not accrue and cannot be used until the completion of three months of service.
Employees must request advance permission (whenever possible) from their supervisors prior to taking vacation time. Additionally, they must follow any applicable departmentally established procedures regarding vacation time requests/ usage. Departments may determine the circumstances under which vacation time will be granted, and may designate certain periods during which, for business reasons, vacation may not be taken. Under certain circumstances, departments may require employees to take vacation at a particular time.
Employees working in exempt positions are required to work the number of hours per week necessary to perform the duties of their positions. Such employees may not have their pay reduced in increments less than whole days if their vacation time accrual has been exhausted, except as provided under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). When an exempt employee has exhausted accrued vacation time and is absent from work for one or more whole days, pay may be reduced for those full day absences.
Note: For the purpose of maintaining vacation leave balances for staff in exempt positions the minimum increment for reducing balances is half days, however pay may only be reduced in full days.
Coordination with Other Benefits
Vacation time may not be used when the employee is already receiving pay from Brown through another means, e.g., sick time.
During Family/Medical or Rhode Island Parental and Family Medical Leave, and during all other paid leaves, employees earn vacation time as if they were working, but the time does not accrue to them and they cannot use that vacation time until they return to regular active employment at Brown.
Bonus Vacation Time Awards
An employee who completes 25 years of service is awarded an extra 10 days of vacation time (pro-rated for employees working less than 100% time) on a one-time-only basis. Recipients of bonus vacation time may use these days at any time (with their supervisors' approval) and the days do not have to be taken all at once. Bonus days are not forfeited at the end of the following calendar year, as with normal vacation time.
Treatment of Accrued Vacation Time Upon Transfer or Termination
When an employee transfers or is promoted to another department at Brown, the new supervisor must arrange to transfer the employee's accrued vacation time from the former department.
Employees are paid for accrued vacation time upon termination, except for any vacation earned during a leave of absence where the employee fails to return to active employment at Brown University following the expiration of the leave.
The maximum vacation accrual for which terminating employees are paid is the amount which they would normally be entitled according to the Accrual and Usage section of this policy.