The COVID-19 crisis has had a disruptive effect on employee schedules, including the ability to take planned time off. Some employees have vacation or personal holidays that must be used by June 30, 2020 or they risk forfeiting those benefits/paid time off entitlements. UW System has recently published SYS 1200- Interim 05, Vacation, Compensatory Time and Personal Holiday Carryover. This interim policy temporarily amends several policies related to the carryover of paid leave to allow employees the option of carrying over these leave balances for an additional year.
A. Vacation Time
For the duration of this interim policy, UW System Administrative Policy 1210, Vacation, Paid Leave Banks, and Vacation Cash Payouts, section 4.D.2 is amended to include new provisions, 4.D.2.c and 4.D.2.d, which read as follows:
“c. Notwithstanding section (b) above, any unused vacation time carried over from fiscal year 2019 into fiscal year 2020 may be carried forward one additional fiscal year. Vacation carried over in this manner must be utilized by June 30, 2021.
d. Notwithstanding any institutional policies to the contrary, any amount of unused vacation time earned in fiscal year 2020 may be carried over into fiscal year 2021. Vacation carried over under this section must be used by June 30, 2021.”
B. Personal Holidays
For the duration of this interim policy, UW System Administrative Policy 1211, Personal Holiday and Legal Holiday Administration, section 4.A.3.b is amended to include a new provision, 4.A.3.b.v, which reads as follows:
“v. Notwithstanding section (iii) above, any personal holiday hours earned in fiscal year 2020 may be carried over, without limitation, into fiscal year 2021. Hours carried over under this section must be used by June 30, 2021 or they will be lost.”
C. Compensatory Time
For the duration of this interim policy, UW System Administrative Policy 1277, Compensation, section 6.D.II.4 is amended with an additional bullet point, which reads as follows:
“- Compensatory time earned in calendar year 2019 which is unused as of April 30, 2020 shall be treated as though it were earned in calendar year 2020.”
For questions about the above policy changes, please contact the Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.