Employee Vacation Planning and Accrual

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear and consistent guidelines for the planning, accrual, and use of vacation entitlements for all full-time employees. This policy ensures operational continuity and compliance with relevant employment legislation and collective agreement while also supporting employee well-being.

2. Application

This policy applies to all full-time employees of Loyalist College. Part-time employees are entitled to vacation time and pay in accordance with the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and/or the terms outlined in any applicable collective agreement.

3. Definitions

• Accrued Vacation Days. Vacation days earned during the vacation plan year, based on employment terms or collective agreements.
• Blocked or Restricted Dates. Specific periods during the calendar year when vacation requests may be limited or not approved due to operational business needs. These dates are designated to ensure adequate coverage and maintain service levels during high-demand times. Employees are expected to plan their time off around these periods. Blocked or restricted dates will be communicated in advance and may vary by department or role.
• Deferred Earnings. A practice applied to academic employees where the college withholds 2/12 of an academic employee’s annual salary to be paid out over the 43-day vacation period, ensuring both a two-month vacation and salary continuity. Employees who have worked less than a year receive a pro- rated amount.
• Human Resources Information System (HRIS). A software system that collects and stores employee data. It compiles information on employee demographics, job status, contact information, compensation, and more.
• Plan year. The period during which vacation credits are earned and utilized. Vacation days must be earned prior to usage for all support staff, per the Support Staff Collective Agreement. Administrative and academic employees accrue and take vacation days within the same plan year.
  • The plan year for each employee group is as follows:
    • Administrative and Academic groups: September 1 to August 31.
    • Support group: July 1 to June 30.
• Vacation carry-over. The number of days not used within that plan year to be carried forward to the next vacation year.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

Employees

• Request vacation in accordance with the appropriate collective agreements or the Administrative Terms and Conditions of Employment.
• Take earned vacation throughout the plan year
• Record all vacation time in the HRIS for manager approval.
• Ensure that the use of vacation does not create a negative vacation balance.
• Report all discrepancies to the Human Resources department.

Managers

• Approve vacation requests, monitor balances, and ensure compliance with this policy.
• Provide opportunities for employees to take earned vacation throughout the plan year.
• Approve vacation time requests in the HRIS.
• Monitor vacation balances to ensure employees are taking and reporting earned vacation days throughout the plan year.
• Review vacation balances in the HRIS prior to approving vacation requests to confirm that there are sufficient days available in an employee’s vacation balances.
• Consider carry-over requests and ensure the proper use of carry-over balances.
• Report all discrepancies for vacation balances to the Human Resources department.

Human Resources

• Maintain vacation records, process carry-over approvals, and ensure policy compliance.

5. Policy

Loyalist College is committed to supporting employee well-being through proactive vacation planning and responsible management of paid time off. This policy outlines how vacation time is accrued, scheduled, carried over, and paid out for eligible employees. It applies to all administrative, support, and academic staff, with specific provisions aligned to employee groups and collective agreements.

Employees are expected to take their full annual vacation entitlement within the designated vacation year, and managers are responsible for facilitating planned time off while maintaining operational continuity. This policy ensures compliance with relevant legislation, collective agreements, and internal accountability processes.

• Vacation Accrual and Usage
  • Vacation accrual rates are defined in employment contracts or collective agreements.
  • Academic employees are entitled to 43 days of vacation after one full academic year.
  • Vacation must be earned before it is taken, except where otherwise permitted.
• Vacation Carry-Over
  • An administrative, full time support staff, or academic (non-teaching) employee can carry over up to 15 days of vacation into a new plan year upon their manager’s approval. All approved carry-overs must be used before the end of the fiscal year on March 31.
  • Academic (teaching) employees must utilize their full vacation balance within the plan year. Academic (teaching) employees required to teach during their scheduled vacation period will have their vacation administered in accordance with Article 15.01 B of the Academic Employees Collective Agreement. Any exceptions to this policy for academic (teaching) employees will be subject to the approval of the Senior Vice-President, Academic and Chief Learning Officer.
• Vacation Carry-Over Greater than 15 Days Over
  • When an administrative, support staff, or academic (non-teaching) employee has carry-over greater than 15 days, it must be reviewed and approved by the immediate manager and the appropriate vice president. All approved carryovers must be used before the end of the fiscal year (March 31).
• Fiscal Year-End Vacation Carry-Over
  • Any carry-over balance remaining beyond the fiscal year end (March 31) will be subject to the approval of the applicable College Executive Team member.
• Vacation Accruals During Leaves of Absences
  • Depending on the type of leave of absence, vacation accruals during the leave will vary. Leaves of Absence that accrue paid vacation time include:
    • Short Term Disability: where an employee’s short term disability claim has been approved.
    • Statutory Leaves (protected leaves under the Employment Standards Act): administrative and support staff employees who are on statutory leaves (e.g., maternity, parental, or other legislative leave entitlements) will continue to accrue their vacation during the period of leave.
    • Exception: academic staff will not earn deferred earnings during a period of leave, and as a result they will only accrue unpaid vacation days during their statutory leave.
  • Leaves of Absence that do not accrue paid vacation time include:
    • Long Term Disability (LTD) Leave
    • An unpaid leave of absence
    • Professional Development Leave
• Transfer to Another Department
  • When an employee transfers to another department, it is the responsibility of the transferring employee to inform the receiving department as early as possible of any pre-approved vacation that has been scheduled. The receiving manager should strive to support any pre-approved vacation requests whenever possible. It is the responsibility of the receiving department to schedule vacation in accordance with this policy and to follow applicable vacation scheduling requirements.
• Vacation Balances upon Termination of Employment
  • Accrual in instances of employment termination will be prorated for partial months’ service.
  • If an administrative or academic (non-teaching) employee leaves the organization and has taken more vacation than has been accrued at the time of termination, this amount will be deducted from their last pay.

6. Related Documents

• Academic Employees Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Support Staff Collective Agreement
• Terms and Conditions for Administrative Staff

7. References

• Employment Standards Act, 2000, SO 2000, c 41