Leave Programs

Purpose

• Vacation
• Absences 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 annual leave is discretionary, requests by an employee to use annual leave for cultural and/or ethnic-related events should be granted if the employee has accrued annual leave and the granting of the leave will not result in undue hardship on the department or its employees.

Eligibility

• Full-time and part-time permanent SHRA employees (includes persons in time-limited appointments, trainees, and probationary employees)
• Permanent EHRA faculty and non-faculty employees who are 0.5 FTE (20 hours/week) or greater and are employed on a 9, 10, 11 or 12-month appointments 

Note: 9-month EHRA faculty employees do not earn annual leave

• Full-time SAAO Tier I (Chancellor, Provost, Vice Chancellor, Deans) and SAAO Tier II employees
• Full-time postdoctoral employees on a 12-month appointment

Carrying Over Annual Leave

• SHRA, EHRA,  and SAAO Tier I/II employees can only carry over 240 hours of annual leave (prorated based on FTE and appointment basis) to the next calendar year. Any annual leave over 240 hours will convert to sick leave effective January 1. 
• Postdoctoral employees can only carry over 192 hours of annual leave. Any annual leave over 192 hours will convert to sick leave. 
• Examples for cases where annual leave carry over is different due to FTE and appointment basis: 
  • If you work 30 hours per week, you can only carry over 180 hours. 
  • If you are a full-time 9 month employee, you can only carry over 180 hours. 
  • If you are a 9 month employee working 30 hours per week, you can carry over 135 hours. 

Accrual Rates

Full-time SHRA (SHRA employees earn annual leave on a monthly basis, based on length of service)

Years of Service	Leave Accruals – Earned Per Month
0 – 5 years	9 hours 20 minutes (9.33 hours in WolfTime)
5 – 10 years	11 hour 20 minutes (11.33 hours in WolfTime)
10 – 15 years	13 hours 20 minutes (13.33 hours in WolfTime)
15 – 20 years	15 hours 20 minutes (15.33 hours in WolfTime)
20+ years	17 hours 20 minutes (17.33 hours in WolfTime)

Full-time EHRA and SAAO Tier II

Appointment	Annual Leave (Monthly)
12 Month (Including Faculty)	16 hours (16 hours in WolfTime)
11 Month (Including Faculty)	14 hours 40 minutes (14.66 hours in WolfTime)
10 Month (Including Faculty)	13 hours 20 minutes (13.33 hours in WolfTime)
9 Month (9-month faculty do not earn leave)	12 hours (12 hours in WolfTime)

Full-time SAAO Tier 1

Appointment	Days Per Year
12 Month	12 days

Annual leave is adjusted proportionately for part-time employees who work halftime or more (0.50 – 0.99 FTE). The monthly earnings amount is equal to one-twelfth of the annual rate for each month the employee works or is on approved leave with pay. Monthly leave is earned when an employee works or is on approved leave with pay at least half the working days of a month.

Annual Leave Payouts

Annual leave will only pay out upon the employee’s separation from resignation, dismissal, reductions in force, or death. Accumulated annual leave will be paid in a lump sum and must not exceed 240 hours (prorated based on FTE and appointment basis). Any accumulated annual leave can be donated to the voluntary shared leave program (please refer to the voluntary shared leave program tab for details). Leave payouts occur in the payroll in the month following the last day worked.

If an employee separates and has overdrawn on annual leave, it will be necessary to make deductions from their final salary pay check. It will be deducted in units nearest to a tenth of an hour (i.e., 1/10 of an hour for each 6 minutes overdrawn).

Note: Postdoctoral employees do not receive any annual leave payouts. There are special payout provisions for EHRA employees which can be found in the Employees Exempt from the Human Resource Act (EHRA) Policy.

Information regarding annual leave retrieved from University Human Resource.

Purpose

• Illness or injury
• Medical appointments
• Temporary disability due to childbirth
• Adoption of a child, limited to a maximum of 30 days for each parent (which is equivalent to a biological mother’s average period of disability)
• Care for member of immediate family
• Death of immediate family member
• Donations to a member of the immediate family and non-family members who are approved to receive voluntary shared leave. To avoid abuse of sick leave privileges, a statement other acceptable proof may be required. Evidence to support leave for adoption-related purposes may be required.

Definition of Immediate Family

• Spouse: Husband, Wife
• Parent (Mother/Father): Biological, Adoptive, Step, Loco Parentis (a person who is in the position or place of a parent), In-law
• Child (Daughter/Son): Biological, Adoptive, Foster, Step, Legal Ward, Loco Parentis*, In-law
• Brother/Sister: Biological, Adoptive, Step, Half, In-law
• Grand/Great: Parent, Child, Step, In-law
• Dependents: Living in the employee’s household

Note: If an employee does not have sufficient leave to cover a prolonged illness (of self or to care for a parent, child, spouse, or dependent living in the household who has a prolonged illness), the employee may qualify to receive voluntary shared leave (please refer to the voluntary shared leave program tab for details).

Eligibility

• Full-time and part-time permanent SHRA employees (includes persons in time-limited appointments, trainees, and probationary employees)
• Permanent EHRA faculty and non-faculty employees who are 0.5 FTE (20 hours/week) or greater and are employed on a 9, 10, 11 or 12-month appointments
  • Note: 9-month EHRA faculty employees do not earn sick leave. Instead, they have the medical/parental leave policy they follow.
• Full-time SAAO Tier I (Chancellor, Provost, Vice Chancellor, Deans) and SAAO Tier II employees
• Full-time postdoctoral employees on a 12-month appointment

Accrual Rates

Type of Appointment	Amount Granted
Full-time permanent SHRA, EHRA faculty and non-faculty (excluding 9-month EHRA faculty), SAAO Tier I and II, and postdoctoral employees	8 hours per month (96 hours per year)
Part-time (half time or more) permanent employees	Prorated percentage of full-time amount
Temporary, intermittent, or part-time (less than half-time) employees	None

Sick Leave accumulates indefinitely.

Note: Annual / vacation leave in excess of 240 hours (prorated for part-time employees) on December 31 of each year are converted to sick leave. Sick leave does not pay out upon separation, however, if the employee transfers to another state agency or returns to the state agency within 5 years, their sick leave is reinstated. 

Advancement of Sick Leave

The appointing authority may advance sick leave not to exceed employee can accumulate during the current calendar year.

Information regarding sick leave retrieved from University Human Resources.

What is Compensatory Time

Compensatory time, most commonly known as overtime, is earned at a time and one half for each hour the employee works over 40 hours per week. It is earned at a multiple of 1.5 times (ex: 3 hours of overtime would earn 4.5 hours of compensatory time). 

Note: Overtime is not a “right” and should only be worked with management approval due to the business needs of a department. Additionally, compensatory time must be used before any annual or bonus leave. 

Eligibility

Compensatory time is only earned by employees who are non-exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In other words, non-exempt employees are hourly employees who have to clock in and out of WolfTime. 

Types of Compensatory Time

The different types of compensatory time is tracked in separate buckets in WolfTime. 

• Overtime Comp – Earned when an employee works over 40 hours in a week.
• Conversion Comp – Any compensatory time earned prior to 7/1/17 that carried over from the old system.
• Adverse Weather Comp – Earned when a mandatory employee work during adverse weather and is earned for every hour they work. It must be used within 12 months of earning it or it gets forfeited. Adverse weather comp can never be paid out.
• Holiday Comp – Earned when an employee works on a university holiday and is earned for every hour they work.
• Gap Hours Comp – Applies to employees whose standard work hours per week is less than 40 hours. If they work over their standard work hours in a week, they earn gap hours (ex: an employee who works 30 hours in a standard week but they work 32 hours that week, they would receive 2 hours of gap hours com). 

Compensatory Time Accruals

Compensatory time hours are automatically loaded into the WolfTime system based on the clock in/out punches each day and once the time is approved by the manager and processed in the weekly WolfTime run. Compensatory time begins to accrue once an employee reaches 40 hours during the work week.

Adverse weather comp and holiday compensatory hours are manually entered by the HR Benefits/Leave Administration Team.

Banking of Compensatory Time

The default for WolfTime is that all compensatory time is banked and not paid out. However, some units have chosen to pay out all compensatory time so that it does not bank.

Compensatory Time Payouts

With the exception of Adverse Weather Comp, all compensatory time must be paid out if not used within one year. WolfTime date stamps on each occasion that compensatory time is earned so employees can see when it was earned. 

When any one of the compensatory time buckets exceed 240 hours, those hours over 240 are paid out in the next available payroll. 

If an employee ends employment with NC State, only payable compensatory time buckets are paid out.

Information regarding compensatory time retrieved from University Human Resources.

Purpose

• Community Service Leave (CSL) – CSL provides leave-eligible SHRA and EHRA employees paid time off to volunteer in NC schools, communities, institutions of higher education, NC State agencies, and not-for-profit organizations; as long as the employee is not receiving pay for the service. All CSL must be preapproved by supervisor prior to volunteer event.
• Literacy CSL – Literacy CSL is a special provision available in lieu of regular Community Service Leave to support a literacy program in a NC public school. Leave under this option shall be used exclusively for assisting students in reading and/or writing skills in accordance with established rules and guidelines for such arrangements as determined and documented by joint agreement with NCSU and the public school.  Advisory Note: For employees who live in a state adjacent to North Carolina, the agency may grant community service leave to parents for involvement in the child’s school.
• Tutoring/Mentoring CSL – Tutoring/Mentoring CSL is a special provision available in lieu of regular Community Service Leave and Literacy CSL to provide tutoring and mentoring for a student in a formal standardized approved tutoring/mentoring program in a public or a non-public school. Leave under this option is to be used exclusively for tutoring and/or mentoring an “at-risk” student in accordance with established rules and guidelines for such arrangements as determined and documented by joint agreement with NCSU and the public/non-public school.

Note: This leave does not apply to activities designed to promote religious beliefs.

Eligibility

With approval of the supervisor, an employee is eligible for the following types of CSL:

Type of Appointment	Community Service Leave	Literacy CSL	Tutoring / Mentoring CSL
Full-time permanent SHRA, EHRA faculty and non-faculty (excluding 9-month EHRA faculty), SAAO Tier I and II, and postdoctoral employees	24 hours a calendar year	Up to 5 hours a month not to exceed 45 hours a calendar year	1 hour a week, not to exceed 36 hours a calendar year
Part-time (half time or more) permanent employees	Prorated – equal to percentage of full-time amount.	Prorated – equal to percentage of full-time amount.	Prorated – equal to percentage of full-time amount.
Temporary, intermittent, or part-time (less than half-time) employees	None	None	None

If an employee chooses to change options from one type of CSL to another, the maximum hours that may be granted is the maximum allowed under the new option chosen minus the amount already used under the original program.

Accrual Rates

• All types of community service leave is credited to each eligible employee on January 1 of each year. 
• Newly hired employees shall be credited with community service leave immediately upon their employment, prorated at two hours per month for the remainder of the calendar year. 
• Separated employees that are re-employed within the same calendar year are credited community service leave the same as newly hired employees; however, the combination of re-employment credit hours and total hours used prior to separation in the same calendar year cannot exceed the annual 24 hour maximum leave benefit.
• For the calendar year of employee transfer – the employee should secure approval from the new supervisor to continue the CSL option prior to the transfer.

Note: All types of CSL do not carry over from one year to the next. All types of CSL are not paid out upon separation.

Information regarding sick leave retrieved from University Human Resources.

What is Adverse Weather

During adverse weather and other emergency conditions, the University’s schedule is altered. During these events, employees must refer to their mandatory designation status to determine whether they are required to report to or remain at work. 

• Mandatory – employees who are required to report to or remain at work during adverse weather
• Non-Mandatory – employees who must not remain on campus during adverse weather conditions 2 and 3

To view your Mandatory Designation status, please log into Employee Self Service, click on the Personal Details Tile, then select the ‘Mandatory Designation’ item.

Operational statuses are available through the university’s webpage, the WolfAlert System, email, and by phone (919-513-8888). 

Note: Public announcements about closings or late openings applicable to other State agencies, or to other State employees may not apply to NC State University or its employees. Please rely on NC State’s information to determine your work schedule.

Adverse Weather Conditions

Condition 1 – Reduced Operations

Classes are in session and the University is open but some operations may be reduced. During adverse weather conditions, employees should take reasonable precautions for personal safety. Mandatory employees must report to or remain at work. Non-mandatory employees should make a good faith effort to remain at or report to work taking reasonable precautions and judgments for personal safety. Those who do not work must use leave (comp, annual, bonus or special bonus leave) or make up time based on departmental need. Non-mandatory employees may also arrange for alternative work locations if approved to do so.

Condition 2 – Suspended Operations

Classes are cancelled and the university is open on a very limited basis with only mandatory operations functioning. Mandatory employees must remain at or report to work. Non-mandatory employees must leave or not report to work and must use leave (comp, annual, or bonus) or make up time based on departmental need. Non-mandatory employees may also arrange for alternative work locations if approved to do so.

Condition 3 – Closure

The use of condition 3 is dependent on the approval of the UNC System President. UNC schools may declare a condition 2 and then and work with the UNC System on a condition 3 approval depending on the severity of the event after the fact. If approved, classes are cancelled and the university is closed. Mandatory employees must remain at or report to work, as directed by their manager and/or supervisor. Note: Employees designated as mandatory but are not needed for a particular adverse weather or other emergency event (as approved by their supervisor), are not permitted to report to or remain at work. Non-mandatory employees do not report and do not use leave to cover the absence.

Reporting Time and Requesting Leave during Adverse Weather Conditions

Mandatory Employees

Condition 2 and 3 (Non-Exempt mandatory employees only) – Non-exempt mandatory employees shall receive Additional Equivalent Time Off (ETO) that is awarded on an equivalent hour-for-hour-basis for future use as outlined below:

ETO is in addition to and does not replace any required FLSA overtime or compensatory time for time worked.

This time should be utilized before using other accrued paid time off (such as annual or bonus leave) as it cannot be paid out and must be used within twelve (12) months or forfeited. The scheduling of the ETO shall be subject to management approval, but every reasonable effort shall be made to permit the employee to use the ETO prior to its expiration.

FLSA non-exempt mandatory employees will receive overtime compensation (at time-and-a half), in either comp time or pay, for all hours worked over forty-(40) in the affected workweek.

Non-Mandatory Employees

Condition 1 (Reduced Operations) and 2 (Suspended Operations) – When a non-mandatory employee misses work time during Condition 1 and 2, the time shall be accounted for as follows:

The employee can use annual, bonus/special bonus leave, or compensatory time, if available. If the employee does not have or does not elect to use annual and/or bonus/special bonus leave, the employee may take leave without pay (LWOP).

Note: Compensatory time, if available, must be used first. When requesting leave, select “Adverse Weather” for the Reason drop-down menu. 

• Alternatively, employees may be permitted to make-up the absence within 90 days at a time mutually agreeable to their supervisor based on departmental need. Time not made up within the 90-day period will be charged against annual and/or bonus/special bonus leave, if available, or adjusted from pay. Make-up time shall not be subject to any premium pay, with the exception of FLSA-mandated overtime, when applicable.
• Condition 3 (Closure) – Non-mandatory employees will not be docked pay for regularly scheduled work hours missed when the University is on a Condition 3 status. In addition, non-mandatory employees are not required to use annual leave, bonus/special bonus leave, compensatory time, LWOP or make-up time to cover the adverse weather or emergency event condition absence, unless the duration of the event necessitates a differing decision by direction of the UNC System President.

Information regarding adverse weather leave retrieved from University Human Resources.