Writing the Company Vacation Policy document
This document provides Company Name employees with important information and guidance concerning the company's policies and procedures, its code of conduct, its stated mission and goals, and all other organizational policies that govern all vacation and/or time off taken by employees of Company Name. This document should not be considered a complete and comprehensive guide as to what is acceptable behavior or company policy, but should serve as a guide to aid staff with the most common or frequent questions and concerns they may have. Policies, procedures, and guidelines contained in this document are subject to change, and all staff are encouraged to consult a Human Resources Manager should they have any questions that do not appear to be covered here. In all cases, the policies stated in the Human Resources Guide shall prevail in the event of any conflict between the information contained in the Guide and verbal statements about the Human Resources Guide or other company policies or procedures.
All employees must read and become familiar with these policies and procedures and refer to this policy if they have questions and concerns about vacation or time-off requests and the company policies or procedures that govern such requests.
Definitions of Personnel
"Full-Time Employees" shall be defined as all employees or agents of the company who are scheduled or authorized to work 32 or more hours per week and who have been recognized by the company Human Resources department as full-time employees and for whom a written contract is on file with the company Human Resources Department. "Part-Time Employees" shall be defined as all employees or agents of the company who work less than 32 hours per week and who have been recognized by the company Human Resources department as part-time employees and for whom a written contract is on file with the company Human Resources Department. "Contract Employees" ("Contractors, Subcontractors") shall be defined as all personnel or agents of the company who have a temporary employment contract with the company, regardless of how many hours they work per week.
Responsibility of Company
Company shall be responsible for distributing to all new employees, part-time employees, contractors, and other staff a copy of the Vacation and Leave Policy in print or electronic format(s). Responsibility of Employees, Vendors, Contractors, and Other Staff. All policies and benefits are subject to change at Company's sole discretion and are not intended to be part of any compensation agreement or promise.
Vacation Leave
Full-time employees and Full-time temporary employees are entitled to time off with pay for vacation or other personal reasons. An employee accrues vacation leave credits for all hours in which he or she works.
Vacation leave may be used for:
- normal work hours
- paid vacation leave
- paid sick leave
- paid jury duty
- paid military leave
Accrual of vacation leave is as follows:
Full-time employees and full-time temporary employees with less than 60 months of continuous service with the company shall earn vacation leave at the rate of 10 days or 80 hours per calendar year.
Maximum Accrual
Full-time employees and full-time temporary employees may accrue vacation leave up to a maximum of 160 hours. After 160 hours have been accrued, an employee shall not accrue any additional hours until the employee reduces the total number of accrued hours to less than 160 total hours. Vacation Leave Accrual for Partial Employment. Full-time employees and full-time temporary employees shall earn vacation leave at the full monthly rate when in a pay status for fifteen (15) or more calendar days during the pay period.
When working less than fifteen (15) days during the pay period, employees will not earn vacation leave. Scheduling and Approval of Vacation Leave. Employees must request all vacation leave that totals five (5) or more consecutive days at least four weeks in advance of the date that the leave is requested to take place.
Vacation leave that totals four (4) days or less must be requested at least two weeks in advance of the date that the leave is requested to take place. All leave is subject to the approval of management and employees must make their requests using the Company Vacation and Time-Off Request Form. Requests for leave that are not made through the Company Vacation and Time-Off Request Form shall be deemed inappropriate and shall not constitute official notification to the company of the employee's request for leave. This includes authorization made through verbal, email, or written formats not using the Company Vacation and Time-Off Request Form.
Family Leave
Under special circumstances, employees may request an extended family leave for personal reasons. Company grants employees who must be absent for personal reasons up to six months (the "Family Leave Term").
Family leave without pay may be requested by employees for the following reasons:
- the birth or adoption of a child
- a serious personal illness
- the serious illness of an employee's immediate family
Family Leave Qualifications
Time off for family leave is available to all full-time employees or full-time temporary employees who have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours over the previous 12-month period. When possible, employees are asked to submit family leave requests 30 days in advance. The company recognizes that taking time off for family leave may not be a foreseeable event, and will consider all of the situations and circumstances under which approval for the leave is being requested.
Before a family leave is granted, employees must first exhaust all available sick and vacation leave. The company will continue to underwrite any healthcare benefits during the family leave so long as the employee returns to work after the family leave is complete. Company reserves the right to recover all amounts it subsidizes or pays for health insurance for the employee if an employee does not return to work from family leave. An exception shall apply in the case where the employee cannot return to work because of his or her continued illness or that of a family member.
All sick leave, vacation leave, retirement credits, or other benefit credits shall not accrue while the employee is on family leave. An employee while on family leave who is found to have applied for work, accepted a position, or is employed by another company, will be immediately terminated and the company shall recover all costs associated with the employee's family leave. Any employee failing to return to work from family leave as indicated on the Family Leave Term, or failing to properly explain the absence to the Company Human Services Department, will be considered as having voluntarily terminated his or her position.
Military Leave
Full-time employees and full-time temporary employees are entitled to military leave of absence when ordered to active duty for training as members of the National Guard or the U.
Armed Forces
Regular full-time employees and full-time temporary employees who are ordered to active duty or drafted shall be entitled to reinstatement to their former positions or comparable positions with the same salary or pay grade. Employees placed on extended military leaves of absence will not receive pay from the Company nor accrue annual vacation or sick leave.
Military Leave for Training
Full-time employees and full-time temporary employees who are required to become active duty personnel for the purpose of attending training or other active duty events shall not suffer any loss of their regular pay during the first twenty-one days of their absence from work. All full-time employees and full-time temporary employees are required to provide a copy of their training orders or other paperwork to their supervisor or manager and their Human Resources Department.
Administrative Leave (Disciplinary)
Regular employees and full-time temporary employees placed on disciplinary administrative leave by the company shall be subject to the Company Disciplinary Guidelines as defined in the Company Disciplinary Handbook. Employees placed on administrative leaves of absence will not receive pay from the company nor accrue annual vacation or sick leave.
Administrative Leave (Non-Disciplinary)
Regular employees and full-time temporary employees placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave by the company shall be subject to the Company Disciplinary Guidelines as defined in the Company Disciplinary Handbook.
Jury Duty or Witness Summons
Regular employees and full-time temporary employees selected for jury duty or to give testimony in a court proceeding that is not of their own making may request to take sick time off for the days they are required to be absent.
Bereavement Leave
Regular employees and full-time temporary employees shall be granted up to three days per year of bereavement leave for the death of a spouse, child, parent, life partner, brother or sister, grandparent, grandparent-in-law, grandchild, son- or daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepchild, child-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, and first and second cousin. All other relationships shall be excluded unless in the case where the employee is a guardian. All bereavement leave is non-accumulative. The total amount granted by the Company to an employee shall not exceed three days within any calendar year.
If additional days of absences are required, the employee may request sick leave or vacation leave. Time Off for Religious Observances and Work Schedules. If an employee needs accommodations for a religious holiday or belief, the Company will attempt to aid the employee's wishes, provided such accommodations do not affect the safety and health of other employees; that no undue hardship is created for the Company or its employees; and that the accommodations do not violate the standards set forth in the Company Human Resources Guide. The Company will be closed for normal business operations in observation of regular holidays and other holidays as determined by the management and posted by the Human Resources Department.
Regular employees and full-time temporary employees who are not required to work will be excused on such days without being charged leave or losing pay. In the event such staff members are required to work on a holiday, they will be granted another holiday or be paid in accordance with the Company's overtime policy.
Regular Holiday Schedule
- Labor Day (1st Monday in Sept.
- Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November).
- Christmas Day (December 25th).
- New Year's Day (January 1st).
- Memorial Day (Last Monday in May).
- Independence Day (July 4th).
The Human Resources Department will post the yearly schedule of holidays.
Contact Information
Questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Vacation and Leave Policy may be directed to Human Resources Email or to the following Human Resources Manager or Company representative:
Human Resources Name
Changes to this Vacation and Leave Policy. The practices described in this Vacation and Leave Policy are current as of Current Date. Company reserves the right to modify or amend this Vacation and Leave Policy at any time.
Appropriate notice will be given to all employees concerning such amendments.
Effective Date: Current Date