Page 1 of 5 Home > Policies & Procedures > Administrative Documents > Human Resources Manual > Vacation Disclaimer: the information contained in this document is for educational purposes only. Any PRINTED version of this document is only accurate up to the date of printing. Always refer to the Policies and Procedures Intranet site for the most current versions of documents in effect. PROCEDURE Manual: Administrative Title: Vacation Cross Index: Section: Human Resources Authoring Committee/Program/Dept: Human Resources Code No.: H V004 Old Code No.: Original Effective Date: Mar 03, 2010 Review/Revised Effective Date: Next Review Date: Mar 01, 2013 Approved By: AMC Purpose: To establish processes which enable Southlake employees to take their annual vacation allotment within the vacation year to help support a healthy balance between an employee's personal and professional life. In instances when this procedure is in conflict with a collective agreement, the provisions of the collective agreement will take precedence. Responsibility: Activity Establishment of yearly vacation entitlement according to collective agreement, service, or policy. Calculation of vacation entitlement based on service Submission of vacation requests at least one scheduling period (minimum 3 weeks) prior to date of vacation Request to save vacation time which will exceed yearly allotment. Approval/Denial of vacation requests and saving of vacation time. Notification to employee within five business days Submission of summer vacation requests by March 31 Approval/Denial of requested summer vacation by May 15 Tracking of vacation time to ensure no more than two (2) weeks of carry-over in excess of Responsibility Employee Supervisor Human Resources Payroll
Page 2 of 5 entitlement. Scheduling of excess vacation time within sixty (60) days of notification. Scheduling of excess vacation time if employee fails to schedule it within sixty (60) days of notification (48 hours notice must be given). Identification of illness which would change vacation time to sick time, provision of appropriate documentation. Calculation of service date when employee changes status. During absences, ensure accuracy of e-labor by indicating which pay banks (vacation, statutory holidays, or lieu time) will be used to pay employee if they are not on an unpaid leave of absence. Equipment: N/A Method: Vacation Year The vacation year is from June 1st to May 31st unless otherwise stipulated in a collective agreement. Entitlement Vacation entitlement is granted according to employment status, occupation and years of continuous service with Southlake, as follows: Full-Time Full-time employees are granted a specific number of weeks of paid vacation time each year. Schedules for the number of weeks of vacation based on continuous service are available from Human Resources or collective agreement. Part-Time and Casual Part-time employees are paid a percentage of their gross earnings on each pay cheque and are given the equivalent time off work as unpaid leave. The scale of percentages based on years of service are available from Human Resources or collective agreement. Scheduling - Permanent Full-Time Employees Earning and Taking Vacation is accrued based upon calculated years of service. Weeks of vacation are converted to hours of available vacation and divided over 24 pay periods. Schedules for the number of weeks of vacation based on continuous service are available from Human Resources. Employees are not permitted to utilize vacation time they have not yet accrued. Employees should provide vacation requests to their direct supervisor at least one scheduling period before the planned date. Employees on permanent set schedules will give a minimum of three weeks notice. Direct supervisors will grant/deny requests within 5 business days based on the ability to guarantee departmental operating efficiency.
Page 3 of 5 Summer Scheduling and Critical Work Periods Employees eligible for more than two (2) weeks vacation may be required to split their vacation to facilitate the efficient operation of the department during the summer months and critical work periods. All critical work periods when minimal vacation can be granted will be identified by the direct supervisor of a department annually. In order to facilitate scheduling and guarantee available vacation time between July 1st and August 31st, employees are required to submit vacation requests by March 31st of a given year. Direct supervisors will respond to summer vacation requests by May 15th. Carry-Over Employees who wish to save vacation time in excess of their yearly allotment for a specific purpose (i.e. extended trip, education, etc.) must communicate this intent in writing to their managers for approval and establish a vacation plan to meet their needs and deplete the excess vacation time within a reasonable time. Employees may carry over up to a maximum of seventy-five hours over their annual entitlement. Note: An exception exists for those individuals on Parental Leave, or extended sick leave due to the nature of their accumulation. Upon return to work the affected employee will create a vacation plan with their direct supervisor to deal with accumulated vacation time. When vacation time is equal to or greater than seventy-five hours of carry-over without an established vacation plan: 1. Payroll will notify the direct supervisor via e-mail of the affected employee. 2. A plan must be established within 60 days of notification to use excess time at a time mutually agreeable to the employee and their direct Supervisor. The time scheduled may be outside of the 60 day period but must account for continued accumulation of vacation entitlement. 3. If the excess banked vacation time is not used or scheduled within 60 days, the employee's direct Supervisor will schedule the employee off for the appropriate amount of time. The employee's direct Supervisor will give a minimum of 48 hours notice to the employee of the scheduled time off. Interruption of Vacation Due to Illness Where an employee's scheduled vacation is interrupted due to an illness requiring an employee to be admitted as an in-patient to a hospital, their period of hospitalization will be considered sick leave. Where an employee's scheduled vacation is interrupted due to illness, which commenced prior to and continues into the scheduled vacation period, the period of such illness shall be considered sick leave. New Hires Vacation is earned but is not to be scheduled for new employees during their probationary period. Employment Status Changes Transfer from Part-Time or Casual Status to Full-Time Status Any accrued vacation to the last day of the pay period prior to the transfer is paid out. The vacation monies are paid on the first pay the employee receives after the transfer.
Page 4 of 5 The employee's continuous service hours are used to calculate a service date. For the purpose of calculating a service date, 1,500 hours are equivalent to one year of service for non-union. Personal/Unpaid Sick Leaves: Permanent full-time employees on unpaid leaves of over 30 days do not earn vacation days during the period of the leave. Unpaid leaves for the purpose of this policy are any leaves where the employee is not receiving pay from Southlake (including leaves of absence following the expiry of short-term disability payments or absences due to long term disability). Vacation will not be paid out following the expiry of short-term disability payments, and cannot be used to "top up" sick benefits. Maternity/Parental/Adoption Leaves: Permanent full-time employees on Maternity, Parental or Adoption Leaves of Absence will accumulate vacation days during the period of the leave. Upon return to work after the leave the employee will cooperate with their direct supervisor to create a vacation plan to use up excess vacation time. Modified Work Program Permanent full-time employees on an approved modified work program accumulate vacation on a pro-rated basis based on the number of hours worked following the expiry of short-term disability payments. Termination Terminating permanent full-time employees are paid out their vacation balance. Special Considerations: Application This policy covers all employees of Southlake Regional Health Centre. Where employees are covered by collective agreements, they are subject to the terms and conditions set out in those collective agreements. This policy comes into full effect as of June 1, 2010. Continuity of Compensation Employees are not allowed to utilize vacation time not yet earned, and must communicate with their direct supervisor and payroll to make appropriate arrangements to guarantee continuity of compensation; arrangements may include utilizing available banks of time from Statutory Holidays, or Lieu Time. When no arrangements to utilize either Statutory Holidays, Lieu Time, or an unpaid leave of absence have been made prior to the absence from work by the employee or direct supervisor, payroll will use the time available from paid leave banks in the following order: 1. Available Vacation Time 2. Statutory Holidays 3. Lieu Time When all banks have been exhausted the employee will be considered to be on an unpaid leave of absence. No retroactive adjustments will be made by payroll to the order in which available paid leave banks are utilized. Example: An employee requests forty hours of vacation but only has the following banks available: vacation - thirty hours, statutory holidays - seven and a half hours, and lieu time -
Page 5 of 5 fifty hours. If no communication is received from the employee or their direct supervisor Payroll will use the banks in the order of: 1. Vacation time - thirty hours (until bank reduced to 0) 2. Statutory Holidays - seven and a half hours (until bank reduced to 0) 3. Lieu time - two and a half hours (employee is left with forty-seven and a half hours of lieu time) Exceptions Exceptions to this policy may only be authorized by the vice-president of the applicable portfolio. Human Resources and Finance will not act on any exceptions without written confirmation of authorization. References: Legislation Employment Standards Act (ESA) Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) Workplace Safety Insurance Act (WSIA) Southlake Policies and Procedures Attendance Support Program Modified Work Termination Other References Capital Health (Halifax) Vacation Policy University Health Network Policy and Procedure - Vacations Collective Agreement: ONA Collective Agreement: SEIU Copyright 1997-2013 Southlake Regional Health Centre