Beginning July 1, 1997, the University will adopt a new paid time off policy, Paid Time Off, Human Resource Policy #607 [Of Record, p. 5 of this issue]. This Q & A is meant to answer many questions the campus community may have regarding the new policy.-- Division of Human Resources
1. I am a weekly paid staff member. When will I receive my time off for the new fiscal year?
On May 1, 1997, all weekly paid staff members received the vacation days they accrued from May 1, 1996 to April 30, 1997. Weekly paid staff members will begin to accrue according to the old accrual rate on May 1, 1997. Those staff members will accrue days for May and June and will be credited with those days on July 1, 1997. Effective July 1, 1997 all weekly paid staff members will accrue and be credited with Paid Time Off on a monthly basis. With supervisor approval, you may use Paid Time Off as it is credited to your Paid Time Off balance.
2. What happens to the personal days I have currently?
Weekly paid staff members that have personal days they received between January 1, 1997 and June 30, 1997, may request and use these days anytime before December 31, 1997. As of January 1, 1998, staff members will no longer receive personal days because these days are now reflected in the total Paid Time Off.
3. I am a monthly paid staff member. When will I receive my Paid Time Off balance for the new fiscal year?
On July 1, 1997, all monthly paid staff members will receive the Paid Time Off days they accrued between July 1, 1996 and June 30, 1997. In addition, effective July 1, 1997 all monthly paid staff members will accrue and be credited with Paid Time Off on a monthly basis. With supervisor approval, you may use Paid Time Off as it is credited to your Paid Time Off balance.
4. How much Paid Time Off do staff members hired on or after July 1, 1997 receive?
Staff members hired on or after July 1, 1997 are eligible to accrue Paid Time Off in ac cordance with the new accrual rates upon completion of the Introductory Period. Those rates are as follows:
Years of Service Monthly Accrual Rate Maximum Days
Less than 2 years of service 1.250 15
At least 2 years of service 1.417 17
At least 3 years of service 1.583 19
At least 4 years of service 1.750 21
At least 5 years of service 2.000 24
Upon completion of the Introductory Period, the staff member will be retroactively credited with the days they would have accrued during that period. The Introductory Period is normally the first four (4) months of employment but may be extended an additional two (2) months.
5. What are the accrual rates for staff members hired on or before June 30, 1997?
Staff members hired on or before June 30, 1997 receive the better of the old and new ac crual rates. As a result, slight adjustments have been made to the accrual rates listed below. Ad ditionally, under the old policies each regular monthly paid staff member received 1 floating day annually and each regular weekly paid staff member received 3 personal days and 1 floating day annually. These days are reflected in the accrual rates.
For weekly paid staff members hired on or before June 30, 1997 the accrual rates are:
Years of Service Monthly Accrual Rate Maximum Days
15 months or less 1.250 15
At least 17 months 1.417 17
At least 22 months 1.500 18
At least 2 years 1.583 19
At least 27 months 1.670 20
At least 29 months 1.750 21
At least 32 months 1.830 22
At least 34 months 1.917 23
3 years or more 2.000 24
For monthly paid staff members hired on or before June 30, 1997 the accrual rates are:
Years of Service Monthly Accrual Rate Maximum Days
0 to 5 years of service 1.917 23
5 or more years of service 2.000 24
6. Which accrual rate is more advantageous? Can my supervisor tell me I have to use the new rate?
All staff members hired on or before June 30, 1997 will accrue Paid Time Off in accor dance with the old accrual rates for weekly and monthly paid staff members. Where the new rates provided a greater accrual the old rates have been adjusted to reflect the higher rate. The Paid Time Off schedule that you will be subject to will be determined by your years of service. Effectively, all current staff members will continue to accrue based on the old schedule.
7. Am I losing any time?
No. All current staff members will accrue the same or more time than they accrued prior to changes in the Paid Time Off policy. After July 1,1997, new staff members will receive Paid Time Off according to the new Paid Time Off rate.
8. When can new staff members request Paid Time Off?
Upon completion of the Introductory Period new staff members may request Paid Time Off.
9. How much advance notice do I have to give my supervisor in order to take a Paid Time Off day? Suppose I have an emergency situation, what should I do?
Staff members should request and receive approval for Paid Time Off as far in advance as possible to allow for adequate planning and coverage within the department. Departments of ten have their own specific requirements for requesting Paid Time Off that should be followed.In situations where an emergency occurs, the supervisor has the discretion to grant Paid Time Off requested by a staff member, if the time is available.
10. Will the new Paid Time Off days still be granted and available at the start of each new year, for example, July 1 or May 1? If not, how will it work now?
Under the old policy staff members accrued time between May 1 and April 30 or July 1 and June 30 and were granted that time on the following May 1 or July 1. Effective July 1, 1997, Paid Time Off will be accrued and available for use monthly. The accrual rate will be determined by the staff member's anniversary date. The new Paid Time Off benefit allows staff members to use time as it is accrued and credited to the Paid Time Off balance.
11. Have any changes been made to the sick leave policies?
No changes have been made to the sick leave or short term disability programs.
12. Is everything coming out of the same balance now--vacation, sick days, floating days, personal days, funerals, emergencies, whatever? Do I have to use this new Paid Time Off bank for funeral or military leave?
Staff members will still continue to accrue sick and short term disability days consistent with the sick leave and short term disability policies. Vacation, floating and personal days have been combined into the Paid Time Off benefit. Sick leave, military and funeral leave benefits remain unchanged. The University provides additional time off to attend the funeral of an immediate family member of the staff member or to serve in the military.
13. How long do we have to use the floating day from last year?
Floating days that were received on July 1, 1996 must be used by June 30, 1997.
14. Will personal days and a floating day be awarded in January 1998?
No. There will no longer be specific personal and floating days. This time is included in the Paid Time Off accrual.
15. What is the maximum number of days we are allowed to maintain in the Paid Time Off balance?
After July 1, 1998 a staff member may only maintain a maximum balance of 24 Paid Time Off days. If a staff member has a balance of 24 Paid Time Off days, he/she will not accrue additional days until the balance goes below 24 days.
16. How will my Paid Time Off time balance be maintained?
Paid Time Off for weekly paid staff members is maintained as part of the Personnel/Pay roll system. Your supervisor can provide you with your Paid Time Off balance. Paid Time Off for monthly paid staff members is maintained at the departmental level.
17. If I have a question about my Paid Time Off balance, who should I contact?
Questions regarding your Paid Time Off balance should be referred to your supervisor.
18. What happens next year, on July 1, 1998, if I used all of my Paid Time Off during the previous fiscal year?
Between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 1998 staff members will be able to use Paid Time Off they received on May 1, 1997 or July 1, 1997 as well as Paid Time Off accrued during that pe riod. If a staff member uses all of that Paid Time Off, on July 1, 1998 she/he will have a Paid Time Off balance of zero. The staff member will continue to accrue Paid Time Off days monthly.
19. How do we pay out unused Paid Time Off at separation?
At separation from the University either voluntarily or involuntarily, a staff member that has successfully completed the Introductory Period will receive payment for any unused Paid Time Off. Effective July 1, 1998, the maximum number of Paid Time Off days that the Univer sity will pay out will be 24 days.
Note: University staff members in collective bargaining units are governed by the terms and conditions of their respective bargaining agreements and should refer to them for the appropriate paid time off policy.
For more information, please call the Division of Human Resources at 898-6093 or e-mail us at askhr@pobox.upenn.edu.
Almanac
Volume 43 Number 36
June 17, 1997
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