Paid leave (annual, compensatory, holiday, personal, and sick leave) is ordinarily granted only to the extent it is earned and available [see guideline 623]. The employee is responsible to keep requests for leave within available earned balances or request prior approval for advanced leave in keeping with applicable UMS policies and procedures [see references below].

In the event an employee requests leave exceeding that which is earned/available, and has not submitted a proper prior request for advanced leave, the recommending supervisor and Director of the Library/designee should not approve the leave request. Because supervisors and administrative staff cannot manually track staff leave balances, this check may not always work however.

Due to lag in the leave accounting process (delayed appearance of timesheet balance) or simple oversight, an employee may "take" leave exceeding the earned/available balance and in so doing violate University policy. Upon discovery of such violation, usually triggered by appearance of negative leave balance, the following procedure will be implemented:

First violation, inadvertent with overuse less than 8:00 hours and no employee history of leave abuse.
Business Manager or designee issues memo describing violation, forbidding further use of such leave until the negative balance is repaid, and stressing to employee his or her responsibility to track leave balances carefully so as to conform to policy. [See sample letter below.]

Second violation, or overuse greater than 8:00 hours, or previous employee history of leave abuse.
Business Manager or designee issues disciplinary warning form/memo. If no other earned leave is appropriate and available to cover overuse, amount of overuse becomes LWOP. Employee subsequently required to provide calculations accompanying future leave requests showing sufficient leave to allow approval.

Violation(s) subsequent to warning above are subject to disciplinary action.

references: UMS Board of Regents Policy VII 7.00
Personnel Policies and Rules for Associate Staff
Personnel Policies and Rules for Classified Employees

guideline implemented 6/22/92; edit of persons responsible 12/2/10 lw

sample letter

DATE: ____________

TO: ____________

FROM: ____________

RE: Annual Leave Balance

This is to confirm our recent discussion during which I brought to your attention your use in Pay Period 99-xx of annual leave in excess of your available earned balance.

As I indicated, leave is ordinarily granted only to the extent earned. It is the employee's responsibility to keep requests for leave within available earned balances or request prior approval for advanced leave in keeping with UMS policy.

You will note that your timesheet for Pay Period 99-xx shows a negative annual leave balance (-004:00) as of x/xx/99. Please be advised we will be unable to approve any further use of annual leave until this present deficit in annual leave is fully repaid through current earnings. Future advance of annual leave may not be possible.

Believing your over-use of annual leave in Pay Period 99-xx to have been inadvertent, and because you have not apparently tended to abuse leave, please consider this memo a reminder that you must track your leave balances and plan carefully to ensure their adequacy.

c: Director
supervisor/unit head