Time Off Benefits Summary

Printable Version of Time Off Summary

RIT reserves the right to modify or terminate all or any portion of the employee benefits package at any time with or without notice. Such changes automatically will apply to you and your employment relationship with RIT. Participation in these plans is provided to eligible employees and does not constitute a guarantee of employment, and requires continued employment and eligibility.

Introduction:

RIT understands how important it is to balance both your career and personal life. We have developed a total compensation package that includes paid time-off for all regular full-time and part-time employees.

Important Note About Passwords:

Password security is critical due to the confidential, private, and financial data that is available online. The employee is responsible for maintaining security of their passwords and adhering to RIT information security polices and standards.

Regular full-time and part-time staff and 12-month faculty are eligible for paid vacation. This summary does not apply to faculty members with contracts that are for less than 12 months; faculty members on contracts of less than 12 months follow Policy E4.0, Faculty Employment Policies. Use of vacation is subject to advance supervisor/manager approval.

RIT’s vacation benefit is an accrual plan, which means eligible employees earn vacation during the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Vacation is earned during the fiscal year on a monthly basis at a rate of 1/12 the annual fiscal year vacation amount. Vacation is earned in any month in which an eligible employee is employed for 15 or more days. The amount of vacation earned annually is based on the employee type and the employee’s length of service as outlined in the chart below. In addition, the total vacation time is based on the employee’s scheduled weekly hours and scheduled months or weeks per year - vacation is prorated as explained below for those who are scheduled to work less than 12 months per year. The monthly accrual will increase based on years of service as explained below.

Vacation Eligibility Chart for Employees Scheduled to Work 12 Months Per Fiscal Year:

Employees scheduled to work 12 months per fiscal year will accrue (earn) 1/12 of the annual vacation as shown in the chart below on a monthly basis.

1/12 of annual vacation accrues each month provided the employee is employed for at least 15 days in the month. The monthly amount earned increases in the anniversary month if there are at least 15 days after the anniversary date; otherwise the monthly accrual will increase the month after the anniversary month.

Staff Employees Scheduled for Less Than 12 Months Per Fiscal Year:

Vacation will be prorated for new hires who are scheduled to work for less than 12 months per fiscal year or for employees who reduce their scheduled months per year, except as outlined below for those grandfathered as of August 1, 2012. Below are examples of proration:

Example 1: a nonexempt employee eligible for 2 weeks of vacation who is scheduled to work 35 hours per week, 44 weeks per year will have 59.220 vacation hours each fiscal year.

44 weeks / 52 weeks = .846 proration factor

35 x 2 = 70 hours x .846 = 59.220

Example 2: an exempt employee eligible for 3 weeks of vacation who is scheduled to work 40 hours per week,10 months per fiscal year, will have 12.5 vacation days each fiscal year.

10 months / 12 months = .833 proration factor

40 x 3 = 120 hours x .833 = 99.960 hours or 12.5 days

Grandfathered Employees: Staff employees who were scheduled to work less than 12 months per year as of July 31, 2012 will be grandfathered and will not have prorated vacation time in the following scenarios:

• The employee remains in the grandfathered position with the same scheduled months,
• The employee remains in the grandfathered position with an increase or decrease in their scheduled months, or
• The employee changes jobs and increases their scheduled months.

If the grandfathered employee changes jobs and decreases their scheduled months or leaves employment and is later rehired into a less than 12-month position, the vacation time will be prorated.

An eligible employee earns 1/12 of the annual vacation each month, provided the employee is employed 15 or more days in the month. An employee may take vacation time before it is earned, with advance supervisor/manager approval.

Nonexempt employees earn 1/12 of the annual vacation hours the 16^th of each month and they will be able to view their remaining vacation time through Oracle Employee Self-Service on the online payslip. The accrual will take place based on the pay period end date, not the check date.

For example, the 10/20/17 paycheck will NOT show the October vacation accrual because the pay period end date is 10/12/17. The accrual will calculate and show in the next paycheck, 11/3/17.

Any vacation that is carried over from the prior fiscal year will show in the balance amount (see the section called Vacation Carry–Over for details on how this works). As an employee takes vacation, the balance will decline. It is important to understand that a person could see a negative balance since the employee may take vacation time before actually earning it.

For example: a full-time employee works 40 hours a week and receives 2 weeks, or 80 hours, vacation each fiscal year. Therefore, the monthly accrual is 6.67 hours per month (1/12 of 80 hours). If the person takes one week of vacation at the end of August, he/she has earned 13.33 vacation hours and has taken 40 vacation hours, so the online payslip will show 26.67 negative vacation hours (13.33 hours earned less 40 hours taken). This example assumes there was no vacation carry-over.

Exempt employees also earn 1/12 of the annual vacation each month. Effective July 1, 2016, the monthly vacation accrual calculates in Oracle and exempt employees enter vacation time taken in Oracle Employee Self-Service. Entries route to the employee’s supervisor for approval. Refer to the Employee User Guide and FAQs in the Taking Time Off section of the benefits website for details on entering vacation in Oracle Employee Self-Service.

The monthly vacation accrual increases according to the Vacation Eligibility Chart above. The monthly accrual will increase in the month of the anniversary date of the date of hire (or adjusted date of hire, if a rehire) if the employee is employed for 15 or more days in the anniversary month; otherwise, the monthly accrual will increase the month following the anniversary month. For example, if the anniversary date is October 10, the vacation accrual increases in October; if the anniversary date is October 25 the vacation accrual increases in November.

Example #1: exempt employee’s 5 ^th year anniversary falls on November 1 and the employee is scheduled for a 5-day, 40 hour week, 12 months per year. Fiscal year vacation is earned based on 3 weeks (120 hours) of vacation from July – October, then earned based on 4 weeks (160 hours) for remainder of fiscal year. The fiscal year accrual will be as follows:

• July – October – each month earn 1/12 of 120 hours per year, or 10 hours per month (4 months x 10 = 40 hours).
• November – June – each month earn 1/12 of 160 hours per year, or 13.333 hours per month (8 months x 13.333 hours = 106.667 hours).
• Total for fiscal year is 146.667 hours.

Example #2: nonexempt employee’s 20^th year anniversary falls on February 1 and the employee’s standard weekly hours are 40 and the employee is scheduled for 52 weeks per year. Fiscal year vacation is earned based on 4 weeks of vacation (160 hours) from July – January, then earned based on 5 weeks of vacation (200 hours) for remainder of fiscal year. The fiscal year accrual will be as follows:

• July – January – each month earn 1/12 of 160 hours per year, or 13.33 hours per month (7 months x 13.33 = 93.333 hours).
• February – June – each month earn 1/12 of 200 hours per year, or 16.667 hours per month (5 months x 16.667 hours = 83.335 hours).
• Total for fiscal year is 176.668 hours.

Employees should schedule their vacation in advance and obtain supervisor/manager approval. Earned, unused vacation time will be forfeited at the end of the fiscal year except as described in the Vacation Carry-Over section below.

For nonexempt staff employees, earned, unused vacation time may be used to extend paid sick/personal time after an employee’s sick/personal leave benefits are exhausted, with supervisor/manager approval. Earned, unused vacation time may also be applied to supplement Workers’ Compensation or short-term disability pay when the amount is less than full pay. The vacation time to supplement is used in the amount needed to supplement. For example, if you are receiving the 80% short-term disability benefit and supplement with vacation time, you will use 20% of a day to supplement. Vacation usage and carry-over hours are tracked through RIT’s time keeping system, Kronos.

For 12-month faculty and exempt staff employees, scheduled vacation can be entered in Oracle Employee Self- Service before or after taking vacation time. The employee entry will route to the exempt employee’s supervisor for approval. Check with your supervisor on the preferred timing for vacation entries.

Vacation is provided as a benefit to employees to allow for employees to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy “non-work” activities. All employees are, therefore, encouraged to utilize their annual vacation in the year in which it is earned. There may be times, however, when this is not possible due to work schedules and/or personal plans. For these situations, RIT provides a vacation carry-over provision that an employee can carry over up to one- half of their annual vacation. The prior year’s carry-over from the prior fiscal year is not included in determining the amount.

The carry-over amount is based on the annual earned vacation time calculated as of July 1 of the next fiscal year (e.g., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, the carry-over is based on the annual vacation calculated as of July 1, 2022). If the employee has a milestone anniversary date in the next fiscal year (e.g., reach 5 years of service), the higher vacation amount will not be reflected in the one-half maximum amount. If the employee had a milestone anniversary date in the current fiscal year, the new, higher amount as of July 1 will determine the one-half amount. Any amount remaining in excess of the one-half amount will be forfeited.

Example 1: regular full-time employee (40 hours per week, 12 months per year) earned 3 weeks per fiscal year (120 hours) in the current fiscal year and will in the next fiscal year (i.e., they will not reach a milestone anniversary); the employee carried over 60 hours from the prior fiscal year:

Example 2: regular full-time employee (40 hours per week, 12 months per year) reached their 20^th work anniversary on September 6 of the current fiscal year. From July through September, the employee’s monthly accrual was based on 4 weeks of vacation per fiscal year (160 hours); from September through June, the employee’s monthly accrual was based on 5 weeks of vacation per fiscal year (200 hours).

The maximum carry over is based on the annual vacation as of upcoming July 1 or 200 hours, so the maximum carry over is 100 hours.

Example 3: regular full-time employee (40 hours per week, 12 months per year) will reach their 20^th work anniversary on November 5 of the upcoming fiscal year. From July through October, the employee’s monthly accrual will be based on 4 weeks of vacation per fiscal year (160 hours); from November through June, the employee’s monthly accrual will be based on 5 weeks of vacation per fiscal year (200 hours).

The maximum carry over is based on the annual vacation as of July 1 or 160 hours, so the maximum carry over is 80 hours.

It is important that the correct carry-over amount be reported. The vacation carry-over is a financial obligation of the university that must be reported on RIT’s financial statements.

Since RIT uses its HR/Payroll system for reporting and tracking vacation time, employees and their supervisors/managers do not need to take any additional steps for the vacation carry over process. It is an automatic process for both exempt and nonexempt employees. NOTE: if an exempt employee has not entered any vacation time taken, they will not have any carry-over. If they exempt employee did not take any vacation, they should make a vacation entry of 0 hours.

There are very rare and unique circumstances when an employee has been on short-term disability, workers compensation, New York State Paid Family Leave, and/or FMLA, in which an exception to carry-over more than one-half the annual accrual will be made. Items that would be considered include, but are not limited to the following:

• Duration of the absence.
• Timing of the absence.
• Departmental operations.
• Planned vs. unplanned disability/FMLA.
• Planned vs. unplanned vacation.

Other situations may warrant consideration of an exception.

The employee’s manager/supervisor should contact their Human Resources Manager no later than June 15 of the fiscal year to review the facts and circumstances. The request should provide details about why the employee could not use the vacation time. In addition, there needs to be a plan in place to ensure the employee is able to use the extra vacation time in the next fiscal year; an exception will not be granted in the subsequent year because the employee could not take all the extra vacation time.

The HR Manager will review the situation with the Benefits Manager to make a determination that ensures consistent treatment.

RIT generally observes eleven paid holidays per year: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and four RIT-designated holidays; the RIT-designated holidays dates are determined annually, but are generally used to close RIT between December 25 and January 1 of each year. The Human Resources Department issues the holiday schedule annually.

If a holiday falls on a Saturday, RIT will generally close the preceding Friday. If a holiday falls on Sunday, RIT will generally be closed on the following Monday, with the exception of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Observance of the Christmas and New Year holidays are established annually.

There are two dates each calendar year that are just before a University-designated holiday that are set as “early release closure dates.” On those dates, the university will officially close at 2:00 p.m. The dates are set in conjunction with the approval of the holiday schedule. One of these dates will be set as the day before Thanksgiving; the other day will be the day before the first University-designated holiday in December.

If an employee is terminating employment, they must work on the Early Release Closure Date to be paid for the three hours of early release time. If the employee does not work on the Early Release Closure Date, their termination date is the last day they worked and they would not be eligible for the three hours of early release time.

If an employee is retiring from RIT and their retirement date is December 31, they will be eligible for the three hours of pay for the Early Release Closure Date

Nonexempt Employees: Essential nonexempt employees who must work during the official early close period will be provided with the equivalent amount of time off as “approved with pay” within 30 days of the early release closure date, with supervisor/manager approval. Those employees whose schedules will not allow for an early release on the official date (e.g., the day is not a scheduled work day, the employee works the B or C shift), would be provided with 3 hours of time off as “approved with pay” within 30 days of the early closure date, with supervisor/manager approval.

If a nonexempt employee wants additional time off on the early release day, he/she must use Vacation and/or Sick/Personal Leave, with supervisor/manager approval. For a nonexempt employee, the early release time would be “approved with pay” for the time the employee would have worked after 2:00 p.m. If the employee’s regular shift ends before 5:00 p.m. (which results in less than the standard three hours of approved with pay time), the employee would be eligible to use the difference in approved with pay at another time, with supervisor/manager approval within 30 days of the early closure date.

Exempt Employees: Essential exempt employees who must work during the official early close period will be provided with the equivalent amount of time off within 30 days of the early closure date, with supervisor/manager approval. Those employees whose schedules will not allow for an early release on the official date (e.g., the day is not a scheduled work day, the employee works the B or C shift), would be provided with 3 hours of time off within 30 days of the early closure date, with supervisor/manager approval.

If an exempt employee requests a full vacation day on the early release closure date, he/she would be provided with 3 hours of time off within 30 days of the early closure date, with supervisor/manager approval.

Employees Scheduled to Work 12 Months Per Fiscal Year:

Exempt staff who are scheduled to work 12 months per year, nonexempt staff who are scheduled to work 52 weeks per year, and 12-month faculty will have holiday time based on the employee’s scheduled weekly hours. Therefore, the number of hours of holiday time per fiscal year is the scheduled hours per week multiplied by a factor of 2.2 (if RIT designates a special one-time holiday in a fiscal year for a total of 12 holidays, the factor would be 2.4).

Employees Scheduled for Less Than 12 Months Per Fiscal Year:

Effective August 1, 2012, holiday time will be prorated for new hires and for existing employees who change jobs if scheduled for less than 12 months per fiscal year for exempt employees and less than 52 weeks per fiscal year for nonexempt employees. Employees who are scheduled to work less than 12 months per year as of July 31, 2012 will be grandfathered and will not have prorated holiday time, as long as they stay in that grandfathered position.

For example, a nonexempt employee scheduled to work 35 hours per week, 44 weeks per year will have 65.45 holiday hours each fiscal year.

44 weeks / 52 weeks = .85 proration factor

35 x 2.2 holiday factor = 77 hours x .85 = 65.45 holiday hours

For example, an exempt employee eligible who is scheduled to work 40 hours per week,10 months per fiscal year, will have 73.04 holiday hours each fiscal year.

10 months / 12 months = .83 proration factor

40 x 2.2 holiday factor = 88 hours x .83 = 73.04 hours or 9.13 days

For nonexempt employees, the annual holiday hours will be pre-loaded in RIT’s time keeping system (Kronos) on July 1 each year based on their scheduled weekly hours; as employees use their holiday time, the holiday hours balance will decline (similar to sick/personal leave).

If the holiday falls on a scheduled workday, the employee will have the day off and will be paid for the regularly scheduled hours for that day. If the holiday falls on a day that is not a scheduled workday, the employee will not receive holiday pay for that day.

Holiday hours will automatically populate for regular full-time employees; if a regular full-time employee’s regular schedule is not a standard work week (employee does not work the same number of hours each day and/or does not work a regular Monday-Friday workweek), the supervisor must adjust the pre-populated hours. In addition, supervisors must enter the appropriate number of hours for regular part-time staff (holiday hours do not automatically populate).

For employees who do not work the same number of hours each day and/or do not work a regular Monday- Friday workweek, use the holiday calculator found on the HR website in the Taking Time Off section at www.rit.edu/benefits to help plan holiday time for the entire fiscal year. This planning is important because, depending on an employee’s schedule, there may be holiday hours remaining after Memorial Day (the last holiday of the fiscal year) or there could be fewer hours than is regularly paid for the Memorial Day holiday. If there are hours remaining after Memorial Day, the employee should use that time, with supervisor approval, in May or June and the time should be reported as Holiday time.

Any remaining Holiday Hours as of June 30 will not carry over; they will be forfeited. Therefore, it is important for supervisors/managers and employees to keep track of this information.

The Reduced Schedule Time is for regular exempt full-time and part-time staff who are scheduled to work at least nine months per year but less than 12 months per year. This section outlines the calculations and practices used to track and record the time when the employee is not scheduled to work. This is separate from vacation or holiday time off and is tracked separately. Some employees take this time off throughout the year and others take it in a block of time. For example, an 11-month employee may take the month of July off or could take the equivalent amount of time off throughout the year. The time off must be used within the fiscal year; the time cannot be carried over to the next fiscal year. Therefore, it is recommended that an employee use this time before using vacation time.

The Reduced Schedule Time Off is calculated in hours based on the employee’s scheduled weekly hours and scheduled months per year and is tracked on a fiscal year basis (July through June). The time is tracked in Oracle Employee Self-Service using the My Absences functionality. The employee enters the time used in Oracle and the entry routes to the employee’s supervisor for approval. Refer to the Employee User Guide in the Taking Time Off section of the benefits website for details on entering the time in Oracle.

For those hired after July 1, the Reduced Schedule Time Off hours will be prorated based on the number of months remaining in the fiscal year. If the employee is hired on or before the 15 th of the month, the employee will get credit for that month; if the employee is hired on or after the 16 th of the month, that month will not count in the calculation. Depending on the employee’s schedule and when they were hired after July 1 st, the employee may not use any or all of the pro-rated Reduced Schedule Time Off.

The Reduced Schedule Time Off hours are loaded in Oracle each July 1 (or upon hire) and are calculated as follows. We have also provided some examples to help you understand the calculation.

((scheduled weekly hours*52) - (scheduled months per year * (52/12)) * scheduled weekly hours) * (months in fiscal year where person will work at least 15 days / 12)

Like vacation time, it is important that the time is entered and approved no later than June 30 each fiscal year.

You should talk to your supervisor to understand when you would use this time.

If you have any questions about Time Off benefits, contact the RIT Service Center (RSC). To get answers to your benefits questions, please:

• Visit the RIT Service Center portal at help.rit.edu where you can ask questions and find answers immediately.
• If you cannot find what you are looking for, you can:
  • chat online with a representative through the RSC portal,
  • click on Report Issue / Ask Question to submit your question, or
  • call the RSC at 585-475-5000.

You can access the RSC online portal 24 hours a day. The RSC staff is available for online chats and by phone Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.