VCOM Faculty Handbook

Certain holidays falling on the weekend will be observed either on the Friday before the holiday or the Monday after the holiday they do not include the floating holidays. If an employee is on military or educational leave without pay during a holiday, the employee will not receive an alternate day off. VCOM will make reasonable accommodation for change in holiday dates for the religious needs of employees if such accommodation will not cause disruption of the educational program or cause the organization undue hardship. Leave for this purpose will come from annual leave or in trade for a holiday and requires approval in advance. appropriate Associate Deans with input from Course Directors. In general, vacations should be taken at a time that does not interrupt the educational program (the month of July, block break or in some cases the weeks that immediately precede the break when students are in testing and can occur in weeks during the block ONLY IF the faculty member does not have a course or teaching assignment(s)). Vacations should not be taken when faculty would miss assigned teaching responsibilities that would change faculty to student ratios in the laboratories or small group assignments. In general, vacation times should be taken so that they do not interfere with the delivery of the VCOM educational program. If leave is approved in advance, an employee may use their annual leave however they wish, including for vacation and other personal purposes. Future leave not yet earned; however, cannot be “borrowed” for present use. Departments may not always be able to grant an employee’s request for leave, so the employee is encouraged to make the request as soon as possible. It is essential that employees schedule their vacation time throughout the year so that they use their allotted vacation days; leave does not carry forward from year to year. Leave without pay occurs if an employee is absent for/during a pay period, and consequently loses pay because of insufficient leave balances. Disruption of the academic program through unexcused absences is a reason for dismissal. Unearned Leave Leave is awarded at the beginning of each fiscal year on July 1; however, is based on the expectation that the employee’s anticipated work schedule will continue throughout the entire fiscal year. Employees who leave the institution early will be paid only for the number of leave days awarded for the period the employee worked. Regardless of the number of annual days reflected on TimeClock Plus, the employee is only eligible for the annual awarded days divided by the period of actual time worked. If the employee has taken more time than awarded for time worked, the employee may be subject to a reduction in the final pay period. Unanticipated Leave If an employee’s leave is unanticipated, it may, within the discretion of the supervisor or officer, be approved after the absence. However, if it has not been previously approved, the employee must report their absence as soon as possible. In most departments, it should be reported no later than two hours after the time that the employee is supposed to report to work. Even if leave is reported early, it still may be unapproved. If the employee’s leave is not approved, the employee will not be paid for their time off and will not receive sick or annual leave for that period. Failure to follow departmental procedures regarding leave that has been taken may be grounds for disciplinary action, even dismissal, depending on the circumstances of the absence. Unless an employee is physically unable, they should report their leave and not have a friend or family member call. If an employee feels he or she is Use of Annual Leave Scheduling and approval of vacation time is the responsibility of the faculty member with approval by the

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