Excessive Annual Leave
Division of Human Resources Fact Sheet
Why is it important that you
take leave?
The “Your Voice” survey highlighted the importance of work/life balance to
staff of the University. The NSW Audit Office has identified the University’s
growing leave liability as a financial and WHS risk to the institution.
In addition, the Leave Manual requires that you take your annual leave
entitlement each year as it falls due.
When is leave to be
considered excessive?
Leave is deemed to be excessive when your balance reaches 50 working
days.
Reminders will be issued at 35 and 45 days so pre-emptive action can be
taken.
What happens if my leave
balance reaches 50 days?
You will be directed to take leave from a date to be fixed by the University,
resulting in a balance of less than 10 days.
When will I receive an
excessive leave notification?
If your balance reaches 35 days you will receive an email, with a copy to your
supervisor, encouraging you to reduce your balance to less than 20 days.
If your balance reaches 45 days, your supervisor receives an email, with a
copy to you, notifying that you are close to 50 days leave and you must
ensure the balance does not reach 50 days. You are both required to discuss
options to reduce the balance to less than 20 days.
If your balance reaches 50 days, your supervisor receives an email, with a
copy to you, notifying them that your leave has exceeded 50 days and that
they are required to set a date for you to commence a period of leave. The
leave must commence in the next 2 months and result in a balance of less
than 10 days.
How do I reduce my
excessive leave?
You book your Annual Leave through Web Kiosk.
Part time staff without a set roster are required to apply via the Annual Leave
form.
As a part time staff member,
why is there a difference
between the email
notification and my balance
in the Web Kiosk?
For part time staff, there are two leave balances – actual and pro rata.
The actual balance reflects the full-time equivalent, which is what you see in
Web Kiosk.
The pro rata balance shows the leave at your fraction. For example, an
employee at 50% might have an actual balance of 20 days (4 weeks at full
time) and a pro rata balance of 40 days (8 weeks at half time). At 8 weeks, it
is reasonable for the staff member and supervisor to make arrangements to
reduce the leave balance.
What if I am on a
secondment?
Leave accrued on secondment should be taken during the secondment
period.
Prior to resuming your substantive position, you should negotiate with your
substantive supervisor about a further reduction in your leave balance. This
may involve delaying your return to enable you to reduce your balance to an
acceptable level.
How much leave should I
take?
You need to take enough leave to get below the target balance and ensure
you keep your balance low in future by taking regular breaks from the
workplace.
In the event of any discrepancy between this fact sheet and the Enterprise Agreement or Leave Manual, the terms of the Agreement or
Policy will prevail.
Last reviewed: October 2015
Asset ID # 149669
Excessive Annual Leave
Division of Human Resources Fact Sheet
As a supervisor, what is my
responsibility?
As a supervisor you are required to plan workloads across the year,
incorporating the expectation of staff leave of at least 20 days per annum.
You can monitor leave balances via the Web Kiosk.
In the case of excessive leave, you will be notified that your staff member’s
Annual Leave balance is too high. You are encouraged to discuss options
with them to reduce the balance as soon as possible.
If an employee accrues Annual Leave in excess of 50 days, you are required
to set a date for the staff member to commence a period of leave. The leave
must commence in the next 2 months and result in a balance of less than 10
days.
Further Details
Charles Sturt University Enterprise Agreement (2013 – 2016)
Leave Manual
In the event of any discrepancy between this fact sheet and the Enterprise Agreement or Leave Manual, the terms of the Agreement or
Policy will prevail.
Last reviewed: October 2015
Asset ID # 149669