For Employees

Leave Keeping Leave Keeping

As an employee, your leave keeping process and rules will be different depending on which type of employee you are. This page contains PDF documents which are intended for print purposes. If you need them in another format, please reference the contact information below.

Use the table below to determine which leave keeping system you use:

Type of Employee	Leave Keeping System
Non-exempt SHRA employee (i.e. you are subject to overtime)	SmartTime
Exempt SHRA employee or EHRA non-faculty employee (i.e. you are not subject to overtime)	ExemptTime
Law enforcement officer	LawTime

Learn About Your Leave Keeping System

SmartTime

ExemptTime

LawTime

SmartTime Instructions

Current Calendar

Past Calendar

ExemptTime Instructions

Current Calendar

Past Calendar

LawTime Instructions

Current Calendar

Past Calendar

The documents above are intended for print purposes. If you need this in another format, please contact Pam Caulk at 910-962-7713 or caulkp@uncw.edu.

Employee Leave Program Presentation

FAQs from the Employee Leave Programs Webinar

If an employee is in an SHRA position prior to 1/1/2025 and converts to an EHRA position in the future, will there be an option to remain in the annual leave program or will there be a requirement to change to the personal leave program?

An SHRA employee hired prior to 1/1/2025, who converted to an EHRA position at UNCW, would be grandfathered into the annual leave program.

Does the new personal leave option apply to 9-month faculty?

The new Personal Leave program does not apply to 9-month faculty.

Does bonus leave count in the 240 hours maximum payout under annual leave?

Bonus leave is separate and would be paid out separate from annual leave. Bonuse leave does not count towards the maximum 240 hours that can be paid out under annual leave.

Can you remind us what EHRA and such acronyms mean?

EHRA stands for Exempt from the Human Resources Act. SHRA stands for Subject to the Human Resources Act.

How will the 26 days of leave be prorated for 11-month EHRA employees (i.e., employees who work August-June or July-May and have one month off-contract each year)?

EHRA employees who work less than 12 months would not earn personal leave for the month they are off contract. The following example shows how personal leave would be prorated for an 11 month employee. Ex. 26 days accrued per year (Jan 1-Dec 31) divided by 12 = 2.167 days/mo. x 11 months = 23.84 days. Personal leave is not earned during the non work month.

Are SHRA to EHRA grandfathered?

An SHRA employee hired prior to 1/1/2025 and who accepts and moves into an EHRA leave earning position at UNCW would be grandfathered in the Annual Leave Program. An SHRA employee who accepts and moves into an EHRA leave earning position at another institution would not be grandfathered and would be subject to the new Personal Leave Program.

Is there a flow chart for the information that captures all of the 'if' specifications?

The 1/2/2025 HR Forum Presentation includes multiple slides with relevant charts that capture and explain the 'if' specifications, explaining how the different leave types would transfer, or not, be paid out, converted, or forfeited, whether at UNCW, another University with the UNC system, or with an Agency.

When will the leavekeeping systems be updated with the new choices for those affected?

The leavekeeping system for Personal leave was updated and tested last month. There were some technical problems in the production environment where newly hired employees in the new Personal Leave Program leave reports wouldnt display. However, HR has been working with the vendor on the technical issue and expect the correction soon.

Why the change to the Personal Leave Program? I was told that Personal Leave and Sick Leave is separate leave and not combined as PTO. So on the new Personal Leave Program permanent full-time employee would be entitled to accrue 26 work days of personal leave per year plus 12 days of sick leave per year? What are some examples of why someone would want to opt into the new Personal Leave Program?

The new Personal Leave Program does not affect other leave programs and employees in the new Personal Leave Program accrue and are eligible for other leave programs including Sick Leave, Civil Leave, Personal Observance, etc.) as required in the policies established for those types of leave programs and in the same way as employees who remain in the Annual Leave Program. The Personal Leave Program is new and applicable to new EHRA employees who are hired on or after 1/1/2025. Existing EHRA employees hired at UNCW before 1/1/2025 are 'grandfathered' in the Annual Leave program. These existing EHRA grandfathered employees have the right to opt in to the new Annual Leave program. Hoever, it is not required. If they opt in, then that decision is irrevocable. Also, an existing SHRA vacation leave earning employee hired at UNCW before 1/1/2025 is grandfathered in the Annual Leave program if they move from an SHRA position at UNCW to an EHRA position at UNCW. From the standpoint of an example of why someone would want to opt into the new personal leave program, the decision is really a personal choice and if they prefer one program over another program. In each case, the personal circumstances for that person would drive any kind of decision to opt in to the personal leave program or stay in their grandfathered status in the annual leave program. Its a personal choice. Its not a requirement that grandfathered employees opt in. If they do, it is a decision that theyre making based on their own personal circumstances.

Where can the bereavement docusign form be found again?

The Bereavement Docusign Form can be found on the HR website under HR Forms.

Can you still use sick leave for a death in the family?

An employee can use sick leave for a death in the family. They may also use the new up to 40 hours of the new Bereavement Leave that is available following the procedures to request bereavement leave.

Can you explain about the Bereavement Docusign form again? Is this for the department or for HR?

The Bereavement Docusign Form is filled out by the employee and is routed to the Supervisor and the assigned Leavekeeper, and then the final approved form comes to Human Resources for processing the the actual accruals on the back end.

What is the effective date for the bereavement leave policy? Is it retroactive if someone had a family memeber pass away earlier this fiscal year?

The new Bereavement Leave policy was effective on September 27, th 2024. An eligible employee can request bereavement leave retroactively back to September 27, 2024, if they had a family member pass away. The eligible employee would follow the required process outlined to request retroactive use of bereavement leave.

Are Personal Observance adn Communcity service leave by calendar year or fiscal year?

The Personal Observance Leave and Community Service leave programs are based on a calendar year, Jan 1 - Dec 31.

Is civil leave granted for the duration of jury duty, or is there a limit to the time available?

Leave with pay is provided to employees for Civil Leave when serving on a jury or when subpoenaed as a witness. It is the responsibility of the employee to inform the supervisor when the duty is scheduled. There is no limit to the time available. It would be granted for the entire duration.

for Paid parental leave policy, if you have a c section do you get more paid leave ? what is the difference

An employee who has a C-section has a disability period of 8 weeks versus a disability period of 6 weeks for a natural childbirth.

Paid Parental Leave can you add it to FMLA to extend the leave longer?

Paid Parental Leave and Family Medical Leave (FMLA) are two separate benefits and run together concurrently and cannot be combined to extend the leave.

For intermittent FMLA, does that time period extend past the 12 month period if 12 weeks of leave was not used?

Employees who meet eligibility criteria for FMLA may take up to 12-weeks of FMLA time over a rolling calendar year. Each time an employee invokes their rights under FMLA, they must complete the appropriate application and approval process. You must re-enroll in FMLA every 12 months if you are using it intermittently.

Is time still accrued during FMLA or paid parental leave?

You must be in a paid status 1/2 or more of the work days to be eligible to accrue leave

Please explain intermittent leave.

Intermittent FMLA allows eligible employees to take leave in separate, non-consecutive periods rather than one continuous period.

A 'break in service' would not include time away for approved FMLA, correct?

Approved leave under FMLA does not count as a 'Break in Service.'

I was looking for a FMLA form for family medical needs but I am only able to find the form for medical needs of the faculty. Could you point me to the right form?

Our forms are not located on our website. Your must contact us with your interest in taking FMLA. We will respond indicating if you are eligible for not. This email will include the forms you need to apply.

Would it be possible to explain how hour accruals work for things like vacation and sick time? Essentially, for EHRA and SHRA employees how accurate can we expect those hours to be since they only update once a month on our dashboard? It doesnt seem to be clear and we get questions a lot about how much time people truly have as Leave Keepers

To accurately calculate your leave balance, use your leave balance from the prior month (displayed on the employee dashboard) and subtract any leave you have taken this month. The remainder is your leave balance.

How can someone qualify during probationary period if another requirement is being employed for 12 months?

This is related to the 12 month requirement for FMLA. An employee serving in a probationary period could still meet requirements if they had prior State service, transferred from another agency, where some of their prior service could count towards the 12 month period or served in a temporary role that met the hours and service requirements for eligibility.

Can you donate leave to an employee at another system school? Like our friends in Western NC?

Employees can donate leave to an employee at another system school but you need to contact that employees Human Resources Department as well, to ensure your donation can be accepted because there is a maximum a person can recieve.

Can leave be shared between spouses?

Leave can be shared between spouses and would follow the protocols outlined for those circumstances, which are different that sharing between colleagues.

What is the HRsearch@uncw.edu email used for now?

The Hrsearch@uncw.edu email is monitored and used by Talent Acquisition. Any e-mails that come into that inbox unrelated to Talent Acquisition activities are routed to directors in associated units for follow up.

Can you explain again for current EHRA under annual leave decide to opt into personal leave what is the difference ??

If a leave earning EHRA employee currently in the annual leave program (grandfathered) decides to opt into personal leave, then the employee would be able to retain up to 240 hours of Annual Leave, any excess would be forfeited (not converted to sick) and then the 240 hours would be tracked as ‘Legacy’ Annual Leave separately from Personal Leave.

Does sick leave ever pay out when an employee leaves the state or is only vacation leave?

Sick leave is never paid out. Vacation leave is paid out up to a maximum of 240 hours.

I am an EHRA hired before 1/1/25 and am interested in changing to the new personal leave program. How do I make that change?

Human Resources is working on creating a new form for employees to complete if they want to opt in to the new Personal Leave Program. The form will be available soon on the HR webite on the HR Forms page.

What is the main difference between EHRA and SHRA?

Shra is subject to the Human Resource Act. Shra policies are driven from the office of State human resources, and we comply with a variety of policies and and rules that come out of the office of State human resources, as it relates to Shra employment for employees exempt from the Human Resource Act, the policies that overn that set of employees are in the Us. And excuse me, the Unc. System, office, online policy and manual. And we follow the rules and regulations that outline the different criteria around employment for exempt from the Human Resource Act employees.

I know you said that the new program does not apply to nine-month faculty, but it does apply to newly hired leave-earning faculty, correct?

The new Personal Leave Program applies to newly hired leave earning employees.

What types of positions fall under SHRA and EHRA. 2. Are there other position types.

SHRA positions, which stand for 'Subject to the N.C. State Human Resources Act,' encompass most staff positions within the University of North Carolina (UNC) system. They are governed by the NC Human Resources Act and fall into career-banded classifications based on competencies (contributing, journey, advanced) required for the position and demonstrated by the employee. Other position types include EHRA, which stands for 'exempt from the NC State Human Resources Act,' and includes Faculty and non-faculty Senior Academic Administrative Officers and Exempt Professional Staff.

when should we apply for fmla and PPL ? What are the steps ?

You should contact us at least 30 days before you need to take FMLA. We will send you an email with the steps for the process.

Special Bonus Leave a few years ago, if not used does that payout?

Special Bonus Leave does not pay out if unused.

Are Personal Observance and Community service leave by calendar year or fiscal year?

Leave is by calendar year.

Can you re-explain how FMLA operates, please? And how it is paid out. Does the employee receive their regular paycheck during that time?

FMLA is unpaid leave. If you have earned leave (personal leave, annual leave, sick, bonus, etc), we will use that to keep you in a paid status so you can receive a paycheck.

Are employees remaining in the Annual Leave Program also eligible for Bereavement Leave (under appropriate circumstances) or do they need to be in the Personal Leave Program?

All permanent, probationary and time-limited employees are eligible for the Bereavement leave.

Does personal leave all come on Jan. 1 and is not earned through the year? and does personal leave roll over to sick leave on Dec. 31? or it is lost above x hours?

Personal Leave is accrued at a monthly rate equal to one-twelfth of the annual rate and is adjusted proportionately for for eligible EHRA leave earning employees, prorated for eligible part-time employees who work halftime or more (0.50 - 0.99 FTE) as well as for eligible permanent employees who are on contract for less than one year. Ex. 26 days accrued per year (Jan 1-Dec 31) divided by 12 = 2.167 days/mo. = 17.33 hours/mo.

Can you use Personal Observance Leave (POL) for a birthday? Does it require approval by anyone?

Yes, you can use your Personal Observance Leave on your birthday. As with any other leave program, supervisory approval is required in advance of the date requested to use POL.

Where can I find the Bereavement DocuSign form? I dont see it on the HR site.

The Bereavement DocuSign Form is available at: https://uncw.edu/myuncw/about/university-administration/administrative-units/human-resources/forms. Open the Leave Keeping dropdown on that page and youll see 'Bereavement Leave Request Form' at the bottom

What is the process for selecting between annual leave and personnel leave? Have you sent the form? When does new policy start working effectively?

The New Personal Leave Program became effective on 1/1/2025. Current UNCW EHRA EPS employees are grandfathered in the Annual Leave Program. If a current UNCW EHRA EPS employee wants to 'Opt In' to the new Personal Leave Program, they can do so by completing the UNCW Personal Leave Election Form which will be available on the HR Forms Webpage at the end of February 2025.

Do the leave buckets update when payroll runs so that would be the date someone would use to get an accurate up to the moment accounting?

Yes, leave balances update when payroll runs.

Has the roll of excess vacation to sick happened for 2024

The maximum balance of vacation leave that can be carried forward to the next calendar year is 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time). Any excess above 240 hours is transferred at the calendar year-end to the employee’s sick leave balance. The annual year end roll of excess vacation leave to sick leave happens prior to the implementation of Februarys payroll.

Will Human Resources reach out and let an employee who is on FMLA know when we run out of time and qualify for voluntary shared leave ?

The Benefits Consultant will talk with an employee about how FMLA works prior to an employee going out on leave. The Benefits Consultant is always available to answer questions that may arise throughout an employees period of leave.

Can you review Adverse Leave Weather leave and where to document the time you make up

Employees must code available leave for any work time missed during a Condition 1 or Condition 2 event (see “Accounting for Time During Limited Operations or Closures” in the University Adverse Weather Policy), unless the supervisor authorized off site work arrangements or the Governor issues an Executive Order permitting leave with pay for any missed work time. If “make-up” time is offered, it shall be made up no later than 90 calendar days following the triggering event and would be approved by the supervisor and coordinated between the employee who is making up time and the immediate supervisor. Non-exempt employees will record their Adverse Weather Taken make-up hours in Extra Hours Worked. SHRA exempt and EPS employees will record their Adverse Weather Taken make-up hours in Adverse Weather Make Up.

Can leave be share between spouses for non medical leave? For any reason?

Spouses cannot donate leave to each other for non-medical reasons.

Does intermittent leave need to be schduled

Intermittent leave under the FMLA leave must be scheduled.

When does the 8 hours POL and 24 hours of Com Service roll over/reset in our employee dashboard?

Once the January pay cycle is completed and before the February payroll process is initiated, the leave is added to available balances between February 1 and 15th.

As SHRA that can convert to EHRA, will I lose my longevity pay

Generally, EHRA Exempt Professional Staff employees are not eligible for longevity pay; however, law enforcement officers who were SHRA at the time when all LEO positions were transitioned and converted to EHRA continue to be eligible under the longevity policy. An SHRA employee who moves into an EHRA EPS position and/or a LEO hired at UNCW initially as an EHRA employee (not converted) are not eligible for longevity.

For a current SHRA employee moving to an EHRA position will 'comp 1.0 Excempt' time transfer to that new EHRA position.

If an SHRA Exempt employee accepts an EHRA position at UNCW and their management has allowed them as an SHRA exempt employee to track hours worked in excess of their regular schedule and accrue compensatory time, rather than use professional scheduling, the compensatory hours accrued are never paid; cannot be transferred to another State agency; and cannot be transferred to other UNCW departments.

You mentioned previously that sick leave is banked for 5 years. What happens to the sick leave after 5 years? How can I determine when my sick leave is approaching the 5-year mark?

Sick leave policies are the same for EHRA employees as for SHRA employees. Unused sick leave is creditable towards the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) upon retirement; however, sick leave is not credited toward retirement under the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). There is no payout of sick leave upon separation of service from the University; however, if an employee is reemployed with a State institution within five years, any unused sick leave from previous employment will be reinstated, and if the employee retires within five years, the sick leave balance may be applied to their retirement calculation under TSERS.

Is there a time limit for when you can move from one leave program to another?

An eligible leave earning EHRA employee hired prior to 1/1/2025 is grandfathered in the Annual Leave Program and could 'opt in' to the Personal Leave Program at any time and that decision to opt in would be an irrevocable decision.

And to follow up, for EHRA 12-month faculty in a 12-month administrative position prior to 1/2025 can get up to 240 hours of vacation paid out when they step down to 9-month EHRA faculty?

An EHRA leave earning employee (12 month appointment in an administrator position) hired prior to 1/1/2025 and in the Annual Leave Program, who retreats back to their 9 month faculty position, would have their annual leave paid out up to 240 hours; excess would be forfeited.

Are you given 26 days of Personal Leave on January 1 for the year.

Personal Leave is accrued at a monthly rate and is adjusted proportionately for for eligible EHRA leave earning employees, prorated for part-time employees who work halftime or more (0.50 - 0.99 FTE) as well as for permanent employees who are on contract for less than one year. The monthly accrual amount is equal to one-twelfth of the annual rate. Ex. 26 days accrued per year (Jan 1-Dec 31) divided by 12 = 2.167 days/mo. x 12 months = 26 days.

How soon before needing to take FMLA should an employee apply?

If you know in advance that you will need FMLA leave, you must give UNCW at least 30 days advance notice. For example, if you have planned surgery, you should provide notice at least 30 days in advance. When you need FMLA leave unexpectedly, you must inform UNCW as soon as it is possible and practical to do so. For example, if a family member is injured in an accident, you can inform your employer as soon as it is possible and practical to do so. You can always contact your benefits counselor for guidance as it relates to a personal circumstance that may require you to request leave under FMLA.