This policy applies to all benefits-eligible staff, excluding those employees otherwise covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
Vacation:
During the first year of employment, employees must complete at three months (90 days) before taking any accrued vacation time. Vacation can be taken in partial day/hours, day, or week increments.
- Full-time, hourly non-exempt employees earn vacation at the rate of 1.25 days per month, which equates to an annual total of fifteen (15) days. After completing ten (10) years of service a hourly non-exempt employee's vacation accrual rate increases to 1.67 days per month, for an annual total of twenty (20) days.
- Exempt and salaried non-exempt employees earn 1.67 days of vacation per month, or twenty (20) days per year. Those employees who have completed twenty-five (25) years of service begin to accumulate vacation at the rate of 2.08 days per month, or twenty five (25) days per year.
- Academic year and full-time regular employees accrue vacation at the above rate during the months they work.
- Part-time employees (under 35 hours/week) receive prorated vacation time based on their regular work schedule. For example, an employee 17.5 hours per week (.5FTE) would accrue at half the specified rate.
Scheduling Vacation:
All vacation schedules must be approved by your supervisor. Whenever possible, vacation time should be requested at least three (3) weeks in advance. The work load in your department and, in some cases, your length of service will be considered when setting up vacation schedules.
Illness during Vacation:
If you become sick for more than three (3) days during your vacation, you may use your earned sick time, with medical documentation. When a holiday occurs during a vacation, it is not counted as vacation time.
Upper Limits:
Tufts provides a generous vacation policy and encourages employees to take vacation annually. Vacation provides employees with needed rest and relaxation and allows them to recharge so that they can continue performing at a high rate of productivity. The University uses a centralized system to track vacation, personal and sick time and enforces a maximum vacation balance accrual. The vacation system accrual is run around the 20th of each month, but is posted in the Time Off system with a date of the 15th. The maximum vacation time that an employee can accrue is equal to the amount of time the employee accrues in two years based on his/her eligibility. Once the maximum accrual is reached; vacation time will stop accruing until the balance drops below the maximum allowed. When the maximum balance for Vacation is approaching, the time will show in red. Please note that when looking at your time off information, time is noted in hours.
New Accrued Vacation and Maximum Balances for Staff
Under a new policy, the maximum amount of vacation time that a staff member will be able to accrue will be capped at the total amount of vacation time they can accrue in one year based on their eligibility. This new accrual limit will take effect July 1, 2023. Once the maximum balance is reached, vacation time will stop accruing until the balance drops below the maximum allowed.
Vacation Accrual while on Unpaid Leave
If an employee is hired, or returning to work from an unpaid leave, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of the month, the employee will receive vacation credit for the month. If an employee is terminating, or going out on unpaid leave, on or after the fifteenth day of the month, the employee will receive vacation credit for the month.
Leaving the University - Pay Upon Separation
If an employee leaves the university and has completed three (3) months of employment, they are entitled to payment for accrued, unused vacation.