Southern is committed to promoting efforts which support a positive work-life balance, and enabling its employees to effectively serve and participate in all aspects of life. This includes the provision and recommended use of paid time off. The university has determined that time-off during the fiscal year (vacation, holidays, and sick time) be accrued collectively. It is up to the discretion of the employee to schedule and plan for such time off. It is recommended that employees use most, if not all of their vacation time each year, and that at least five, and up to 10 work days of paid time off be taken consecutively.
The following provides information on accruals depending on years of service, and is based on working 38 regular hours per week:
| | First 4 years *Week or Days | Next 5 years Weeks or Days | After 9 years Weeks or Days |
| Vacations Holidays Sick Leave | 2 weeks 16.5 days 1 week | 3 weeks 16.5 days 1 week | 4 weeks 16.5 days 1 week |
| Examples of annual accrual amounts | First 4 years | Next 5 years | After 9 years |
| Full-time employee at 38 hrs. per week Part-time employee at 20 hrs. per week | 245.0 hours 129.0 hours | 283.0 hours 149.0 hours | 321.0 hours 169.0 hours |
*One week = 4 ½ days with Fridays being a ½ day.
Full time and part time employees earn a fraction of an hour of paid leave for each hour worked (see General Guideline #4 for exceptions):
| During the first 4 years: During the next 5 -9 years: During 9+ years: | 0.1240 0.1432 0.1624 |
General Guidelines
- There is no waiting period to qualify for earning paid leave hours. However, requests for paid leave hours for vacation time may not be requested within a new employee’s first 30 days of employment.
- If an official holiday occurs within a new employee’s first 30 days, PTO time can be requested. If there is not enough hours accrued in the employee’s paid leave bank to cover the hours for that holiday, on request, arrangements can be made with Human Resources to borrow from the employee’s future accrual.
- The balance of hours in the paid leave bank is payable in full to terminating employees who have satisfactorily completed the orientation period, regardless of length of service. Terminating employees who have not completed the orientation period forfeit paid leave upon termination.
- Paid leave time will not accrue after the maximum of 280 hours has been reached.
- Only regular hours, paid leave, extended sick leave hours, and time off when receiving worker’s compensation, earn paid leave hours up to a maximum of 80 hours per pay period. Overtime hours do not earn paid leave.
- Leave time must be coordinated with and approved by the department head or immediate supervisor.
- A maximum of four weeks of accumulated paid leave hours may be taken at any one time.
- The department director should be notified within the first hour of absence when an employee intends to use paid leave for an illness.
- All denominational service will be used when determining the paid leave date/earning rate. Until the service record is on file with the Human Resources Department paid leave will be accrued at the lowest rate. A retroactive adjustment will be made, if needed, when the service record is received.
- All paid leave must be used before a personal leave without pay may be granted.
- A minimum of five days of paid leave should be maintained at all times to use in case of illness.
- Employees who have used Extended Sick Leave due to an illness and return to work for not longer than two weeks and then experience a relapse will not be required to use a total of three days from paid leave in order to meet the eligibility/requirement for that leave benefit. The original illness or the relapse must have been certified by a physician. For extended sick leave, refer to policy 3140.