We are pleased to share a revised Vacation Days policy for College staff: we are shifting the end date for use of vacation time to August 31. In this year, 2021, a year that has brought many stresses and prevented some from planning vacation, you will have an extra three months to use your vacation. Going forward, this new policy will afford staff greater flexibility in the planning of vacation time by putting the summer at the end of the vacation period, and your accrued vacation will align with the payroll period of September 1 – August 31.

We recognize that many staff members find it difficult to schedule vacation time during the academic year and prefer to schedule vacation time during summer months. Under the current policy, vacation days had to be used by May 31, and under the new policy, staff members will have three more months to use their vacation days. Your time off will now expire August 31, 2021 instead of May 31, 2021.

During the new policy transition period (June – August 2021), staff members will continue to earn vacation time for each month they work. The maximum amount of paid time off eligible to be used will be based upon their length of service plus these three months. Please see the attached updated policy for details.

Paid vacation days that are not used by August 31 will be forfeited, except for up to five (5) unused vacation days that may be carried over into the next academic year. The days carried over must be used by January 31.

For example:

Assume that Staff Member A accrues vacation at the rate of 22 days per year. This means they earn 1.83 per each full month worked.

Prior Policy: Staff Member A earned 22 days for their work from June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021 (earning 1.83 days per month). Staff Member A had 9.5 unused vacation days as of May 31, 2021. The current policy allows 5 unused vacation days to be carried over into the next fiscal year, which means the remaining 4.5 days would expire. The 5 carried over days a) must be used no later than September 15, 2021 or b) could be saved and used during winter break (expiring, if unused, on December 31, 2021).

Updated Policy: Staff Member A earned 22 days for their work from June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021 (earning 1.83 days per month), and will continue earning an additional 1.83 days per month worked (for a total of an additional 5.5 days) from June 1 – August 31, 2021.

If Staff Member A had 9.5 unused vacation days as of May 31, they will have 9.5 + 5.5 (15) days eligible to be used before August 31, because they will continue to earn days during the summer of 2021.  If Staff Member A uses 10 days of vacation by August 31, 5 unused vacation days will rollover to the new academic year. As of September 1, 2021, Staff Member A will continue accruing new vacation days over the next 12 months at the rate of 1.83 days per month (22 days per year). Employees are allowed to carry a negative vacation balance, up to the maximum number of vacation days accrued per year. The 5 carryover days expire on January 31, 2022.

We encourage staff to take time off and to utilize their vacation days if they are able and want to do so. Vacation time does not need to be used for a traditional vacation but can and should be used also for self-care, stress prevention, and general time away from work. Staff that are planning to take vacation time should follow the same time-off request process for their individual areas as they have done in the past.

To complete the transfer to new policies, all time off taken as of May 31^st must be recorded in ADP on time. We will remind you of this in May. 

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Agnes Stepek 
Director of Human Resources

P | 847-735-5036  E | stepek@lakeforest.edu  
LAKE FOREST COLLEGE | 555 N Sheridan Rd Lake Forest, IL 60045

This message may contain confidential and/or proprietary information and is intended for the person/entity to whom it was originally addressed.  Any use by others is strictly prohibited.