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Purpose

Personal Observance Leave may be used by eligible employees on any day of significance to the employee, including days of cultural, religious, or personal importance.

Eligibility

All full-time Staff employees and Faculty (leave-eligible/benefits-eligible) will receive Personal Observance Leave (“leave”).  Temporary, part-time and interim employees will not receive this leave.   

Newly hired employees are eligible for leave upon their hire date.

Amount of Leave

• Eligible employees will receive eight (8) hours of Leave each fiscal year. The Leave will be credited to employees on July 1 of each year (fiscal year).
• All Leave must be used on the same day.
• The Leave has no cash value and does not carry over each year. Leave unused within a fiscal year is forfeited.
• This leave may not be transferred to other employees.
• If an employee separates from the College and moves to another State agency, University or Community College within the fiscal year, unused leave may be transferred if the new agency accepts the leave.

Use of Leave

• This leave may be used on any single day of significance to the employee, including but not limited to days of cultural and/or religious importance. The day in which leave is taken does not have to be a day from the employee’s own religious or cultural background.
• Employees may use this leave prior to exhausting any accumulated compensatory leave or other leave available to the employee.
• This leave may not be used as sick leave or used on days already scheduled as vacation or a holiday in the College calendar.
• This leave may not be used to extend a holiday or vacation already scheduled in the College calendar.
• This leave will not be applied to existing negative leave balances. This leave cannot be donated under the Voluntary Shared Leave policy.

Approval of Leave

• Employees must receive prior approval from their immediate supervisor prior to using this leave. Requests for the use of leave should be made at least two (2) weeks prior to the expected day of leave.
• Supervisors will honor all leave requests unless the use of the leave will create a disruption in the College’s operation, in which case the supervisor may require the leave be taken at a time other than the time requested.   
• Supervisors may not require a justification of the employee’s request to use the leave.
• It is the responsibility of an employee and their supervisor to ensure all leave is reported accurately.

Legal Citation:              Executive Order No. 262, §5 (June 6, 2022)