This section provides an overview of many benefits available to faculty and staff. In the event of conflict between the overview provided in this handbook and the plan document or insurance plan, the plan document or insurance plan will govern. Complete descriptions are not possible in the handbook; employees should contact Human Resources for specific plan details. The Labor Agreement governs in the case of Union employees in all aspects of this section. Regular non-union employees who have a schedule involving a (.46) FTE or above, and Union employees who have a (.50) FTE or above are eligible to participate in the College’s benefit programs.
Carleton College will comply with all applicable laws such as ACA, FMLA, federal, state, and any applicable regulations.
Employment & Benefits
Annual Leave Policy for Staff
Carleton College (the “College”) is committed to supporting the overall well-being of its staff, and recognizes that a healthy work-life balance is a crucial component of personal and professional success. This policy outlines the guidelines for accruing, using, and managing Annual Leave, a paid time-off benefit intended to provide staff with time for a variety of personal needs. This includes vacation, general rest and renewal, observing holidays in addition to the College Holidays (floating holidays), personal days, “mental-health” days, volunteering, and accommodating weather-related absences.
Annual Leave Accrual and Maximum Balance
Annual Leave is accrued based on years of service. All benefit-eligible staff with an FTE of .46 or greater are eligible for this policy.
- Accruals and Maximum Balance/Caps are prorated based on an employee’s approved FTE
- Accruals are calculated and added to an employee’s leave bank after each pay period.
- Annual Leave used during any pay period is not counted for the purpose of calculating an employee’s overtime hours of work or overtime premiums. Moreover, Annual Leave does not accrue during unpaid leaves of absence.
- Once an employee reaches the maximum balance, no further hours will be accrued until the balance falls below the cap.
- Employees are required to regularly report their Annual Leave utilization in Workday; employees who don’t complete this regular reporting process are ineligible for payout of any unused Annual Leave upon termination of employment and may be subject to disciplinary action.
- Upon termination of employment, eligible employees will be paid out 50% of their accrued but unused Annual Leave balance.
Annual Leave Accruals
|
Years of Service |
Accrual Rate |
Total Annual Accruals for 1.0 FTE Employees |
Maximum Balance/ Cap (Pro-rated by FTE) |
Payout Upon Termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
At Start of Employment or Benefit Eligibility: |
.0962/regular hour paid |
200 hours |
320 hours |
50% of the accrued unused balance |
|
Upon Completion of the 10th Consecutive Year of Service: |
.1077/regular hour paid |
224 hours |
320 hours |
50% of the accrued unused balance |
Usage Guidelines
- Request and Approval: Annual Leave must be requested in advance through Workday in 15-minute increments and approved by the employee’s direct supervisor. An exception to this can be made for unplanned events. In those rare circumstances, employees must report their leave utilization as soon as administratively feasible.
- Scheduling: While Carleton College encourages employees to take time off for rest and renewal, leave scheduling is subject to business needs and operational requirements. Supervisors are responsible for approving requests fairly and consistently.
First-Year Employee Provision
During an employee’s first year of employment, they may be granted a temporary negative Annual Leave balance of up to 40 hours. This allows new employees to take time off before they have fully accrued their annual leave. It is expected that new employees will have a positive Annual Leave balance when they reach one year of service. In the event of termination, any negative balance must be repaid to the College, in accordance with state law.
-
Temporary Extension of Maximum Balance
Carleton’s vacation policy provides staff with an opportunity to step away from work for rest and renewal. Taking vacation can be particularly important when workloads are high. However, we recognize that extenuating business circumstances may prevent an employee from taking accrued vacation time, and such circumstances periodically result in an employee reaching the vacation maximum accrual balance. When an employee reaches the maximum accrual balance, their vacation accruals will cease until their balance drops below the maximum. As a result, employees lose vacation accruals.
In response, Carleton will temporarily extend an employee’s maximum balance by up to ten days. Such circumstances are rare and will be reviewed and approved by Tuesday Group. Extension, if granted, will include a specific extension period. During that extension period, the employee’s maximum accrual balance will increase by the approved number of days (up to ten). At the end of the extension period, the employee’s accrual balance will return to the regular maximums and accruals above the maximum will be lost. It is important to note that the maximum payout balance will not change.
Supervisors are encouraged to work with employees to find vacation opportunities to avoid balances up to the maximum.
Last Revised: December 23, 2025
For: Staff
Last Reviewed: August 13, 2021
Maintained by: Human Resources