Voluntary Personal Leave
The Voluntary Personal Leave Plan (PLP) offers the opportunity for eligible employees to take additional leave while producing cost savings to individual departments or units. Employees who participate in the program apply for 5, 10 or 15 days of unpaid leave with the cost being deducted from their pay in equal installments beginning August 1, 2023, and ending July 31, 2024. All leave days must be taken before July 31, 2024.
How to apply
- Download and complete the Voluntary Personal Leave Plan application form
- Submit the form to your supervisor to review, sign and return back to you
- Submit the form to the Staff Service Centre by the deadline of July 25, 2023
Who is eligible?
Staff under the following agreements or handbooks who accrue vacation leave rather than receive pay in lieu of vacation and who have an appointment commencing on or before August 1, 2023, and ending on or after July 31, 2024, are eligible to apply for the plan. Some restrictions apply—see below.
Academic Staff
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Support Staff
Excluded Staff Types
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Who is not eligible?
- Employees in recurring, auxiliary (hourly), or casual positions
- Employees with an end date during the Plan Period
- Support staff with more than one year's vacation accrual in their vacation bank on January 1, 2023 without an agreed upon plan to use it. Ask your HR Service Partner to provide the employee’s vacation accrual balance.
- Other employees (non-support staff) who have carried vacation forward from 2022/2023 to 2023/2024. Ask your HR Service Partner to provide the employee’s accrual balance.
Are part-time employees eligible for the plan?
Yes, part-time employees are eligible for the plan however those who participate apply for days of leave without pay based on their full-time equivalent (FTE). Please refer to examples below:
Examples
If an employee who works a 0.8 FTE (working four days a week) is approved for the five-day PLP, they would then receive four days leave without pay.
If an employee works 0.6 of a 40 hour week and chooses to apply for 10 days of PLP, they would have 48 hours of PLP to use (40 hours/week x two weeks (10 days) x 0.6 FTE).
Frequently Asked Questions
You would be eligible for PLP only for the eligible appointment.
- Fill out the Voluntary PLP Application form to indicate how many days you would like to take as PLP over the plan period. Have your supervisor review and sign the form before you submit it to the Staff Service Centre
- When you want to use your PLP days, request the time off from your supervisor. Scheduling is subject to supervisor approval and operational requirements, including being subject to department blackout periods. PLP days may be taken in half-day increments. You can use up to five PLP days at a time.
- The deduction on each pay period varies between 1.92% up to 5.76% depending on the number of leave days selected and will be applied to base compensation.
- PLP is deducted in equal installments beginning August 1, 2023, and ending July 31, 2024.
- PLP deductions do not apply to overtime.
- Pensionable earnings are not affected by the PLP.
- All statutory, Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, and tax deductions are calculated on salary less the personal leave deductions.
The savings from staff who participate remain with the faculty, department or unit.
The personal leave deduction applies to the base salary you receive in that pay period.
Once approved, the decision to participate in the plan is irrevocable.
All applications will be reviewed on an individual basis and are subject to manager/supervisor or trust-holder approval based on employee eligibility and operational requirements.
Scheduling is subject to supervisor approval and operational requirements, including being subject to department blackout periods. PLP days may be taken in half-day increments.
PLP days may be used over a period of time. You can use or apply only five days of PLP for each instance of requested time off.
However, all personal leave days must be taken before July 31, 2024. Any leave days not taken before the end of June are forfeited and cannot be carried forward or reimbursed.
Subject to approval, you are able to apply for a minimum of five days or increments of five up to a maximum of 15 days. For leave periods longer than 15 days, please refer to the Leave Without Pay clause of the appropriate collective agreement or handbook.