The Division of Human Resources’ Records Office reminds employees of two important dates during the month of September that can have an impact on your sick and vacation leave balances. Please read the following information regarding annual sick leave conversion and vacation accrual maximums. If you have questions on either process, contact a member of the HR Records office at 330-672-8316.

Annual Sick Leave Conversion

The annual sick leave conversion for eligible staff employees will take place Sept. 1 through Sept. 14. During this period, eligible classified and unclassified employees with a continuing appointment may convert accrued sick leave to vacation per administrative policy 3342-6-11.2.

Eligible full-time employees who have a balance of at least 500 hours of sick leave may convert:

• A maximum of five days (40 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation; or
• A combined maximum of five days (40 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation and personal leave.
  

Eligible part-time employees who have a balance of at least 250 hours may convert:

• A maximum of three days (24 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation; or
• A combined maximum of three days (24 hours) per fiscal year of vacation and personal leave.
  

Eligible classified employees represented by AFSCME who have a balance of at least 500 hours of sick leave may convert a maximum of five days (40 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation.

The conversion process will be done online through FlashLine. The system will tell you how much sick and vacation leave you currently have and how much you are eligible to convert. With the electronic process, employees will receive a confirmation email and also will see the conversion reflected immediately in their FlashLine leave balances.

Eligible employees also received information about the conversion the week of Aug. 19 to their kent.edu email address.

Vacation Accrual Maximums

If you are a classified or unclassified employee who accrues vacation, be sure to check your leave balances to see if you are at risk of losing any accrued vacation time. According to the university policy regarding annual vacation leave for nonteaching unclassified and classified personnel, the maximum amount of vacation an employee can accrue is that which can be earned in a three-year period.

Employees who are over their accrual maximum must use the time by Sept. 30; if not, they will lose any vacation hours accrued beyond the maximum. Vacation hours are earned each pay period and vary according to the employee’s years of service with Kent State and job appointment (i.e., classified or unclassified status). An explanation of vacation accrual rates, eligibility and usage is available at www.kent.edu/hr/benefits/vacation.

All employees who earn vacation are reminded to report and submit their leave promptly. Accurate and timely reporting is important to make sure the time is being deducted correctly, and that you are not exceeding your accrual maximum. Employees can easily check their leave balance in the MyHR tab of FlashLine, in the Employment Details channel. Once there, select the Employee Profile Dashboard and then the Full Leave Balance Information link. You may then compare your balance with the Vacation Leave Accrual chart that can be found at the website listed above.

Employees who were at risk of losing accumulated vacation time were previously notified by email to their kent.edu email account.