HR Tips Q3 2017 - Leave management at the University

Leave Management at the University

Staff Services Online (SSO) is the University’s online, self-service tool which, among other things, allows staff to apply for and manage leave. Your staff need to record leave that they’ve taken in SSO for several important reasons.

When a staff member leaves the University, they will receive a payout of untaken annual and/or long service leave. This amount is based on their leave balances in SSO. If your staff member’s leave balance is 20 days, but in reality they have taken those days and have not recorded them as leave in SSO, your staff member will effectively receive a ‘double’ payment for that leave period.

Similarly, if leave which has been taken isn’t recorded in SSO, staff may access more leave than they are entitled to. This can mean inequity in the workplace as well as challenging you in managing workload within your team.

Where staff have accrued excess leave, it’s important that you work with them to reduce their excess leave balance. Excess leave creates financial risk, as any leave that is not taken must be paid out on termination. You have options to direct a staff member to take leave, when their leave balance becomes excessive as defined in our Enterprise Agreement, that is:

• An accrued annual leave balance of over 35 days (40 for shift workers), pro-rated for part-time staff.
• An accrued long service leave balance of over 90 working days, pro-rated for part-time staff.

The Managing Staff Excess Leave Accruals Procedure details the process to follow to manage staff with excess leave and to guide your communications with staff on this topic.

PDR is an excellent opportunity for you to discuss with your staff their proposed leave plans and to remind staff of their obligation to record their leave in SSO. The PDR Conversation Record contains a section for leave balances and plans. You can use this template to support your PDR conversations and the planning of leave.

By having regular conversations with your staff about their leave plans, ensuring your staff take leave and actively managing excess leave accruals, you are making an important contribution to the University and our staff. Enabling your staff to take leave to rest and recuperate contributes to their health and wellbeing, helps to maintain a positive workplace culture and increases productivity.

For any questions about leave management and managing excess leave, contact your Human Resources Advisor.

Questions or Feedback?

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If you have a general HR query, please get in touch with our friendly HR Service Centre team on 8313 1111 or complete the online enquiry form.