Procedure: Annual leave

Purpose

Annual leave is provided under the ANU Enterprise Agreement and the ANU Policy: Staff leave. This procedure outlines the specific entitlements, conditions, and procedures specific to accessing annual leave.

Procedure

1. All staff, other than casuals, are entitled to 20 working days per year (pro-rata) annual leave for each completed 12-month period. Annual leave accruals are uncapped. Annual leave will be calculated on a fortnightly basis from commencement of employment, and all unused annual leave entitlements are paid out on termination.
2. In addition to the general entitlement in clause 1 (above), the following categories of staff are entitled to additional leave per year accrued on a fortnightly basis:

Academic Staff

3. Academic staff may be required to take their full yearly annual leave entitlement during December to January each year unless another period is approved by the delegate and the period is recorded in the University’s HR system.
4. In the absence of an alternative period being approved by 1 December each year, the staff member will be rostered on leave for the balance of their current full year’s leave entitlement from the first working day in the following January and their annual leave balance will be reduced accordingly.

Excess leave management

5. Annual leave accrual of more than six weeks (pro-rata for part-time staff) entitlement will be regarded as ‘excess leave’ for the purpose of this procedure.
6. Where a staff member has accrued excess leave and has not applied for leave which will eliminate the excess, the University will notify the staff member that leave must be taken at a mutually agreed time within the next four months. The amount of leave to be taken, which includes any annual leave accrued during the notice period, must be sufficient to reduce the staff member’s excess leave to below four weeks (pro rata) of annual leave accrual.
7. Where a staff member has not sufficiently reduced their excess leave balance in accordance with clause 6 (above), the University will require the staff member to take the specified period of leave, except where an agreed leave management plan has been approved.

Purchasing or cashing out annual leave

8. A staff member, other than casual, may:

1. Subject to approval of the appropriate delegate, purchase extended leave in accordance with University policy including options such as leave purchasing, purchasing leave with leave loading, deferred salary and 48/52 arrangements. Approval for such arrangements, while considering operational requirements, will not be reasonably withheld.
2. Make an application to the Chief People Officer to have their annual leave accrual cashed out due to financial hardship.

9. If payments are made under provision 8 (b) above, the following conditions will apply:

1. the staff member must always have a balance of at least four weeks paid annual leave remaining.
2. A written agreement must be made each time a staff member requests to cash out annual leave.
3. The payment of cashed out annual leave must equate to the same amount as what the staff member would have been paid had they taken the leave.

10. Payments made in accordance with clause 8 (b), are not superannuable, and will not count as service.

Annual leave loading

11. A staff member is entitled to payment of an annual leave loading equal to 17.5 per cent of 20 days’ base salary, accruing on a fortnightly basis, except that:

• The maximum annual leave loading payable will not exceed the average weekly earnings for all males in the May quarter of the year preceding payment, as published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
• A staff member who continues to receive penalty rates, or an associated allowance, while on annual leave will not be eligible for annual leave loading if their penalty rate, or allowance rate, is equivalent to, or exceeds, 17.5 per cent of 20 days’ pay, and
• A staff member who continued to receive penalty rates, or an associated allowance, while on annual leave which is less than 17.5 per cent will be eligible for payment of annual leave loading equivalent to the difference between such rates and 17.5 per cent of 20 days’ pay.

12. Except where a staff member has elected to convert their leave loading to additional annual leave in accordance with clause 8 (a), accrued annual leave loading will be paid in the second pay of each calendar year and on termination any pro-rata balance will be paid.

Applications for annual leave

13. Where practicable, all staff are required to submit an online leave application in advance of the leave being taken.
14. Subject to appropriate notice and operational requirements of the work area, a staff member with sufficient credit should be able to take at least 20 days’ annual leave in an unbroken period. Such leave will not be unreasonably refused.
15. Some areas, for example teaching academics and student administrative areas, have operational restrictions on when leave is taken and/or periods during which leave cannot or must be taken.
16. Annual leave cannot be taken in advance of accruals, except in exceptional circumstances to be determined by the Chief People Officer.
17. Staff on externally funded fixed term appointments may be required to take accrued leave prior to the expiry of their appointment.
18. A staff member who is ill during a period of annual leave or long service leave may request that the leave entitlements be re-credited out of their personal leave balance, subject to submission of an appropriate medical certificate.
19. A supervisor must exercise their delegation to approve a leave application in accordance with the conditions and approval arrangements specified in this procedure.

20. Approval of leave beyond those provided under this procedure requires approval of the Chief People Officer or the Vice-Chancellor and President.