Leaves & vacation
Leave and vacation entitlements vary by employee group. This page outlines current entitlements for each group. For more information about leave entitlements, please see your Collective Agreement or terms of reference.
Vacation & Special Leave
Vacation entitlements vary by employee group, but are typically earned based on years of service. Vacation carry-over varies by employee group as well - pay attention to carry-over allotments if your new job at UVic is with a different employee group.
CUPE 917 employees earn vacation based on the number of years they have worked. The maximum alloweable carry-forward is 10 days of vacation.
After 15 years of continuous service, regular continuing staff earn 22 working days of long service vacation.
| Year | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 10 days |
| Year 2 | 15 days |
| Year 3 | 16 days |
| Year 4 | 17 days |
| Year 5 | 18 days |
| Year 6 | 19 days |
| Year 7 | 20 days |
| Year 8 | 21 days |
| Year 9 | 22 days |
| Year 10 | 23 days |
| Year 11 | 24 days |
| Year 12 | 25 days |
| Year 13 | 26 days |
| Year 14 | 27 days |
| Year 15 | 28 days |
| Year 16 | 29 days |
| Years 17+ | 30 days |
CUPE 951 employees earn vacation based on the number of years of service.
Regular employees must take a minimum of 10 working days' vacation and, with prior approval from their department heads, may carry over any portion of an annual vacation entitlement in excess of 10 working days from 1 calendar year to the next. No carryover of unused vacation entitlement may exceed 15 working days, except by agreement of the parties in unusual circumstances.
After 15 years of continuous service, regular continuing staff earn 22 working days of long service vacation.
| Year | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 10 days |
| Years 2-4 | 15 days |
| Year 5 | 16 days |
| Year 6 | 17 days |
| Year 7 | 18 days |
| Year 8 | 20 days |
| Year 9 | 21 days |
| Year 10 | 22 days |
| Year 11 | 23 days |
| Years 12-19 | 24 days |
| Years 20+ | 30 days |
Maximum carry forward is 10 days.
In addition, Exempt Support staff are granted 5 days per calendar year of special leave. Term employees less than 1 year are not eligible for special leave.
After 15 years of continuous service, regular continuing staff earn 22 working days of long service vacation.
| Year | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 10 days |
| Years 2-4 | 15 days |
| Year 5 | 16 days |
| Year 6 | 17 days |
| Year 7 | 18 days |
| Year 8 | 20 days |
| Year 9 | 21 days |
| Year 10 | 22 days |
| Year 11 | 23 days |
| Years 12 | 24 days |
| Years 13+ | 25 days |
Maximum allowable carry forward is 40 days. For term staff, vacation entitlement is 15 working days per year; term staff who work continuously for more than one year will earn and be credited with vacation at the same rate as continuing staff.
Entitlements are pro-rated for part-time and/or part-year service.
| Year | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | pro-rated based on 22 days per year |
| Years 2-5 | 22 days |
| Years 6-10 | 24 days |
| Years 11-15 | 27 days |
| Years 16-20 | 28 days |
| Years 21+ | 29 days |
Maximum allowable carry forward is 10 days with supervisor approval.
In addition, Management Excluded staff are granted 5 days per calendar year of special leave. Term employees less than 1 year are not eligible for special leave.
| Year | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 22 days pro-rated based on start date |
| Years 2-5 | 22 days |
| Years 6-10 | 24 days |
| Years 11-15 | 27 days |
| Years 16-20 | 28 days |
| Years 21+ | 29 days |
Sick leave
Sick leave ensures that employees can take the time they need to get well without losing wages.
Full- and part-time employees are eligible for 5 paid sick days each year, per the British Columbia's Employment Standards Act (ESA). Any UVic entitlements that exceed these 5 days include the ESA days in the calculation (e.g. a UVic maximum of 15 sick days per year is 5 ESA days plus 10 UVic days).
- Supervisor can initially grant up to one month; such requests should not be unreasonably denied
- To extend the leave up to three months, the employee must inform the supervisor and provide medical documentation
Any employee unable to report for work as a result of an illness must notify their supervisor a the earliest opportunity. For more details please see your terms and conditions of employment.
Staff with continuing appointments who have completed their probationary period, and who are absent due to illness or injury will receive full salary up to 6 months, subject to receipt of satisfactory medical documentation.
- Sick leave entitlements are pro-rated for part-time continuing staff
- Probationary staff and staff with a term appointment accrue sick leave at the rate of 1.5 days per month
Other leave types
There are several additional leave types that are available to employees at UVic, defined below. Please check your Collective Agreement or Terms of Reference to determine eligibility and entitlements for your employee group.
Bereavement leave is for mourning a death and attending to practical arrangements, such as funerals.
Compassionate leave is time off to care for a family member with a serious medical condition or significant risk of death.
Jury and witness service is a leave to serve as a jury member or witness in a court action.
This leave is available to all employee groups.
Maternity and parental leave is available for all employee groups of UVic.
- Maternity leave is leave for the birth of an employee's child.
- Parental leave is leave for either parent for the birth or adoption of a child.
See our family status page for more information about maternity and/or parental leave entitlements.
Leave without pay
Personal leave without pay is available for all employee groups at UVic.
During a period of approved leave without pay (other than protected leaves such as maternity/parental leave), you may continue any or all of your UVic benefits by assuming their total cost, including the UVic contributions. Contributions may be paid in advance or on the normal monthly basis.
Residents who will be absent from BC for 6 months or more in a calendar year need to contact Health Insurance BC to confirm continued eligibility and discuss options for continued MSP coverage that may be available during an absence.
Web leave management
Most UVic employees use web leave management to track leaves and vacation. Visit the Financial Services website for information on viewing your leave balance and entering your leave report online.