Administrative Leave Guidelines

Administrative Leave

HR Home > Administrative Leave Guidelines

UCB – Human Resources
Guidelines for the Use of Administrative Leave for Classified Staff

The University of Colorado at Boulder and System Administration adopts these Guidelines for the Use of Administrative Leave. These guidelines are designed to provide guidance to campus departments in the use of administrative leave and to provide fair and consistent application across campus. These guidelines have been designed to be reasonable and flexible to meet the changing business needs of the University. In all cases,

the appointing authority is responsible and accountable for leave approval decisions made within his/her department(s);
the guidelines listed in this document are intended to be used for the majority of cases;
requests for exceptions should be provided in writing to the appointing authority, and must be approved by the appointing authority.

Background

All classified employees are eligible for administrative leave. Effective January 1, 2000, the State Personnel Rules and Procedures requiring that administrative leave be granted for participation in tests and interviews for state positions were revised to provide appointing authorities the discretion to grant this type of administrative leave. The Department of Human Resources (HR) recommends that employees be given administrative leave to participate in assessment activities and interviews.

In March of 2000, the University of Colorado at Boulder began recommending that employees may be granted up to 16 hours of administrative leave to participate in school or volunteer activities that benefit the community. For any pre-planned leave, supervisor approval is necessary with leave permitted based upon the work needs of the unit. In addition, supervisors will have the discretion to increase or decrease the amount of hours depending on the business needs of the department.

State Personnel Rules and Administrative Procedures Pertaining to Administrative Leave

Discretionary Administrative Leave (5-20): Appointing authorities may grant paid time to employees for reasons determined to be for the good of the state.
Rule 5-20. Administrative leave may be used to grant paid time in situations where the appointing authority wishes to release employees from their official duties for the good of the state. In determining what is for the good of the state, an appointing authority considers prudent use of taxpayer and personal services dollars and the business needs of the department. Pursuant to 1-9, the appointing authority has the power to define the job. Activities performed in an official employment capacity, including job-related training and meetings, voluntary training, and conferences are typically work time and do not require administrative leave. Participation in hearings or settlement conferences at the direction of the Board or Director is work time. Testifying in court or official government hearings on job-related matters when required by an appointing authority or subpoena is work time. Administrative leave is not intended to be a substitute for such things as corrective or disciplinary action or other benefits and leave.

Any administrative leave granted to an employee that exceeds 20 consecutive working days must be reported to the department head (Chancellor) and the Colorado State Personnel Director.

An appointing authority may grant administrative leave up to five days for local or 15 days for national emergencies per fiscal year to employees who are certified disaster service volunteers of the American Red Cross.

A department head (Chancellor) may adopt a policy granting one period of administrative leave for the initial call up to active military service in the war against terrorism or other military operations. Such leave shall not exceed 90 calendar days and applies after exhaustion of paid military leave. It is only used to make up the difference between the employee’s base salary (excluding premiums) and total gross military pay and allowances. The employee must furnish proof of military pay and allowances. This leave does not apply to regular military obligations such as the annual encampment and training.

Required Administrative Leave (5-21): Appointing authorities are required to grant paid time to employees in the instances described below:
Rule 5-21. Administrative leave must be granted for the following:

Two hours to participate in general elections if the employee does not have three hours of unscheduled work time during the hours the polls are open.

Up to two days per fiscal year for organ, tissue, or bone donation for transplants.
To serve as an election judge unless a supervisor determines that the employee’s attendance on Election Day is essential. The employee cannot receive compensation other than the paid administrative leave for serving as an election judge and must provide evidence of service.

Administrative Leave for State Tests and Interviews

The granting of administrative leave for participation in tests and interviews for state positions is a long-standing practice that has benefited employees and appointing authorities alike. Although granting leave for participation in tests and interviews is no longer required, the Boulder Campus continues to support the granting of administrative leave for these purposes.

Tests and interviews for state positions are not limited to the Boulder Campus. Employees who seek employment through transfer, demotion or promotional opportunities at other state agencies are eligible for administrative leave. In cases where a state agency is in another part of the state requiring extensive travel time (e.g. Durango or Grand Junction), the appointing authority shall use discretion in the amount of administrative leave to be granted. In these cases, the use of a combination of administrative leave and annual leave would be appropriate.

Administrative leave for the purpose of participating in state tests and interviews should be requested and approved in advance. Notice of at least 24 hours is preferred unless special circumstances prevent such notice.

Administrative Leave for School or Volunteer Activities

The Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration believes that school and volunteer leave sends a message of support for the education of our children and for building better communities. Although granting leave for school or volunteer activities is discretionary, the Boulder campus continues to support the granting of administrative leave for these purposes as long as the business needs of the department is not compromised.

The philosophy for school leave is a recognition of the importance of parental (or guardian) involvement in a child's education. According to educators, involvement in a child's school activities can positively enhance their educational experience. On the other hand, not everyone has school-age children. Volunteer leave provides the opportunity for individuals to contribute to their communities at large.

The Boulder Campus is constantly striving to build community, both on and off campus. We support the granting of administrative leave for participation in school and volunteer activities pursuant to the following guidelines.

The Boulder Campus Administrative Leave Guidelines provides up to 16 hours of school or volunteer leave per employee, per year. School/volunteer leave does not accrue, cannot be carried over from one year to the next, and cannot be "given" to another employee. (An appointing authority may grant additional hours of school/volunteer leave in special, documented circumstances.)

Requesting School/Volunteer Leave
Leave requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance, allowing discretion for emergencies. Requests must be in writing and provide information as to the nature of the school/volunteer activity.

Administrative leave for school/volunteer activities is discretionary. The school/volunteer activity must be mutually agreed upon by the supervisor and employee. Discretionary administrative leave requests will be treated like personal leave. A leave request form and supervisor approval is required, with leave permitted based upon the needs of the work unit. The supervisor must ensure adequate coverage of the work unit prior to granting approval of administrative leave. If an unforeseen event prevents the completion of regular job duties, then approval can be retracted at the discretion of the supervisor.

Tracking and Reporting Leave
Supervisors and appointing authorities (or their representatives) must track the hours of school/volunteer leave used by employees. Administrative leave must be entered as such in PeopleSoft HRMS time collection when taken. Supervisors should decide if documentation for activity is required. Appointing authorities and supervisors must be prepared to provide administrative leave data pertaining to school/volunteer leave, if needed. This data may be used to re-evaluate leave practices over time.

	Policy/ Procedure Main Page
	Guidelines for Administrative Leave
		Examples - School Activities
		Examples - Volunteer Activities
		Additional Leave Considerations
		Admin Leave Q&A
		Admin Leave Chart