Overview of what is changing for time off

What is changing for Time Off? 

Starting July 2025, employees will utilize Workday for absence/time off. 

General Changes

• Time off accruals are earned at the end of the pay period. 
• University Staff Exempt will no longer report hours worked and will only need to report time off. 

Difference Between Time off and Leave of Absence Terminology  in Workday  

• In Workday, taking time away from work such as vacation or sick, is referred to as time off. 
• Leave of Absence is time away for a specific reason that will require separate approvals (FMLA, WFLMA, Paid Parental Leave, Faculty Sabbatical, etc,.). Time off may be used during some leaves of absence.

Time Off Type 

• Each time off type is subject to eligibility rules, allowed number of hours taken, and whether adjustments are permitted.
• Balances will update as time off is earned and used. 
• There are new time off takes to select such as voting and election official. 
• No Leave Taken is now a time off type and will be selected to indicate when no time off has been taken each month. 

Time Off Balances 

• Time off balances will update instantly as they are taken. 
• Employee, Manager, Timekeeper, Absence Partner can review time off balances in real time and can forecast balances with future dates.

Schedules Drive Time off Quantity 

• When requesting time off, the daily default quantity is equal to the employee's scheduled work hours for that date. This allows employees to submit requests in date ranges that include days off. 
• Days that are not scheduled will default to zero hours. 
• Full-Time Exempt employees, including University Staff, will take time off in full or half day increments. 
  • 10-hour schedules: request time off in 5/10-hour increments.
  • 8-hour schedules: request 4/8-hour increments. 

Employees with Multiple Jobs 

• Will have one balance of each time off type that they are eligible for in Workday.
  • Multiple Jobs Scenarios
    • Employee with two academic positions will have combined balance for each type of time off earnings.
    • Employee with an academic positions and a post doc position earn different leave/absence with pay in each job so balances for each time off will be independent. 
  • When requesting time off the position requesting time off must be selected. 
  • Time off requests will be routed to the appropriate manager for approval. 
  • Managers will need to confirm the position is eligible for the time off type before it is approved. 
  • No Leave Taken is not attached to a specific position, this will be approved by the primary manager. 
  • In Workday, there is a complex matrix used to determine which position is the primary job to ensure correct absence earnings and balances. 

Legal Holiday 

• Employees will not be able to use their full annual amount of Legal holiday upfront, instead employees will be able to use up to 16 hours (prorated for part-time) before it is earned. 
• Legal holiday time off will be loaded for both full-time and part-time employees prorated based on FTE. 
  • If a legal holiday occurs on a day of the week that an employee is not scheduled to work the loaded legal holiday take will need to be manually canceled, then the earned legal holiday can be used on a future date within the fiscal year. 
  • If an employee works on the legal holiday the loaded legal holiday will need to be manually adjusted, then the unused earned legal holiday hours become available to be used on a future date within the fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). 

What stays the same 

• A SCDs procedure for employees to request time off and require approval by the manager. 
• No Leave Taken entries are required for exempt Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited appointees (FAASLI). 
• FAASLI Exempt employees report time off in half and full day increments. 
• FAASLI employees are still subject to a sick leave reduction.
• Full-Time Nonexempt, Part-Time Exempt, and Nonexempt employees still report time off in quarter hour increments. 
• Time off will be earned each pay period based on the employee's pay group and FTE. 
  • University Staff time off will be earned each pay period based on FTE/hours worked, FLSA status, and years of service. 
• Compensatory time pays outs on the current schedule for spring payouts. 80 hours is still the maximum. 
• FMLA and WFMLA entries can be entered in quarter hour increments. 
• All eligible employees are on the fiscal year calendar from July 1 - June 30.
• Trades Workers will still choose their time off elections. 
• Grad assistants leave/time off tracking will not be included in Workday at go live. Manual tracking will continue.
• Time off types earnings and usage for vacation, sick leave, and personal holiday are not changing. 
• Postdoc, Absence with Pay (Medical), Absence with Pay (Personal), and Absence with Pay (Parental) are not changing. 
• The overall intent of the University's leave/time off policies. 

How to prepare 

• Review HR Business Process
• Employees will be notified when Time Off specific training is developed and scheduled. 
• Check out the Transition Period Actions for Absence/Time Off HR Professionals. 

Questions?

Contact leave@ohr.wisc.edu