Vacation accrual cap will be reinstated in July

The cap on vacation accruals, which was originally lifted in April 2020, will be reinstated in July, according to an email this week from Human Resources. The dates vary for exempt and non-exempt employees.

The cap was lifted because of the difficulty of taking vacation time or trips during the pandemic. Since April 2020, the lifting of the cap has been extended several times; the latest was in February until the end of this month.

For exempt (monthly paid) staff: The cap will reinstate on July 1, 2021. Employees will accrue vacation hours at the end of June, but if they are over their max vacation time allowed, no new hours will be added at the end of July or until they drop below their max accrual.

For non-exempt (biweekly paid) staff: The cap will reinstate on July 11, 2021. Employees will accrue vacation hours on July 10, but if they are over their max vacation time allowed, no new hours will be added at on July 24 or until they drop below their max accrual.

All of the days accrued will still be available for use as long as the employee is at Pitt, but any time accrued above the cap will not be compensated for, nor paid out to current staff or those who voluntarily leave the University.

If a staff member is not at their accrual max, they will continue to accrue vacation time at their normal rate up to their max allowed time.

Human Resources continues to encourage staff to use their time off — even if not for a traditional vacation — for self-care, stress prevention and general time away from work.

In February, Staff Council President Andy Stephany said he and other staff are very grateful for the cap removal. “Staff share with me that this is a tremendous value,” he said. “There are areas of campus where staff are under tremendous stress to continue to grind away, where staff need to be at positions on site and cannot get away when their office is open. And I want a partner to find ways to support those staff in particular.”

If you have questions about the vacation accrual cap, or the dates that it will be reinstated, submit an online inquiry at www.hr.pitt.edu/contact-ohr.