Tracking Time Off (Sick Days/Vacation)

As a manager, you are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of accrued sick and vacation leave records for your non-exempt and exempt staff. You also need to ensure that time is reported accurately in accordance with non-represented policies regarding sick and vacation leave or the appropriate collective bargaining agreement.

Hourly paid employees are required by law to complete and submit weekly time sheets, which are then reviewed and signed by their supervisors; at BU, these time sheets are completed electronically through Employee Self-Service (ESS) on BUworks. Under Massachusetts law, copies of weekly time sheets must be maintained for a period of seven years. Effective July 1, 2011, copies of weekly time sheets will be stored in SAP, the University’s official timekeeper.

Exempt (semi-monthly paid) staff are not required to submit time sheets, however, they must request time off using the Time Off Request (TOR) facility available through ESS. As a manager, you are expected to check your worklist on a daily basis to approve or reject requests for time off from the employees who report to you. You have the ability to apply for an absence on behalf of your employee and also assign a nominee to cover your absence through the process of manager substitution. For further assistance, please refer to training resources available at http://www.bu.edu/buworks/timeservices/

For more information regarding sick and vacation leave accruals and usage for non-represented/non-exempt and exempt employees, view the Employee Handbook.  For more information regarding sick and vacation leave accruals for employees represented by a union contract, view the appropriate union contract.