Vacation Policy

Library Board approved November 15, 2005. Revised July 19, 2011. Revised November 24, 2020 (to implement January 1, 2021).

Introduction

The Oak Park Public Library is committed to helping staff members achieve work-life harmony and recognizes the importance of time spent away from the library for rest, recreation, and personal activities. Therefore, the library provides paid vacation time to eligible staff members and will attempt to grant all staff vacation requests when they desire to take it. 

Additionally, the library must maintain adequate staffing when open and serving the public. Therefore, vacations must be scheduled in advance and approved by the staff member’s immediate supervisor.

Eligibility

The library provides vacation time to all regular full-time and regular part-time staff members who work at least 20 hours per week consistently.

Vacation Rates

The library awards vacation based on a forty (40) hour workweek assuming eight (8) hours worked per day for five (5) days per week. 

Eligible staff members in their first calendar year of service are awarded the following number of days/hours to be used in that calendar year based on their start of service date. See the start of service award rates for full-time, non-exempt and full-time, exempt staff below:

Full-time, non-exempt (hourly) staff

Start of Service DateVacation Awarded
January 1 – March 3110 days / 80 hours
April 1 – June 307 days / 56 hours
July 1 – September 305 days / 40 hours
October 1 – December 313 days / 24 hours

Full-time, exempt (salaried) staff

Start of Service DateVacation Awarded
January 1 – March 3120 days / 160 hours
April 1 – June 3015 days / 120 hours
July 1 – September 3010 days / 80 hours
October 1 – December 315 days / 40 hours

Eligible staff members in their second and all subsequent calendar years are awarded vacation hours annually on January 1. See the award rates for full-time, non-exempt and full-time, exempt staff below:

Full-time, non-exempt (hourly) staff

Length of Service CompletedVacation Awarded on January 1
Less than 3 years12 days / 96 hours
At least 3 years15 days / 120 hours
At least 5 years18 days / 144 hours
At least 7 years21 days / 168 hours
At least 10 years25 days / 200 hours

Full-time, exempt (salaried) staff

Length of Service CompletedVacation Awarded on January 1
Less than 3 years20 days / 160 hours
At least 3 years22 days / 176 hours
At least 5 years23 days / 184 hours
At least 7 years24 days / 192 hours
At least 10 years25 days / 200 hours

Part-Time Proration

Part-time staff members who work at least 20 hours per week consistently are eligible for a prorated vacation award amount, depending on their number of hours budgeted to work per week. 

For example, a part-time, non-exempt, hourly staff member with two years of service budgeted for 20 hours per week is eligible for the percentage (50%) of what a full-time, 40-hour staff member is eligible for per year. In this example, the part-time staff member would be awarded 48 hours of vacation on January 1 (50% of 96 hours of vacation for a full-time, non-exempt staff member).

The total budgeted weekly hours factor into proration. The scheduled number of days worked per week and the scheduled hours per day worked are not factors determining the prorated vacation allowance.

Scheduling

Staff members may use their vacation time at any point during the calendar year. Regarding vacation time, it is each staff members’ responsibility to:

  1. Obtain their immediate supervisor’s approval in advance
  2. Schedule their time away from the library in advance
  3. Use their annually awarded amount of hours through the calendar year
  4. Take time away from the library in increments of at least one hour

Unused Vacation Time

Staff members are encouraged to use their vacation in the calendar year of eligibility. However, all vacation-eligible staff members may carry forward vacation hours from one calendar year to the next calendar year. The following is the maximum carry-over amount for full-time staff members:

Length of ServiceMaximum Carry-Over Amount
Any10 days / 80 hours

The library will prorate the maximum amount of hours allowed to be carried forward for part-time staff members based on their budgeted weekly hours.

Vacation time not used or carried forward will be lost. The library will not pay staff members for unused vacation except upon termination of their employment.

Termination of Employment

Upon termination of employment, the library will pay out all accrued but unused vacation time at the rate of pay applicable at the time of termination.

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