Time Off – GWell

Personal Leave

November 7, 2023November 7, 2023Employee Benefits, Time Off

Benefits-eligible staff may request personal leave* for situations that do not fall within the provisions of other university leave categories, such as FMLA.

Examples of a situation where personal leave may apply include:
• For educational or training purposes
• To attend a personal or family event
• For an extension of family leave after exhausting FMLA
• To care for a family member when not eligible for FMLA

*All applicable accrued annual and sick time must be exhausted during approved personal leave. For details regarding the exhaustion of paid time off during personal leave, please visit the benefits webpage.

If you are considering requesting personal leave, be sure to submit your request to your manager as far in advance as possible. The request must include the purpose of the leave, the date the leave is to begin and the date you intend to return to work. In deciding whether to grant the request, your manager will take into consideration the department’s operational and staffing needs, the reason for the request and job performance.

Please note, the approval of the leave request is not guaranteed and is at a manager’s discretion. Similarly, the request does not guarantee job reinstatement, and the employee’s position may be filled, modified or eliminated during the period of personal leave. If the employee is not reinstated, the employee may apply for vacant positions.

For questions regarding Personal Leave or any of GW’s time off and leave offerings, please contact GW Benefits at timeoff@gwu.edu.

Tag You’re It – Time Off

September 13, 2022September 13, 2022Employee Benefits, Time Off

When is the last time you broke free from your workload for that feeling of vacation bliss where you could truly unplug and relax in a change of scenery? Time off, whether a just a day or a planned vacation is not a negotiable luxury, but crucial for maintaining good health and enjoying an enriched life. Taking even a modest vacation can give your body a break from chronic stress that can contribute to anxiety, depression, insomnia and more. Whether it’s a road trip through majestic parks, discovering the vibrancy of a shimmering city, or just taking some time to enjoy your neighborhood, you’ll create meaningful memories as well as free up mental space for better productivity, creativity, and overall mental health.

Time off is a part of your total compensation package with GW so take advantage of it! As a way to recognize how important it is for you to take your paid time off, we will be running a “tag you’re it” benefits campaign this month! During September, tag the Benefits Twitter account (@gw_benefits) and a coworker and share your favorite vacation picture or staycation recommendation. All participants will be entered into a raffle for a new travel backpack. We are excited to see your entries and help us encourage one another to prioritize our health and use our well-earned time away.

Time Off Delegation in Kronos

August 26, 2019August 27, 2019Time Off

Delegation within the time-off module in Kronos has recently been enhanced to increase the flexibility of who a manager can assign as a delegate. Managers who wish to officially delegate their time off authority in Kronos, whether short or long term, can select either another manager or a timekeeper as their delegate. As a reminder, timekeepers may assign delegation to another timekeeper.

When delegation is initiated, the delegate has the ability to see and edit the tasks of the manager or timekeeper (i.e. approve annual time, manage timecards). It is possible for an individual to accept more than one delegation. More information about initiating and accepting delegation can be found in the following document, also available on the Benefits Time Off Learning page.

September Learning Opportunities
Throughout September there will be learning opportunities, including webinars for managers and employees. Benefits will also continue to host weekly virtual office hours where employees can ask questions in an open forum to time off questions such as, “How do I cancel a request?,” “How do I submit time on behalf of a direct report?” Virtual office hours are a Q&A session only and will not include training slides or formal instruction.

Micro-video tutorials

We recently added additional micro-video tutorials for managers to our Time Off Learning page including how to review and approve/cancel time off requests, how to create a hyperfind for your direct reports and more! In addition, pre-recorded webinars for both managers and employees will be available at the beginning of September. These webinars will cover topics such as approving your direct reports’ time-off requests, canceling a request when plans change, and viewing accrual balances.

New to GW?

Please check out the resources available on our Time Off Learning page as well as the on-demand webinars, available in early September, to get acquainted with our new centralized time off tracking system. And mark your calendar to join one of our virtual office hours sessions to ask any questions you may have.

Support
The Benefits team is available Monday to Friday from 8:30 – 5:00 pm ET to help answer questions related to time off and leave. You can also email us at timeoff@gwu.edu with questions and feedback.