Before heading off on holiday, have you taken note of these year-end items?
Paid leave – Christmas closure
Once again, the University will be closed for the Christmas break. Continuing members will be paid for this time. Temporary members will be paid for this time period if the last day of your temporary appointment is after the Christmas closure.
Use your Professional Development Expense Reimbursement
Professional development reimbursement is a negotiated benefit of $1,100 per year, up to a maximum carry forward of $5,500.
If you are eligible, claims must arrive by December 31 to Human Resources to be eligible for that calendar year. The University will process any claims sent after December 31 in 2023.
Professional development funds can be reimbursed for equipment that will support an employee’s online learning experience. Current professional development policies and collective agreement language remain in effect.
You can find expense forms and an eligible item list on the Support for Learning web page.
To find the balance in your professional development account,
To find the balance for your professional development, visit my.sfu.ca (login, and under Staff Resources, click on Professional Development Expenses) OR go to https://pdr.its.sfu.ca/.
Defer unused vacation time
Section 5.07: “…an employee’s full Vacation Entitlement for a given annual Payroll year may be deferred for one year but must be taken in the next annual Payroll year. Where an employee is unable to take the deferred vacation entitlement in the next annual Payroll year, the deferred vacation will be paid out.”
Please be advised that “off the books” vacation or verbal agreements made with your supervisor about carrying over additional vacation days are outside of the AD 10 policies and may not be honoured.
Vacation entitlement balance: log in to https://myinfo.sfu.ca.
Help during the holidays
Free, 24/7 counselling services are available through the Employee Family and Assistance Program (EFAP). Call Homewood Solutions at 1-800-663-1142 to set up a face-to-face, over-the-phone or online counselling appointment.
The program is available to you, your spouse and your dependents.