Vacation Policy
Vacation time is to provide University of Windsor employees with the ability to disconnect, refresh and rejuvenate. The University’s Vacation Policy provides guidelines for vacation entitlement, usage and record keeping. The policy is designed to ensure consistent application of vacation while aligning with the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and relevant University of Windsor collective agreement provisions.
The Vacation policy applies to full-time and part-time staff employees including executives such as Vice-Presidents, Associate Vice-Presidents and employees in senior administrative term-based positions. Temporary employees are subject to vacation entitlements outlined in their individual employment agreement, relevant collective agreement or as per the Employment Standards Act, 2000.
The Vacation policy does not apply to employees covered under the WUFA collective agreement.
Employees Governed by the Terms and Conditions of a Collective Agreement:
Consult your respective Collective Agreement for vacation entitlement information
Managerial & Professional Employees and Senior Administrators
View the Vacation Entitlement Chart for 2026 based on calendar years of service.
Please note: Vacation entitlements may have been negotiated as part of the terms of the employee’s employment agreement which may differ from standard entitlements outlined in the vacation entitlement chart. In this case, the individual employment agreement/letter overrides the entitlement outlined in the chart until the employee reaches vacation entitlement based on their calendar year of service date, which exceeds the employee’s starting entitlement.
Vacation Requests, Record Keeping in UWinsite People
All vacation related requests and updates should be entered in the UWinsite People (UWP) system.
Relevant resources are noted below. Please visit the UWinsite People Training Resource webpage for a comprehensive listing of all system training resources and knowledge based articles.
Vacation Carry Forward
The Vacation Policy defines carry forward as the portion of an employee’s entitlement which is approved for use in the subsequent year. For employees on a 35-hour or 40-hour work week, carry forward of unused vacation can be brought forward as follows:
Work Week - 35 hours
- 35 hours (5 days) maximum carry forward for employees with at least 15 days of vacation entitlement
- 70 hours (10 days) maxmium carry forward for employees with at least 20 days of vacation entitlement
Work Week - 40 hours
- 40 hours (5 days) maximum carry forward for employees with at least 15 days of vacation entitlement
- 80 hours (10 days) maximum carry forward for employees with at least 20 days of vacation entitlement
In documented extenuating or special circumstances an employee may submit an exception request to carry-forward unused vacation time beyond the allowable limits outlined in the Vacation Policy.
How to Submit a Request to Carry Over Vacation Above Entitlements (Deadline of December 1st for submissions for 2026)
• Submit a UWinsite People Service Ticket
• Select the dropdown "Request for Excess Vacation Carryover"
This request will route to your supervisor for operational feasibility review, will route to the AVP of Human Resources for policy compliance and then to the respective Vice-President or delegate for final approval. Please ensure the employee submits the ticket themselves directly (versus the manager on the employee's behalf).
The approval of excess carryover will be considered only in extenuating or circumstances as defined in the Vacation Policy. The request requires a draw-down plan for use of the excess vacation carryover early in the following year with reasons and/or documentation to support the extenuating or special circumstance.