Keeping your leave in check

Are your leave balances building up? If you are approaching 20 days or more of annual leave, it’s time to have a conversation with your supervisor and develop a plan to take your leave.

Regular breaks from work have been shown to increase a personal sense of wellbeing, and getting periods of rest and relaxation often help to boost creativity upon your return to work.

You have a responsibility to work with your supervisor to keep your annual leave balance below maximum thresholds, but keep in mind that to accrue to those thresholds needs a conversation and relevant approval.

Annual planning

Plan ahead and take your accrued annual leave each year, considering your work activities in discussion with your supervisor. This will ensure that your leave balance stays in check and that you are taking the breaks you need. You may also find that your supervisor will reach out to you to actively manage and enable you to plan and take your leave.

If you have reached eligibility for long service leave, then make the most of this benefit and consider a longer-term leave plan.

For academic staff, annual leave planning is part of the discussion with your supervisor in your annual workload allocation.

Read more on taking leave.

Additional options

The best option is to always take your leave as it accrues. If you find yourself with an excessive leave balance and you can’t bring it down below 20 days, there might be some circumstances where you’re able to cash out amounts of leave. Plus, you may be able to both take leave and a cashed-out component at the same time.

Read more on cashing out annual leave and long service leave

Support for supervisors

Information sessions to help you to have conversations with your team and develop a plan are available for supervisors. Register your interest below:

Course Code 20206

• Monday 29 June, 10am-11am
• Tuesday 30 June, 2pm-3pm
• Friday 3 July, 11am-12noon
• Monday 6 July, 10am-11am

More information

There are a range of frequently asked questions available on Service Central which can answer your questions on your entitlements to leave and options for cashing out leave where applicable.

You can check your leave balances at any time in Staff Connect in your Dashboard and by clicking on Leave.