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Discretionary time off

Discretionary Time Off (DTO) guidelines for the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering.

Purpose

HCDE and/or supervisors may award Discretionary Time Off (DTO) to recognize and reward staff for exceptional performance or meaningful contributions that advance the department’s mission, goals, and priorities.

Eligibility

DTO is available to the following employees:

  • Professional staff in salaried regular and fixed-term positions
  • Staff in regular positions represented by SAG-AFTRA
  • Staff in Professional Libraries and Press positions represented by SEIU 925 Libraries.

To be eligible, employees must:

  • Have a positive performance record.
  • Be actively employed by HCDE at the time the DTO is awarded and when the leave is used.  
  • Not be a part of an employee group votes to unionize and are in active negotiations on their initial contract. 

Award amount

  • Awards may be allocated to up to three (3) days of DTO.
  • Larger awards four (4) to six (6) days are reserved for exceptional achievements and require additional justification.

Award process

  1. Supervisor submits a written justification to the department chair that includes:
    • A brief description of the exceptional performance or contribution being recognized.
    • The nature and duration of the assignment or accomplishment. 
    • The number of DTO days being recommended.  
  2. The Department Chair reviews the recommendation and may approve, modify, or deny the award.
  3. If approved,
    • A copy of the approval will be retained in the employee’s personnel file, 
    • The Administrator will submit the approved award to SEPR@uw.edu for entry into WorkDay.

Use and expiration

  • DTO must be used before accrued vacation leave.
  • Awarded DTO expires on March 31 of the calendar year following the award, unless used before that date. 
  • DTO has no cash value and may not be transferred, paid out, or donated.
  • DTO may only be used while the employee remains employed by HCDE. Any unused DTO is forfeited upon transfer to another department or separation from the university. 

Guidance for supervisors

Supervisors are encouraged to:

  • Recognize exceptional contributions in a timely manager by awarding DTO as soon as possible after the accomplishment. 
  • Apply these guidelines consistently and equitably across staff. 
  • Document the rationale for each recommendation and retain supporting records in accordance with departmental practices.

Additional resources