Home leave travel - FAQs
Below is an overview of most frequently asked questions on Home leave travel received by Benefits and Entitlements Services and the answers to same.
Home leave in Atlas, including eServices
How to apply for Home Leave - staff member only or in advance of family?
Staff member should apply via eServices.
If staff member travels in advance of the family, staff member needs to apply through eServices as normally (in such case there is no issue since the Home leave points are automatically deducted with the first travel).
How to apply for Home Leave - family travelling after the staff member
Staff member would need to:
1) Fill in the Home Leave application in eServices for the family travel. Enter in the comments field that it is for family only. Fill in the itinerary for the family, but no travel time needs to be entered by HR and Leave Monitor will need to ensure the annual Leave balance is not charged, by adding the number of leave days to the annual leave balance. 24 Home Leave points are automatically deducted.
2) Leave Monitor needs to ensure that 24 home leave points are added to the home leave balance.
How to apply for Home Leave - family travelling in advance of the staff member
Staff member would need to:
3) Fill in the Home Leave application in eServices for the family's travel Enter in the comments filed that it is for family only. Fill in the itinerary for the family, but no travel times needs to be entered by HR. The Leave Monitor needs to ensure that 24 home leave points are NOT subsequently deducted from the staff member's eServices home leave request.
How to apply for Home Leave - family travelling alone
Staff member would need to:
4) Fill in the Home Leave application in eServices for the family travel. Enter in the comments field that it is for family only. Fill in the itinerary for the family, but no travel time needs to be entered by HR and Leave Monitor will need to ensure the annual Leave balance is not charged, by adding the number of leave days to the annual leave balance. 24 Home Leave points are automatically deducted.
5) Certify the Home Leave travel(s):
- Upon return of home leave travel and family's home leave travel, staff member must certify in eServices that travel took place as requested (mandatory) and upload boarding pass or other proof of travel is recommended (optional).
Who can adjust incorrect Home leave point balances in Atlas?
Incorrect Home leave point balances should be brought to the attention of the appropriate human resources focal point in the country office. Any changes to the home leave record balance will be authorized by the human resources focal point.
If a one-time adjustment of Home Leave points is needed, the leave monitor in the country office will make the adjustment in Atlas. Benefits and Entitlements Services are not administering the Home Leave points balance.
Upon separation, the Home leave points balance on the leave record cards and in Atlas should match.
Role of the leave monitors:
- Informing and training new staff members on how to use My Leave in eServices;
- Assisting staff members who have questions on leave;
- Assisting staff members or HR focal points, if there is a one-time need for adjusting a leave balance, including for staff being seconded or transferred to UNDP;
- Entering leave types not yet included in eServices (such as Compensatory Time Off, Jury Duty, Rest and Recuperation) in the Atlas absence module and ensuring requested documentation to be kept on file for audit purposes;
- Executing the yearly absence record card; and
- Keeping management informed on any issues pertaining to leave.
Who should be contacted, if staff members or leave monitors encounter technical problems in the Home leave module in eServices?
Queries should be directed to PeopleSoft support at ps.support@undp.org.
PeopleSoft support will review the request and direct it further to the respective agency focal points, as needed.
Approving Home Leave
Who can approve Home leave for the Resident Representative/Resident Coordinator?
As a rule, the Home leave for the Resident Representative/Resident Coordinator is approved by the supervisor, typically the Bureau Director.
However, sometimes the Bureau Director has delegated the authority to approve leave to someone else, e.g. Deputy Country Director, etc.
Is it possible to approve Home Leave retroactively?
- Staff member needs to submit proper documentation, justifying the need for the retroactive home leave.
- The country will assess and advise if the retroactive request can be authorized.
- In the affirmative, staff member must submit the Home leave requests through eServices and go through the appropriate approval process.
- Staff member must also submit an F-10 claim with documentation for the actual travel (attach documents when applying in HR eServices).
- The HR focal point obtains a quote with a today's date for the approved itinerary.
- Payment is based on the lower of:
- 100% of the actual travel or,
- 75% of the quote obtained in line with the Home leave lump sum procedures
- The leave monitor has to check that the retroactive deduction of the points in the leave module is correct.
If the staff member is not able to provide proof of travel such as cost of tickets, boarding passes, etc (attach document when applying in eServices), the retroactive request cannot be accommodated.
Changes to Home leave in line with the UN Compensation Reform
What are the changes to Home leave as a result of the UN Compensation Reform?
Previously the accelerated Home leave was applicable for duty stations classified by the International Civil Service Commission as C, D and E. The international professional staff assigned in these duty stations availed of the Home leave travel every 12 months.
Effective from 01/07/2016, staff members assigned to duty stations classified C, as well as D and E, who also have a Rest and Recuperation travel entitlement, will be eligible to avail of their Home leave travel entitlement every 24 months.
This means that starting on 01/07/2016, staff members in the above mentioned duty stations will accrue one point per month towards home leave travel. Any earlier accrued home leave points or the balance as of 01/07/2016, accrued at the rate of two points per month prior to 01/07/16, will be maintained.
Only staff members serving in duty stations classified D and E and who are not eligible for Rest and Recuperation will maintain a 12-month home leave travel cycle.
The Home leave point accrual (one point per month), remains unchanged for the duty stations classified as A, B and H.
What will happen if staff member has already submitted the request for Home leave travel, with travel day commencing after 30/06/2016, and Home leave has already been approved in Atlas?
For those duty stations moving from a 12 to a 24-month Home leave cycle, any Home leave or advance Home leave that may have been approved in Atlas prior to 01/07/2016 can be taken as planned even if travel commences after 30/06/2016.
Travel time for Home leave travel and interval between different travel types
In case of Home leave travel in conjunction with reassignment, who takes action and who is the budget owner of the different travel types?
Upon the country office's confirmation that Home leave entitlement may apply in conjunction with reassignment, the payment authorization is prepared by the Benefits and Entitlements Services in Copenhagen, and is sent to staff member's current duty station who raises the vouchers for both Home leave and Reassignment travel.
The first leg of the travel related to Home leave is monitored, approved and paid by the current duty station and the second leg related to the Reassignment travel is charged to the new duty station.
Intervals between entitlement travels
Can the interval between Home leave and Education grant travels be significantly reduced (also when there is no Rest and Recuperation cycle)?
Example: Education grant travel is planned from 16/08/2016 to 01/09/2016 and Home leave travel is planned from 06/09/2016 to 16/09/2016
Significant interval flexibility when combining Education grant travel with other entitlement travels may be applied, based on ST/AI/2011/4.
This flexibility is only applied in combination with Education grant travel, and therefore is not applicable between Home leave travel and other entitlement related travels.
What is the travel time granted for home leave?
For travel on both the outward and the return journey on Home leave or Family visit travel, staff members who opt for the lump sum payment for their Home leave or Family visit travel shall be granted a fixed amount of travel time not chargeable to annual leave determined on the basis of the most direct flight from the duty station to the place of home leave, as follows:
- One day for each journey of less than 10 hours;
- Two days for each journey of 10 hours or longer but less than 16 hours; and
- Three days for each journey of 16 hours or more.
When the staff member opts for the travel lump sum, travel time shall be applied to working days regardless of when travel actual took place.
When travel is arranged by the organization, no compensation in terms of travel time applies for travel undertaken on a weekend or official holiday.
What is the minimum length of stay?
As the intent of Home leave is to enable and encourage expatriate staff to renew their family and cultural ties, the staff member and his/her eligible family members are required to spend no less than 7 calendar days excluding travel time in the destination place where Home leave is exercised.
Home leave travel to alternate location
How often can Home leave travel to alternate location (other than the official recognized location) take place?
In exceptional circumstances, Home leave travel to alternate location may be processed consecutive years in a row, subject to approval by the Office of Human Resources management, and subject to cost comparison between actual destination and place of Home leave.
Change of Home leave place
What to do if staff member requests a change of his/her Home leave place?
Staff member needs to contact his/her HR focal point in the Benefits and Entitlements Services.
The country of Home leave is normally the country of nationality. The place of Home leave can only be changed once.
The Administrator of UNDP, as delegated by the Secretary General, determines the nationality at the time of appointment. The Director of Office of Human Resources and his/her designated official exercises this delegated authority on behalf of the Administrator for the purpose of entitlement setting.
The information needed when staff members wants to make a request for a one time change in place of Home leave is the same, as the information needed to establish place of Home leave to another county at the time of the appointment. Staff members should therefore provide the following information if he/she wishes to request for a change in place of Home leave:
- proof that staff has close family, cultural or personal ties in that country;
- proof that staff has established residence in that country for a prolonged period (minimum of five years) preceding the appointment; and
- proof that the purposes for which Home Leave is granted would be met by staff taking Home Leave in that country.
Once determined, the country of Home leave may not be changed unless there:
- was an error in the initial determination, provided the request for rectification is made prior to the exercise of the first Home leave;
- is a subsequent change in nationality recognized by the Administrator as the official UN nationality or;
- are other valid and compelling reasons, approved by the Director of the Office of Human Resources, which are consistent with the conditions set out above.
Age limit of dependent children for the Home leave travel
At what age do dependent children cease to be eligible for the Home leave travel?
Dependent children are eligible for Home leave travel until their 21st birthday.
After that, dependent children can travel on Education grant travel, subject to the fulfilment of all other eligibility criteria.
Home Leave Travel for staff on Temporary Appointment
Can international professional staff on Temporary Appointment take Home leave?
An international professional staff member holding a Temporary Appointment will only be eligible for Home leave and only in respect of him/herself if:
- his/her appointment is exceptionally extended beyond 364 days
- he/she serves in a 12-month home leave cycle duty station (as per 01/07/2016 in the duty stations which have been classified at D and E hardship level, without Rest and Recuperation) and he/she meets other requirements listed below
- He/she is living and serving in a country outside his/her United Nations recognized nationality and/or place of home leave;
- He/she has completed the qualifying service time requirements and accrual of Home leave points.
- Staff member needs to have a valid contract of minimum three months upon the return from Home leave.
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