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Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy
PMA  /  Resources  /  Postdoctoral Scholar Resources  /  Vacations and Time Away Tracker

Vacations and Time Away Tracker

The availability of paid vacation for Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship Trainees depends on their funding arrangement.

  • For year-based appointments: Your salary is budgeted for 11 months of work and 1 month of vacation.
  • For month-based appointments: Your salary includes vacation time (pro-rated at 1.75 days per month of work).
  • Postdocs are expected to take their vacation time during the appointment period.
  • Vacation cycle is based on your hire date. Each anniversary date, the clock will reset.
  • Vacation time does not roll over.

Resource: Postdoctoral Scholars Handbook

Requests & Tracking

In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Unit Members are required to record/track their vacation time. To support this, the institute launched a Time Away Tracker and PMA has moved away from the Google Sheets.

Vacation time should be recorded even after the facts.

Getting started

  • The Time Away Tracker can be found on your Access account.
  • There is an FAQ page on the application itself and a ? button for more questions.
  • The app was developed by IMSS, please reach out to them if you encounter any issues with the system.

PMA-Specific Requirement

Before submitting a request through the Time Away app, PMA postdocs must complete the following steps:

  1. Discuss your time off with your PI
    Unit Members should make best efforts to request vacation time at least 30 days in advance
  2. Obtain written approval from your PI
    1. in email OR
    2. Slack/Teams message (PI's 👍 is fine) OR
    3. complete the PMA postdoc vacation request
  3. Enter your request in the app
  4. Upload the written approval(s) when entering your Time Away request.
  5. Exclude holidays from your request
    Please refer to the Caltech Holiday Schedule when planning your time off.

Requests that do not meet the above requirements will be declined, and you will need to resubmit a new one.

Review process

While Jessica Varlet, PMA Academic Affairs Manager,  will be reviewing your submissions in the Time Away app,  she does not have the authority to approve or deny requests. Her role is to confirm that proper documentation and dates are included. If your request is returned, it simply means something is missing or incorrect. Final approval or denial rests solely with your PI, so please ensure you are communicating directly with them.