Washington, D.C. 20530

November 21, 2002

MEMORANDUM FOR BUREAU PERSONNEL OFFICERS

As we approach this year's holiday season, it is a good idea to review the Department's policy on the authority immediate supervisors have to grant administrative leave or excused absence to their employees. The Department's policy for administrative leave and who has authority to grant it can be found in DOJ Order 1630.1B, "Leave Administration," dated July 22, 1991, in Chapter 14, Excused Absence/ Administrative Leave.

Many supervisors, in the spirit of the season, would like to allow their employees to use administrative leave to go home early, often on the day prior to a holiday. Immediate supervisors may grant up to one hour to their employees for reasons that are acceptable to the supervisor. Immediate supervisors may not grant their employees more than one hour of excused absence.

If a component head wants to grant his or her employees more than one hour of administrative leave in conjunction with a holiday, he or she must do so within the provisions of the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Administration's memorandum concerning "Proper Use of Administrative Leave," dated September 27, 2002. Specifically, the component head must request in writing approval to do so. Such requests should be directed to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Human Resources and Administration, who has been delegated authority to make decisions in these matters.

Both the leave order and the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Administration's memorandum can be found on the Personnel Staff's web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ps.

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