Personal Observance Leave Policy

The Personal Observance Leave Policy provides up to eight hours of fully paid leave to eligible employees for a day of personal observance. This day of personal observance includes, but is not limited to, days of cultural or religious importance. The day used for Personal Observance Leave does not have to be a day from the employee’s own religious or cultural background. 

This policy was adopted by Cabinet agencies on June 6, 2022 following Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 262. Many non-Cabinet agencies chose to become participating agencies under the policy by adopting it pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143B-10(j)(3), the statute empowering agency heads and the Director of OSHR to issue policies.  As a result, OSHR proposed that the policy should become a State Human Resources Commission policy to avoid any confusion about whether the policy stands separate from Executive Order 262. This policy was approved by the Governor on July 27, 2022 after receiving that recommendation from the State Human Resources Commission at its July 14, 2022 meeting.