Leaving Duke (Voluntary and Involuntary) Policy

Policy Statement

An employee wishing to leave employment with Duke in good standing must provide a written resignation to their immediate supervisor. Notice requirements vary by role: at least two (2) weeks for hourly-paid employees (except RNs), one (1) month for RNs and monthly-salaried employees, and three (3) months for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs). Submitting a resignation initiates the termination process, including termination notice, rehire eligibility designation, final pay, and exit interview information.

Policy Details

Voluntary Resignation or Retirement
Accrued Sick Leave (Retiring Hourly-Paid Employees)
Exit Survey
Involuntary Termination

Return of Duke Property

All work-related equipment should be returned to the supervisor by the employee’s last day of work. These items include – but are not limited to – tools, identification badges, procurement cards, cell phones, pagers, keys, computer equipment, etc.

Voluntary Resignation or Retirement

To allow for time to plan for an employee’s departure and replacement and for the employee to leave Duke in good standing, the employee must give written notice of resignation based on the requirements below and applicable state law. The supervisor can waive the notice period. Employees who do not provide sufficient notice will be designated not recommended for rehire.

Action	Health System	University
Written Notice	Hourly-paid: 2 weeks (RNs are required to provide a 1-month written notice) Monthly-salaried: 1 month (APPs are required to provide a 3-month written notice)	Hourly-paid: 2 weeks (RNs are required to provide a 1-month written notice) Monthly-salaried: 1 month (APPs are required to provide a 3-month written notice)
Pay for Accrued and Unused Time Off	Voluntary Resignation with continuous service date on or before December 31, 2025: 0% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is less than 90 calendar days 50% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is greater than 90 calendar days but less than one year 100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is one year or more Retirement (if employee is 55 or over) with continuous service date on or before December 31, 2025: 100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank and Long-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout Voluntary Resignation with continuous service date on or after January 1, 2026: 100% of accrued and unused hours from the PTO bank are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is three years or more Retirement (if employee is 55 or over) with continuous service date on or after January 1, 2026: 100% of accrued and unused hours from the PTO bank are eligible for payout All eligible payouts will be paid in a lump sum at employee’s base rate of pay upon termination	Voluntary Resignation All staff members receive 100% pay for accrued and unused vacation and discretionary holidays if termination occurs after the orientation and evaluation period. Retirement Upon retirement, a staff member will receive a lump sum payment at 100% of current base rate of pay/benefits for each vacation and/or discretionary holiday hour.

Action

Health System

University

Written Notice

Hourly-paid:
2 weeks (RNs are required to provide a 1-month written notice)
Monthly-salaried:
1 month (APPs are required to provide a 3-month written notice)

Pay for Accrued and Unused Time Off

Voluntary Resignation with continuous service date on or before December 31, 2025:

0% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is less than 90 calendar days
50% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is greater than 90 calendar days but less than one year
100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is one year or more

Retirement (if employee is 55 or over) with continuous service date on or before December 31, 2025:

100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank and Long-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout

Voluntary Resignation with continuous service date on or after January 1, 2026:

100% of accrued and unused hours from the PTO bank are eligible for payout if employee’s continuous service is three years or more

Retirement (if employee is 55 or over) with continuous service date on or after January 1, 2026:

100% of accrued and unused hours from the PTO bank are eligible for payout

All eligible payouts will be paid in a lump sum at employee’s base rate of pay upon termination

Voluntary Resignation

All staff members receive 100% pay for accrued and unused vacation and discretionary holidays if termination occurs after the orientation and evaluation period.

Retirement

Upon retirement, a staff member will receive a lump sum payment at 100% of current base rate of pay/benefits for each vacation and/or discretionary holiday hour.

Final Paycheck

The final paycheck will be deposited in the employee’s designated bank account or mailed to their last known home address on the next available payday following processed separation. Final wages are subject to all required deductions and any voluntary deductions authorized by the employee.
Medical, dental, and vision benefits will end the last day of the month based off last day worked or last day benefits eligible. Reimbursement accounts end the last day of the pay period containing your last day worked.
For the Duke Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan, you may change or stop your voluntary contributions  (pre-tax or Roth after-tax) at any time through Duke@Work.
For other voluntary benefits, the employee should contact the benefit vendor directly. For other Duke voluntary deductions, such as parking, the employee should contact the department responsible for those deductions to request cancellation of the deduction. Deleting voluntary deductions is the sole responsibility of the employee. If the employee does not initiate action to delete any or all voluntary deductions, those deductions will be taken from a final paycheck. In the case of deletion, any contribution normally made by Duke in the affected category will not be made. Terminated employees may request a copy of their last paycheck stub by contacting Corporate Payroll Services at 919 684-2642.

Termination/Transfer Check List

Please refer to the Duke termination and transfer checklist.

Retirement Preparation

All retiring employees should contact the Benefits Office for information regarding preparations for retirement.

Use of Accrued Carry Over Bank for Retiring Hourly-Paid Employees

This policy applies only to hourly-paid employees who transferred from Duke University to Duke University Health System (DUHS).

When these employees retire from DUHS and qualify for a normal or early reduced pension under the Employees' Retirement Plan, their unused Carry Over Bank hours are converted into additional credited service time, which increases the employee’s total years of service used to calculate their retirement benefit.

The method for converting hours and calculating pension benefits is defined by the Employees' Retirement Plan.

Exit Survey Process

An exit survey process is available to assist with retention and recruitment efforts. The process has been established for employees who voluntarily terminate their employment with Duke.

This process is designed to elicit voluntary information about each departing employee's experience at Duke and the reasons for their leaving. This data is collected, analyzed, and reported to Duke leaders to recommend improvements to policies, procedures, and practices.

This process does not apply to employees who are transferring within Duke, employees leaving Duke involuntarily, or temporary employees.

For further information on the exit survey process, please reach out to your HR Business Partner.

Involuntary Termination

After appropriate counseling, employees who are unable to meet the established standards of performance or conduct for a position may be terminated.

Please refer to the table below for further information concerning involuntary termination at Duke.

Reason for Termination	Eligibility for Rehire
Performance	Eligibility for rehire is dependent upon the appropriate match between the job vacancy and the employee’s skills and capabilities.
Misbehavior or Misconduct (including attendance violations)	Employees who have been terminated for disciplinary reasons other than serious conduct or performance violations will be eligible to seek Duke employment after having demonstrated acceptable work performance during the gap of separation.
Serious Conduct or Performance Violations	Employees terminated for serious conduct or performance violations are not eligible for rehire in any type of Duke employment.

Involuntary termination requires prior review and approval by the entity/department Human Resources representative. The basis for the termination and the facts supporting the action must be fully documented. If an employee is absent for three consecutive scheduled workdays without contacting his or her supervisor or department in accordance with departmental procedure, the employee will be considered to have abandoned the position and will be discharged.

Please refer to the table below for information concerning notification of involuntary termination and termination payment.

Action	Health System	University
Written Notice	Dependent upon reason for termination. See the previous chart.	Dependent upon reason for termination. See previous chart.
Accrued and Unused Time Off	Continuous Service Date on or before December 31, 2025 0% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if the employee's continuous service is less than 90 calendar days. 50% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if the employee's continuous service is more than 90 days but less than one year. 100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if the employee's continuous service is one year or more. Continuous Service Date on or after January 1, 2026 0% of accrued and unused PTO hours are eligible for payout	0% of accrued and unused vacation hours are viable if a staff member's length of employment is less than 90 calendar days. 100% pay for accrued and unused vacation, designated, and discretionary holidays is viable if termination occurs after the 90 day orientation and evaluation period.

Action

Health System

University

Written Notice

Dependent upon reason for termination. See the previous chart.

Dependent upon reason for termination. See previous chart.

Accrued and Unused Time Off

Continuous Service Date on or before December 31, 2025

0% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if the employee's continuous service is less than 90 calendar days.
50% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if the employee's continuous service is more than 90 days but less than one year.
100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank hours are eligible for payout if the employee's continuous service is one year or more.

Continuous Service Date on or after January 1, 2026

0% of accrued and unused PTO hours are eligible for payout

0% of accrued and unused vacation hours are viable if a staff member's length of employment is less than 90 calendar days.

100% pay for accrued and unused vacation, designated, and discretionary holidays is viable if termination occurs after the 90 day orientation and evaluation period.

Final Paycheck and Deductions

The final check will be deposited in the employee’s designated bank account or sent to their last stated home address on the next scheduled payday.

Upon termination, an employee's final wages are subject to all involuntary deductions established and to all voluntary deductions authorized by the employee

Employees should contact the appropriate vendor to cancel voluntary benefits such as supplemental life or voluntary disability. The deletion of voluntary deductions is the sole responsibility of the employee. If the employee does not initiate action to delete any or all voluntary deductions, those deductions will be taken from the final paycheck. In the case of deletion, any contribution normally made by Duke in the affected category will not be made.

Policy Number: 04.04