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North Carolina Public Workforce Modernization Act

  • Sean Connolly
  • November 10, 2026

North Carolina Public Workforce Modernization Act

Dear UNCW faculty and staff,

The North Carolina Public Workforce Modernization Act (“Act”) enacted several changes that impact State employees. Among these changes are updates to the existing leave programs summarized below and included in the Office of State Human Resources Employee Leave Options Policy. The Act also expands the scope of SHRA positions that are required to convert to EHRA status upon vacancy or reclassification, extends veteran’s hiring preference to spouses of active-duty service members, and allows for a six-month extension of the twelve-month SHRA probationary period if additional time is needed to observe employee performance or conduct prior to achieving career status.

We are planning an HR webinar on the impact of the Act once additional implementation information is received from the UNC System Office and the Office of State Human Resources.

Please send questions to the following emails:

Thank you,

Lori Preiss
Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources

SHRA Vacation Leave

The accrual rates below are for eligible SHRA employees in full-time, 1.0 FTE appointments and are prorated for part-time positions based on FTE. SHRA Vacation Leave balances have been adjusted retroactive to October 1, 2026, and can be viewed on the Employee Dashboard.  Currently, the EHRA Annual Leave and the EHRA Personal Leave programs remain unchanged.  The UNC System Office is considering adjusting the leave accrual amounts in response to the changes to the SHRA accrual rates.

Note: Newly hired or reinstated SHRA employees will be advanced 40 hours of Vacation Leave, prorated for part-time positions based on FTE.  This advancement does not apply to employees transferring directly from a North Carolina state agency to a UNC System university or from one university to another.

SHRA ONLY - Vacation Leave

Hours per Month (Days per Year) *Based on 1.0 FTE*

Years of Total State Service

PREVIOUS

NEW

Less than 5 years

9 hours, 20 minutes
(14 days)

10 hours
(15 days)

More than 5 but less than 10 years

11 hours, 20 minutes
(17 days)

12 hours
(18 days)

More than 10 but than 15 years

13 hours, 20 minutes
(20 days)

14 hours
(21 days)

More than 15 but less than 20 years

15 hours, 20 minutes
(23 days)

16 hours
(24 days)

More than 20 but less than 25 years

17 hours, 20 minutes
(26 days)

18 hours
(27 days)

25 or more years

New

20 hours
(30 days)

Paid Parental Leave

  • Paid Parental Leave expanded from 8 weeks to 12 weeks
    • No separation of bonding vs. recuperation
    • No difference for birthing vs. non-birthing parent
  • Applicable to all permanent SHRA and EHRA employees; part-time benefit earning employees are prorated
  • Applies to qualifying events on or after October 1, 2026

Bereavement Leave

  • Expands the definitions of:
    • Colleague: expanded to include an employee at any agency with whom the bereaved employee has worked (current or former)
    • Immediate family: expanded to include family-equivalent relationships, such as domestic partners or individuals who served in a parent-like capacity
  • No change to leave amounts already in place

Up to 40 hours for immediate family; up to 8 hours for work colleague (prorated based on FTE)

SHRA to EHRA Non-Faculty Conversion