All Regular University staff employees. Faculty sick leave is addressed in the Faculty Policy Manual and therefore faculty are excluded from this Policy. Also excluded from this Policy are staff members scheduled less than 20 hours per week.
The purpose of this Sick Leave Policy is to define the University’s policy for accruing and administering sick leave to eligible staff employees of the University.
Immediate Family Member: includes the employee’s spouse, parent(s), minor child(ren), and any other individual whose relationship with the employee is similar to that of a relationship described herein.
I. Eligibility and Accrual
Regular exempt and non-exempt staff employees (hereinafter “employees”) accrue sick leave each pay period as follows:
Full-time Employees
2 weeks: 0 – 4 years of service, the employee will accrue 2 weeks of sick time, or 75 hours (or 80 hours for Campus Safety Officers) days, accrued on a pro-rated basis each pay period
3 weeks: At the employee’s 5-year service anniversary, the employee is entitled to 3 weeks of sick time or 112.5 hours (or 120 hours for Campus Safety Officers), accrued on a pro-rated basis each pay period
Full-time employees may accrue up to a maximum of 975 hours of sick time.
Part-time Employees
Part-time employees accrue sick leave from the date of hire, in a prorated amount using the full-time total of days referenced above per year and the number of hours the part-time employee is scheduled to work per week.
While sick leave is accrued from date of hire, it is not generally available for use until the employee has concluded his or her Introductory Period but may be requested in exigent circumstances subject to approval of the employee’s supervisor.
Employees shall not accrue paid sick time while in an unpaid status or for overtime hours worked. Eligible academic-year employees do not accrue paid sick time during their non-work period.
II. Paid Sick Leave
A. Employee Medical Condition
Employees may be granted paid sick leave when they are unable to perform duties because of (a) non-work-related illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; or (b) when absent for the purpose of obtaining health-related services (i.e., well-care and medical and dental appointments) not available outside of regular working hours.
Once sick leave is exhausted due to a non-work-related illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, the employee may be eligible for pay under the University’s Long-Term Disability Plan.
B. Illness within an Employee's Immediate Family
An eligible employee may also be granted use of paid sick leave when the absence is the result of illness within the employee's Immediate Family or in situations that place primary responsibility for care of an employee's Immediate Family Member on the employee. Approval must be provided by the supervisor, in consultation with the appropriate vice president and Director of Human Resources.
Note: Parents (fathers, domestic partners, adoptive parents or parents using a surrogate) may not use sick leave in combination with parental leave for a birth or adoption event.
C. Family and Medical Leave
If an employee is out for 3 or more days due to his/her own illness or the illness of a qualified family member (as defined by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)), he/she may be eligible for FMLA leave (see the University Family and Medical Leave Policy). If the sick leave qualifies as Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, both leaves will run concurrently. For example, an employee who uses sick leave to obtain medical care which would also qualify the employee for Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) to care for the employee’s own medical condition – in such a case the sick leave and the FMLA would run concurrently.
III. Transfer/Change of Status/Rehire
Employees who are transferred from a full-benefits-eligible status to temporary, part-time, or other status shall retain their accrued balance of paid sick time. This balance shall be available for use upon return to regular employment status, provided there has been no break in University service.
A rehired employee whose separation from the University has not exceeded twelve (12) months may be credited, at the discretion of Human Resources, with any unused paid sick time he/she had accrued prior to termination, provided the termination was not the result of disciplinary action.
IV. Fraudulent Use of Sick Leave
Sick days may not be used for paid time off when the employee runs out of vacation time, or when the employee needs time off for something other than anything not covered under this policy. Employees who use paid sick leave fraudulently may incur discipline up to and including termination.
V. Protection from Discrimination, Harassment or Retaliation
No employee will face discrimination, harassment, or retaliation as a result of the employee’s use of paid sick leave consistent with this Policy.
VI. Benefits
During a sick leave, all benefits remain in effect, except if a holiday falls during the leave. Employees will not receive holiday pay if a holiday occurs when an employee is on sick leave, unless otherwise approved by supervisor in consultation with appropriate vice president and Director of Human Resources. There will be no accrual of benefits such as vacation or service time while on sick leave. The University does not guarantee that the employee’s previous position will be available upon return from the sick leave unless the leave is taken pursuant to the FMLA.
VII. Voluntary Termination
The University considers a voluntary termination by the employee when the following incidents occur:
VIII. Forfeiture Upon Separation or Termination
Sick days are forfeited if unused upon separation or termination of employment.
Family and Medical Leave Policy
Parental Leave Policy
Sick Leave Policy
Vacation Policy
In the case of an unscheduled absence, an employee who is absent or late because of illness (or any other reason) must contact his or her immediate supervisor prior to the regular scheduled starting time to report the absence, the reason for the absence and the expected date of return to work. If, because of an emergency, the employee cannot call in advance, he or she must call his or her supervisor as soon as possible, with the same information and the reason why he or she was not able to give advance notice for the absence.
In the case of a scheduled absence, the employee is expected to notify in writing the supervisor as far in advance as possible and, if the employee will be absent from work for multiple days, the employee must also give the expected date of return to work. Certification from a physician is required at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled leave. If the leave is not foreseeable, medical documentation is needed as soon as practically feasible.
For any sick leave, the supervisor may request a doctor’s note that is to be submitted to Human Resources.
The employee is expected to keep the supervisor informed about his or her status and expected date of return to work. If an employee cannot return to work on their expected date of return, he or she must notify in writing the supervisor as much in advance as possible and include a new expected date of return. Employees are expected to explain the reason for the absence (e.g., a medical appointment for the employee, a medical appointment for the employee’s child) but are not required to explain the nature of the condition (e.g., the medical diagnosis).
In general, the supervisor must manage the absences of the employees who report to him or her, including reporting those absences for payroll purposes and notifying Human Resources if the employee will be out for four consecutive days and if the employee, without notification, does not return to work on their expected date of return and/or has no new expected date of return.
For scheduled absences, the University’s general expectation is that employees will endeavor to arrange scheduled time away (e.g., for medical appointments) during non-working time and, if that is not possible, at such times as are least disruptive to the department and their work colleagues.
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Date |
Supersedes Policy |
Summarize Change |
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September 2018 |
This is a new policy, replacing language in the Staff Manual (May 2014). |
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There are no appendices to this Policy.
Laura Custer, Director of Human Resources
Dr. Kathleen Jagger, Acting President