At the university’s discretion, unpaid leave of absence for personal or family needs of a serious and urgent nature may be granted to eligible employees.
View university personal leave of absence policy.
Eligibility:
- Full-time staff
- Must have at least 6 months of continuous full-time service and are performing satisfactorily
- Must not have been on a "Performance Improvement Plan" or have received final written counseling at any time during the 12 months prior to the date of leave request
- Subject to approval by employee's manager (or management) and Human Resources
Benefit: Up to 3 months unpaid leave of absence. Cannot use vacation or sick pay during a Personal Leave of Absence.
Duration: Maximum of 3 consecutive months as one consecutive block of time. No more than one (1) leave may be taken during a fixed 12-month period beginning with the first day of an approved personal leave of absence. No more than three (3) months of leave may be taken during a five (5) year period beginning within the first year in which an approved leave of absence is taken.
Start Date: On first day of absence agreed upon by employee, manager and Human Resources.
Process: Completed Personal Leave of Absence Request Form is submitted to Human Resources.
Employee’s Initial Steps
1. Notify your manager of your request for a personal leave at least 30 days in advance.
2.Complete the Personal Leave of Absence Request form and submit it to your manager for approval. The form will then be submitted to Human Resources for approval.
3. A personal leave is unpaid. Use of vacation, floating holidays, and sick pay are not available for the duration of the leave. You must contact the Benefits Department to make arrangements for paying your employee benefit premiums while you are on leave.
Employee’s Steps While On Leave
1. Maintain periodic contact with your manager and Human Resources to update them on the status of your leave.
2. Continue to make your benefit premium payments (if applicable).
Employee’s Steps to Prepare for Your Return to Work
1. Two weeks prior to your return to work, contact your manager to confirm your return to work date. No additional documentation is necessary to return to work.
2. An employee who does not return on the scheduled date will be considered to have resigned.
Employees are responsible for following the Personal Leave of Absence policy including notification procedures, completion of the Personal Leave of Absence Request form, and guides outlined on this website.
Managers are responsible for being familiar with the Personal Leave of Absence policy and for following the procedures and the manager responsibilities outlined in the policy.
During a Personal Leave of Absence sick pay, vacation pay, and floating holidays are not available. Vacation and sick time do not accrue during a Personal Leave of Absence.
An employee on Personal Leave is not eligible to receive pay under any of the university policies for sick pay, short-term disability or vacation. Therefore, if you wish to continue benefits participation you are responsible for paying the employee contribution amount for those benefits that require an employee contribution. This can be done on an after-tax basis by personal check and forwarding such payment to the Human Resources department or by arranging pre-payment via pre-tax (if appropriate) deductions prior to the leave.
Retirement plan contributions and
Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions will be suspended during an unpaid leave. An employee may make Health Savings Account post-tax contributions directly to his or her HSA account. Upon an employee’s return from unpaid leave, contributions that have been suspended by Human Resources will re-start automatically.
If you choose to discontinue any benefits while on leave, you may need to re-enroll upon your return to work. Contact the Benefits Team online or call (312) 362-8232.