PURDUE UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF THE BUSINESS MANAGER AND ASSISTANT TREASURER
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907

June 19, 1961

To: Deans, Directors and Heads of Schools, Divisions, Departments and Offices

Re: BUSINESS OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 71
(Supersedes Memorandum No. 67)

Revisions and New Policies and Regulations for Leaves of Absence for Clerical and Service Staff Members

This memorandum supersedes all previous Executive and Vice President and Treasurer Memoranda on vacation and sick leave. (Memoranda: Executive Memoranda Nos. A-1, A-32; Vice President and Treasurer Circular 154.)

The provisions of this memorandum are effective as of 1 July 1961.

GENERAL POLICY

Leaves of Absence for various reasons may be authorized for members of the Clerical and Service Staff who are regularly employed and who meet the conditions of eligibility as defined in the following regulations. There are two general types of leaves: Leaves of Absence with Pay and Leaves of Absence Without Pay, the latter being considered extended leaves of absence. In order to provide for fair and equitable administration of these benefits of employment, definitions, rules of eligibility, and bases for determining length of leaves, and other regulations or limitations are established,

Department heads are responsible for the administration of the leaves of absence policies and procedures, for the maintenance of employees' records of absence, for arranging work loads, and for the continuance of normal operations, production and service during periods of employees' absences.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE WITH PAY

Absence from work without loss of pay or creditable service, and with continuance of coverage under group insurance programs is authorized for the following purposes:

Vacation Leave

Definition: Absence from work for the purpose of relaxation, recreation travel, personal business or other personal reasons of the employee.

Eligibility: Members of the Clerical and Service Staff who are classified as regular employees shall be eligible to take vacation with pay, after having been employed for six consecutive months. Vacation periods must be scheduled at the convenience of the department and be approved by the department head.

Accrual and Allowance: During the first nine years of employment, vacation credits shall accrue or accumulate at the rate of two normal work weeks per year for those employed on a twelve-month basis, and proportionate to this for those employed less than a full twelve months per year.

From the beginning of the tenth year through the nineteenth year of continuous employment, vacation credits shall accrue at the rate of three normal work weeks per year for those employed on a twelve-month basis, and proportionate to this for those employed less than a full twelve months per year.

From the beginning of the twentieth year of continuous employment, vacation credits shall accrue at the rate of four normal work weeks per year for those employed on a twelve-month basis, and proportionate to this for those employed less than a full twelve months per year.

Vacation which is accrued and unused at the time of termination of employment in good standing, or at the time of retirement may be taken by employees as terminal leave, after the last day of actual work.

Miscellaneous Regulations:

1. Vacation credits are related to the individual's employment year rather than the fiscal, academic or calendar year. Vacation earned in any employment year, but not used in that year, must be taken in the following year or it is lost. It cannot be carried forward into subsequent years.
2. "Continuous employment" is employment of half time or more in consecutive pay periods during the normal operating year. If an employee's regular employment is terminated or interrupted by reasons of convenience to the University caused by a curtailment of work force, elimination of job, lack of funds, etc., and if such employee is re-employed within a period of one year in the same or different departments, or if the person has been on military leave of absence, the break in service is disregarded after six months of reemployment.
3. Continuous employment credit is given for service in one or more departments of the University. In the event of transfer between departments, accrued vacation should be taken by the employee prior to effective date of transfer, or the cost of such vacation shall be borne by the department from which the employee is transferred, except there shall be no transfer of funds for this purpose between two departments supported by General University Funds. The department to which the employee is transferred shall assume the vacation credits or accrual from the transfer date, including credits earned for the additional weeks of vacation after ten or twenty years of continuous service.
4. Vacation credits are accrued from the date of appointment. If an employee is originally employed on a temporary basis and is changed or transferred to a regular job or status without break in service, appropriate vacation credits shall be given for the period of temporary employment.
5. Vacation days (or hours) are charged when the employee is off duty for vacation purposes according to the normal work week; i.e. regular days off in the employee Is work week shall not be charged. Holidays are not to be charged as vacation days.
6. Pay during vacation periods is at the employee's currently approved rate for the time normally worked.
7. Even though vacation credits are accrued from the date of appointment, employees are not eligible to receive pay for time lost or used for vacation or personal absence charged to vacation during the first six months of employment.
8. Upon termination of service (after the first six months of employment) the effective date of termination for payroll purposes shall be extended to include any accrued, unused vacation, except as follows:

   If an employee terminates his employment without at least one week's notice or if an employee is discharged for cause such as dishonesty, insubordination or other bad conduct, he is not eligible to receive pay for accrued, unused vacation. (Executive Memorandum No. A- 155, July 1958)

9. If an employee retires, his accrued, unused vacation shall be taken prior to the effective date of retirement and may be taken as terminal leave but must be taken prior to June 30 of the fiscal year in which he retires.

Sick Leave

Definition: Absence from work granted to an employee for the following reasons only:

1. The employee Is own illness or disability at his own or his supervisor Is discretion.
2. Emergency illness or disability of dependent children or members of the employee Is immediate family and under normal circumstances only these relatives: wife, husband, son, daughter, foster child, mother, father, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister or brother, for a period not to exceed three days.
3. For attendance at funerals of the relatives listed in item 2 above, for a period not to exceed three days.

   (Also see policy and regulations for Workmen's Compensation, job-connected disability, Business Manager Memorandum No. 12, "Accidents")

Eligibility: Members of the Clerical and Service Staff who are classified as regular employees shall be eligible to take sick leave with pay, after having been employed for six consecutive months. Employees who find it necessary to be absent because of illness shall notify, or have others notify, their supervisors or department heads before noon of the first day of illness, in order to qualify for this benefit.

Accrual and Allowance: Sick leave credits shall accrue or accumulate at the rate of two normal work weeks per year for those employed on a twelve-month basis, and proportionate to this for those employed less than a full twelve months per year.

The maximum sick leave which can be taken during each of the first and second year of continuous employment will be two weeks or the equivalent regularly scheduled hours. Any sick leave earned and not used in the second year and subsequent years may be carried forward and allowed to accumulate to a maximum of thirty days. The annual rate of accrual will remain the same. This accumulation shall be available for use by the employee as needed, and upon return to work, credits will again accrue until the maximum is reached.

Miscellaneous Regulations:

1. It is the obligation and responsibility of the employee to notify, or have others notify, the immediate supervisor or department head at the earliest possible time when illness prevents his reporting to work. It should be understood that failure to notify in the above manner is sufficient reason for not granting pay for sick leave. Notification should be made under most circumstances by noon (or within four hours after daily work schedule begins) of the day for which sick leave pay is desired. The immediate supervisor and/or department head shall decide whether or not proper notification is given and the circumstances or nature of illness under which this obligation may be waived.
2. "Continuous employment" is employment of half time or more in consecutive pay periods during the normal operating year of the department in which employed. If a person's regular employment is terminated or interrupted by reasons of convenience to the University caused by curtailment of work force, elimination of the job, lack of funds, etc., and if such person is re-employed within a period of one year in the same or different department, or if the person has been on military leave of absence, the break in employment is disregarded after six months of re-employment. Any sick leave accumulation previously in effect is then reinstated.
3. Continuous employment credit is given for service in one or more departments of the University. In the event of transfer between departments, accrued and unused sick leave credits shall be transferred and established in the employee's record in the new employing department. No one on sick leave status shall be transferred between departments.
4. Sick leave credits are accrued from the date of employment. If a person is originally employed on a temporary basis and is changed to a regular employment status without break in service, appropriate sick leave credits are given for the period of the temporary employment.
5. Days (or hours) of sick leave are charged when the employee is off duty for sick leave purposes according to the normal work week; i.e. regular days off in the employee's work week are not charged. Holidays are not charged as sick leave.
6. Pay during sick leave periods is at the employee's currently approved rate for time normally worked.
7. Even though credits are accrued from the date of employment, employees are not eligible to receive pay for sick leave purposes until after the completion of six months of employment.
8. Supervisors or department heads may at their discretion, require statements or certificates from medical doctors either in support of an employee's claimed illness or in order to determine, from a health and safety standpoint, that an employee is capable of returning to work.
9. Sick leave may be taken as terminal leave only in the event the employee is on sick leave status when it is determined that he will not be able to return to work and his employment must be terminated.
10. Sick leave may be used at the request of the employee, during the first seven calendar days following a job-connected injury causing temporary total disability. Beginning with the eighth calendar day following such injury, payment for compensation shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act.

University Holidays

Definition: Absence from work for the purpose of observing certain days designated as University holidays on which work is suspended. These holidays are declared annually by the President of the University; and the number of these will vary depending upon the academic school year, the calendar and the normal work week of each individual employee. Also, it is necessary that various offices, departments and functions provide services or utilities on such holidays, and that employees of those departments may be required to work on these days. In the event people are required to work on designated holidays, they are permitted to be off duty and be paid for an equal amount of time (compensatory time) at a later date.

The holiday pay status of each individual employee is deter mined according to his normally scheduled work week. If a University designated holiday occurs on an employee's regularly scheduled day off duty, neither pay nor compensatory time off is allowed. Conversely, all University holidays which occur during an employee's regularly scheduled work week are to be observed.

Eligibility: All regular employees who are in a pay status on the normally scheduled work day before or after a University holiday are eligible to be off duty and receive pay or have compensatory time off for a holiday worked. Such "pay status" will include vacation, sick leave, military leave of fifteen days or less, jury duty or other approved absence with pay.

Miscellaneous Regulations:

1. No employee will be paid for a University holiday actually worked at a rate of pay greater than his currently approved rate of pay. Compensatory time off with pay is also at the currently approved rate.
2. Any University holiday occurring during the period a person is in any other leave-with-pay status shall not be charged as a day in the other pay status.
3. University holidays occurring during any time an employee is on a leave-without-pay status, or which occur during a "day off" or other non-work, non-pay basis shall not in any way be credited to the employee for holiday pay or compensatory time off with pay.

Military Leave (15 Days or Less)

Definition: Absence from work for the purpose of military training duties or active duty assignments in the Indiana National Guard or in the reserve components or as a retired member of the naval, air, ground or other military forces of the United States of America.

Eligibility: Any person regularly employed who is a member of the Indiana National Guard, or who is a member of any reserve or retired component or branch of the naval, air, ground or other military forces of the United States of America, and under order of competent authority to report and perform military active duty. Any such employee must be in a University pay status on the normally scheduled work day both before and after the period of active military duty to be eligible.

Allowance: A maximum of fifteen normally scheduled work days in any calendar year shall be allowed for this purpose. Travel time required for reporting to place of active duty is included in the fifteen days allowance.

Miscellaneous Regulations:

1. No more time than the period for which the employee is ordered to active duty plus travel time shall be authorized and allowed as military leave with pay, with a maximum of fifteen days.
2. When charging such leave against the employee, no days other than regularly scheduled work days shall be charged. University holidays shall not be charged as days of military leave with pay.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE WITHOUT PAY

Absences without pay for short periods of time may be authorized by a department head at his discretion. Requests for extended leaves of absence of one month or more on a non-pay status must be referred to the Business Manager for approval. Extended leaves may be requested for those people who are regularly employed, with allowances, bases, restrictions as defined below. The conditions must be convenient for the University, and with assurance that the employee intends to return to work status at the end of the extended leave period.

Sick Leave

Sick leave without pay may be granted to people who have been continuously employed for a period of five or more years, and who have exhausted all benefits of sick leave with pay. It may be granted only for employee's own illness or disability, and at the rate of one calendar month for each year of employment, not to exceed one year of combined sick leave, with and without pay.

Vacation

Vacation without pay may be granted to people who have been employed continuously for a period of ten or more years, and who have exhausted all benefits of vacation with pay. It may be granted for purposes of travel, extended visits with family, or for care of spouse who is ill or disabled, at the rate of one half calendar month for each year of employment, not to exceed one year of combined vacation with and without pay.

Personal Business

Leave of absence without pay for personal business may be granted to people who have been continuously employed for a period of ten or more years for purposes of conducting personal business matters, which would otherwise interfere with their University job. Personal business leaves may be granted at the rate of one half calendar month for each year of employment, not to exceed one year.

Further Education

Leave of absence without pay to further education may be granted to people who have been employed continuously for a period of five or more years, for the purpose of enrolling in a trade, technical, secretarial, business school, or in a regular college or university curriculum for a period not to exceed one calendar year. Furthermore, it must be evident that the educational program for the individual can be expected to be of benefit not only to the person, but also may improve his job performance or be of long-range value to the University,

Military Service

(See provisions in Business Manager and Assistant Treasurer Memorandum dated 28 November 1958.)

Miscellaneous Regulations

1. The supervisor or head of department, when recommending such leaves, must indicate the method of covering the work load ordinarily done by the person. President's Office Form 33 will be used for this recommendation.
2. Extended leaves must be approved by the Business Manager, but the department retains the responsibility of providing the job, funds, etc., for the person's return to work and pay status.
3. Return to work or duty status in the same job or same job level or same pay is not guaranteed.
4. Employees may have the option of continuing University group insurance coverage at their own expense to include the normal University premium expense, and to be paid in lump sum or installments agreed upon prior to leaving work status.
5. Other benefits restricted as follows:
   1. Vacation with pay. None will accrue during extended leave.
   2. Sick leave with pay. None will accrue during extended leave.
   3. Public Employees Retirement Fund Creditable service for computation of retirement benefits will not be allowed for any month with more than one half that month in a non-pay status. Any one on extended leave of absence may not withdraw his membership and contributions from P.E.R.F. (Exception - Military service will be included in creditable service. )
   4. Length of service awards., Periods of extended leave will not be credited for qualifying for length of service awards or for qualifying for retiree status from the University. This will not be considered a "break in employment", but the total time on extended leave will be deducted in computing total length of employment.
6. No employee may be granted more than one year total extended leave in any ten-year period.

L. J. Freehafer
Business Manager and
Assistant Treasurer

 

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