Sick Leave
Purpose
Berea College recognizes that employees may become ill or injured and, therefore, be unable to perform assigned duties. This policy is designed to help protect your income when absence from work is caused by issues of physical or mental health. Employees are therefore encouraged to use their sick benefit ONLY when needed. Accumulated sick leave must not be considered “extra” time off with pay and may not be used in this manner. Absences of three (3) of more days may qualify for Family Medical Leave, and employees should refer to that policy if applicable.
Eligibility
Full-time, regular employees and part-time (scheduled for over 24 hours per week) regular employees are eligible for accrual of sick leave.
Uses
Sick leave may be used for: (a) personal or immediate family mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; (b) rest or recuperation during or after illnesses or injuries, including pregnancy and child birth; (c) personal and immediate family health care appointments and treatments; (d) caring for immediate family members (as defined in the Family Medical Leave Act) who are ill or injured; and (e) providing assistance to family members when employees substantiate that they are dependent upon them during illness. For purposes of this section, “immediate family” means parents, children, or spouses.
Accruals
Full-time, regular employees accrue sick leave at 3.693 hours per pay period for non-exempt staff and 8 hours per month for exempt employees. Part-time, regular employees who are regularly scheduled to work 24 hours or more per week accrue a prorated portion of the sick leave accrual based on their approved FTE assignment. Temporary employees or those working less than 24 hours per week are not eligible for sick leave benefits.
Maximum Sick Leave Accrual
A maximum of 1,040 hours of sick leave may be accrued.
Payment for Sick Leave
Under no circumstances will the College pay an employee for unused sick days.
Prolonged Illness or Injury
In cases of prolonged illness beyond the amount of sick leave accumulated, employees may be eligible for FMLA or other leave without pay or, if eligible, to participate in the various insurance benefit programs, may contact the Benefits Office to initiate a long-term disability insurance claim.
Requests for Sick Leave
Requests for sick leave must be submitted in writing or email to your supervisor as far in advance as possible. If it is not possible to request sick leave in advance, for instance in the case of acute or sudden illness, a request for sick leave shall be submitted as soon as practicable but in no case later than the first day you return to work. Except in cases of requests granted in advance, an employee who does not report to work for reasons covered by this policy must notify their supervisor before 9:00 a.m. each day the employee is absent from work. Failure to notify the supervisor of an absence may result in denial of sick leave benefits and is considered a serious disciplinary situation.
Abuse of Sick Leave
Abuse of sick leave may impact an employee’s ability to complete the major responsibilities of the position and therefore may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. Employees may use sick leave only for the purposes stated in this section. When a usage pattern of sick leave indicates possible abuse (e.g., frequent absences on Mondays, Fridays or before or following holidays or vacation), the College may request and require validation of the employee’s request for sick leave. In such instances, a certificate from a licensed physical or mental healthcare provider may be required to substantiate the necessity for the absence.
Absence from work without proper notice to the supervisor for 3 consecutive workdays will be deemed to be a voluntary resignation from employment.
Return from Sick Leave
For any absence of three (3) or more days, an employee must contact Human Resources to obtain and complete the appropriate leave paperwork in order to verify the illness by a physician. Additional Human Resources will request a certificate from a licensed physical or mental healthcare provider stating the employee is fit to return to work.