Time Off and Leaves

Confidentiality of Information

The University will treat information you provide confidentially. Information will only be disclosed if you request or consent to it, as ordered by a court or administrative agency, or as otherwise required by federal or state law.

Notifying Your Supervisor or Manager

As a condition of taking leave, you are required to give your supervisor or manager (e.g., chair/director/campus dean) advance notice as soon as is practicable. If you cannot provide advance notice because of an emergency or unforeseen circumstances, your designee must give notice to the University no later than the end of the first day that you take leave. In the event of a medical leave, while you are required to give notice to your manager, you are not required to disclose the nature of your condition or any medical facts related to your condition.

Documenting Leave

Most leave balances are recorded in Workday. Contact Employee Workday Help or your local unit contact for information about entering leaves and viewing leaves records.

Maintaining Benefits While on Leave

To avoid interruption of benefits, academic personnel on leave can arrange to self-pay their insurance premiums if needed or required. For questions about benefits related to leaves, including adding dependents, or extending benefits while on leave, visit Employee Workday Help.

Disability Accommodations

Contact the Disability Services Office to seek an accommodation for a disability.

Promotion and Tenure Clock Extensions

Academic personnel in clock-managed ranks are subject to mandatory reviews for promotion. To learn more about how leaves may affect mandatory review periods, visit the Promotion and Tenure Clock Extension page.

Overview

Leave without pay is a temporary non-pay status and absence from duty, which is sometimes termed “LWOP” or “unpaid leave.” The information on this page applies to leave without pay that is discretionary and not an entitlement such as a leave associated with FMLA. LWOP may be full-time with no pay or part-time with the individual’s pay temporarily reduced commensurate with the duration and percentage of approved leave. 

Faculty may use LWOP for a variety of reasons, including:

• Personal reasons (e.g., family obligations or pursuing interests relevant to job duties and responsibilities)
• Parental leave, including adoption and foster placement in circumstances where FMLA is not applicable
• Family care leave in circumstances where FMLA is not applicable
• When state or federal leave entitlements are not applicable or have been exhausted and faculty member needs continued leave
• Paid sick time off allotment has been exhausted
• Medical condition does not qualify for paid sick leave use
• As a form of disability accommodation, determined and approved in the course of the interactive process with the Disability Services Office (DSO) and the faculty member’s unit

To learn more about LWOP including how to request this leave, please visit the Leave Without Pay policy webpage.

For information on faculty sabbatical leave, click here.

The majority of faculty at the UW are not eligible to receive or accrue vacation.

Faculty with 9-month service periods are paid for 9 months of service and expected to use summer for time off.

Faculty with 12-month service periods are paid for 11 months of service over a 12-month period. One month is available for paid time off. Individuals should work with their unit to arrange time off in advance.

Eligible faculty and academic staff should follow local unit guidelines.

Annual leave does not apply to Washington state Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) supplemental benefits.

Faculty may be required to request leave without pay to perform work outside their University duties if engaging in professional activities for compensation. In addition to receiving an approval for a leave without pay, employees are required to comply with the Outside Professional Work Policy, Executive Order 57, through the UW Office of Research.

This type of leave without pay pertains to circumstances that require time away from the University on a full- or part-time basis. This includes, but is not limited to, family obligations or pursuing interests relevant to job duties and responsibilities.

Note that leave without pay for this reason is generally not allowed in the mandatory year of promotion and tenure review for clock-managed ranks.

Per the Faculty Sick Leave Policy, faculty may be eligible for up to 90 calendar days of paid sick leave (UW Faculty Code Section 51-1). Paid sick leave for faculty is administered by UWHR. For more information go to https://hr.uw.edu/ops/leaves/faculty-paid-sick-medical-or-family-leave/. Contact hrleaves@uw.edu with questions.

Librarians may be granted leave without pay for any of the following reasons:

• Illness, disability, or injury
• Parental leave
• Educational leave (e.g. going back to school)
• Military leave
• Leave for government service in public interest
• Maternity-related disability and infant care leave
• Other reasons acceptable to the employing department

Use of Leave Without Pay

Accrued paid leave must be used before going on leave without pay, unless the leave is a disability, military, or parental leave, or is covered by the Family & Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) or Washington state Paid Family Medical Leave (“PFML”). Leave without pay should not exceed one academic year. Librarians are not charged leave without pay for a partial day absence.

Generally, librarians returning from an authorized leave without pay are employed in the same job or in another job in the same class, geographical area and organizational unit. Such a return to employment, however, must not conflict with rules relating to layoff or other terms of the librarian employment program.

Should the librarian’s job be eliminated while the employee is on approved leave, at the time the employee is available to return to active status, if there is no other comparable vacancy in the unit, the employee will be terminated under the provisions for layoff – reduction in force.

For information on librarian sabbatical leave, click here.

Annual leave is accrued by all librarians and may be used for reasons such as:

• Personal time
• Sick leave reasons
• Emergency childcare situations
• Inclement weather when the employee is otherwise scheduled to work

Maximum Allotment

Librarians accrue 26 days of annual leave per year regardless of years of service.

Accrual and Eligibility

This leave accrues monthly at a rate of 17.34 hours per month. Hours accrue at the end of the calendar month, and are available to use the following month. Keep in mind that librarians hired after the 15th of the month will accrue leave starting the following month.

How do I apply?

Request through your local unit contact.

Annual Leave Payout for Terminated Librarians

Upon termination of employment, librarians who have completed at least 6 months of continuous service are paid for their unused annual leave up to the maximum balance of 288 hours. Hours that exceed the 288 limit will be forfeited. Payout is based on the rate at the time of termination. Payment is based on the regular salary at the time of termination. Librarians who have not completed 6 months of employment are not eligible for annual leave compensation.

Full-time (100% FTE) librarians receive 8 hours of regular pay for each holiday, including the personal holiday.

Part-time (50% FTE) librarians receive holiday pay at a rate proportionate to their appointment percentage (e.g., half-time librarians receive 4 hours of regular pay for each holiday).

Eligibility

Librarians are eligible to be paid for the holiday if they are in pay status for the entire work shift on the work day preceding a holiday.

The personal holiday is an annual day off work that librarians are eligible for after completing the first 4 months of employment. This is in addition to the regularly scheduled state holidays.

Librarians who hold appointments of less than 12 months during the calendar year are eligible to receive only those holidays that fall within their appointment period.

Holidays, Holiday Credit, and Alternate Schedules

Any schedules outside the traditional Monday-Friday, 8 hours per day are called alternate. Working an alternate schedule requires special attention to holiday-related leave. If a holiday falls on an employee’s regularly scheduled day off, the employee receives holiday credit equal to the full-time percentage. If a holiday falls on a day when the employee would normally work more time (e.g., 10 hours) than the holiday’s hourly equivalent (e.g., 8 hours) there are special holiday time accounting considerations.

Holiday Credit Use Deadlines

All accrued holiday credit must be used or paid annually by June 30. The balance of unused holiday credit should be used or paid if an employee moves from one job to another within the University or when terminating from University employment.

Using the Personal Holiday

The personal holiday is paid at a rate equivalent to the effective FTE at the time the holiday is taken (e.g. 100% FTE = 8 hrs, 75% FTE = 6 hrs, 50% FTE = 4 hrs).

You must take the personal holiday as a single day off work, unless donated to another employee as shared leave, in which case you must use your remaining personal holiday at one time.

If you do not use your personal holiday by the end of the calendar year, you lose it.

If you move from one position to another within the University, or to a position at another state agency without a break in service, the unused personal holiday transfers with you.

If you leave University employment, you will not be paid for an unused personal holiday.

How to Apply

Check with your local unit contact for guidance on requesting or extending your holiday credit use.

University of Washington Librarians are granted up to 3 days of paid bereavement leave for the death of a family member. For bereavement eligibility, University Libraries uses the same family member definition as for professional staff.

This leave must be used in full-day increments.

In addition, sick leave may be used for bereavement or condolence for a family member or friend not defined by your employment program, or if you need to extend your leave due to other related circumstances.

Full-time librarians accrue 8 hours of sick leave per month. Part-time employees accrue sick leave hours on a prorated basis, based on their monthly FTE. Leave accrues at the end of the month in which it is earned and is available for use by eligible employees the following month. The sick leave accrual rate does not change due to length of service. There is no limit on the amount of sick leave that an employee may accrue. Librarians do not accrue sick leave during any calendar month when they are on leave without pay status for more than 10 working days, including holidays.

For all information relating to Librarian sick leave, contact UWHR at hrleaves@uw.edu.

Full or partial leaves without pay will be at the University’s sole discretion and in accordance with NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service award (“NRSA”) guidelines (if applicable).

Generally, leave may be approved for personal reasons related to medical or family care obligations. Leave will not be approved for outside work or in response to a loss of funding. If granted by the University, such leave shall not continue beyond the end of the appointment and does not extend eligibility in this title.

Non-ACGME Fellows have twenty-one days of vacation leave front-loaded on their initial start date.

If the appointment length is less than 12 months, vacation leave days are prorated. Vacation leaves are to be applied for and approved in advance by the local unit.

Vacation leave may not be carried over upon reappointment and is not eligible to be paid out upon termination/resignation.

Non-ACGME Fellows receive paid time off for all UW-recognized holidays.

Individuals in these titles may join in the observance of all UW-recognized holidays. However, clinical responsibilities and educational requirements may necessitate that an individual report for duty. In the event they report for duty on a UW-recognized holiday, they must be allowed to observe the holiday within the 30 calendar days following the UW paid holiday.

Holidays do not carry over upon reappointment and are not eligible for payout upon termination/resignation.

Non-ACGME Fellows receive regular pay while on civil duty time off. Civil duty leave does not apply to legal actions initiated by or that name the Fellow non-ACGME as a defendant or witness in a private legal action unrelated to a UW appointment.

Non-ACGME Fellows receive up to 3 days of paid bereavement time off for the death of a family member.

Family member is defined as a child or parent (including biological, adopted, foster, step, or legal guardian, or de facto parent), a spouse, registered domestic partner, spouse’s parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling.

Non-ACGME Fellows receive 15 days front-loaded at the initial appointment start date. If appointment length is less than 12 months, sick leave days are prorated.

For all information relating to Non-ACGME Fellow sick leave, contact UWHR at hrleaves@uw.edu.

Full or partial leaves without pay will be at the University’s sole discretion and in accordance with NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service award (NRSA) guidelines (if applicable).

Generally, leave may be approved for personal reasons related to medical or family care obligations. Leave will not be approved for outside work or in response to a loss of funding. If granted by the University, such leave shall not continue beyond the end of the appointment and does not extend eligibility in this title

Clinician Researchers have twenty-one days of vacation leave front-loaded on their initial start date.

If appointment length is less than 12 months, vacation leave days are prorated. Vacation leaves are to be applied for and approved in advance by the local unit.

Vacation leave may not be carried over upon reappointment and is not eligible to be paid out upon termination/resignation.

Clinician Researchers receive paid time off for all UW-recognized holidays.

Individuals in these titles may join in the observance of all UW-recognized holidays. However, clinical responsibilities and educational requirements may necessitate that an individual report for duty. In the event they report for duty on a UW-recognized holiday, they must be allowed to observe the holiday within the 30 calendar days following the UW paid holiday.

Holidays do not carry over upon reappointment and are not eligible for payout upon termination/resignation.

Clinician Researchers receive regular pay while on civil duty time off. Civil duty leave does not apply to legal actions initiated by or that name the Clinician Researcher as a defendant or witness in a private legal action unrelated to a UW appointment.

Clinician Researchers receive up to 3 days of paid bereavement time off for the death of a family member.

Family member is defined as a child or parent (including biological, adopted, foster, step, or legal guardian, or de facto parent), a spouse, registered domestic partner, spouse’s parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling.

Clinician Researchers receive 15 days front-loaded at the initial appointment start date. If appointment length is less than 12 months, sick leave days are prorated.

For all information relating to Clinician Researcher sick leave, contact UWHR at hrleaves@uw.edu.

For more details about leaves for Educators, contact the College of Education.

In limited circumstances and for a limited period of time, an employee who holds a Visiting Scientist appointment may be permitted to take a partial leave without pay for reasons related to family obligations.

For details about Visiting Scientists, contact an Academic HR Business Partner at apleaves@uw.edu.