Chapter IV Contents: [ IV.1 Orientation of New Staff ] [ IV.2 Employee Benefits: Overview ] [ IV.3 When a Staff Member Retires ] [ IV.4 Joint Governance Appointments ] [ IV.5 Awards and Honors for Faculty and Staff ] [ IV.6 Faculty and Staff Liability ] [ IV.7 Review of Tenured Faculty ] [ IV.8 Reporting Outside Interests & Activities ] [ IV.9 Overloads and Summer Appointments ] [ IV.10 Sexual Harassment Policies & Procedures ] [ IV.11 Nepotism, Conflict of Interest ] [ IV.12 Vacation Policy ] [ IV.13 Sick Leave Policy ] [ IV.14 Leave of Absence, Temporary Assignment ] [ IV.15 Extensions of the Tenure Clock ] [ IV.16 Absences from Madison ] [ IV.17 Disability Accommodation ] [ IV.18 Personnel Records: Content & Preservation ] [ IV.19 Tuition Reimbursement ] [ IV.20 Faculty Personnel Committee ] [ IV.21 UW-Madison Domestic Partnership Policy ] [ IV.22 Inclement Weather Guidelines ] [ IV.23 Telecommuting Policy ]

IV.13 SICK LEAVE POLICY (for a discussion of Parental Leave, please refer to the section below)

University sick leave policy varies considerably for different employee groups and cannot be summarized briefly. Some information is available online, through the Employee Compensation and Benefits Services website located at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/ecbs/emp-leave-menu.html.  Faculty and academic staff may consult the UW-Madison Employee Benefits Booklet (also located online, at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/ecbs/emp-gen-bens-menu.html), the appropriate academic Associate Dean or Daun Wheeler (3-2591).  For information concerning sick leave for teaching and project assistants, consult the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of Wisconsin and the Teaching Assistants' Association or call Associate Dean Nancy Westphal-Johnson (3-2506) or Brian Bubenzer (5-0603).  Classified staff may consult UW-Madison Employee Benefits Booklet section on sick leave and/or the relevant bargaining unit agreement, or call Ron Van Wey (3-2305). Sick leave records for classified staff are part of the leave accounting system and are updated on each biweekly payroll.

It is essential that departmental offices keep accurate and up-to-date records on sick leave use for all employees who are covered by the various sick leave policies. For most employees, accrued sick leave may be converted into paid-up health insurance upon retirement. This is a valuable benefit that should be protected by maintenance of accurate leave records at the department level.

As to replacement staff, L&S calculates the replacements in terms of the number of hours needed for them to carry out the responsibilities asked of them. Departments should estimate at the outset how much time is expected--for example, preparing for and teaching two hours of lectures and a given number of office hours--and let the replacement know what is expected. Departments should also notify their Associate Dean about the replacement, but can proceed to make arrangements for the person to step in. Questions about replacements shoudl be directed to James Hovland (3-8873).

For information about temporary replacement of non-instructional academic staff, please call Maggie Sullivan (3-2315); for information about temporary replacement of classified staff, please contact Diana Allaby (3-4964).

For unclassified employees, eligibility to earn sick leave is tied to participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System (appointment of at least one year at at least one-third time). Departmental questions about such eligibility should be directed to benefits@ohr.wisc.edu (or call 262-5650).

The Unclassified Leave Statement and Leave Report are sent to employees as two separate forms, both of which are
mailed to the employees' campus addresses (see http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/uwpc/ucla-12_mth_statement.pdf and http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/uwpc/ucla-12_mth_sep.pdf for examples). Electronic copies of leave statements and
reports will be available at My UW on the Work Record tab.

Unclassified employees must file monthly leave reports with the departmental office even though they may not have used any leave. Faculty, academic staff and limited appointees who are eligible to earn sick leave but fail to complete a leave report for one or more months of the fiscal year will have a reduction in their sick leave accrual. The reduction will occur annually on August 15th for the previous fiscal year. (Full time annual employees will have their sick leave accrual reduced to 8.5 days and academic year employees will have their sick leave accrual reduced to 6.4 days; reductions in leave amounts will be prorated for part-time employees.)

For full-time unclassified employees, all leave (including vacation and personal holiday) must be charged in units of one-half days. (Employees with part-time appointments report actual hours absent.) State law holds that sick leave used must be reported based on a five-day standard (40 hours) work week. (This standard exists only for the purpose of reporting sick leave - not for reporting other types of leave, such as vacation, personal holidays, and floating holidays.) The method for reporting sick leave is summarized below:

Academic Staff, Faculty, and Limited Appointees are required to submit medical certification from a health care provider for absences of more than 5 consecutive working days, or for shorter absences if requested by the employee’s department. See Unclassified Personnel Guideline #10.04(5)a. The Medical Certification Form can be found among OHR's forms at http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/Forms/form.html, or at http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/Forms/Medical_Certification_Form.doc.

Sick Leave Reporting and Teaching Responsibilities ("Colleague Coverage")

Teaching responsibilities not met by the instructor because of an absence due to illness must be reported as leave, even if a colleague covers the responsibilities. However, leave time does not need to be reported when a colleague covers the responsibilities of a faculty or academic staff member who is unable to carry out those responsibilities because he or she is away from the University for business reasons (e.g., conference attendance, research).

Questions?

Responses to "Frequently Asked Questions" about leave reporting - and changes in leave reporting policy - can be found in two places:

• UW-Madison Office of Human Resources: http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/HR_Memos/UCLA_FAQs.pdf
• L&S Human Resources: http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterFour/SickLeaveFAQ-College.pdf
• See also: "Rationale for Defining a 40 hour work schedule..."

Parental Leave

As in the case of university sick leave policy, Parental Leave policies vary for different employee groups and are not easily summarized.   The Employee Compensation and Benefits Office statement on these policies notes that they "reflect a combination of the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act (WFMLA), the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), University System policies and, for Classified employees, Department of Employment Relations regulations and collective bargaining agreements."  UW System Administration posts information about Parental Leave policies online at http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/benefits/leave/fmla.htm; the Office of Human Resources also publishes a brochure on "Balancing Family and Work:  UW-Madison Family-Related Leave Policies for Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees".  

Department Chairs should be aware that the University recognizes that the birth or placement of a child will likely impede an Assistant Professor's ability to make progress toward tenure. Therefore, the tenure clock can be stopped for up to one year for the birth or placement of a child, even if leave is not taken.  To stop the clock, the Assistant Professor must submit a request in writing to the Provost, Room 150, Bascom Hall (with informational copies to the department chair and dean) no later than one year from the birth or placement. Although approval by the Provost, in consultation with the University Committee, is required, there is a presumption that the request will be approved. If the clock is stopped, the Assistant Professor's employment contract also will be extended by the same amount of time.

Revised August 20, 2008.