No./Title: 380 – SICK LEAVE	Resp. Office: HUMAN RESOURCES	Effective Date: 02/01/2014
Category: Leave	Last Review: 08/31/2018	Next Review: 08/31/2021
Contact: Debbie Jackson	🕿 901.448.8547	🖂 djacks24@uthsc.edu
Related Policies:

OBJECTIVE

To establish procedures for the effective implementation of the Sick Leave Policy for Staff Exempt, Staff Non-Exempt, and 12-Month Faculty.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

Eligible regular staff and 12-month faculty.

PROCEDURE

Scheduling

1. The University’s sick leave policy protects its regular staff and faculty against loss of earnings due to illness of the employee or employee’s immediate family members. Departments should provide information to employees on the notification procedure when they are ill or an immediate family member is ill. Employees should provide as much notice as possible when requiring sick leave. If possible, employees should schedule medical appointments as far in advance to allow supervisors adequate time to plan for workload coverage.
2. Eligible employees may use sick leave primarily for absences due to illness or injury including disability caused or contributed to by pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, or for routine health care. Sick leave may be applied in cases where the employee must be absent because of illness, injury or routine health care for a member of the employee’s immediate family (spouse, child or parent). Up to thirty days of sick leave may be used for adoption of a child one year old or less.
3. When employees are sick for three or more days, the department or supervisor should contact Human Resources to initiate the Family and Medical Leave process (See Personnel Procedure 338). The department will submit the Family and Medical Leave Request Form. The form needs to be completed, but does not have to be signed by the employee. Once the form is submitted, Human Resources will initiate the Family and Medical Leave process. Sick Leave will run concurrent to Family and Medical Leave.

Documentation

1. Employees on the monthly payroll: All regular full-time or part-time monthly salaried employees report sick leave on an individual salaried employee time report (located on the IRIS website). The leave tabulations are maintained in IRIS. Leave balances are printed on the employee’s pay statement. Departments are responsible for verifying the leave accruals and usage in IRIS on a monthly basis. If it is necessary for an employee to be absent prior to earning sick leave or after any accrued leave has been exhausted, the absence(s) should be deducted from the employee’s pay in IRIS.
2. Employees on the biweekly payroll: Leave taken by employees on the biweekly payroll is recorded by each employee on the biweekly time report. Leave balances are calculated automatically and printed on each employee’s pay statement. If it is necessary for an employee to be absent prior to earning sick leave or after any accrued leave has been exhausted, only the actual number of hours worked should be reported on the biweekly time report.
3. A supervisor may request a physician’s statement of illness or injury. A physician’s statement of ability to work may be required before the employee is allowed to resume work.
4. Employees who have exhausted their accumulated sick leave and have an injury or illness that prevents them from reporting to work may be placed on leave without pay with the supervisor’s approval or may request supervisory approval to use accumulated annual leave.
5. Saturdays or Sundays falling within a period of paid sick leave will not be charged unless they are normal work days for the employee. Official holidays falling within a period of paid sick leave are charged as holidays rather than sick leave.
6. Falsifying time reports. Failure to accurately report time and attendance may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.