| Policy Approval Authority | President |
| Responsible Division | Human Resource Services - Division of Human Resources |
| Responsible University Office | Human Resource Services - Division of Human Resources |
| Responsible Officer(s) | John Acardo |
| Contact Person | John Arcado |
| Primary Audience |
Faculty
Staff Administration |
| Date Submitted to Policy Library | 03-01-2024 |
| Status | Comments-Only |
| Last Review Date | 03-30-2024 |
| Policy Category/Categories |
Human Resources / Employment
|
Effective January 1, 2024, Illinois Public Act 102-1143, known as Paid Leave for all Workers Act, provides workers up to 40 hours of paid leave from work each year to maintain their health and well-being, care for their families or use for any other reason of their choosing. As such, the university has established the State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit, which will be implemented on March 31, 2024.
Employees in the following employment classifications, regardless of status (i.e., full-time, part-time, regular, or temporary) are eligible for the State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit:
Student employees and independent contractors are not eligible for the State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit.
The State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit will be allocated on an annual basis and will be available for use on the date of allocation. In accordance with the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, the Benefit program will be implemented on March 31, 2024. Beginning on July 1, 2024, the program will be administered on a fiscal year basis.
Effective March 31, 2024, through June 30, 2024, eligible employees will be issued 20 hours of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit. During this time period, employees hired by the university in the eligible employee classifications listed above, will be issued 20 hours of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit effective on their date of hire.
Effective July 1, 2024, and every July 1 thereafter, eligible employees will be issued 40 hours of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit. Employees hired by the university on or after July 1, 2024, in the eligible employee classifications listed above, will be issued 40 hours of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit effective on their date of hire.
Employees who separate from the university and are rehired within the same fiscal year will not be issued a new 40 hours of the State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit, but rather, their State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit balance at the time of separation will be restored upon the employee's rehire date.
State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit does not accrue or carry over from year to year. Any unused State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit time at the end of the fiscal year (June 30) will be forfeited. Any unused State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit time is not compensable at the time of separation from employment.
As with all other paid benefits, employees must identify the benefit they are intending to use at the time of the leave request and must follow their departmental procedures for requesting time away from work. Employees requesting time off utilizing State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefits must arrange their leave with consideration for the university’s core operational needs and obtain approval from their supervisor. Supervisors should approve these time off requests to the greatest extent possible while ensuring that the operational needs of their unit are met.
If the employee can anticipate the need to use of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit, they should provide their supervisor as much advanced notice as possible, with a minimum notice of at least seven calendar days, before use of the benefit.
In situations where the need for the use of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefit is unforeseeable, the employee must notify their supervisor as soon as reasonably possible through their departmental call-in or notice procedures.
Employees must report use of State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefits utilizing the university’s time reporting process to the nearest quarter of an hour. Employees are not permitted to report more State of Illinois Paid Leave Benefits in a day than they would have normally been scheduled to work.
Policy Library
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Comments
What are acceptable reasons for using this benefit? How does this differ from current types of leave: Sick Leave, Vacation, Parental Leave, Pers Non Ac Leave, Fam Non Ac Leave, Comp Time, FMLA, etc.
- Tom Kapraun
I think the 20 hours upon hire is a good idea and should permanently expire at the five year anniversary has been reached. Beyond that, I don't think it is necessary - Our benefits, whether singly, or when combined, are already some of the most generous of anyplace I know. And while I don't take or use a lot of time, it has always been a comfort to know the time is there.
- Tita Kaus
This is going to be a logistical nightmare for stipend GA timekeeping paperwork. Turn them all into Hourly rather than stipend so you can track their hours better. And what is considered days for them if they are 20 hours per week? They also already get many benefits. Higher pay on less number of hours than many CS employees, full tuition waivers.
And leaving out Student Employees who make minimum wages and are hourly need this more than stipend GAs. That is just shameful on how we support our Undergrad Students.
- Kathy Mosher
Are instructors covered? How granular can the leave hours be used? Is it always at least 8 hours at a time? Who is going to cover the assigned class meetings when Faculty, SPS, or Graduate Assistants are on Paid Leave? This could easily affect thousands of students each semester. Is there any funding set aside for substitutes, when available?
- Anders LinnerThe Paid Leave Benefit can significantly boost employee morale by allowing employees to take time off without worrying about loss of income. It may also promote better mental and physical health outcomes and increase employee engagement because employees will feel valued.
Undergraduate students who work for the university should be allowed to have access to this benefit for the reasons outlined above. It will help them manage work and academics more effectively without worrying about finances if they need to take time off, give them some financial stability, enhance job satisfaction, and increase loyalty to the university.
- Tamara Boston
Are these additional days, or are these days already provided but with fewer restrictions? See Q&A #1, "Providing paid leave" page of IDOL's PLAWA FAQ.
- David DeThorne