Leave of Absence (LOA) Without Pay Guidelines
Except for disciplinary suspensions, active military duty, and leave covered by workers’ compensation benefits, an employee must exhaust accumulated paid vacation and compensatory time before leave of absence without pay will be granted.
Sick leave and applicable sick leave pool time must be exhausted prior to placement into a Leave of Absence status if the employee is absent due to reasons which are eligible for sick leave usage. Otherwise, an employee may have a sick leave balance while on Leave of Absence in instances where s/he is absent for reasons which are ineligible for sick leave benefits. An employee may go on Leave of Absence for illness, injury, or for other reasons with appropriate approval.
Approval guidelines in the following tables are in accordance with the President’s Delegation of Authority for Human Resources.
Leave of Absence without Pay for STAFF
| Leave of Absence Without Pay for STAFF | Applicable Governance | Routing | Final Approver |
| for up to 30 days use UNPAID time off, (other than sick leave) | SR 31.03 |
Manager Department Head |
Absence Partner |
| for 31 days to one year, (other than sick leave) | SR 31.03.04 |
Manager Department Head Vice President or designee |
Absence Partner |
Leave of Absence without Pay for FACULTY
| Leave of Absence Without Pay for FACULTY | Applicable Governance | Routing | Final Approver |
| for up to 30 days use UNPAID time off, (other than sick leave) | SR 31.03.04 |
Department Head Dean Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs |
Provost and Executive Vice President |
| for 31 days to one year, (other than sick leave) | SR 31.03.04 |
Department Head Dean Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Provost and Executive Vice President |
President |
Leave of Absence vs Unpaid Time Off Request
Leave of Absence
A leave of absence (LOA) should be used when the absence is full-time, continuous, unpaid and for a duration of 30 days or more in the same calendar month. This is an unpaid, job-protected leave status.
Impact to Benefits while on Leave of Absence:
- Employees are not eligible to receive the state contribution for insurance premiums (SGIP) unless they are on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
- Once the business process for Leave of Absence completes, the employee will receive the Workday Action item Change Benefit Elections. The employee may elect to keep benefits or waive Benefits while on Leave of Absence. An employee may remain on LOA for up to one year with appropriate approvals.
Note: This event (Change Benefits Elections) will default coverages to waive if no selections are made. The Employee must complete this event to continue coverages at full cost to the Employee. The employee will be billed for Benefits by the Systems Billing office while on leave of absence.
Return from Leave of Absence
If an Employee will not return to work from the leave of absence, you should complete the Return Worker from Leave process before Termination is initiated to avoid downstream corrections that require administrative support and additional work.
Tip: The employee will get paid for the day you return them from leave. If you do not want the employee to be paid you will need to enter Unpaid Time Off leave in Workday.
Refer to Workday Job Aid: Leave of Absence (Place or Return Worker) found on Workday help on the SSO menu.
Unpaid Time Off
If the employee will be on unpaid time off for less than 30 days, submit a time off request for Unpaid Time Off in Workday.
Impact to Holiday pay while on Unpaid Time Off:
- Employee must work or be in a paid leave status any portion of the last scheduled working day before a holiday and be in a paid leave status (or work) for any portion of the next schedule day after a holiday to be eligible for holiday pay.
Resources
System Regulations