KANSAS ATHLETICS STAFF: ATTENDANCE AND LEAVE
601F
Updated 10/11
KANSAS ATHLETICS STAFF: ATTENDANCE AND LEAVE
I. ATTENDANCE
An employee’s attendance has a direct affect on Kansas Athletics’ ability to provide services to its mission and the mission of the University. Kansas Athletics also recognizes that a relationship exists between attendance/punctuality and employee job performance. Attendance and punctuality are both areas that are evaluated during the Employee Performance Review and Development Plan process. An employee not meeting acceptable attendance/punctuality standards shall be counseled by his/her supervisor on the disruptive effects of poor attendance and/or excessive tardiness. Unacceptable performance in the area of Attendance/Punctuality shall be documented by the employee’s supervisor and will impact an employee’s performance review. Supervisors may also consider attendance when hiring, or with transfers, or promotions. Misuse of leave privileges, excessive use of leave, unexcused absences, late arrivals, early departures, or a pattern of failure to report to work or remain at work may also be grounds for corrective disciplinary action, up to and including separation of employment.
Work Practices: Attendance/Punctuality Expectations
- Employees are expected to report to work at the assigned time and place and remain on duty during scheduled work hours.
- Employees are expected to accurately record hours worked and leave taken.
- When an employee may be delayed in reporting to work, the employee must personally notify his/her immediate supervisor prior to the delay and receive approval for the delay.
- Unexcused absences or lateness must be properly recorded by the employee.
II. VACATION LEAVE
Kansas Athletics grants vacation leave to eligible employees as an opportunity for each individual to have a time for relaxation and recreation away from the job. The Payroll Coordinator is responsible for maintaining records of vacation entitlement. Vacations are generally granted at times and in amounts requested by an employee. However, each supervisor has the authority to determine the number of employees within each classification and work unit who may be on vacation at any given time in order to maintain a legitimate business operation.
A. Non-Exempt Employees
A full time, non-exempt benefits eligible employee is entitled to vacation with pay earned, credited and accumulated as shown by the table below:
RATE OF EARNINGS AND MAXIMUM ACCUMULATION-NON-EXEMPT
| Years of Continuous Service | Monthly employees | Maximum accumulation |
| Under 5 years | 8 hours per pay period | 144 hours (18 working days) |
| 5 years and Less than 10 years | 10 hours per pay period | 176 hours (22 working days) |
| 10 years and Less than 15 years | 12 hours per pay period | 208 hours (26 working days) |
| 15 years And over | 14 hours per pay period | 240 hours (30 working days) |
A new non-exempt benefits eligible employee is entitled to earn vacation credit from the first month of employment. Vacation leave cannot be granted until after it has been accrued.The accrual rate is determined on the basis of hours worked in each pay period as described in the following table:
VACATION LEAVE EARNINGS SCHEDULE FOR NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
| Hours Earned Per Pay Period Based on Length of Service | ||||
| Hours Worked Per Pay Period* | 0-5 yrs. | 5-10 yrs. | 10-15 yrs. | Over 15 |
| 0- 19 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 20- 39 | 1.00 | 1.25 | 1.50 | 1.70 |
| 40- 59 | 2.00 | 2.50 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| 60- 79 | 3.00 | 3.75 | 4.50 | 5.25 |
| 80- 99 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 | 7.00 |
| 100-119 | 5.00 | 6.25 | 7.50 | 8.75 |
| 120-139 | 6.00 | 7.50 | 9.00 | 10.50 |
| 140-159 | 7.00 | 8.75 | 10.50 | 12.25 |
| 160- | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 |
*Overtime worked and additional payment for holidays worked are not counted in determining vacation leave earned.
Upon termination or resignation, non-exempt employees will be paid all unused vacation leave up to the maximum accumulation levels. Non-exempt employees are paid on an hourly basis. Hours must be recorded in quarter hour increments. Any absence during the work day must be recorded as leave, either sick leave (if appropriate) or annual leave.
B. Exempt Employees
Exempt employees are entitled to vacation leave with pay as follows (based on full-time service). Vacation leave for exempt employees on less than full-time appointment shall be reduced proportionately.
- Vacation days accumulate at the rate of two days per month from the date of initial appointment.
- Vacation days accumulate at the rate of two days per month with a maximum of twenty-two (22) days in any fiscal year.
- Vacation days accumulate on the regular basis during the time a person is on leave with pay, but leave does not accumulate during the time an employee is on leave without pay.
- Employees may accumulate a maximum of thirty (30) working days of vacation leave.
- Before taking vacation leave with pay, an employee must receive prior approval from the employee’s immediate supervisor.
- A maximum of 22 days (176 hours) will be paid to an employee upon termination or retirement.
Exempt employees must take leave in half or full day increments of time (i.e. 4 hours or 8 hours). Discretionary days and leave without pay days are recorded as full-days. An exempt employee must work at least one hour in each four hour time period or will be charged with leave for that time period. For example, if an employee works from 8-9 a.m. and then is out of the office for the remaining day, the exempt employee will be charged with 4 hours of leave.
III. SICK LEAVE
Sick leave is granted an employee for the necessary absence from duty because of personal or family illness, including pregnancy and recovery therefrom, adoption, initial placement of foster child, injury, health care providers’ appointments, or legal quarantine.
Employee’s family shall be limited to: persons related to the employee by blood, marriage or adoption and minors residing in the employee’s residence as a result of court proceedings. Leave is also granted for the employee’s or his/her family’s personal appointments with a physician, dentist or other licensed health practitioner.
Exempt employees must take sick leave in half or full day increments of time ( i.e. 4 hours or 8 hours) and work at least one hour in the block or will be charged for leave. Non-exempt employees must take sick leave in hourly or quarter hour increments.
A. Notification and Use
Employees requesting sick leave must notify their supervisor as soon as possible. Sick leave, like vacation leave, cannot be granted until after it has been accrued. An employee may use vacation leave in lieu of sick leave but may not use sick leave for vacations.
Excessive use of sick leave that seriously affects productivity may result in disciplinary action.
- A department head may require an employee to furnish medical certification to verify necessary absence from work for PERSONAL illness or illness involving a member of the employee’s FAMILY for absences of more than five days. The employee must notify his/her supervisor when calling in to use sick leave. The Director of Human Resources should be notified for absences of more than five days.
- An employee who is chronically or habitually absent due to illness IS required to furnish a medical certification that verifies not only illness but also incapacitation that prevents the employee from performing his/her job. In addition, an employee under such procedure is required to furnish medical certification to verify necessary absence (sick leave) due to illness of a member of the employee’s family. Sporadic or unpredictable absences not covered by medical certification will not be tolerated.
- Adequate time (five working days) should be allowed for an employee to furnish medical certification. An exception to this would be the case where an employee was absent due to illness for more than five consecutive days. In such cases, medical certification is required to authorize the employee to return to work.
- If a physician’s statement required by the department head is not submitted within established time limits, the absence may be charged to leave without pay (unexcused).
The Payroll Coordinator shall maintain records on accumulated and used sick leave. Use of sick leave shall be reported monthly on the employee’s time sheet. Sick leave balances are available on the Kansas Athletics Payroll/Human Resources Management System. Discrepancies should be reported to the Payroll Coordinator.
A former employee who had unused sick leave at the time of separation from Kansas Athletics and who returns to Kansas Athletics employment in a permanent position within one year shall have the unused sick leave reinstated. This provision does not apply to persons who have retired from Kansas Athletics.
B. Retirement
An employee who is retiring (and is at least 55 years old) shall be paid for unused accumulated sick leave according to the following schedule of service:
| Years of Service | Accumulated Sick Leave | Days Paid |
| 8 years or more | 100 days or more | 30 days |
| 15 years or more | 125 days or more | 45 days |
| 25 years or more | 150 days or more | 60 days |
This compensation will be paid and included in the last paycheck and will be subject to normal withholding.
C. Non-Exempt Employees
Accrual is based on hours worked in each pay period as noted on the table below:
SICK LEAVE EARNING SCHEDULE FOR NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
| Hours Worked Per Pay Period | Hours Earned Per Pay Period |
| 0- 19 | 0.00 |
| 20- 39 | 1.00 |
| 40- 59 | 2.00 |
| 60- 79 | 3.00 |
| 80- 99 | 4.00 |
| 100-119 | 5.00 |
| 120-139 | 6.00 |
| 140-159 | 7.00 |
| 160- | 8.00 |
*Overtime worked and additional payment for holidays worked are not counted in determining sick leave earned.
Eight (8) hours of sick leave are earned for each pay period (on payroll at least 160 hours in the pay period). Sick leave is accumulated on an unlimited basis.
D. Exempt Employees
Exempt employees accrue sick leave in the amount of 8 hours per pay period. Sick leave is accumulated on an unlimited basis and paid out at retirement according to the chart listed in Section III.B above.
IV. SHARED LEAVE
Shared leave may be granted to a benefits eligible Kansas Athletics employee if the employee or his/her family member is experiencing a serious, extreme or life-threatening illness or impairment or physical or mental condition which has caused, or is likely to cause, the employee to take leave without pay.The definition of “family member” includes persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or court placed minors.
A. Eligibility to Apply
A Kansas Athletics employee is eligible to apply for Shared Leave if:
- the employee has exhausted all paid leave available for use including vacation leave, sick leave, and compensatory time credits;
- the employee has six (6) months continuous service;
- the employee has a satisfactory attendance record as determined by the immediate supervisor in consultation with the Director of Human Resources; and
- the employee is a non-state employee.
Steps to receiving shared leave time:
- Submit a written request to the Director of Human Resources stating the reason(s) for requesting the leave, including the name(s) of family member(s), if applicable; sign and date the letter.
- Attach a signed statement from a physician stating the nature of the illness.
- The Director of Human Resources will review requests within one (1) work week of the request providing all pertinent information is provided.
- Requests will be approved or disapproved by the Director of Human Resources in consultation with the immediate supervisor.
- If approved, the Director of Human Resources will notify Kansas Athletics staff of the number of hours needed by the employee and request donors. The employee’s name will not be released. Potential donors should submit a written and signed statement to the Director of Human Resource indicating their willingness to donate leave to the person approved for the shared leave and the amount of hours to be donated.
B. Eligibility requirements for donors
A benefits eligible Kansas Athletics employee shall be eligible to donate vacation or sick leave to another Kansas Athletics employee if:
- The donation of vacation leave does not cause the accumulated vacation leave balance of the donating employee to be less than 80 hours;
- The donation of sick leave does not cause the accumulated sick leave balance of the donating employee to be less than 480 hours; and
- The employee must be an Athletics paid employee.
Donors should review their vacation and sick leave status as it relates to retirement benefits prior to making a donation.
No employee shall be coerced, threatened, intimidated, or financially induced to donate shared leave. Any effort to improperly induce such donations should be reported to the Director of Human Resources.
Leave cannot be transferred to any employee other than the employee for whom the leave was approved. All earned leave acquired by an employee who has been approved for shared leave will be utilized prior to utilization of the donated shared leave.
Kansas Athletics State employees must utilize the University Shared Leave Program and can only donate leave time to other State employees.
V. Administrative Leave
A. Work Status
Administrative leave, when that term is used to describe the work status of an employee, is a temporary removal from a job assignment. An employee on administrative leave continues to receive pay and benefits during the leave, the length of which can depend on the individual’s circumstances. An employee placed on administrative leave may be directed to go home and remain there during the leave, or in some cases, Athletics might instead temporarily reassign the employee. When placed on non-working Administrative Leave, the employee will be required to use accrued leave in the following order: vacation leave, discretionary day, and finally any sick leave. In the event an employee is reinstated to active status and to the job assignment held immediately prior to the administrative leave, at the discretion of the Director of Athletics, all or a portion of the leave used may be reinstated.
B. As a Type of Leave
Administrative leave, when used to describe a type of leave, is paid time off used to document situations in which in employee was scheduled to work but was allowed to leave before the end of the regular work day (e.g., the office closed early the day prior to a scheduled holiday).
Administrative Leave is only permitted with the authorization of the Director of Athletics.
VI. Military Leave
A Kansas Athletics employee (not temporary, emergency, or intermittent appointment) who is a member of a reserve component of the military service of the United States or with the State or National Guard may be granted leave with pay for the purpose of attending annual active duty for training with such component for a period or periods not to exceed a total of fifteen (15) working days in any one calendar year. Additional paid leave may be granted if the Governor declares a State Emergency. Such leave will not be counted towards the employee’s annual vacation. Any active duty for training purposes in excess of twelve (12) working days in a calendar year shall be charged to military leave without pay or, at the employee’s request, to accrued vacation leave.
Military leave is leave without pay for employees who are called or are otherwise commissioned into active duty in the Armed Forces. The employee will be restored to his/her former position (if available) or to a similar position with like status and pay if application for rehire is made to the Director of Human Resources within 90 days after being discharged from military service under honorable conditions or from hospitalization if qualified to perform those duties.
VII. Funeral Leave
Full-time benefits eligible employees may be granted funeral leave with pay upon the death of a close relative. Factors of relationships and necessary travel time will be considered in determining the proper amount of time that will be granted, but in no case will the time exceed six (6) working days. The supervisor and the Human Resource Director will act upon requests for funeral leave.
VIII. Jury Duty/Court Appearance
Full-time benefits eligible employees shall be granted leave with pay for required jury duty and for a required appearance before, and at the direction of, the Kansas Commission on Civil Rights, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or a court. An employee is not entitled to leave with pay when the employee is called as a witness on the employee’s own behalf in an action in which the employee is a party.
Leave with pay may be granted to a full-time benefits eligible employee for an appearance before a court, a legislative committee or other public body, if the granting of leave with pay is in the best interest of Kansas Athletics
If summoned or subpoenaed, an employee should notify his/her supervisor as far in advance of the date of required appearance as possible but in no event later than the next working day after receiving the summons or subpoena. Whether or not with pay, leave will be granted for any required appearance.
IX. Leave of Absence (Non-medical)
Kansas Athletics may grant employees extended leaves of absence without pay under certain circumstances. Employees may be granted a leave of absence to attend to personal, professional or educational matters in cases in which Kansas Athletics determines that an extended period of time away from the job will be in the best interest of the employee and the employer. Requests for a leave of absence should be submitted to the supervisor at least thirty (30) days in advance, or if the need for leave was unforeseen the employee should give as much notice as is practical. The supervisors and/or the Athletics Director or Associate Director of the work unit will either approve or deny the request based on the merits of the request and notify the Director of Human Resources. Employees on approved leave of absence may not perform work for any other employer during the period of that leave. Employees who fail to return at the conclusion of a leave of absence or fail to request an extension will be considered to have voluntarily terminated employment.
X. Inclement Weather
Ordinarily, the University will not close during inclement weather and employees are expected to be at work during their regularly scheduled hours. Those not able to report to work during inclement weather will be charged leave time for the entire day of inclement weather (even if the University declares a late start or early departure). Those employees on authorized leave will not be affected by the inclement weather policy.
At times severe weather may delay the start day or cause the University to shut down early. In such a case, the Provost or Chancellor may declare a weather emergency. For delayed start times, emergency notifications will be made to media after 5:45 a.m. Information is also available on the inclement weather phone line after 6:00 a.m. (864-SNOW). Notifications regarding early closings will be made by e-mail and/or text message.
Each department supervisor shall determine the personnel necessary for the continuation of essential programs or vital services. These essential personnel may change depending on times and events.
