Updated 1/11/2024

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. 

PAID TIME OFF

Kansas Athletics grants paid time off to eligible employees as an opportunity for each individual to have a time for relaxation and recreation away from the job. Time off is generally granted at times and in amounts requested by an employee; employees are responsible for entering time off requests and managing their time off allotments in the HR/Payroll system. 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.

VACATION

Full time, benefits eligible employees are entitled to earn vacation beginning with the first month of employment, vacation leave cannot be granted until after it has been accrued. Vacation leave for eligible employees on less than full-time appointment shall be reduced proportionately.

Exempt Discretionary days and leave without pay days are recorded as full-days

Benefit eligible employees are entitled to vacation with pay as follows:

1. Vacation days accumulate at the rate of two days per month from the date of initial appointment.
2. Vacation days accumulate at the rate of two days per month with a maximum of twenty-two (22) days in any fiscal year.
3. 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.
4. Employees may accumulate a maximum of thirty (30) working days of vacation leave (total of 240 hours).
5. Before taking vacation leave with pay, an employee must receive prior approval from the employee’s immediate supervisor.
6. Up to a maximum of 22 days (176 hours) will be paid to an employee upon termination.
7. Up to a maximum of 30 days (240 hours) will be paid to an employee upon retirement (at least 55 years old with 5 years of service).

Exempt employees must take leave in half or full day increments of time (i.e. 4 hours or 8 hours). An exempt employee must work at least one hour in each four-hour time period or will be charged with paid time off 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 time off.

Non-exempt employees are paid on an hourly basis, hours must be recorded in quarter hour increments.  Overtime worked and additional payment for holidays worked are not counted in determining vacation leave earned.

Part-time, benefits eligible employees are entitled to earn vacation beginning with the first month of employment, vacation leave cannot be granted until after it has been accrued. Vacation leave for eligible, part-time employees shall be reduced according to the schedule below:

B. SICK

Paid sick time 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. In order to support a healthier campus environment, employees should not report to the worksite if they are ill, experiencing severe cold and/or flu like symptoms; or believe that they, or a household member, has reason to believe that they have been exposed to a highly infectious virus or disease.

Employee’s family is defined as parent, legal spouse, child or legal dependent under 18 or over 18 if incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability as defined by the American with Disabilities Act).  Paid sick time is also granted for the employee’s or his/her family’s personal appointments with a physician, dentist or other licensed health practitioner.

Full time, benefits eligible employees are entitled to earn sick time beginning with the first month of employment, sick time cannot be granted until after it has been accrued. Sick time for eligible employees on less than full-time appointment shall be reduced proportionately.

Eligible employees are entitled to sick time with pay as follows:

• Sick time accumulates at the rate of 1 day (8 hours) per month from the date of initial appointment
• Sick time is accumulated at the rate of 1 day (8 hours) per month and accumulates on an unlimited basis and paid out at retirement according to the chart listed in this policy. Sick time accumulates on the regular basis during the same time a person is on leave with pay, but sick time does not accumulate during the time an employee is on leave without pay
• Employees requesting sick time must notify their supervisor as soon as possible
• Sick time is not paid out at termination of employment, sick time is paid out at retirement according to the charge listed in this policy.

Part-time, benefits eligible employees are entitled to earn sick time beginning with the first month of employment, sick leave cannot be granted until after it has been accrued. Sick time for eligible, part-time employees shall be reduced according to the schedule below:

*Overtime worked and additional payment for holidays worked are not counted in determining sick leave earned.

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.

Requests and Authorization

Employees requesting sick time must notify their supervisor as soon as possible. Sick time, like vacation time, 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 time for vacations.

Employees requesting sick leave must notify their supervisor as soon as possible. Human Resources may require an employee requesting paid sick leave submit medical documentation from a health care provider (particularly when there is reason to believe that the use of sick leave has been abused). During periods of public health emergencies, documentation requirements may be subject to change and will be communicated by Human Resources.

Employees who have been absent three (3) or more consecutive workdays due to their own or family member’s illness may be required to produce medical documentation before being authorized to return to work. Human Resources may designate a leave of three (3) consecutive days or more as Family Medical Leave (FML) qualifying, if appropriate.

Employees who do not have sick leave balances available to support the needed absence should speak with their supervisor and Human Resources for other available options (e.g., Vacation Leave, FML).

Employees are responsible for entering time off requests and managing their time off allotments in the HR/Payroll system, use of vacation or sick time shall be reported monthly on the employee’s time sheet.  Vacation and sick time balances are available on the Kansas Athletics HR/Payroll system, all discrepancies should be reported to the Payroll Coordinator.

Employees who voluntarily resign from Kansas Athletics with a balance of sick time remaining may have their sick time reinstated if the employee returns within one year of termination. This provision does not apply to employees who have retired from Kansas Athletics and have received payment for their unused accumulated sick leave. 

III. Retirement

Retirement eligible employees (at least 55 years old with 5 years of service) will be paid for unused accumulated sick leave according to the following schedule of service:

This compensation will be paid and included in the last paycheck and will be subject to normal tax withholdings.

 SHARED LEAVE

A benefits eligible staff member may request personal or family Shared Leave only for an extreme or life-threatening illness or injury that may require leave without pay from work or termination of employment for inpatient or hospice care, extensive outpatient treatment, or care at home. The standard for qualifying as an extreme or life-threatening illness or injury is, at a minimum, the criteria established for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) including, for example, overnight hospital care and its resulting incapacity or subsequent treatment, chronic conditions requiring medical treatment, or permanent long-term conditions requiring medical treatment.  Upon returning to work, a Shared Leave recipient will be expected to provide a release to return to work from a health care provider to Human Resources.

Shared leave may be granted to a benefits eligible Kansas Athletics employee if the employee or their family member  (defined as parent, legal spouse, child or legal dependent under 18 or over 18 if incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability as defined by the American with Disabilities Act) 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.  Shared Leave, in and of itself does not provide job protected leave. Shared Leave serves to keep approved employees in paid status during an absence due to an extreme or life-threatening medical condition.  Shared Leave may be granted for a maximum of six months per designated condition.

Eligibility to Apply

A Kansas Athletics employee is eligible to apply for Shared Leave if:

• they are a benefits eligible Kansas Athletics employee
• 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; and
• the employee is a non-state employee.

If the employee is eligible for FMLA, the employee must have applied for and been approved for FMLA coverage for the same condition to qualify for Shared Leave.

Steps to receiving shared leave time:

1. 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.
2. Attach a signed statement from a physician stating the nature of the illness.
3. The Director of Human Resources will review requests within one (1) work week of the request providing all pertinent information is provided.
4. Requests will be approved or denied by the Director of Human Resources in consultation with the immediate supervisor.
5. 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.

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 donating.

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.

Administrative Leave 

Administrative leave is paid time off used to document situations in which in employee was scheduled to work but left before the end of the regular work day (e.g., the office closed early the day prior to a scheduled holiday) or used to describe the work status of an employee (e.g. 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.

Administrative Leave is designated by the Director of Human Resources with the authorization of the Director of Athletics.

Military Leave

Kansas Athletics, Inc. recognizes and supports our country’s service members and their families in peace, crisis and war. Kansas Athletics enforces the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which provide enhanced leave rights and job protections for employees and defined family members absent for military duty or military related activities.

Military leave requests with accompanying military orders should be forwarded to Human Resources for review and approval.

VII.     Bereavement Leave

Full-time benefits eligible employees may be granted bereavement 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.

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.

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.

Inclement Weather

Ordinarily, Kansas Athletics 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 year, department supervisors are asked to review and update the list of regular employees and/or essential departmental functions that have been designated as emergency (“weather essential”) staff and submit the list to Human Resources. Non-exempt employees who have been identified by their department supervisor emergency (“weather essential”) staff are expected to report to their campus worksite in accordance with the supervisor’s instructions.