Policy Highlight: Leave Sharing Program (Donated Leave)

Concise insights into the policies that impact our workplace and empower our employees.

Each month, the Office of Human Resources will highlight a policy, enhancing awareness and ensuring leaders are well-informed. This will provide education and clarification to supervisors on policies relevant to to managing employees at the University. Additionally, this series of articles will enhance awareness and understanding of key institutional policies for our supervisors.

August’s Highlight: Leave Sharing Program (Donated Leave)

The Donated Leave process allows eligible staff experiencing a serious health condition and have run out of leave to continue receiving a paycheck while they are out of work. Receiving staff may receive up to 693 hours (prorated for part-time staff) in a 12 month period per the UND Staff Handbook, NDUS Policy 20 and NDCC 54-06-14.7.

Policy Statement

All benefited, non-probationary staff with over six months of continuous service with the State are eligible to receive shared leave pursuant to the following conditions:

• The appropriate senior human resources manager in the Office of Human Resources has determined that the employee meets the criteria described in NDUS HR Policy 20.
  • The receiving employee has exhausted all annual leave, sick leave, and compensatory time off due to a qualifying condition involving the employee or household member.
    • Qualifying condition: an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that is serious, extreme, or life threatening, not including conditions associated with normal pregnancy.
    • Household member: the spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, stepparent, or parent of the employee OR those persons who reside in the same home, who have reciprocal duties to and do provide financial support for one another. This includes foster children and legal wards even if they do not live in the household.
  • The condition has caused, or is likely to cause, the receiving employee to go on leave without pay or terminate employment.
  • The employee has verified the severity or extraordinary nature and expected duration of the condition by submitting a medical certificate from a licensed physician or health care practitioner to UND.
• The employee must have abided by University System policies regarding the use of sick leave.
• The employee’s use of shared leave, including both annual and sick leave, does not exceed four months in any twelve month period.

Implementing in the Workplace

Your Employee Wishes to Donate Leave

Towards the end of the year, some employees may wish to donate their leave, especially if they have any hours to “use-or-lose“. As the end of the year approaches and supervisors begin planning for employee leave, supervisors may encourage employees to donate any potential “lost” time to a specific individual (see the U-Letter Bulletin Board for approved staff) or the general donated leave pool.

University staff may donate up to 5% of their accrued sick leave hours and any amount of annual leave (as long as they retain a balance of 40 hours or above following the donation). All donated leave must be given voluntarily and no employee may be coerced into donating leave.

Staff may use the Complete a Request to Donate Leave Form to make a donation.

Your Employee is Requesting Donated Leave

If a supervisor has an employee who has exhausted their annual and sick leave, but still requires time away from work, they may qualify for donated leave, provided they meet the program criteria. One hour of donated leave is regarded as one hour of shared leave for the recipient. Donated leave may only be used for leave regarding the approved condition and may only be used in place of regularly scheduled work hours. Donated leave hours remaining following the conclusion of the condition may not be paid out to the recipient and are returned to the employee who donated the leave.

With approval from the Office of Human Resources, the supervisor of an employee may solicit donations on behalf of the employee. The employee must first give permission and request to receive donated leave via our Request for Donated Leave Form.

If the employee is approved to receive donated leave, the Office of Human Resources will notify the employee and contact the supervisor with instructions on how to solicit donations.

Questions?

For questions regarding medical leave, contact Melissa Arnold.

For questions regarding the Donated Leave Process, please contact Joanne Barstad.