1. Overview

   This policy establishes the procedures for employees to have the use of three sick leave days as personal days per year. This policy provides incentive for employees to accumulate sick leave hours for the purpose for which it is intended. This policy covers  bargaining unit employees and any references to "classified employees" should be interpreted as bargaining unit employees. Bargaining unit employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement should refer to their current contract for specifics of participation. 

   Ohio university will grant eligible employees the right to use three sick leave days as personal days in recognition of the fact that some legal, private business, or family matters must be carried out during normal work hours.

   Eligible employees must meet all of the following criteria:

   1. Full-time and part-time classified employees serving in a regular certified or provisional appointment.

   2. Classified employees will be eligible for personal leave during a fiscal year if they had a sick leave balance of at least one hundred twenty hours of accumulated sick leave for those assigned to eight hour shifts, or one hundred fifty hours of accumulated sick leave for those assigned to ten hour shifts, at the end of the last pay period of the prior fiscal year (this is the last pay period that does  not include July first).

   3. Intermittent and temporary employees are not eligible.

2. Notification

   When an employee needs to use personal time, the employee is required to notify their immediate supervisor (or other designated person). Such notification should be made as soon as possible, but must be made no later than one-half hour after the employee's scheduled time to start work. If such notification is not made, the absence may be charged to leave without pay, except when emergency or other extenuating conditions make it impossible to give proper notice. Notification for personal time follows the same rules as for sick leave for classified employees; (see policy  40.030 .)

3. Process

   1. Eligibility to use personal leave will be on a fiscal year basis; university sick leave records will be used to determine accrued balances. Staff members who do not have a balance of one hundred twenty hours of sick leave, for those assigned to eight hours shifts, and one hundred fifty hours accumulated sick leave for those assigned to ten-hour shifts, will be ineligible to use personal leave until the beginning of a fiscal year in which their sick leave records confirm an eligible balance at the end of the last pay period of the prior fiscal year.

   2. Following the last pay period of the fiscal year, any unused personal leave will revert to sick leave. The resulting sick leave balance will then be evaluated to determine eligibility for the new fiscal year.

   3. At the start of the new fiscal year, twenty-four hours (for those individuals assigned to eight-hour shifts), or thirty hours (for those individuals assigned to ten-hour shifts), of sick leave will be converted to personal leave, for each staff member who qualifies.

   4. As the personal leave is requested and used, it is deducted from the personal leave balance.

   5. Personal leave may be charged in minimum units of one hour.

   6. Staff may use personal leave only for the days and hours for which they normally would have been scheduled to work, but not to include scheduled overtime.

   7. Personal leave may not be used to cover unexcused absences, or to make up time.

   8. The conversion of sick leave to personal leave and vice versa is on a one-to-one ratio.

   9. Personal leave may not be used to extend an employee's active pay status for the purpose of accruing overtime or compensatory time. It may not be used to extend an employee's date of resignation or retirement.

   10. Personal leave will be reported using the current university and departmental sick leave policies in place. Personal leave usage will not be a factor in attendance ratings unless procedures are not followed by the employee.

   11. Upon separation, all unused personal days shall revert back to sick leave.

   12. If the university declares financial exigency, all unused personal leave will revert to sick leave balances.

Reviewers

Proposed revisions of this policy should be reviewed by:

1. CFAOs

2. Vice presidents 

3. Deans

4. Planning unit heads 

Forms, References, and History

1. Forms

   There are no forms that are specific to this policy.

2. References

   The following items are relevant to this policy:

3. History

   Draft versions of this policy that were circulated for review, their cover memos, their forms, and Reviewers' comments on them are available on the password-protected Review site.

   Prior versions of this policy were approved on:

   1. June 28, 2016 (re-formatted)

   2. February 1, 2008

   3. October 28, 2002

   4. July 1, 1999

   5. July 1, 1993