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Personal Leave, Additional Personal Leave and Compassionate Leave Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) The University is committed to providing staff with leave arrangements that enable access to paid and unpaid leave for a range of purposes to support the personal needs of the staff member and the operational requirements of the University.

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Section 2 - Application

(2) This Policy applies to all staff of the University (excluding casual professional and sessional academic staff unless otherwise stated).

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Section 3 - Roles and Responsibilities

Position	Responsibility
Staff member	Provides as much notice as possible of the proposed leave. Informs their Supervisor/Manager of the proposed leave. Submits an application for leave.
Supervisor/Manager	Considers a staff member’s application for leave. Provides recommendation to the authorising officer.
Authorising officer	Determines the final outcome of an application for leave.

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Section 4 - Personal Leave

Entitlement

(3) Staff members (excluding casual professional and sessional academic staff) are entitled to up to 10 cumulative days personal leave on full pay per annum, in the event of personal illness or injury, or to provide care or support to a family or household member who is ill or injured, or in the event of an unexpected emergency affecting the family or household member.

(4) For staff appointed for a minimum of 12 months, personal leave is available in advance for the first year of employment.

(5) If a fixed-term staff member is appointed to an ongoing position or is appointed to a further fixed-term position, personal leave from the preceding appointment transfers to the new appointment providing the break in employment does not exceed three months.

(6) Where a staff member has exhausted all personal leave accrued, they may apply to access other paid leave entitlements as an alternate option to personal leave without pay, including recreational leave, long service leave, and additional personal leave.

(7) A staff member who is absent for more than three consecutive working days on paid and/or unpaid personal leave must provide a certificate from a registered health practitioner specifying the period or approximate period of absence.

Application for Personal Leave

(8) A staff member absent from work will notify the Supervisor as soon as practicable on the day of absence or prior if possible, specifying the anticipated period of absence. The staff member will submit an application for personal leave (paid and/or unpaid) online for approval in accordance with the Register of Authorities and Delegations.

Personal Leave Without Pay

(9) Staff who have used their accrued personal leave may apply to the authorising officer to be granted personal Leave Without Pay as an alternative option to accessing other paid leave entitlements.

(10) The first three months of personal Leave Without Pay are recognised as service in terms of accumulating long service, recreation and personal leave. The staff member's increment date does not change (if applicable).

(11) Public holidays are counted as Leave Without Pay if staff are on personal leave without pay on both days either side of the public holiday.

(12) Prior to taking personal Leave Without Pay may wish to contact their relevant superannuation fund and/or Health, Safety and Environment to discuss their individual circumstances and any factors that may need to be taken into account prior to applying for personal Leave Without Pay.

Carer’s Leave Without Pay

(13) Staff who have used their full entitlement to personal leave, and casual professional and sessional academic staff, may be granted two days carer's Leave Without Pay, per occasion, by the authorising officer.

(14) There is no restriction on the number of occasions a staff member may access this entitlement.

Recurring Absences

(15) Where a staff member has had a pattern of recurring absences on personal leave, the authorising officer will have the right to discuss the matter with the staff member and notify the staff member that, for any absences on personal leave for the following six months, the staff member may be required to provide a certificate from a registered health practitioner.

Transfer of Personal Leave Credits for Academic Staff on Appointment

(16) Up to 50 days personal leave credits may be transferred for ongoing and fixed-term academic staff (full-time and part-time) transferring to QUT from related employment within Australia.

Returning to Work after an Injury or Health Condition

(17) Where a staff member has been managing an injury or health condition which has impacted, or will impact, their health, safety and wellbeing at the time of their return to work, medical clearance or medical guidance for work may be requested by the supervisor to support a safe return to work (Workplace Health and Rehabilitation Policy).

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Section 5 - Additional Personal Leave

Entitlement

(18) Staff members (excluding casual professional/sessional academic staff) may be granted up to seven days non-cumulative additional personal leave on full pay in a 12 month period commencing from their date of appointment. Additional personal leave may be granted under circumstances including but not limited to:

leave to provide care or support to members of their family or household who are ill or injured;
leave to adhere to and celebrate cultural or religious days of observance;
leave to participate in major competitions where the staff member has been selected to compete, or as an accredited official, either for their state at a national level, or for Australia at an international level;
medical appointments or illness directly related to pregnancy;
attending to matters relating to domestic or family violence situations whereDomestic and Family Violence Leave Policy has been exhausted. Staff members are required to apply to the Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer to access any unused Personal leave for this purpose;
for Indigenous Australian staff, leave to prepare for or attend community organisation business, native title business, or National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observation Committee (NAIDOC) Week; and
other special circumstances as approved by the authorising officer, including but not limited to, for example leave to attend to matters relating to the bereavement of a family or household member or to provide care or support to a family or household member for matters relating to domestic and family violence.

(19) Part-time staff are granted additional personal leave on a proportional basis of the full-time entitlement.

(20) If the intention to use additional personal leave, in accordance with these provisions, is to provide care and support to family or household members who are ill or injured, the staff member must submit a certificate from a registered health practitioner or other evidence of the family or household member’s illness or injury, if claiming in excess of three consecutive working days of additional personal leave.

Application and Approval for Additional Personal Leave

(21) A staff member should endeavour to provide as much notice as possible of the requested leave. If it is not possible for the staff member to give prior notice, the staff member will notify the Supervisor of such absence at the earliest opportunity.

(22) A staff member who is sick is able to access additional personal leave to cover the period only if they have exhausted all their personal leave.

(23) An application for additional personal leave will be submitted to the authorising officer online for approval in accordance with the Register of Authorities and Delegations prior to the leave being taken or, where this is not possible, upon return to work.

(24) An application for additional personal leave must outline the reason for the requested leave and the anticipated length of the absence.

(25) The Supervisor may require reasonable evidence in support of an application for additional personal leave.

(26) Applications for paid additional personal leave for periods in excess of seven days within a 12 month period will be considered by the authorising officer following consultation with the Human Resources Department.

(27) Subject to approval from the authorising officer, a staff member may take recreation leave, long service leave, personal leave and personal leave without pay for personal purposes.

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Section 6 - Compassionate Leave

(28) Staff members (excluding casual professional and sessional academic staff) are entitled to up to two days non-cumulative compassionate leave on full pay per occasion that gives rise to the entitlement.

(29) Casual professional and sessional academic staff are entitled to up to two days unpaid compassionate leave per occasion that gives rise to the entitlement.

(30) Staff may take compassionate leave as a single continuous period or in part, in minimum lots of one day, per occasion.

(31) Compassionate leave means leave taken by a staff member:

because a family or household member contracts or develops a personal illness that poses a serious threat to their life;
because a family or household member sustains a personal injury that poses a serious threat to their life;
for bereavement of a family or household member;
because a staff member or their spouse has a miscarriage;
because a child is stillborn, where the child would have been a member of the staff member’s immediate family, or a member of the staff member’s household, if the child had been born alive; and
for matters relating to domestic or family violence or abuse that pose a serious threat to their life, or to provide care or support to someone in their family or household for matters relating to domestic or family violence that pose a serious threat to their life.

(32) There is no restriction on the number of occasions for which this entitlement may be accessed.

(33) A staff member absent from work will notify the supervisor as soon as practicable on the day of absence, or prior if possible. The staff member will submit an application for compassionate leave for approval in accordance with Appendix 3 Schedule of Authorities and Delegations at the earliest opportunity, or upon return to work.

(34) A Supervisor may request reasonable evidence to support an application for compassionate leave.

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Section 7 - Definitions

Term	Definition
Cumulative	Means a staff member’s entitlement accrues progressively during a year of service and accumulates from year to year.
Family includes	spouse (including a current or former spouse, de facto spouse, or partner, regardless of gender identity or sexuality) of the staff member; a child (including an adult child, adopted child, stepchild and ex nuptial child), parent or step-parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of either the staff member or their spouse; and a person, who due to kinship, cultural or religious beliefs is considered a member of the staff member's family.
Household Member	Is someone with whom the staff member lives.
Indigenous Australian Staff	Means a staff member of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and is accepted as such by their community.
Registered Health Practitioner	Means a practitioner registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency or equivalent international body.

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Section 8 - Exceptions to Policy

(35) The Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer is authorised to approve variations to this Policy in exceptional circumstances. Any such variation will be recorded by Human Resources.

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Section 9 - Delegations

(36) Refer to Register of Authorities and Delegations (VC108, VC110) (QUT staff access only).