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Personal and Carer's Leave Schedule

Schedule overview

1 Purpose

PLEASE NOTE: All human resource management policy instruments are currently under review to ensure alignment with the new Enterprise Agreement. Contact the People Portfolio for more information.

To outline the personal and carer's leave entitlements available to Employees.

2 Scope

This schedule must be read in conjunction with the Leave of Absence Procedure and is subordinate to it.

This schedule applies to all Employees excluding casual Employees.

3 Schedule

Eligible Employees will be provided with a clear understanding of personal and carer's leave entitlements.

3.1 Personal leave

Entitlement

Conditions

Minimum Notice

Application Process

Full-Time Employees: 10 days on full pay per year (excluding public holidays)

Fractional Employees: Proportion of 10 days based on hours worked.

Personal leave can be utilised in the following circumstances:

  • absence through personal illness or injury, or
  • subject to the Employee being primarily responsible for the care and support for members of their immediate family or members of their household, when they are ill, injured, require ongoing care and assistance due to disability, frailty, chronic illness or pain or there is an unexpected emergency affecting their immediate family (after an Employee has utilised their three days carer's leave entitlement per calendar year - see Carer's Leave).

Applications for personal leave of longer than three days must be accompanied by a medical certificate or statutory declaration stating the illness of the person concerned. In accordance with the Australian Medical Association's Guidelines for Medical Practitioners on Medical Certificates Certifying Illness, certificates must be dated on the day on which they were written and not be backdated, unless there is a medical condition which enables the medical practitioner to certify that a period of illness occurred prior to the date of examination. Where a backdated certificate is presented, additional evidence of illness may be sought from an Employee.

Personal leave will be cumulative in advance during the first year of service.

For appointments of less than one year, the leave in proportion to the amount of personal leave of a full-time Employee will be available in advance.

Overtime taken as time off in lieu to care for members of immediate family or household, during ordinary hours, will be taken at the ordinary rate, that is an hour for each hour worked. Alternatively, an Employee may elect, with the consent of the University, to work 'make-up time', under which the Employee takes time off during ordinary hours and works those hours at a later time during the spread of ordinary hours.

Personal leave without pay may be taken when:

  • leave relates to an absence caused by ill-health and personal leave entitlements have been exhausted, and
  • the Employee wishes to preserve annual leave and long service leave credits.

When personal leave without pay is granted the conditions outlined in the University of Southern Queensland Enterprise Agreement apply.

Verbal Notice on the day illness commences. An online absence request is to be submitted as soon as possible, or immediately following return to work.

Online utilising HR Self Service

A hard copy medical certificate for leave in excess of three days must be sighted by the Supervisor prior to approving the leave and forwarded to the People Portfolio for record keeping.

3.2 Carer's leave

Entitlement

Conditions

Minimum Notice

Application Process

Employees are entitled to three days leave per calendar year (non cumulative) for absences to provide care and support for members of their immediate family or members of their household, when they are ill, injured, require ongoing care and assistance due to disability, frailty, chronic illness or pain or there is an unexpected emergency affecting their immediate family.

Where an Employee has utilised their three days carers leave entitlement per calendar year, Employees may use any accrued personal leave for absences.

Employees may elect to use accrued annual leave, or take time off in lieu of overtime, or take leave without pay, with the consent of the University.

As soon as practicable prior to the absence, or verbal Notice on the day the illness commences.

Online utilising HR Self Service

4 Delegated Responsibilities

Approver

Level of Delegation

Supervisor

Approval of personal and carer's leave.

5 References

Nil.

6 Schedule Information

Accountable Officer

Chief People Officer

Responsible Officer

Chief People Officer

Policy Type

University Procedure

Policy Suite

Salaries, Classifications and Entitlements Policy

Approved Date

12/12/2018

Effective Date

3/4/2019

Review Date

3/4/2024

Relevant Legislation

Policy Exceptions

Policy Exceptions Register

Related Policies

Related Procedures

Leave of Absence Procedure

Related forms, publications and websites

Australian Medical Association's Guidelines for Medical Practitioners on Medical Certificates Certifying Illness

Leave of Absence Request Form

Definitions

Terms defined in the Definitions Dictionary

Delegate (noun)

Delegate (noun) means the officer, Employee or committee of the University to whom, or to which, a delegation of authority has been made under this Policy....moreDelegate (noun) means the officer, Employee or committee of the University to whom, or to which, a delegation of authority has been made under this Policy.

Employee

A person employed by the University and whose conditions of employment are covered by the Enterprise Agreement and includes persons employed on a continuing, fixed term or casual basis. Employees also include senior Employees whose conditions of employment are covered by a written agreement or contract with the University....moreA person employed by the University and whose conditions of employment are covered by the Enterprise Agreement and includes persons employed on a continuing, fixed term or casual basis. Employees also include senior Employees whose conditions of employment are covered by a written agreement or contract with the University.

Notice

A Notice from the University is a document, whether physical or electronic. A Notice may be: given by hand to the addressee or delivered to the address provided by the addressee to the University; or sent by registered or pre-paid mail to the address provided by the addressee to the University; or sent by electronic communication to the University-issued email account provided by the Unive...moreA Notice from the University is a document, whether physical or electronic. A Notice may be: given by hand to the addressee or delivered to the address provided by the addressee to the University; or sent by registered or pre-paid mail to the address provided by the addressee to the University; or sent by electronic communication to the University-issued email account provided by the University to a Student during the period of Enrolment until the completion of their program; or sent by electronic communication to the email address provided to the University by an addressee not enrolled at the University. A Notice is taken to be received if: given by hand to the addressee or delivered to the address provided to the University by the addressee; or sent by registered or pre-paid mail - three University Business Days after the date of posting; or sent by electronic communication - at the time that would be the time of receipt under the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 or its succeeding legislation. A Notice that would be deemed to have been received out of business hours or on a non-University Business Day will instead be deemed received on the next University Business Day.

Procedure

An operational instruction that sets out the process to operationalise a Policy....moreAn operational instruction that sets out the process to operationalise a Policy.

University

The term 'University' or 'UniSQ' means the University of Southern Queensland....moreThe term 'University' or 'UniSQ' means the University of Southern Queensland.

Definitions that relate to this schedule only

Supervisor

Any person responsible for leading the activities of others. In the context of this schedule, a Supervisor includes Employees at any classification level or title who have responsibilities for leading, managing or supervising work teams and/or individual Employees

Keywords

Personal leave, carer's leave, leave

Record No

15/2935PL

Complying with the law and observing Policy and Procedure is a condition of working and/or studying at the University.

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