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Working at Cornell
Cornell Employment: Time Away from Work
Cornell’s policy on paid and unpaid time away from work is set forth in the various sections of the University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work The summary that follows is deliberately presented in a brief and informal manner and does not include all of the important information about the sections of that policy and other related policies. Please consult the HR/University Policies or contact your local HR representative if you have questions or are planning to take time off.
Paid Time OffIt is expected that staff members will exhibit good stewardship over their sick leave and vacation accruals by maintaining adequate balances in case extended time away from work ever becomes necessary. However, the university realizes that a situation may arise in which an employee may experience a catastrophic event and has exhausted his or her paid leave balances. Cornell colleges/units may establish and administer voluntary leave donation programs that provide a means to assist employees who experience a catastrophic event and have exhausted their paid leave benefits. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Catastrophic Leave section for details. In addition, the Employee Assembly has established an Emergency Grant Fund to assist staff members who have experienced a nonmedical catastrophe.
All regular exempt and nonexempt staff members are granted up to a maximum of three days off with pay due to a death in the immediate family. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Funeral Leave section for details.
The university observes the following holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, and a Winter Holiday (usually six days, including December 25 through January 1). Each year the Office of Human Resources will announce the specific calendar days on which the university holidays will be observed. See Staff Holiday Schedule and University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Holidays section for details.
Holiday Pay All regular full- and part-time staff members are eligible to receive holiday pay. Regular full-time staff are paid for holidays at their regular rate of pay. Regular part-time staff receive prorated pay equal to one-fifth of their standard workweek. If you are absent from work either the day before a holiday, the day after, or both days, you will receive holiday pay provided that the absence is due to a preapproved vacation, short-term disability leave, personal leave, or sick leave. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Holidays section for details.
If you are called for jury duty or subpoenaed to appear in court as a witness by Cornell or for an employment-related matter, you will receive time off with pay. If you have to appear in court on your own behalf or for a non-work related matter, then you must use personal leave or vacation in order to have paid leave. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Jury Duty section for details.
The university encourages staff to serve on university committees whenever possible. All regular staff members are eligible for release time to serve on official university committees during work time. Release time is dependent upon the approval of your supervisor and based on your department’s business needs. See HR Policy 6.10.8: Release Time From Work for details.
Sick-leave accrual begins immediately upon employment for regular exempt and nonexempt staff. For nonexempt staff, accruals are based on the number of hours paid in a pay period. Exempt staff accrue one day of sick leave per month. For regular full-time staff, sick leave is accumulated at the rate of approximately twelve days per year. Regular part-time staff accrue sick leave on a prorated basis. Sick leave is designed to provide you with pay when you must be absent from work due to illness or medical emergencies, or for planned routine medical or dental appointments needed to maintain your good health. Your sick leave is used for all illnesses lasting less than seven consecutive calendar days. Sick leave is also used to supplement short-term disability leave. Contact your supervisor or local HR representative for details. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Sick Leave section for details.
Health Care Leave Up to three days of accumulated sick leave may be used each fiscal year to care for a member of the immediate family, a dependent, or a member of the immediate household. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Health Care Leave section for details.
Personal Leave Up to three days of accumulated sick leave may be used each fiscal year to attend to personal business. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Personal Leave section for details.
Vacation accruals begin on a regular staff member’s first day of work. Regular full-time exempt and nonexempt staff may accrue up to three weeks of vacation (fifteen working days) after one year of service. After ten years of service, additional time is accrued each year until, at fifteen years of service, a total of twenty working days is accrued each year. For nonexempt staff, vacation accrual is based on the total number of hours paid each biweekly pay period (to a maximum of 78 hours during a biweekly period). For exempt staff, accruals are based on the standard hours of appointment. Vacation accruals are prorated accordingly for part-time staff. With your supervisor’s approval, you may be permitted to take some vacation after working six months; however, if you terminate your employment before completing one year of service, the amount of vacation used will be deducted from your final pay. Vacation accruals begin on the employee’s first day at work; however, vacation leave may not be taken before it is accrued. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Vacation section for details.
• Family and Medical Leave (FML)
Cornell provides unpaid leave for Family and Medical Leave. In such cases, you may be eligible to use sick or vacation leave to supplement the unpaid leave. Contact your local HR representative for more information. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Leaves of Absence Without Pay section for details.
• Position Leave for Personal Reasons
A position leave of absence for personal reasons may be granted, at the reasonable discretion of your supervisor, for up to a total of twenty-six weeks during the fiscal year (July 1–June 30). During this period, your position is held for your return. This leave, if coupled with Family Medical Leave, may not exceed a total of twenty-six weeks. Contact your local HR representative for information. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Leaves of Absence Without Pay section for details.
University leave may be granted for one year. During the leave period, your position will not be held for you. However, any sick-leave balance at the time of resignation will be restored to you if you return to active regular university employment within one year. See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Leaves of Absence Without Pay section for details.
Break in Service/Credited Service
The university protects and restores the credited service of former staff who return to a regular Cornell employment status position before their break in service exceeds their prior credited service. Such staff members will have their prior service restored. (All previous employees who held regular full-time, regular part-time, or benefits eligible temporary nonacademic positions are eligible if their break in service was after July 1, 1976.) See University Policy 6.9: Time Away From Work, Break in Service section for details.
Credited service refers to the length of employment at Cornell recognized for certain benefit plans. It also affects the accrual rate used in the calculation of your vacation leave and the calculation of the service that will be used for any recognition for service you may receive. Credited service after July 1, 1976, includes the total number of fiscal years (July 1 through June 30) in which the staff member was paid for 1,000 or more hours. Credited service prior to July 1, 1976 includes the total length of service less any periods of unpaid leave. For more information on how credited service will affect your individual benefits, contact Records Administration at 255-0056. See HR Policy 6.8.1: Credited Service for details.
DISCLAIMER: The policies contained in this handbook are not conditions of employment, and are not intended to create a contract between the university and its employees. The university reserves the right to amend or revoke the policies in this handbook at any time without notice. The university reserves the right to change the content of this handbook at any time. Nothing contained in this handbook constitutes a promise or guarantee of continuing employment or benefits.