Earned Sick Leave for Temporary and Student Employees
Procedure Administrator: Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Authority: N.J.A.C. 4A:6-1.1 to 4A:6-1.24, N.J.S.A 34:11D-1 et. seq.
Effective Date: November 14, 2018; August 15, 2019; November 16, 2022
Index Cross-References: 6153
Procedure File Number: 6154
Approved By: Dr. Harvey Kesselman, President
The following describes the University’s Procedure for the accrual and use of sick leave with pay for temporary and student employees, including federal work study students in accordance with the New Jersey State Paid Sick Leave Act.
Accrual of Paid Sick Leave:
Temporary and student employees accrue paid time off beginning October 29, 2018, or upon hire, whichever is later, under the following terms and conditions:
1. Temporary and student employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty (30) hours worked.
2. The maximum accrual of paid sick leave is forty (40) hours per calendar year.
3. Temporary and student employees may carry over any earned but unused sick leave balance from one calendar year into the next without limit.
4. Under no circumstances are temporary and student employees entitled to any payout for accumulated but unused paid time off.
5. If a temporary or student employee is terminated, laid off, furloughed, or otherwise separated from employment with the University, any unused accrued earned sick leave shall be reinstated upon the re-hiring or reinstatement of the employee to that employment status, within six (6) months of termination, being laid off, furloughed, or separation, and the prior employment with the University shall be counted toward meeting the eligibility requirements for use of paid sick leave.
Use of Paid Sick Leave:
Temporary and student employees shall be entitled to the use of accrued paid sick leave beginning on the 120th calendar day after the employees commences employment as soon as it is earned. Paid Sick Leave must be taken in quarter (1/4) hour increments and may only be used in lieu of previously scheduled work hours.
Pay Rate for Sick Leave:
Paid Sick Leave will be paid at the temporary or student employee’s normal hourly rate at the time the leave is taken.
Use of Paid Sick Leave:
In accordance with State law, temporary and student employees are required to notify their supervisor, as far in advance as possible, when they will be absent from work due to illness or other medical reason (i.e. doctor’s appointment). Any employee absent three or more consecutive scheduled workdays must present to the Office of Human Resources (OHR) medical documentation signed by a health care provider. Failure to provide valid medical documentation within a reasonable period of time of the absence may result in disciplinary actions, up to and including termination. Medical documentation should be presented by the employee directly to the OHR. However, if medical documentation is presented to the supervisor, the supervisor should immediately provide it to OHR. The documentation is then placed in the employee’s confidential medical file.
Sick leave may also be used by employees who are unable to work for a reasonable amount of time because of a serious illness or death in the employee's immediate family. For purposes of this section, immediate family is defined as: an employee's spouse, domestic partner, child, legal ward, grandchild, foster child, mother, father, legal guardian, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and other relatives residing in the employee's household.
The University reserves the right to require the presentation of appropriate medical or other related documentation at any time for any sick leave absence.
Temporary and Student Employees hired into Regular Positions
Temporary or student employees who convert to regular full-time/part-time employee positions will retain the sick leave accrued as a temporary or student employee. Regular full/part-time employees who exhaust sick leave earned under their regular position may request to have their remaining balance of paid sick leave earned as temporary or student employees made available for use. Requests are made through OHR.
Temporary Employees Maximum Hours – 944
Temporary employees are limited to working 944 hours in a given calendar year. Sick leave used (i.e. sick time recorded as paid time off on the timesheet) will count against the 944- hour limit. 944 hours worked equates to approximately 31.5 hours of earned sick leave.
Student Employees and Federal Work Study
Student employees are eligible for paid sick leave and are subject to all the provisions above. Payment of paid sick leave cannot be charged to work-study budgeted funds. If a student employee is being funded under the Federal Work Study Program the cost of the paid sick leave will be charged to the applicable divisional budget rather than the Federal Work Study Program.
Review History:
Procedure Administrator 09/08/2022
Divisional Executive 09/08/2022
General Counsel 10/26/2022
Cabinet 11/14/2022
President 11/16/2022
