51小黄车

What qualifies as authorized time away from work?

The College offers a combination of authorized time away from work including vacation, holiday, sick and personal time (in addition to leaves of absence). We are also pleased to offer our Compressed Summer Workweek and additional days off* to support a healthy life-work balance. 

Holidays

Listed below are the traditional and floating holidays scheduled for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2024, and ends on June 30, 2025. Floating holidays are awarded and available for use on the first day of the month in which the holiday falls. Please note that all floating holidays awarded must be used by June 30, 2025 (no carryover into the next fiscal year). We are also pleased to report that the College will observe additional days off during the week of Independence Day and also for the time between Christmas and New Year's Day. We are also posting the Easter Holiday, Memorial Day and Juneteenth.

Holiday Date Type
Good Friday Friday, March 29th, 2024 traditional holiday
Memorial Day  Monday, May 27th, 2024 traditional holiday
Juneteenth Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 traditional holiday
Independence Day Thursday, July 4th, 2024 traditional holiday
Week of July 4th Monday, July 1st - Wednesday, July 3rd; Friday, July 5th, 2024 additional days in 2024
Labor Day Monday, September 2nd, 2024 floating holiday
Indigenous People鈥檚 Day Monday, October 14th, 2024 traditional holiday
Veterans Day Monday, November 11th, 2024 floating holiday celebrated
Thanksgiving Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th, 2024 traditional holidays
Christmas Wednesday, December 25th, 2024 traditional holiday
Between Christmas and New Year鈥檚 Day Thursday, December 26th, 2024 - Tuesday, December 31st, 2024 additional days
New Year鈥檚 Day Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 traditional holiday
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, January 20th, 2025 floating holiday
Presidents Day Monday, February 17th, 2025 floating holiday
Good Friday Friday, April 18th, 2025 traditional holiday
Memorial Day Monday, May 26th, 2025 traditional holiday
Juneteenth Thursday, June 19th, 2025 traditional holiday

Please note that the College may not always be able to grant additional days off during the week of July 4th and on the days between Christmas and New Year鈥檚 Day. This additional time off is granted for 2024-2025 at the discretion of the College and does not create a precedent for future years.

Compressed Summer Workweek

The College values the hard work and dedication of its employees. This Compressed Summer Workweek provides employees an additional half day of paid time off on a weekly basis together with the opportunity to work a compressed workweek. Please note summer hours give employees additional time off as departmental operations allow. Summer hours are an award of paid time off calculated based on an employee鈥檚 regularly scheduled hours and are available for the six-weeks following the week of July 4.

Vacation

Non-exempt employees accrue vacation at the rate of .83 days per month of completed service, or the equivilent of two work weeks. After seven years of continuous service the monthly vacation accrual rate increases from .83 days to 1.25 days for each month of service, an equivilent of three work weeks. After 15 years of continuous service the monthly vacation accrual increases from 1.25 days to 1.66 days for each month of service, an equivilent of four work weeks. If your position is less than 52 weeks, your vacation time must be taken within the budgeted weeks allotted to your position.

Exempt employees accrue vacation at the rate of 1.66 days per month of completed service, or the equivalent of four work weeks.

Personal Days

All full-time staff members are eligible for three personal days with pay each fiscal year (July through June). The award of personal days for new hires will be prorated according to hire date and will be available to use after 90 days of employment. Unused personal days may not be carried over to the next fiscal year, may not be taken after notice of termination is given and are not paid upon termination.

Sick Time

The College's most recent update of the Sick Leave Policy went into effect January 1, 2021. This change was made to coincide with the effective date of paid leave benefits now available for all employees under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (MA PFML), as well as the College鈥檚 new Supplemental Medical Leave plan available to benefits-eligible employees. 

The policy provides all staff members with a guaranteed number of sick leave days each January 1st, meant to cover eligible absences such as occasional illness, doctor鈥檚 appointments and the MA PFML elimination period.

Regardless of how much Sick Leave an employee uses throughout the year, the employee will begin each future January 1 with the same starting Sick Leave balances set forth above.

All other aspects of the College's existing sick time policy, including the reasons for which sick time may be used, have remained the same and have been interpreted and applied consistent with applicable law.

Full-time staff members will start the year with the greater of their existing balance or 7 days.

Part-time staff members will start the year with the greater of their existing balance or 40 hours.

Leaves

A medical leave of absence includes yourself, parental or care for a family member. Please refer to this document for the full paid family medical leave policy.

 

51小黄车 recognizes the importance of taking leave when there is a death in the family. Where bereavement leave is not required by law, the College will provide paid bereavement leave as follows.

An employee may be absent without loss of pay for up to three days if someone in their immediate family or household dies. Members of their immediate family or household are considered to be their spouse, domestic partner, child, siblings, parent, grandchildren, grandparent, or spouse/domestic partner鈥檚 parents, children, siblings, grandchildren, grandparents or other relatives living in the immediate household. The purpose of this benefit is to allow employees, in a time of personal loss, the opportunity to travel (if needed) and to grieve.  Time away from work for bereavement for anyone other than those persons listed above must be charged to vacation, floating holiday or personal time, and is subject to supervisor approval.  

Employees must provide notice of the need for bereavement leave as far in advance as possible. The College may require documentation supporting their need for bereavement leave.

Please refer to this document for the full domestic violence leave policy.

51小黄车 provides up to 15 days of unpaid leave per rolling 12-month period to victims of abusive behavior, domestic violence, sexual assault, kidnapping and/or stalking, and certain family members, for purposes directly related to the abusive behavior. These purposes may include seeking legal or medical services, counseling or victim's services; securing housing; obtaining a protective order; appearing in court or before a grand jury; meeting with a district attorney or other law enforcement official; attending child custody proceedings; or addressing other issues directly related to the abusive behavior against the victim or family member of the victim.

An employee may take domestic violence leave if they are a victim of abusive behavior or due to the abuse of a covered family member, including the employee鈥檚 spouse/partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild or persons in a guardian relationship. Perpetrators or accused perpetrators of abuse are not entitled to domestic violence leave.

Before taking domestic violence leave, an employee must have exhausted all of their accrued paid time off, including, but not limited to, MA Paid Family and Medical Leave, sick time, vacation days and personal time. An employee must provide advance notice of their need for leave whenever possible; however, this requirement does not apply if the employee or a covered family member faces imminent danger to their health or safety. Should the employee be unable to provide advance notice based on a risk of imminent danger, the employee must notify their supervisor or Human Resources within three business days that the time off was related to domestic violence. If the employee is unable to notify the College, a family member, counselor, clergy or assisting professional may do so on their behalf.

The College may require documentation supporting an employee鈥檚 claim for domestic violence leave. Such documentation can consist of a protective order or other court document, a document under the letterhead of a court, provider or public agency that the employee attended for the purpose of obtaining assistance regarding the abusive behavior, police report, police witness statement, documents reflecting the perpetrator's conviction or admission of guilt, documentation of medical treatment, and/or a victim advocate, counselor, social worker, health care worker, member of the clergy or other assisting professional's sworn statement. In lieu of these documents, an employee may also submit their own sworn signed statement. Any documentation supporting the need for domestic violence leave must be submitted within 30 days of their last date of absence.  

While the leave may not be paid, an employee is entitled to return to the same or a substantially equivalent position once their leave has ended. An employee will not be terminated, retaliated against or receive a reduction in benefits based on their use of domestic violence leave. All information related to the leave will be maintained  confidentially, unless disclosure is expressly required by law, requested in writing by the employee or necessary to protect the safety of the employee or other employees.

51小黄车 complies with applicable federal and state law regarding military leave and re-employment rights. Unpaid military leave of absence will be granted to members of the uniformed services in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA; with amendments) and all applicable state law. The employee must provide verbal or written advance notice of the employee鈥檚 intent to enter into the military for a period not to exceed five years to Human Resources. An employee may elect to use any accrued paid vacation while on leave but is not required to do so. When returning from military leave of absence, the employee will be reinstated to their previous position or a similar position, in accordance with state and federal law. An employee must notify their supervisor and Human Resources of their intent to return to employment, and follow pertinent reemployment application procedures, which differ depending on the length of the leave consistent with applicable law. For more information regarding status, compensation, benefits and reinstatement upon return from military leave, contact Human Resources.

Please refer to this document for the full parental leave policy

Parental leave does not apply to periods when the employee would not otherwise be working and is not extended by holidays that fall within the leave period. Parental leave runs concurrently with the Family and Medical Leave Act and any other applicable leaves.

Fully Paid Parental Leave for Benefits-Eligible Staff and Administrative Employees

The College provides benefits-eligible full-time staff and administrative employees (i.e., employees who work at least 27.5 hours per week for at least 40 weeks per year) with a Parental Leave benefit that provides full pay at their normal weekly pay rate for the first eight weeks of any approved parental leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. Following the eighth week of such leave, any additional period of child bonding leave is paid at the benefit rate set by the MA PFML law.

Parental Leave for Faculty Members

Faculty members are entitled to paid parental leave as set forth in the Statutes of the Faculty.

Please report any injuries, incidents or accidents using

Employees of the College are expected to be safety鈥恈onscious and report any unsafe conditions to their supervisor or department head. In the event that an employee, including a student worker, is injured on the job, the injury must be reported immediately to his/her supervisor or department head.

If you are absent from work as a result of a work-related injury you may be eligible for partial income in lieu of lost wages, as well as certain medical payments under the Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Law beginning with the sixth day of absence.

Workers' compensation benefits are coordinated with the College's leave policies and in cases of prolonged disability, with the Long Term Disability Insurance Plan. Upon employee request, sick time, vacation days and the like may be used during this period in conjunction with workers鈥 compensation benefits.

An employee must submit a clearance from the attending physician before returning to work following an absence because of a work鈥恟elated injury.

If an employee is required to serve on a jury, they will continue to receive their regular wages or salary for the first three days of juror service or any part thereof. For any additional days, time spent on jury duty will be unpaid. An employee may opt to use available vacation or other available paid time off in place of unpaid leave. However, while on the jury, an employee is expected to be at work for any days, or parts of days, that the employee is not required for court attendance.

51小黄车 encourages employees to fulfill their civic duties related to jury duty. If an employee is summoned for jury duty, they must notify their supervisor as soon as possible to make scheduling arrangements. 

The College reserves the right to require employees to provide proof of jury duty service to the extent authorized by law.