Leave Information

1. Beginning with the date of initial employment, each regular and interim full-time employee will accrue sick leave at the rate of one day or eight hours per month; each regular or interim part-time employee will accrue a prorated share of leave, based on their full-time equivalency (FTE). Sick leave may accrue up to a maximum accumulation of 100 working days (800 hours). 
 
2. An employee may use accumulated sick leave by notifying their supervisor of the need to use such leave. Sick leave may not be used in advance of accrual.
 
3. Sick leave may be used for any one or combination of the following illness-related reasons:

• Personal illness or injury
• Psychological illness
• Emotional and/or psychological exhaustion
• Physical, medical and/or psychological care appointments
• Uncompensated physical, medical or psychological service-providing appointments (i.e., blood donation, participation/support in another person's professional psychological treatment)

4. Use of sick leave will be coordinated with any time-loss payments received as a result of a Workers-Compensation-covered injury or illness. Contact human resource services immediately for assistance in handling the coordination. 
 
5. An employee should report the need to use sick leave benefits to their supervisor as soon as is possible and generally not later than 30 minutes before the beginning of the scheduled time to begin work. Individual departments may determine additional notification requirements in order to maintain appropriate coverage as necessary.

• An employee who uses sick leave for more than five consecutive days may be required to provide their supervisor a doctor's statement certifying they have sought medical treatment. This statement will be placed in the employee's confidential medical file in human resource services upon receipt from the supervisor. Employees may be required to present a medical release when returning to work. 

1. Temporary staff and part-time staff working less than half time are entitled to accrue paid sick leave as of Jan. 1, 2018. Eligible employees accrue eight hours per month for full-time work. As a part-time or temporary employee, sick leave accrual is prorated, based on hours worked each month. This formula is more generous than what is required by Washington state under the state law.  

2. Sick leave must be accrued before being used, and this accrued paid sick leave may be used for the following reasons:

• To care for self or for a family member
• When the employee or a family member is the victim of sexual assault, domestic violence or stalking
• In the event Whitworth University or the employee’s child’s school or place of care is closed by a public official for any health-related reason

3. For purposes of this policy, family members are defined as child, spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling.

4. Accrued sick leave under this policy will be carried over from year to year each July 1. Breaks in Whitworth employment of one year or less will result in reinstated sick leave balances available at the end of previous employment. Breaks in service that are more than one year will not result in reinstated sick leave balances.

5. Retaliation for using paid sick leave for authorized purposes is prohibited. 

An employee may use accrued sick leave or vacation to care for:

1. Dependent children with health conditions that require treatment or supervision

2. Adult children who are incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability or to deal with emergency situations related to adult children

3. A spouse, parent (biological or adoptive), parent-in-law or grandparent who has a serious health condition or an emergency condition.

A female employee, regardless of the number of hours she has worked for Whitworth, is eligible under the laws of the state of Washington for pregnancy disability leave if she has an illness or temporary disability relating to pregnancy or childbirth. This leave is in addition to any family and medical leave for which the employee may be eligible. Accrued leave may be used for this absence.

1. Employees who are unable to work for an extended period of time and who have (or will have) exceeded the number of days/hours covered by sick leave benefits may be eligible for an extended medical leave of up to three months, inclusive of the time that is covered by sick leave. Once sick leave has been exhausted and an extended medical leave has been granted, such leave will be unpaid.

2. Requests for an extended medical leave must be approved in writing by the appropriate area cabinet officer and then submitted to human resource services.

3. An extended medical leave may be renewed for successive periods of three months, not to exceed a maximum of 24 months.

4. Approval of renewal of an extended medical leave is required for any employee who cannot return to work at the end of any three-month leave period. Failure to return to work at the end of an Extended Medical Leave may result in termination of employment.

Note: Extended medical leave is not the same as Long-Term Disability Insurance and may or may not be covered by these insurance benefits, depending on circumstances of the disability and the specific conditions of employment.

An employee's request for a leave of absence without pay must be made in writing and submitted to the immediate supervisor at least one month in advance, if possible. The supervisor should consult with the department head and area cabinet officer and forward their joint recommendation for approval or denial of the leave to human resource services. Human resource services will notify the employee of the decision and outline for the employee the status of benefit plan enrollment and university contributions to the various plans generally within five working days of receipt. Requests are generally granted at the discretion of the area cabinet officer. A leave of absence without pay will generally be limited to no more than six months.

An employee may be absent without pay on a short-term basis only after all accrued vacation and/or sick leave has been expended. Absences without pay are only allowed if the employee is sick or disabled and the employee's supervisor has approved the absence. An absence without pay should not be used for an extended vacation. 

An eligible staff member is entitled to 12 weeks per year of family and medical leave, as defined in Whitworth University's policy. Please contact human resource services for more information on FMLA.

Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking may take reasonable leave from work, including intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule in order to seek legal or law enforcement assistance, legal proceedings, treatment by healthcare provider, counseling, shelter or social services, safety planning or relocation. Domestic violence leave must be approved by the supervisor in conversation with human resource services. Whenever possible, an employee should give advance notice of the need for this leave.

Up to five days of emergency leave with pay may be granted annually if an employee needs to deal with a personal problem for which pre-planning is not possible. The employee must have exhausted their available vacation and applicable sick leave in order to access emergency leave. All emergency leave must be approved by the supervisor in conversation with human resource services, as soon as possible and before the time off is processed by payroll. The employee should indicate emergency leave in the comment section of their timecard.

1. When an employee loses an immediate family member, Whitworth provides up to five days of paid time off. Immediate family for purposes of this policy is defined as parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter or other dependent child. Step, half and foster parent and child are included in this definition. 

2. Absences due to the death of a near relative in the employee's family shall be allowed for a period of up to two days. Near relative for purposes of this policy is defined as nephew, niece, aunt, uncle, cousin, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law and daughter-in-law. 

3. In special cases, in consultation with the area cabinet officer, human resource services may extend the definition of immediate family. 

4. If an employee requires additional time off associated with the family member's death under these circumstances, they may request additional time off and use either accumulated sick or vacation leave or time off without pay. The employee should indicate bereavement leave in the comment section of their timecard.

1. An employee working at least half time in a regular or interim position for nine months or more per year is eligible for vacation. 

Vacation hours are earned and accrued, according to the schedule below, on the basis of hours an eligible employee is paid, beginning on the date of the employee's initial employment with Whitworth in a regular or interim staff position. 

The schedule assumes full-time employment (173.33 hours/month), with no absences without pay. 

A part-time employee, and/or one who has hours paid that are less than full-time, accrues vacation hours in proportion to the percent of full-time for which they are paid. 

Vacation does not accrue during an unpaid leave of absence. 

When an employee is promoted or appointed to a new position, and the FTE of their appointment changes, vacation is computed on the basis of total time employed with Whitworth in either a regular or interim appointment (exclusive of temporary and adjunct employment).

2. Vacation is intended to provide opportunities for renewal and relaxation. Employees are encouraged to take vacation on an annual basis. However, employees accrue vacation up to a maximum amount of 240 hours (six weeks). The 240 hours are prorated according to the employee's FTE for those who are less than full-time, 12 months term.

3. An employee may request that illness or injury occurring during a scheduled vacation be covered by sick leave if they have sick leave accrued. Any requests for such change must be made by the end of the following pay period with written notice sent to payroll services.

4. Holidays occurring during an employee's vacation will not be deducted from earned vacation leave. Instead, these hours will be paid as a holiday leave if the employee is eligible for paid holidays.

5. Vacation hours are accrued beginning with the initial date of employment. Both non-exempt and exempt employees may use earned/accrued vacation hours when approved by their supervisor, but neither may use vacation hours in advance of their accrual.

6. Employees should submit requests for use of accrued vacation leave to their supervisor with as much notice as possible via Self-Service. Employees should take into consideration the staffing needs of their department in making such requests. Supervisors have a responsibility to ensure adequate staffing in their department. However, as far as is possible, they should respect an employee's request for use of accrued vacation leave.

Vacation Accrual Schedules

The following assumes a 1.0 FTE. Use this formula if you are less than 1.0 to find your pro-rated accruals.

• Accrual Hours/Month x FTE = Pro-rated Monthly Accrual
• Accrual Carryover/Maximum x FTE = Pro-rated Annual Accrual

1. Employment Category: Facilities Services (FS) and Support Staff (SS)

2. Employment Category: Professional/Technical (PT)

3. Employment Category: Administrative (AM)

Unused Vacation

Employees who have met one of the two following conditions are eligible to receive a cash payment for accrued but unused vacation up to 160.00 hours (pro-rated based upon FTE) when they terminate their employment at Whitworth:

1. They have provided written notice of resignation in advance of effective date according to the appropriate resignation schedule

2. Because of retirement, layoff or dismissal

In the event of the death of an employee, the vacation balance (up to 160.00 hours, pro-rated based upon FTE) will be paid in the final paycheck and sent either to the spouse, designated beneficiary or paid to the estate, as required by state law.

Vacation may not be used to extend employment past the last month actually worked, and additional vacation will not accrue on the unused vacation time for which the employee is paid (i.e., there is no compounding of vacation benefits).

Temporary Carry Over Bank

The temporary carry over bank (TCOB) was established in July 2021. Vacation accruals in excess of one-time an employee’s annual accrual rate were moved into the TCOB rather than forfeiting the vacation at the end of fiscal year 2020. 

An employee may use their TCOB balances for sick leave or vacation as needed.

TCOB balances will remain in the employee’s leave balance if they are employed in a benefits-eligible position by the university. Effective Oct. 1, 2021, there is no expiration date for the TCOB.

Hours remaining in the TCOB will not be paid out upon separation or retirement. 

Whitworth's administrative offices are closed on (and employees with initial, regular and interim appointments will receive pay for) the following holidays:

Thanksgiving Day (one holiday) – Fourth Thursday in November

Native American Heritage Day (one holiday) – Friday following Thanksgiving Day

Christmas (six holidays) – Dec. 25 and five additional days. The campus will generally be closed between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. Eligible staff employees will receive paid holidays for these closure days. Holiday overtime will apply for non-exempt hourly staff who work on these days.

New Year's Day (one holiday) – Jan. 1. When New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, Dec. 31 will be observed. When it falls on a Sunday, Jan. 2 will be observed.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (one holiday) – Third Monday in January

Good Friday (one holiday) – Friday before Easter

Easter Monday (one holiday) – Monday after Easter

Memorial Day (one holiday) – Last Monday in May.

Juneteeth (one holiday) – June 19. When Juneteenth falls on a Saturday, June 18 will be observed. When it falls on a Sunday, June 20 will be observed.

Independence Day (one holiday) – July 4. When July 4 is a Saturday, July 3 will be observed. When July 4 is a Sunday, July 5 will be observed.

Floating Holidays (two holidays) – Eligible employees receive two floating holidays annually for use on a day (or days) of their choice, subject to supervisor approval. Floating holidays must be used by Aug. 31 of each year. These holidays do not carry over from year to year and must be used in at least half-day increments. If an employee is hired on Sept. 1, they will receive two days in the first year of employment; if an employee is hired after Sept. 1 and on/before Jan. 31, they will receive one day in the first year. Those hired on Feb. 1 through Aug. 31 will not receive floating holidays their first year. 

Holiday pay for an eligible employee is based on the number of hours the employee would have worked but for the holiday. In addition, any hours authorized and actually worked by a non-exempt hourly staff employee on a Whitworth University recognized and paid holiday, exclusive of floating holidays will be paid at one and one-half times the employee's regular pay, regardless of the total number of hours worked by the employee during that work week and in addition to the holiday pay.

Whitworth provides all regular and interim employees with eight hours each of paid release time each year in support of a wide variety of community service projects. These paid hours are made available Sept. 1 of each year on Self-Service time reporting, prorated by the employee's length of workday. Supervisors must approve use of community service hours in advance so that appropriate coverage may be maintained.

Employees are encouraged to also report these same hours as well as any additional volunteer time on the university's SERVE website (serve.whitworth.edu). By recording all volunteer hours, employees help to document the collective impact of Whitworth on the Spokane community. Together we can make a big difference.