Paid Sick Leave FAQs

No, faculty do not have a defined amount/limit of sick leave and this will not change with the new law. You will continue to be able to take leave as needed and will not have a specific bank or balance to manage. NYS has established a minimum threshold of sick leave that must be available. It is protected time that can not be required to be made up, taken as vacation, questioned, declined, or result in an impact to the individual’s performance assessment or compensation.

Effective January 1, 2021, hourly-paid TAR faculty are eligible for up to 56 hours of paid sick leave each year, based on hours worked. These faculty members began to accrue paid sick leave on September 30, 2020, which will be available for use beginning in January. Accruals are based on a calculation of one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 hours of paid sick leave.

Under the new law, the University is required to provide to faculty and staff, upon request, a summary of the protected sick leave that has been used. In order to meet this requirement, we ask that faculty and staff record their sick leave in HRMS. Faculty also have the option to review a summary of their sick leave in HRMS at any time.

No. Only sick leave when you are fully away from work needs to be recorded. When work is accomplished at another time (i.e., extending work time on another day), sick leave doesn’t apply.

We ask that you log your sick days in HRMS at Rochester.edu/hrms. Some departments may offer the option to record leave for you through a designated department administrator. Please check with your faculty leader to see if this option is available.

To record leave yourself, visit HRMS at Rochester.edu/hrms. Log in with your NetID and password. You will need to be on the University server or use VPN with DUO to access HRMS.

Under Quick Links, on the top left of the Home screen, access Time Entry–Employee. Find the appropriate day you are recording sick leave and select SIK in the column marked TRC (Time Reporting Code). Then designate the number of hours you are reporting for sick leave in the next column marked “Amount/Hours.” Repeat this process for any other sick leave in the pay period and then click Save at the bottom of the page.

If you need assistance with your NetID or password, contact either University IT at (585) 275-2000 or univithelp@rochester.edu or Med Center ISD at (585) 275-3200 or HelpDesk_ISD@urmc.rochester.edu.

Yes, below are some examples of situations when sick leave should or should not be entered into HRMS:

Example #1: I’m a faculty member at the School of Arts & Sciences and have taken 4 days of sick leave in the past month. Can my faculty leader talk to me about excessive use of sick time?

No, the sick leave is protected under New York State’s Paid Sick Leave Law. You have 56 hours of sick time available as protected time that you have not used. As a result, you cannot be disciplined or retaliated against or suffer any negative outcome for using this protected time. However, your faculty leader can talk to you about how best to cover your time away if needed.

Example #2: I’m a research faculty member who was out sick on Tuesday and missed a department meeting. Can my Chair or Faculty Leader inquire about the details related to my sick leave?

No, you do not have to provide details or any documentation related to the reason for your sick leave. You only need to notify your department that you have used a sick day per departmental call-in procedures.

Example #3: I’m a faculty member with an ill parent and need to be out of work for 3 of 5 days this week. I am not able to otherwise make up the time. Do I report this as sick time? What do I do if my faculty leader suggests I go at another time?

A leader may not tell an employee that they can’t use their protected time or negatively impact them in any way for using this time. This time would be reported as sick leave if the faculty member is not otherwise able to make up the time.

Under the new law, the University is required to provide to employees, upon request, a summary of the sick leave they have used and how much is available. In order to meet this requirement, we ask that employees record their sick leave in HRMS. Employees also have the option to review a summary of their sick leave usage in HRMS at any time. Residents will continue to record time in MedHub.

A discussion should be held with your supervisor to understand the options of flexible scheduling that may apply to your department.

For employees who report their hours in HRMS please follow the instructions below. For employees who use Kronos or Webclock or where a time keeper/Supervisor enters your leave, please see your manager for procedures for recording your sick leave.

To enter via Time Entry, visit HRMS at Rochester.edu/hrms. Log in with your NetID and password. You will need to be on the University server or use VPN with DUO to access HRMS.

Under Quick Links, on the top left of the Home screen, access Time Entry–Employee. Find the appropriate day you are recording sick leave. In the column marked TRC (Time Reporting Code), select the SIK or SIC code (only one of these options will appear, depending on whether you are hourly paid or salaried). Then designate the number of hours you are reporting for sick leave in the next column marked “Amount/Hours.” Repeat this process for any other sick leave in the pay period and then click Save at the bottom of the page.

Residents will continue to use MedHub to track their leave time.

If you need assistance with your NetID or password, contact either University IT at (585) 275-2000 or univithelp@rochester.edu or Med Center ISD at (585) 275-3200 or HelpDesk_ISD@urmc.rochester.edu.

Yes, below are some examples of situations when sick leave should or should not be entered into HRMS:

Example #1: I am an hourly paid staff member in a business office. I need to leave work two hours early on Monday to take my daughter to a doctor’s appointment. I would like to work two hours later than usual on Thursday to make up the time. How should I record my time?

With approval from your supervisor, you can make up his time on Thursday. You should simply record the exact hours you work in HRMS. There is no need to record any sick leave/PTO.

Example #2: I am an exempt employee in the ISD department. My child gets sick at school, and I must leave work two hours early to pick him up. How should I record my time?

Since you are an exempt employee, you would not need to record sick leave that is less than 4 hours.

Example #3: I am an exempt employee in the finance office. I need to miss half a day to take care of my mother, who is ill. How should I record my time?

Since you are an exempt employee, if you miss 4 hours or more of work for your mother’s illness, you could record 4 hours of sick leave in HRMS. Alternatively, you can also make up that time during the week if it is okay with your supervisor, and then would not need to record the sick time.

Example #4: I am a Time-As-Reported receptionist. I am scheduled to cover the desk outside my clinic from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday but am not feeling well and call out sick. How should I record my time?

Since you are scheduled for a specific shift and your manager doesn’t have another available shift to offer, you won’t be able to make up your time later in the week. You should follow department protocol to call out and notify your timekeeper of your absence so that it can be recorded as sick leave.

Staff will receive a PTO bank based on their standard scheduled hours per week. Full-time staff and part-time staff who are hired to work 33 or more hours per week will receive 56 hours of PTO in a calendar year. Part-time staff who are hired to work less than 33 hours per week will receive a bank based on their standard hours and 1 hour for every 30 hours worked above their standard scheduled hours up to a maximum of 56 hours in a year.

Although the combined amount of leave time—vacation and PTO—will not change, the University is converting 2 days of vacation to PTO. A day is 1/5 of your standard scheduled hours per week. Under the new legislation, employees are guaranteed a certain amount of job-protected time based on their hours worked. For the purposes of sick leave, PTO is considered protected time, while vacation is not. This change will allow for more flexibility as it will now be eligible to be used as unplanned time. These days are still available to use as vacation but will now also be available for use as unplanned PTO leave.

Full-time or part-time employees with standard hours of 33 or more who have PTO balances at the end of the plan year and who are in a status to receive 56 hours of paid sick leave in the 2022 PTO plan year will eligible for a payout. Part-time employees who work fewer than 33 hours per week will not reach the 56 maximum hours of PTO and the new legislation requires that we roll over their remaining PTO to the following year. They will not be eligible for a payout. Individuals represented by collective bargaining agreements receive benefits in accordance with those agreements.

Yes, for employees with 6 months or more of service, unused PTO up to 56 hours may be paid out when you leave the University.

No, because you have continuous employment your balance will transition to the TAR sick plan and you will continue to earn sick time based on that plan. See Policy 337: Sick Leave Plan.

Yes, you will earn 1 hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. You will be eligible to use up to 56 hours in a calendar year (if earned). Any unused time or time earned over 56 hours will roll over to the following year.

Under the new law, the University is required to provide to employees, upon request, a summary of the sick leave they have used and how much is available. In order to meet this requirement, we ask that all employees record their sick leave in HRMS. If there are any questions about how to record sick leave, employees should check with their manager. Employees also have the option to view a summary of their sick leave balance in HRMS in January.

A discussion should be held with your supervisor to understand the options that may be available in your department.

For employees who report their hours in HRMS, please follow the instructions below. For employees who use Kronos or Webclock or where a time keeper/Supervisor enters your time, please see your manager for procedures for recording your sick time.

To enter via Time Entry, visit HRMS at Rochester.edu/hrms. Log in with your NetID and password. You will need to be on the University server or use VPN with DUO to access HRMS.

Under Quick Links, on the top left of the Home screen, access Time Entry–Employee. Find the appropriate day you are recording sick leave. In the column marked TRC (Time Reporting Code), select the SIK or SIC code (only one of these options will appear, depending on whether you are hourly paid or salaried). Then designate the number of hours you are reporting for sick leave in the next column marked “Amount/Hours.” Repeat this process for any other sick leave in the pay period and then click Save at the bottom of the page.

If you need assistance with your NetID or password, contact either University IT at (585) 275-2000 or univithelp@rochester.edu or Med Center ISD at (585) 275-3200 or HelpDesk_ISD@urmc.rochester.edu.

No, unused sick leave will roll over to the following year and will not be eligible for payout when you leave the University.

All students employed through the Student Employment Office (Undergraduate and Graduate Students)

Students with multiple Student Employment jobs will be eligible to earn sick time on all hours worked across all jobs through Student Employment.

Students with multiple jobs that include Graduate ‘add-on’ jobs will be eligible to earn sick time on all hours worked across all jobs through Student Employment and graduate ‘add-on’ jobs.

Graduate appointments paid as a stipend as part of a student’s academic pursuits are not considered employment and sick time is not applicable to these appointments.

Sick time may be used to address illness, injury, medical care or to take care of issues related to domestic violence for one’s self or a qualified family member.

Qualified family member includes; child, spouse/domestic partner, parent, sibling, grandchild/parent and child or parent of the employee’s spouse/domestic partner. Child or parent relationships include: biological, foster, step/adoptive, legal guardian/ward and loco parentis.

Student employees must follow departmental procedures for reporting scheduled or unscheduled sick time.

Sick time must be logged into the HRMS time and labor panel when student worker is unable to work his or her scheduled hours using the ‘SIC’ code. (link to instructions). Sick time cannot be used on a shift unless the student was scheduled to work that shift.

A report will be available in HRMS self service (path way) to show sick time hours earned and used.

Sick time (if available) should be used for the first seven calendar days of a disability or work- related injury/illness (workers compensation) and may be used to supplement time while on Paid Family Leave or Workers Compensation.

When a student worker ends employment, sick time balances will not be paid out. Sick time should not be entered on shifts where the student is not scheduled as a means of paying out the sick time balance. Timekeepers should not approve sick time that is not associated with a schedule work day.

If a student worker  ends their student job and is hired into another eligible position (Faculty, Staff, Postdoctoral Appointment, Resident/Fellows) without a break in employment, the sick time balance will roll into the new sick plan for that position.

Students who are considering a leave should also discuss the availability of other academic leave options with an Academic Advisors in the College Center for Advising Services, Lattimore 312.

Grad students in the following jobs will be eligible for Sick Leave under the new regulations:

6004-Add-On Grad Asst., 6006-Add-On Teaching Asst., 6005- Add-On Grad Asst.-Visiting.

Grad Students with multiple hourly paid jobs that include Graduate ‘add-on’ jobs will be eligible to earn sick time on all hours worked across all graduate ‘add-on’ jobs

Grad Students with multiple hourly paid jobs that include Graduate ‘add-on’ jobs and jobs through Student Employment will be eligible to earn sick time on all hours worked across all grad-add-on and student employment jobs.

Grad Students paid a salary for TA assignments who also has an hourly paid job will not earn additional sick time for their hourly paid job, but sick time can be used on the hourly paid job as needed.

Graduate appointments paid as a stipend as part of a student’s academic pursuits are not considered employment relationships and sick time is not applicable to these appointments.

Sick time may be used to address illness, injury, medical care or to take care of issues related to domestic violence for one’s self or a qualified family member.

Qualified family member includes; child, spouse/domestic partner, parent, sibling, grandchild/parent and child or parent of the employee’s spouse/domestic partner. Child or parent relationships include: biological, foster, step/adoptive, legal guardian/ward and loco parentis.

Grad Students must follow departmental procedures for reporting scheduled or unscheduled sick time.

Sick time must be logged into the HRMS time and labor panel when Grad Student is unable to work his or her scheduled hours using the ‘SIC’ code for hourly paid jobs and ‘SIK’ for salary paid jobs. (link to instructions)

A report will be available in HRMS self service (path way) to show sick time hours earned and used.

Sick time (if available) should be used for the first seven calendar days of a disability or work- related injury/illness (workers compensation) and may be used to supplement time while on Paid Family Leave or Workers Compensation.

When a Grad student ends employment, sick time balances will not be paid out.

If a Grad student ends their student job and is hired into another eligible position (Faculty, Staff, Postdoctoral Appointment, Resident/Fellows) without a break in employment, the sick time balance will roll into the new sick plan for that position.

Grad students who are considering a leave should also discuss the availability of other academic leave options with an Academic Advisors in the College Center for Advising Services, Lattimore 312.