Sick time off for student hourly employees
Table of Contents
Last updated: January 1, 2025
This page applies to student hourly employees and non-UW student hourly employees.
Authorized uses of paid sick time off
Paid sick time off may be used:
- For your own illness, injury, health condition, or disability
- For preventive care such as a medical, dental, or optical appointment(s)
- For a family member’s illness, injury, health condition, or disability, and/or preventive care such as a medical, dental, or optical appointment
- For the closure of the UW by order of a public official for any health-related reason
- For the closure of a child’s school or place of care by order of a public official for any health-related reason or after the declaration of an emergency by a local or state government or agency, or by the federal government.
- For domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking covered absences
Family member definition
“Family member” is defined as a child or parent (including biological, adopted, foster, step, regardless of age or dependency, or legal guardian, or de facto parent or parent-in-law), a spouse, state registered domestic partner, spouse’s parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, child’s spouse or child’s registered domestic partner.
- “Family member” also includes any individual who regularly resides in the employee’s home or where the relationship creates an expectation that the employee care for the person, and that individual depends on the employee for care.
- “Family member” does not include an individual who simply resides in the same home with no expectation that the employee cares for the individual.
For the purpose of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking absences, “family member” also includes a person with whom the employee has a dating relationship as defined in RCW 49.76.020.
Accrual
You accrue paid sick time off at the end of the month at a rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. Paid sick time off accrual begins at the start of employment for all hours worked on and after that date, and is available for use the following month. There is no cap on the number of paid sick time off hours that may be accrued in a calendar year.
Using sick time off
Paid sick time off accrues at the end of the month and is available for use as soon as you accrue it. Sick time off may be used only for authorized purposes.
For foreseeable absences, you should provide notice at least ten days in advance of the absence, or as early as practicable to schedule your sick time off in advance following your unit’s time off request procedure. If you are not able to request sick time off in advance, follow your unit’s call-out procedure.
You can check your sick time off balance or enter sick time off requests in Workday and review instructions on how to view and request time off. Contact [email protected] if you have questions.
FMLA and PFML
Certain reasons for using sick time off may fall under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or Paid Family Medical Leave. If this is the case, you will be asked to follow our medical leave policies and procedures. This will include providing medical certification from a health-care provider. Visit UWHR Leaves webpages for additional information.
Other medical certification
Even if your sick time off is not covered by FMLA or PFML, you may still be asked to provide medical certification.
Verification
Verification may only be requested if you use or request to use paid sick time off after absences on three consecutive scheduled work days
Example scenario:
An employee who is scheduled to work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays uses paid sick time off (in any amount) on Wednesday and Friday of the first week and Monday the next week. If sick time off is used again on the Wednesday of that week, the employee would have absences exceeding three days.
Corrective or disciplinary action may be taken if the employee:
- Fails to provide verification according to unit policy
- Fails to provide appropriate notice of the need for sick time
- Uses sick time off for unauthorized purposes
If you are seeking to use or have used sick time off for authorized purposes for more than three (3) consecutive days, your unit may require you to provide verification that establishes that the use of sick time off is for an authorized purpose.
Verification must be provided within 10 calendar days of the first day the employee used sick time off to care for themselves or a family member. The employee is not required to provide any details concerning the specific nature of the health condition to use sick time off, unless otherwise required by law.
Verification Types
If verification is requested, acceptable verification may include:
- A doctor’s note or a signed statement by a health care provider indicating that the use of sick time off is necessary to take care of yourself or your family member; or
- Notice that your child’s school or place of care was closed by a public official for a health-related reason.
If you or a member of your family have been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, review the Time off related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking webpage.
Unreasonable burden or expense for verification
If obtaining verification for use of paid sick time off would result in an unreasonable burden or expense for you, please contact your Human Resources Consultant. You will be asked to provide an oral or written statement that explains:
- Your use of paid sick time off was for an authorized purpose; and
- how the verification requirement creates an unreasonable burden or expense.
Within 10 calendar days of receiving your statement, the University will make a reasonable effort to identify and provide alternatives for you to meet the verification requirement in a manner which does not result in an unreasonable burden or expense.
Carryover
No more than 40 hours of paid sick time off will carryover annually.
Job changes
Paid sick time off transfers with you when you change departments, employment program, or employee type as follows:
| Movement at Job Change | What Happens with Your Sick Time Off |
|---|---|
| Student Hourly to Student Hourly | Full balance transfers with you |
| Student hourly to Regular or Nonpermanent/Intermittent staff | Full balance transfers with you |
Leaving UW employment
You are not paid for your unused sick time off hours when you leave UW employment.
If you return to UW employment later, your sick time off balance may be reinstated as follows:
| Separated As | Returned As | What Happens with Your Sick Time Off |
|---|---|
| Regular or Nonpermanent/Intermittent to Student Hourly | A maximum of 40 hours is reinstated. The remainder is “held” for potential reinstatement if you return to state service as outlined in the Prior Washington State Service Credit webpage. |
| Student Hourly to Student Hourly | If you are rehired within 12 months of your termination date, your balance is reinstated.
If your rehire date falls in the next calendar year following your termination date, a maximum of 40 hours will be reinstated as though the annual cap had been applied. |
| Student Hourly to Regular or Nonpermanent/Intermittent | If you are rehired within 12 months of your termination date, your balance is reinstated.
If your rehire date falls in the next calendar year following your termination date, a maximum of 40 hours will be reinstated as though the annual cap had been applied. |
Manager responsibilities
Time off requests
You should respond to an employee’s time off request as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, including whether the time off request could fall under FMLA, contact your leave specialist.
You may not require that the employee find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which they are using paid sick time off.
Retaliation Prohibited
Any discrimination or retaliation against an employee for lawful exercise of paid sick time off rights is not allowed. Corrective action may not be taken for the lawful use of paid sick time off.