Earned Sick & Safe Leave Policy

I. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide paid sick and safe leave consistent with the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act.

II. Scope

Employees who regularly work 12 or more hours per week (and at least 24 hours in a bi-weekly pay period) are eligible for sick and safe leave under this policy. Employees are not permitted to use leave under this policy during the first 106 calendar days of their employment.

A. Full-time faculty and staff are eligible for paid health leave as described in Goucher’s exempt, nonexempt, and faculty handbooks, as well as the LIUNA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and pursuant to the Maryland Flexible Leave Act. This policy is not intended to provide an employee with more paid leave than is available under those policies, but employees may use paid health leave for any of the reasons as described in this policy.

B. Half-time faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants have paid leave available consistent with this policy.

C. Part-time hourly employees, including temporary employees and student employees, accrue earned sick and safe leave at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year. The year follows a fiscal year, commencing on July 1st and ending on the following June 30th.

III. Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, a family member includes a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, and/or legal guardian. For a complete list of family members included under the law, please see §3-1301(G) of the Labor and Employment Article of the Maryland Annotated Code.

IV. Leave usage

A. Permitted leave usage

An employee is allowed to use earned sick and safe leave under the following conditions:

  1. to care for or treat the employee's mental or physical illness, injury, or condition
  2. to obtain preventative medical care for the employee or the employee's family member
  3. to care for a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury, or condition
  4. for maternity or paternity leave
  5. the absence from work is necessary due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking committed against the employee or the employee's family member and the leave is being used by the employee for the employee or the employee’s family member:
    • to obtain medical or mental health attention.
    • to obtain services from a victim services organization.
    • for legal services or proceedings.
    • because the employee has temporarily relocated as a result of the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

B. Leave use increments

Employees are permitted to use earned sick and safe leave in quarter hour increments.

C. Requesting leave

Employees are required to give notice of the need to use earned sick and safe leave when it is foreseeable, or as soon as practicable. The request to use such leave may be denied if the employee fails to provide the required notice and the employee’s absence will cause a disruption to the College.

D. Paid leave maximum accrual & carryover

For part-time hourly employees, earned sick and safe leave accrued based on hours worked may be carried over up to a maximum of 40 hours in a fiscal year, but at no time will an earned sick and safe leave balance exceed 64 hours.

For full-time staff, carryover provisions for paid health leave are outlined in employee handbooks and the LIUNA CBA.

E. Payment upon separation

There is no payment for unused sick and safe leave at the time of an employee’s separation from employment.

F. Rehire

If an employee is rehired within 37 weeks, the employer must reinstate the earned and unused sick and safe leave.

V. Reporting

Goucher provides employees with a written statement of the employee's available earned sick and safe leave at each pay period. This may be accomplished by accessing Workday through which the employee can ascertain the balance of their available leave.

VI. Prohibitions

Goucher does not take adverse action against an employee who exercises a right under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act.

VII. Responsible department

The Office of Human Resources is responsible for this policy.

VIII. Contact

The Associate Vice President for Human Resources is responsible for questions regarding this policy.

IX. Related policies

Related policies include:

  • Section 405
  • Paid Health Leave (Staff Employee Handbooks)
  • Article 9
  • LIUNA CBA

X. History

Adopted: February 2018

Updated: October 2019; December 2021; December, 2023

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