As a reminder: It is the district’s practice that any employee who is absent from work for five consecutive days or more MUST apply for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). FMLA provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for specific family and medical reasons. Employees are required to use all available accrued leave: sick, personal business, and vacation leave in that order.
It is the district’s practice that employees on an approved leave of absence whether medical, family, or personal must refrain from performing any work-related duties during their leave period. This includes, but is not limited to, checking or responding to work emails, phone calls, or text messages; attending meetings; or engaging in any other work activities.
The employer may engage in limited, infrequent contact with employees during their leave when necessary for example, to confirm a return-to-work date, obtain status updates, or locate essential information or files. Any such communication should be brief and should not involve the employee performing work-related tasks.
The purpose of any approved leave is to provide employees with uninterrupted time away from work to address a serious health condition (their own or that of a qualifying family member), to care for a new child, or to manage other approved personal matters. Engaging in work activities during a leave goes against the intent of the leave and could affect compliance with applicable labor and leave laws.
If any work-related issue arises during an employee’s leave, it should be directed to the employee’s supervisor, for appropriate handling and resolution.
For more information, please visit the Leave of Absence page on Infohost using the link below and review your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or Employee Manual for complete details on leave of absence.
