Paid Administrative Leave for ³Ô¹ÏÍø Staff & Faculty on Twelve-Month Appointments

Effective Date

Wednesday, May 5, 2004

Approved By

Richard L. Byyny, M.D., ³Ô¹ÏÍø

Author(s)

Paul Tabot, Vice ³Ô¹ÏÍø for Administration

I. INTRODUCTION

At its meeting on September 5, 2002, the Board of Regents (Board) approved an amendment to Section III.G., of Regent Policy 11-H, "Leave Policies for ³Ô¹ÏÍø Staff, and Faculty on Twelve-Month Appointments." The Board amended its policy to remove its prohibition on paid administrative leave for university staff and faculty on twelve-month appointments. The amendment made the provisions of the Board's policy regarding paid administrative leave consistent with and no more restrictive than State law.

Accordingly, pursuant to the amended policy, short-term paid administrative leave is permitted for university staff and faculty on twelve-month appointments, all of whom are exempt from the State Personnel System (eligible employees). Under the Board's amended policy, extended administrative leave with pay is prohibited for university staff and twelve-month faculty, except for disciplinary or investigative purposes. This Administrative Policy Statement implements the Board's amended policy.

II. STATEMENT OF POLICY

A. Extended Paid Administrative Leave

If a university staff or faculty member on a twelve-month appointment is the subject of disciplinary action or an investigation, extended paid administrative leave may be authorized for such employee for a reasonable period of time. In such circumstances, a reasonable period of time will be determined based upon the length of time it takes to complete an investigation. Only the ³Ô¹ÏÍø, or his/her designees, may authorize extended paid administrative leave for university staff and twelve-month faculty for investigative purposes.

However, the ³Ô¹ÏÍø, or his/her designees, reserve the right to place a university staff or faculty on twelve-month appointment on suspended leave without pay. For the Boulder Campus, the designees are limited to the Vice ³Ô¹ÏÍøs, Senior Vice ³Ô¹ÏÍø and Provost.

B. Short-Term Paid Administrative Leave

Supervisors of eligible employees may authorize short-term paid administrative leave for the purposes described in this policy. Ordinarily, short-term paid administrative leave will be granted in increments of not less than three (3) hours. In extraordinary circumstances, supervisors of eligible employees may authorize paid administrative leave in increments of less than three (3) hours. A maximum of ten (10) days of short-term administrative leave may be granted over a twelve-month period.

Short-term paid administrative leave is not an entitlement or benefit. Authorization of short-term paid administrative leave for eligible employees rests within the sole discretion of their supervisors as exercised within the guidelines described in this policy. For the Boulder campus, short-term paid administrative leave in excess of one day must be approved by the ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Provost, Senior Vice ³Ô¹ÏÍø or the appropriate Vice ³Ô¹ÏÍø responsible for the oversight of the employee's organization.

  1. Purpose of Short-Term Paid Administrative Leave
    Supervisors may authorize short-term paid administrative leave for eligible employees for reasons determined to be for the good of the ³Ô¹ÏÍø and the State. Supervisors shall consider prudent use of taxpayer dollars and the business needs of the ³Ô¹ÏÍø in determining whether such leave is for the good of the State. Such reasons include, but are not limited to, incentive rewards, coursework directly related to employment, participation in school or community volunteer activities, and participation in official activities by elected officers of ³Ô¹ÏÍø employee organizations.

    With regard to short-term paid administrative leave for the purpose of participating in school or community volunteer activities, authorization may be given only in circumstances where such participation is designed to benefit the community as a whole and strengthen the relationship between the ³Ô¹ÏÍø and the community.

    Short-term paid administrative leave may also be authorized for eligible employees whose workloads (e.g., specific long or short term projects) require them to work significantly beyond their normal work schedules (as established by their individual supervisors) for prolonged periods of time when such leave is found to be necessary to maintain employee performance or morale or in recognition of extraordinary work performance.

    Ordinarily, eligible employees must have their supervisor's authorization prior to taking short-term paid administrative leave. In exceptional circumstances, short-term paid administrative leave may be authorized retroactively.

    Use of short-term paid administrative leave is not required for eligible employees for the purpose of attending or participating in professional or academic seminars, conferences, or other similar events, or supervisor required training. These activities are considered to be work assignments for which leave is not required.

  2. Reporting Requirements
    All use of paid administrative leave for eligible employees must be reported by use of the ³Ô¹ÏÍø's time collection procedures. The President shall review the use of short-term paid administrative leave on an annual basis.

III. INTERPRETATION

The Office of the Vice ³Ô¹ÏÍø for Administration shall interpret this Policy in conjunction with the Office of the Vice President for Human Relations and Risk Management.

The forgoing policy was endorsed by the ³Ô¹ÏÍø's Executive Committee on May 5, 2004.

Original _X__ Rev ___

Distribution: Deans, Directors, Department Heads