I. Policy Statement

This policy describes the accrual and use of sick time for all non-union contract employees of Grand Valley State University. Effective February 21, 2025, to ensure compliance with Michigan law while maintaining employee flexibility in utilizing salary continuation, all non-union contract employees who work 30 or more hours in a calendar year, will accrue and have permissive use of sick time as outlined in this policy.

II. Definitions

Employee: individuals engaged in service to Grand Valley State University, doing the business of Grand Valley State University, working in the state of Michigan, excluding Exempt Employees as identified below:

Exempt Employees: independent contractors, unpaid interns, unpaid trainees, and standardized patients. Exempt employees include those who schedule their own working hours and are not penalized if they do not schedule a minimum number of working hours.

Temporary Employees: individuals engaged in service to Grand Valley State University on a periodic basis including one-time employees, seasonal employees, adjunct EAP employees, and full-time visiting faculty or any other individual designated as a temporary employee by Human Resources at the time of hire.

Part Time Employees: individuals engaged in service to Grand Valley State University on a part time basis, working 29 hours per week or less, including part-time faculty.

Campus Security: individuals engaged in service to Grand Valley State University as security professionals who are not members of a union.

Adjunct Faculty: faculty engaged in service to the University in adjunct instructor, senior adjunct instructor, adjunct librarian, and senior adjunct librarian roles.

EAP: full time executive, administrative, and professional staff employed by Grand Valley State University.

Student Employees: A student who is pursuing a degree at Grand Valley State University while also being engaged in service to the University, including graduate assistants.

Preventative Medical Care: routine wellness checks and health screenings, such as yearly physicals, yearly eye appointments and regularly scheduled dental visits.

Domestic Violence: the occurrence of any of the following acts by an individual that is not an act of self-defense: (i) Causing or attempting to cause physical or mental harm to a family or household member. (ii) Placing a family or household member in fear of physical or mental harm (iii) Causing or attempting to cause a family or household member to engage in involuntary sexual activity by force, threat of force, or duress. (iv) Engaging in activity toward a family or household member that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested.

Sexual Assault: any act that constitutes criminal sexual assault under the laws of the State of Michigan.

Earned Sick Time: paid time away from work allotted for specific purposes and with specific limitations as outlined in this policy. Earned sick time is distinct and separate from other offered disability benefits such as salary continuation, short-term disability and long-term disability.

Self-Scheduled Workers: those individuals hired to engage in service for the University who schedule their own working hours, including individuals identified as Self-Scheduled Workers by HR at the time of hire.

III. Employee Designations

Category 1: Student Employees and Temporary Employees.

Category 2: Executive, Administrative and Professional Staff (“EAP”) Continuous Appointment Staff and Employment Contract EAP Staff.

Category 3: Non-Tenure Track Faculty.

Category 4: Regular Faculty.

Category 5: Campus Security Staff.

Category 6: Adjunct Executive, Administrative and Professional Staff.

Category 7: Part Time Employees
 

IV. Earned Sick Time Accrual

All employees are entitled to the accrual of earned sick time as follows:

A. Accrual

Category 1. All student employees, including graduate assistants and all temporary employees working 30 hours or more in the calendar year, will accrue 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

Category 2. For Continuous Appointment EAP and Employment Contract EAP, the first seventy-two (72) hours of salary continuation requested, will be provided as earned sick time, excluding time off for bereavement.  

Category 3. Non-Tenure Track Faculty.

a. For Affiliate Faculty, the first seventy-two (72) hours of salary continuation requested, will be provided as earned sick time, excluding time off for bereavement.

b. Part Time Faculty, Visiting Faculty and Adjunct Faculty, as defined, working 30 hours or more in the calendar year, will accrue 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

Category 4. For Regular Faculty, the first seventy-two (72) hours of salary continuation requested, will be provided as earned sick time, excluding time off for bereavement.

Category 5. For Non-Union Contract Campus Security, the first seventy-two (72) hours of salary continuation requested, will be provided as earned sick time, excluding time off for bereavement.

Category 6.  Adjunct EAP working 30 hours or more in the calendar year, will accrue 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

Category 7. Part Time Employees, as defined, will accrue 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

V. Earned Sick Time Use

All employees are eligible to use up to 72 hours of their earned sick time in a calendar year, subject to the terms of use outlined below.

A. Timing of Use.

Category 1 Employees. Sick time may be used as it is earned.

Category 2 Employees. Earned sick time must be used prior to the use of salary continuation, excluding bereavement.

Category 3 Employees.

a. Affiliate Faculty: Earned sick time must be used prior to the use of salary continuation, excluding bereavement.

b. Part Time Faculty, Visiting Faculty and Adjunct Faculty, as defined: Sick time may be used as it is earned.

Category 4 and 5 Employees. Earned sick time must be used prior to the use of salary continuation, excluding bereavement.

Category 6 and 7 Employees. Earned sick time must be used prior to the use of salary continuation, excluding bereavement.

B.  Approval of Use.

Approval for the use of accrued sick time is the responsibility of each supervisor or unit head, subject to the following conditions:

1.  Purpose: Earned sick time may only be used for the following purposes:

• The employee is sick or engaging in preventative medical care as defined.
• The employee is assisting a family member who is sick or engaging in preventative medical care;
• The employee is seeking, or assisting their family member in seeking services related to being a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault (as defined), including medical care, victim services, legal services, relocation or legal proceedings; 
• The employee attending meetings at their child’s school or place of care related to the child’s health or disability, or the effects of domestic violence or sexual assault on the child;
• The employee remaining home due to closure of employee’s primary workplace because of a public health emergency, the closure of their child’s school or daycare because of a public health emergency, or because the employee or their family member are being quarantined by health authorities or their healthcare provider due to exposure to a communicable disease.

GVSU will not permit the use of earned sick time for any other purpose. Any misrepresentation of the purpose for the use of sick time by an employee is prohibited. 

2.  Notice. Employees must provide 7 days’ notice of anticipated use of earned sick time.

C.  Termination of Employment

Employees with unused earned sick time terminating their employment will not be eligible for payout of their accrued earned sick time.

D. Carryover

Up to 72 hours of unused earned sick time will be carried from one calendar year into the next for employees who accrue earned sick time based on hours worked. Therefore, individuals with salary continuation are not entitled to carryover.

E. Transfer

Transfer of accrued earned sick time from one employee’s bank to another is prohibited.

F. Tracking

All employees must request the use of earned sick time by tracking hours taken within Workday.

VI. Retaliation & Interference Prohibited

Adverse action taken by a supervisor, unit head, or other person in a position of authority, as a result of the use of earned sick time is strictly prohibited and will subject the actor to disciplinary proceedings under the appropriate University policy.

Any interference with an employee’s rights to use earned sick time under the policy by any person is strictly prohibited and will subject the actor to disciplinary proceedings under the appropriate University policy.

VII. Record Retention

Records of earned and used sick time and hours worked will be retained for 3 years. Any reasonable documentation provided in compliance with this policy will also be retained for 3 years.