This document provides employees directions on how to request a Leave of Absence (LOA) in Workday.
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· Before initiating a leave of absence it’s important to have a conversation with your Supervisor or HR Partner and to review Leave of Absence Policies.
· After submitting a leave of absence request, a Leave Administrator will determine employee eligibility based on the information provided.
· If the LOA is due to a qualifying life event (e.g. birth/adoption) and you wish to enroll child(ren) in a University of Chicago medical plan; this must be done within 31 days of the date of birth/adoption using Workday. You have 31-days to complete any qualified life event benefit changes in Workday, as well.
· See the Changing Benefits for Life Events in Workday Knowledge Base article for more information.
· To complete the leave request, you will need to know the following:
· Estimated Last Day of Work.
· Estimated First Day of Leave.
· Estimated Last Day of Leave.
· Leave Type.
· Paid time off accruals, if Medical Leave. See the Viewing Time Off Balances and Requests in Workday Knowledge Base Article for more information.
· If Leave is for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Official completed FMLA form.
· At least one supporting document is requested. You may continue with the LOA request without uploading any documents.
· If the Leave of Absence is for FMLA, upload the completed federal FMLA form or other medical certification that confirms leave necessity and expected duration.
· If you have any questions, work with the Leave Administrator to determine which documents are required.
· Personal LOAs and Intermittent Leave requests cannot be initiated by an employee but instead must be initiated by the employee’s HR Partner. In certain other cases, an HRP may also request the LOA on behalf of the employee.
· Academic Workers do not follow this process as they request LOAs through the Provost’s office and their unit HR Partner.
· If you have any questions, please contact leaveadministration@uchicago.edu.
1. Log into Workday using your CNetID and password.
2. Select Menu in the top-left corner, then choose the Time Off App under the Personal category.
3. Under the Request column, select Leave of Absence.
4. Within the Request Leave of Absence screen:
a. Use the calendar icon and complete the First Day of Leave. (Required)
b. Last Day of Work auto-populates once First Day of Leave is selected.
c. Use the calendar icon to add the Estimated Last Day of Leave. (Required)
d. Use the Hamburger Menu (icon with three dots and three dashes) and choose the default Leave Type by selecting Leaves and then Leaves > Employee Staff Request. (Required)
e. After selecting Leave Type a new Leave Reason field will populate. Select the most appropriate Leave Reason.
i. IMPORTANT: Add detailed information about the LOA request in the Comment box. The LOA administrator team will determine the appropriate Leave Type based on the information provided in the Comment box.
f. Documentation is recommended. Select Supporting Documents to expand the section and add at least one attachment.
i. Within the Supporting Documents table select the plus-sign to add a row.
ii. In the new row, choose Attach and use the file explorer to add any supporting documents.
1. Add as many rows as needed to attach all supporting documents.
g. Select Submit.
5. A dialog box pops up with the next task (Complete Questionnaire) to complete. Select Complete Questionnaire.
a. If the dialog box disappears, select the Mail icon in the top-right corner of the page to navigate to My Tasks, and then choose the Leave Request task on the left side of the screen.
6. Within the Complete Questionnaire page, complete the following questions to the best of your ability regarding your request for leave:
a. Leave Type (Required) – Choose among Medical Leave, Parental Benefit, Care of Family Member, and Intermittent Leave by selecting the appropriate radio dial.
b. The Reason for Leave (Required) section opens once the applicable Leave Type is chosen. Options presented in this section are determined by the selected Leave Type.
i. If Medical Leave>Health condition (self) is selected, you must also indicate how to use paid time off accruals.
c. Who is your supervisor?
d. Who is your department Human Resource Partner?
e. Please provide a home email address, cell phone number, and mailing address in the below text box. The email address may not be your @uchicago.edu email or any other University of Chicago extension. (Required)
f. Review the University's FMLA policy and type your full name in the text box below to acknowledge the following statement: (Required)
i. I understand that I am required to inform my supervisor of my intention to request a leave of absence prior to submitting this request to HR-Leave Administration. I further understand that I am not required to share personal health information with my supervisor but am informing them for work planning purposes only.
7. After completing the questionnaire to the best of your ability, select Submit.
8. The process then routes to a Leave Administrator who determines what additional documentation is needed.
9. At this point you will receive a Workday notification and, if enabled, a Workday-generated email sent to your “@uchicago.edu” email address.
a. For additional details about Workday notifications, see the Updating Notification Preferences in Workday Knowledge Base Article.
10. Once an LOA is approved, the Leave Administrator notifies Payroll (for accrual tracking and payments during LOA), updates the LOA in Workday, and sends a confirmation to you, your HRP, and payroll.
1. Employees must contact their supervisor prior to returning to work upon conclusion of the LOA. Please refer to the applicable policy under which your absence was approved for information regarding the process for returning to work. If the LOA is for your own serious health condition, you will be required to submit a release from your healthcare provider indicating you are physically able to complete the essential functions of your job. Your supervisor or HRP will confirm return to work plans with you no later than seven days in advance of your return.
2. If your leave was approved for fewer than 13-weeks, but cannot return to work, you may need to submit updated medical documentation to Leave Administration in support of your request for an extension. Leave Administration will discuss the request with your HR representative.
3. If additional time off is needed AND the additional time off being requested extends the total time off beyond 13-weeks, you must provide updated medical documentation to Leave Administration in support of your request for an extension. Leave Administration, your HRP, and Employee and Labor Relations will engage with you in an interactive process to determine whether a reasonable accommodation can be approved.
a. The request should be submitted as soon as the need for additional time is known.
b. If eligible, employees may be required to apply for Long Term Disability benefits. Leave Administration will assist employees with determining whether this is necessary.