Paid Time Off and Leave Options
The Ohio State University recognizes the importance of supporting faculty and staff as they balance career, personal and family life. As part of the total rewards package, the university provides paid time off and unpaid leave options to support employees.
- Leaves of Absence are job protected absences from work and are mostly unpaid.
- Paid Time Off’s are utilized for pay during absences from work (may be utilized during a Leave of Absence to receive pay, or, for individual days off for illness/injury/sick/vacation which are not associated with a leave of absence).
- All employees should request leaves of absence and monitor leave balances in Workday (see detailed instructions for requesting leaves of absence).
- Campus employees should also request time off (vacation, sick, parental, etc.) in Workday (see detailed instructions for requesting time off).
- Health System employees should request time off in Kronos (see detailed instructions for requesting time off for Health System employees).
- Employees with a serious health condition (illness, injury) or who have an immediate family member with a serious health condition should review Family and Medical Leave (FML) Policy.
- View vacation and sick time accrual schedules
Paid Time Off
Paid time off is the type of pay an employee may receive when they are unable to work for certain qualifying reasons. Paid time off may be used alone, or it may run concurrently with a Leave of Absence, depending on the type of time off or leave needed (i.e. sick time may be used to receive pay while on an approved FML Leave of Absence). Campus employees should request time off (vacation, sick, parental, etc.) in Workday. See the How to Request Time Off job aid for more information. Health System employees should request time off in Kronos.
Complete information on paid time off offered by the university can be found in the Paid Time Off Policy.
Eligible faculty and staff may use vacation intermittently or continuously subject to supervisor approval. Vacation in lieu of sick may be used for illness or injury of self or immediate family member when there is insufficient sick time to cover the absence(s) (see vacation and sick time accrual schedules).
May be used intermittently or continuously for illness or injury of self, immediate or extended family member, for medical appointments, foster care placement, birth/adoptive events and death of a family member (bereavement). A faculty or staff member who is taking sick time on a recurring or continuous basis may be eligible for job protected leave pursuant to Family and Medical Leave (FML). (see vacation and sick time accrual schedules)
Faculty and staff may take up to five working days (1 week) of sick time for bereavement due to death of an immediate or extended family member. An additional five working days (1 week) may be available for the death of an immediate family member, subject to approval based on operational needs. 1 day of bereavement leave may be available to attend funeral or services for a non-immediate or non-extended family member.
Provides eligible faculty and staff members with paid time off to recover from childbirth and/or to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted child. Parental time may be combined with other time off and leave programs to maximize the length of paid absence available. Parental time runs concurrent with approved Family and Medical Leave (FML) or Medical Leave (Non-FML) for birth and adoptive events. See Paid Time Off Policy (page 6-7) and the Parental Care Guidebook (page 4) for more information.
Faculty and staff will be granted excused absence from work without loss of pay when summoned for jury duty or subpoenaed to appear before court. See Paid Time Off Policy (page 6) for more information.
Provides eligible faculty and staff members with a paid time off benefit when donating an organ or bone marrow. See Paid Time Off Policy (page 6) for more information.
Eligible faculty and staff can donate vacation to an eligible faculty or staff member who needs to provide care for their own or an immediate family member’s serious health condition, for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child or for the death of an immediate family member. See Paid Time Off Policy (page 7-8) for more information.
Unpaid Leave
Unpaid leave provides Ohio State faculty and staff with options for time away from work for a variety of reasons. Unpaid Leave (when approved) may provide job protection but does not include pay for periods of time not worked. Paid Time Off options may, in certain circumstances, run concurrently with Unpaid Leave.
Complete information on unpaid leave programs can be found in the Unpaid Leave Policy.
- Faculty and staff may request an unpaid leave for personal, professional or medical reasons, including pregnancy.
- Unpaid leave may run concurrently with disability benefits (short-term disability, long-term disability and workers’ compensation) and Family and Medical Leave (FML) or Medical Leave (Non-FML).
- Faculty and staff will be billed for benefits contributions while on unpaid leave.
- While not receiving pay from the university, employees have the option, within the first 30 days of approved Family and Medical Leave (FML) or Military Leave, to elect continuation of their benefits or waive them. At the start of the leave, employees must complete the Benefit Continuation During Approved Family Medical Leave (FML) or Military Leave of Absence form to indicate their choice. If an employee elects to continue benefits during an unpaid leave, they will be billed monthly for the employee premium cost of the benefits. Coverage will stop if the employee does not make payment by the due date.
See the Leaves of Absence page if you anticipate an extended leave of absence.
Other Leave
Eligible employees may be granted disaster leave at the discretion of the university depending on the nature and duration of the disaster. See the Disaster Leave Policy for more information.
The university supports flexible work arrangements that enables staff to balance work and personal needs while providing workforce predictability and stability. See the Flexible Work Policy for more information.
The university observes 11 holidays per year and provides eligible employees with a holiday benefit. See list of university holidays.
Full-time or part-time employees who are members of the uniformed services, are entitled to military time off with pay for up to one month each calendar year and military leave without pay for up to a maximum of five years. Please note that paid military time off can be utilized during unpaid military leave. See the Military Leave Policy for more information.