How do I ask for time off?

All requests for sick/vacation are initiated at the department level. Ask your supervisor how the leave requests are handled in your department, and they will guide you through the process. It is important to allow as much advance notice for time off requests as possible. Human Resources is available to assist in the resolution of issues arising in this process.

How do I accrue sick and vacation days and where do I find the balance?

Both balances and accrual rates of current sick, vacation and personal time are found on your employee time card. Any questions about balances should be addressed to the Payroll Office.

What if my sick days run out?

Once your sick and vacation balances have run out, classified employees may request to borrow up to 2 weeks of time from the University and 2 weeks from the State. Non-classified employees may request to borrow up to 2 weeks of advance accrual from the University. An employee must have one year of service before being eligible for an advance. A USP-10 form (Request for Sick Leave Advance) is completed and submitted along with a note from the health care provider to your department head for approval. Then, once HR approves the request, Payroll will be notified for processing.

After that, sick leave pools/banks may be available depending on circumstances. Please click HERE to view the various union contract sections on sick banks. For more information, consult your union contract or union representatives. Non-union employees should contact Anne Marie Coleman (874-2414) or Leslie Cronan (874-2684) in Human Resources.

Where do I find more information about leaves?

All leaves, both paid and unpaid, are addressed by the State, Board of Governor and URI contracts. Sick, vaction, and personal leaves are included in a table on the Human Resources website. Other types of leaves, paid and unpaid, can be found in the tables included on the “Taking Time Off” page on this website. These tables include links to the various union contracts. If you have further questions, please contact Leslie Cronan in HR at 874-2684 or email lcronan@uri.edu.

Please explain FMLA to me.

The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 was established to provide employees up to 12 weeks per year of unpaid, job-protected leave with continuation of health benefits to eligible employees for the following reasons:

• for incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care, or childbirth
• to care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care of a child 16 years or younger
• to care for the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, or in-law, who has a serious health condition
• for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his or her job

To qualify, the employee must work 30 hours or more per week in a place of employment of 50 or more employees. Please note that FMLA leave can also be taken in small increments, in hours rather than in days, when needed.

Rhode Island has its own FMLA, which includes provisions of up to 13 weeks. In addition to FMLA, most contracts and the Board of Governors include provisions for such leaves, including those that exceed the FMLA 12 weeks. URI provides job protected unpaid leave for up to one year in certain approved circumstances.

A complete description of Employee Rights and Responsibilities of the FMLA Act can be found HERE.