Berkeley Lab is expanding its RPM Sick Leave policy provisions for policy covered staff effective January 1, 2025. With these changes Berkeley Lab will align with the University of California, who announced these expanded Sick Leave policy changes on UCNet.
Berkeley Lab’s Sick Leave policy changes will include:
- Expansion of Sick Leave eligibility that ensures all employees have access to Sick Leave, including Student Assistants and employees in Limited appointments who work less than 50% time;
- Expansion of the use of Sick Leave reasons to include:
- Diagnosis, care, or treatment of an existing physical or mental health condition of an employee or employee’s family member; and
- Preventative care for the employee or employee’s family member ;
- Provision of six days of “protected” Sick Leave for a qualifying reason. “Protected” in this context is similar to protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave policy; and
- Extension of the reinstatement period from 90 days to 12 months for all unused Sick Leave when an employee is rehired after a separation of employment
UC Systemwide Labor Relations is working with bargaining unit representatives to expand paid leave options for Sick Leave purposes for represented employees, subject to applicable collective bargaining requirements.
Questions regarding these changes to the RPM Sick Leave policy can be directed to your division HR Field contact or to hrpolicies@lbl.gov. An update to the RPM Sick Leave policy is forthcoming.
The following protected sick leave guidelines are provided to support employees and supervisors/managers on how to navigate protected sick leave:
Employees
- Protected sick leave is not a separate leave entitlement. Protected sick leave utilizes an employee’s existing earned Sick Leave balance. If an employee does not have any Sick Leave balance available, they may not use protected sick leave.
- Employees may use protected sick leave for the following reasons:
- The diagnosis, care, or treatment of an existing physical or mental health condition of the employee or the employee’s family member;
- Preventive care for an employee or an employee’s family member; or
- For an employee who is a victim or whose family member is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other qualifying acts of violence.
- When taking Sick Leave, employees must inform their supervisor when they wish to designate the Sick Leave as protected. The request may be done verbally or in writing and should be made as soon as practicable.
- Only six days in a calendar year may be used as protected sick leave. Unused protected sick leave in a calendar year does not carry over to the next calendar year.
- When taking protected sick leave, employees will record it in LETS using the LETS code: Protect Sick.
Supervisors/Managers
- Supervisors/Managers may not deny or prohibit the use of protected sick leave when it is designated as such by an employee.
- Supervisors/Managers may not count protected sick leave as an occurrence for discipline.
- Supervisors/Managers may not designate protected sick leave in LETS, unless the employee has made the designation, verbally or in writing, for protected sick leave.
