Leave

The following information relates to the most commonly used types of Leave. For further information on leave conditions, please refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement or contact your Senior HR Business Partner at the Office of People and Culture.

Applying for Leave

To date staff are only able to apply for whole day annual and sick leave online (whole day can include multiples of whole days).

The Office of People and Culture (OPC) are now introducing the capability to maximise the number and type of leave requests which are available to be requested online and approved through online means. This will include the opportunity for full-time and part-time staff to apply for the bulk of their leave online. Exceptions as to what cannot be captured online are in the table below. These types of leave are exceptions due to the manual and individual calculations that must occur for these types of leave to ensure they are recorded correctly.

Key Points

    • Introducing more options to apply for leave online – Effective 1 October 2012.
    • Some specific leave types will continue to be processed via paper based forms (see table below).
    • As at 1 January 2013, paper based leave forms will not be accepted if the leave is available for online booking.
    • Part-day leave will be available to be booked online.
    • Medical certificates must be scanned and attached online when booking sick leave with a medical certificate.
    • Personal leave will be able to be booked online and will have a drop down list of values  for staff to indicate reasons for personal leave
    • All part-time staff will need to have their work pattern recorded in the HR system by end of November.
    • HR Partners are currently working with Schools to facilitate the work patterns for part-time staff to be accurately recorded in the HR system.
    • New functionality is also being introduced to allow part-time staff to maintain their work pattern online. This functionality is similar to a leave booking and will require approval by the supervisor before the change is made in the HR system.
    • Flexi time online is currently in pilot stage. Eventually flex sheets will be online and all leave booked online will automatically populate the staff members flex sheet. As this is deployed to all staff, Flex Leave will be required to be booked online also.
    • For more information:
      • Senior HR Partners will assist in facilitating part-time staff work patterns are accurately recorded or
      • Contact Susan Hudson if you have any comments or specific enquiries

    Leave types that MUST be booked online
    From the 1st October 2012, the following leave types MUST be booked online. Paper based leave forms will not be accepted after 1 January 2013 and will be returned to the approving supervisor who will be required to ensure the leave booking is entered online

    • Annual Leave
    • Sick Leave
    • Long Service Leave -  Full pay only
    • Personal Leave
    • Flex Leave (as this is rolled out to all professional staff)

    Leave types that CANNOT be booked online
    The leave types in the below table CANNOT be booked online. Paper based leave forms must be submitted to your supervisor for approval and then on forwarded to the Office of People and Culture for processing.

    • Adoption Leave
    • Jury Duty/Witness in Court
    • Emergency Services Call Out Leave
    • Indigenous Cultural Leave Paid
    • Long Service Leave - Half Pay
    • Leave Without Pay
    • Maternity Leave
    • Military Leave/Reserves Training
    • Partner Leave
    • Professional Development Program
    • Research Leave
    • Sick Leave Without Pay
    • Trade Union Training
    • Workers Compensation

    Any queries about booking leave online or the types of leave that can be booked online should be made to your HR Partner or through the OPC Help Line on ext 5838

    Please see the HR Systems user guides for information on applying for Leave on Staff Online. 

    You must submit a paper leave application for all other types of leave. Please refer to the Leave Type listing for full details.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    Annual Leave

    How much Annual Leave do I have?
    Your annual leave balance is available via Staff Online. If you have an enquiry concerning your balance, you should contact your HR Officer in Staffing Services. If you receive paper based payslips because you are unable to access Staff Online, annual leave balances will appear on your payslip.

    How much annual leave can I accrue?
    During each calendar year, you must take annual leave of at least three weeks in any approved pattern unless you have insufficient paid leave available.

    Only in special circumstances, and with the written approval of the University, can you accrue more than 6 week's annual leave.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    What happens to my annual leave on resignation?
    If you resign, you are entitled to be paid out the value of your unused annual leave as at your last day of duty.

    When do I get paid my annual leave loading?
    You will receive your annual leave loading in the first pay period in December.

    Sick Leave

    What am I entitled to?
    An employee will accrue paid sick leave on a daily basis at the rate of 15 days a year. Untaken paid sick leave will accumulate from year to year. An employee engaged part time will receive sick leave entitlements on a pro-rata basis.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    If you are a casual employee, you are paid a loading in lieu of sick leave entitlements and are therefore not entitled to paid sick leave.

    When do I need to provide a medical certificate?
    A medical certificate must be provided if:

    • you are absent in your first three months of service with UWS, or
    • you have been absent for more than three consecutive working days.

    You must also provide a medical certificate if you are sick for five or more working days of your annual or long service leave, for that leave to be re credited and the sick period taken from your sick leave entitlement (please refer to the UWS Enterprise Agreements for full details).

    You are required to use Staff Online for whole day sick leave absences. If you use Staff Online and you have a medical certificate you must print your name and employee number on the top of the certificate and give it to your supervisor who must forward them to the relevant HR Officer in Staffing Services in a sealed envelope.

    Personal Leave

    What is Personal Leave?
    Personal leave is available:

    • to meet family, cultural, religious or special needs;
    • to care for a dependant or a member of your immediate family;
    • on account of the death of a member of your immediate family.

    You are entitled, as an ongoing or fixed term employee, to take up to six days paid leave in any 12 month period and you may also use up to a maximum of ten days of your sick leave in any 12 month period as Personal leave.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    For information on Cultural and Festival days, as well as guidelines for addressing Cultural issues and events, visit the Equity and Diversity website

    Parental Leave

    What Maternity leave is available?
    If you are a female staff member (including casual staff) and you become pregnant, you may be entitled to up to 52 weeks maternity leave.

    What flexibility is available on return to work after Maternity leave?
    If you are entitled to paid maternity leave, and you return to work full-time or on the same part-time arrangement as you were working prior to taking leave within 12 months of commencing the maternity leave, you will be entitled to a phased return to work.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme (PPLS)
    The Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme (PPLS) will be implemented from 1 January, 2011 and employees are now able to lodge PPLS claims with the Family Assistance Office (FAO).

    Further information regarding the PPL scheme and applications must be made directly to the Family Assistance Office (opens in a new window). UWS is unable to provide specific advice of a financial or determinative nature in relation to the PPL scheme.

    Leave Without Pay

    Under what circumstances could I take Leave Without Pay?
    Leave without pay, on a full-time or part-time basis, may be approved by the University for a period of up to one year. Appropriate reasons for taking leave without pay are detailed within the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement.

    It should be noted that other forms of leave (such as annual leave, sick, long service) might not accrue during a grant of leave without pay. Leave without pay may also affect increment dates and superannuation entitlements.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for further details.

    How do I apply for leave without pay?
    Applications must be made using the Leave Application form, detailing the duration of the absence and the reason for the request. Submit the form to your supervisor for approval.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for further details.

    Long Service Leave

    What am I entitled to?
    After 10 years continuous service, you are entitled to three months long service leave at your base rate of pay or six months leave at half your base rate of pay.

    After 15 years of continuous service, you are entitled to 4.5 months leave at your base rate of pay.

    Recognition of prior service

    Service with UWS as an ongoing or fixed-term employee, may be recognised as prior service.

    Part-time and full-time service at other Australian higher education institutions may also be recognised as prior service. For full details refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement.

    How do I apply for Long Service Leave?
    You must complete an online leave application using Staff Online. Leave may be taken at your choosing, provided that a minimum of six months' written notice is given.

    Emergencies Service Call-out

    Am I entitled to Emergency Services Call-out leave?
    If you are a member of a voluntary Emergency Services organisation which is an accredited organisation defined within the State Emergency and Management Act 1989, you may be granted paid leave during an emergency declared by authority of the State Emergency Services Act 1989.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    When is Emergency Services Call-out leave taken?
    When an emergency is declared by authority of the State Emergency Services Act 1989, and you have been called to attend the emergency, you must inform your supervisor of your absence as soon as possible.

    Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

    Christmas Closedown

    During the Christmas/New Year closedown period, staff members are generally granted three days leave on full pay in addition to the designated public holidays. Staff members may apply to take either Annual Leave or Flexi Leave for the remaining days of the closedown.

    Staff will be advised each year of the approved closedown dates.

    NSW Public Holidays

    Public Holidays for New South Wales are promulgated by the New South Wales Government. Full details can be found on the NSW Department of Industrial Relations website.

    Also refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement.