Kaskaskia College provides paid sick leave to eligible employees who may need time away from work due to illness, injury, medical appointments or to attend to health needs that cannot be addressed during non-working hours. Sick leave is not intended to be used as vacation.
Notification Requirements
Employees are required to provide notice to their supervisor at least two hours prior to the start of their shift of their intent to use sick leave and the reason for the leave. In case of emergency, notice should be provided as soon as possible. Employees who do not provide the appropriate notice may be subject to disciplinary action.
A leave request must be submitted the day after returning from sick leave by the employee to their supervisor. It is the responsibility of the employee to provide sick leave documentation and submit documentation by the established deadline. Employees who do not complete the required documentation by the appropriate deadline may be subject to disciplinary action.
Immediate Family Definition
Immediate family is defined as employee’s spouse, domestic partner, children, stepchildren, parents, stepparents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, legal guardians, sons in- law, daughters in- law, parents in-law, sisters in-law, and brothers in-law.
Abuse of Sick Leave
Abuse of sick leave is defined as the use of sick leave for purposes other than those set forth in the Sick Leave, Personal Leave, Employee Bereavement Leave, and Employee Attendance, Absenteeism, and Unauthorized Absence policies.
Common Signs of Sick Leave Abuse
- Utilizing sick leave on a regular, periodic basis (like every other Friday)
- Providing insufficient or no evidence supporting alleged reason for utilizing sick leave
Management of Sick Leave
Direct supervisors should regularly monitor and manage all sick leave used by the employees under their supervision. The direct supervisor should consider the following factors to identify sick leave abuse:
- The frequency of and the reasons for sick leave use. Absences necessitated by documented chronic long-term illness/disabilities will not be considered inappropriate use.
- The balance between an employee’s number of years of service and hours of unused sick leave.
- Repeated weekly absences and/or patterns.
- Absences when a vacation request is denied.
- "Seasonal absences” associated with given times of the year (e.g., hunting season) or paid holidays.
- Excessive use of sick leave during periods of progressive discipline or immediately prior to retirement.
- Failure to notify the College in accordance with the Sick Leave, Personal Day Leave and Employee Bereavement Leave policies when the employee is absent.
- The impact of the employee’s absences on the workplace (e.g., disruptions in work schedule, overtime costs, student learning impacted, etc.).
If the direct supervisor suspects sick leave abuse is occurring, then the direct supervisor shall or may:
- Consult with Human Resources.
- Counsel the employee on his/her use of sick leave and document accordingly.
- If the direct supervisor has reason to suspect that an employee is abusing sick leave, the direct supervisor may require the employee to provide medical documentation from a licensed medical practitioner for sick leave use and for affixed time period to verify legitimate use of sick leave.
- Deny the use of sick leave reported on the time sheet/leave request if there is evidence or reasonable belief that abuse has occurred unless the employee provides satisfactory evidence of legitimate use of sick leave.
- Document all conversations and actions taken regarding the suspected abuse of sick leave.
Frequent or patterned absences/leave abuses that impact the employee’s ability to complete required work performance should be reflected in the employee’s annual performance evaluation.
If sick leave abuse continues, and the absences negatively affect the employee’s performance or the operations of the College, discipline up to and including termination may be imposed. Such discipline may not be imposed when the reasons for sick leave use have been legitimate, taken as part of a Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or an Organ Donor Absence.
Medical Certification
Kaskaskia College may require a signed, written statement from a licensed healthcare provider to verify the reason for the employee’s absence.
Unused Sick Leave
Kaskaskia College permits eligible employees to carry over unused sick leave to the next year. Upon termination, an employee will not be compensated for unused sick days. Retiring employees who participate in SURS may qualify for pension service credit for unused, accrued sick leave in accordance with SURS.
Please see your Leave Balance Detail under Self-Service-Leave on MyKC.
Approved: 11/20/2023