Unpaid Leave of Absence

Submitted by TMHopkins on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 20:46
Policy: 

If a situation arises where an employee needs to take an unpaid leave of absence which is not covered by a state or federal guaranteed leave of absence, Mains’l may grant employees unpaid leave of absence under certain circumstances and in situations when it can be accommodated.

Unpaid leave of absences are not required to be given to an employee as other state and other federally mandated leaves. A position with Mains’l may not be guaranteed following an unpaid leave of absence.

An unpaid leave of absence is reviewed on a case by case basis according to the employee’s needs and the impact of the employee’s absence on their work location and team. A request for an unpaid leave of absence is approved at the discretion of Mains’l in partnership with management and human resources.

Procedure: 

How to Request         

Requests for unpaid leave or any extension of an unpaid leave should be submitted in writing to the
employee’s immediate supervisor 30 days prior, or as soon as possible to the beginning of the leave period or extension of the leave period. The request needs to include the start and end date of the leave.               

The supervisor will partner with the designated HR representative to discuss if accommodation can be made without negatively impacting the organization.

If a request is not received and approved and the employee takes the leave, the absence is considered a No Call/No Show or Unapproved Absence and the guidelines as stated in the Attendance policy and procedure apply.

Insurance Benefits     

Employees may continue the coverage in effect before their leave of absence according to the provisions of the insurance contract and the Federal COBRA legislation. Information concerning provisions, restrictions, and cost of insurance under COBRA are sent to the employee.

If the employee returns to full time work following the leave of absence, they must re-enroll in the insurance plan and are subject to the waiting period.

Other Benefits            

Holiday pay (salaried employees) will not be paid during an unpaid leave of absence.

Return to work                       

It is expected that an employee will contact the supervisor prior to the end of their approved leave of absence. If the leave is at the discretion of Mains’l and not covered under any other leave policy or regulation, there is no guarantee that the employee will be returned to their position. If the position is not available, the employee will be referred to human resources to apply for other positions within Mains’l. If an employee does not contact the supervisor at the end of their approved leave of absence, the employee is separated from their employment. Upon returning to work it is important for an employee to complete any missed trainings that would have occurred for their position during their absence.