Williams College Employee Handbook

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Leave of Absence for Personal Reasons - Faculty

Paid Sick Leave, Maternity Leave and Parental Leave

During the first year of appointment, sick leave with full pay shall continue for six months from the com-mencement of a disability caused by illness or accident, or until the end of the term contract, whichever occurs sooner.

In subsequent years, sick leave with pay shall continue during disability for twelve months following the commencement of a disability caused by illness or accident, or until the end of a term contract, whichever occurs sooner, at the following rates: six months at full pay, followed by six months at the amount payable under TIAA Disability Insurance Medical documentation supporting the need for the leave must be provided to the Benefits Office.

Maternity Leave

Paid sick leave benefits for childbirth are based on the assumption of an eight-week disability in the absence of complications. This is consistent with federal guidelines and will be reviewed should those guidelines change.

The maternity leave policy for faculty who have been at Williams for more than one year on a non-visiting appointment provides alternatives to the disability arrangement described above. In order to accommodate the educational program of the College and to respond to the particular timing of the faculty’s teaching responsibilities, faculty with such appointments have the option of being released from all or part of their teaching duties in the semester during or following the birth of a child. When childbirth is expected during the academic year, the faculty member may take a one-semester maternity leave at 3/4 pay in the relevant semester. When childbirth is expected outside of the regular semester, the faculty member may elect either a one-semester maternity leave at 3/4 pay or the equivalent of a one-course reduction without loss of pay for the semester following childbirth. The faculty member will normally elect to combine this maternity leave with a paid parental leave, for a total of one semester’s leave at full pay (see part 2 of this section), but she may elect to take the parental leave in the subsequent semester or to have her spouse/partner take the parental leave if he/she is also an employee of the college. Faculty members anticipating the birth of a child should discuss their leave plans with the Dean of the Faculty as soon as possible so that the range of options can be fully explored and arrangements approved.

If an individual takes a maternity leave or a combined maternity and parental leave for one semester, she will be expected to teach the equivalent of three courses during Winter Study and the non-leave semester. Finally, if a member of the faculty takes one or two maternity leaves prior to a tenure decision, she may elect to delay the tenure decision by one year. The person who wishes to delay the tenure decision should inform her department chair and the Dean of the Faculty of this as soon as possible. Normally, she should notify the college of her decision to delay the tenure process no later than September 1 of the calendar year prior to the originally scheduled time for the tenure decision. Should the maternity leave occur prior to the reappointment decision, she may delay the reappointment decision as well. In this instance, she should notify the college by May 1 of the calendar year of her reappointment decision. Whether the faculty member takes one maternity leave or two, and whether or not she delays the reappointment decision, the total by which the tenure decision can be delayed for maternity leaves is one year.

The general college rule that faculty members will be in residence and teaching for no less than three consecutive years (six semesters) between leaves of any kind (see Professional Leave) will be waived in order to grant a maternity leave, and the maternity leave will be considered equivalent to time in residence and teaching for the purpose of determining the timing of leaves.

Faculty Parental Leave

A non-visiting, benefit-eligible faculty member who becomes a parent of a newborn or adopted child after at least one year of service is entitled to paid parental leave in the form of a one-course teaching reduction. If both parents are faculty members, only one is entitled to paid parental leave. The parental leave is available during the semester the child is born or adopted, or during the semester immediately following the birth or adoption. Parents who are not also eligible for the disability portion of maternity leave (i.e., fathers or adoptive mothers) may request a second course off without pay to achieve one semester’s leave. Such requests are subject to approval by the Dean of the Faculty and are dependent on the needs of the faculty member’s department and/or program.

If a member of the faculty takes more than one parental leave prior to a tenure decision, he or she may elect to delay the tenure decision by one year. The person who wishes to delay the tenure decision should inform his or her department chair and the Dean of the Faculty of this as soon as possible. Normally, the faculty member should notify the college of his or her decision to delay the tenure process no later than September 1 of the calendar year prior to the originally scheduled time for the tenure decision. Should more than one parental leave accrue prior to the reappointment decision, the faculty member may opt to delay the reappointment decision. Regardless of the timing of the parental leaves, the total by which the tenure decision can be delayed for parental leaves is one year.

The general College rule that faculty members will be in residence and teaching for no less than three consecutive years (six semesters) between leaves of any kind (see Professional Leave) will be waived in order to grant a parental leave, and the parental leave will be considered equivalent to time in residence and teaching for the purpose of determining the timing of leaves

Sick Leave Options

There are three sick leave options available to faculty members: a) continue working on a normal basis except during a period of disability when the College sick leave policy applies; b) elect to work for the semester during or immediately following the period of disability on a part-time basis, with salary and sick leave benefits pro-rated accordingly; and c) request unpaid leave of absence. No matter which option is chosen, the College continues to provide medical insurance under the cost-sharing basis described.

If a faculty member suffers a significant loss of time due to illness prior to the tenure decision, he or she should discuss with the Dean of the Faculty the possibility of delaying the tenure decision and, if applicable, the reappointment decision. If a faculty member becomes ill during a sabbatical to the degree that, had he or she been scheduled to teach during that semester, he or she would have been entitled to a sick leave, the faculty member will be eligible to take a sick leave from the sabbatical (allowing them to receive compensatory sabbatical time to make up for the time lost to illness). Such claims will be reviewed by the Dean of the Faculty on the same basis as claims for sick leave from normal teaching duties.

Unpaid Leaves for Illness or Child Care

A faculty member may request a semester’s unpaid leave of absence for reasons of illness or child care. Since the College may wish to staff the position with temporary or substitute help, leave requests should be made with as much notice as possible.

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