Leaves

The College provides several leave options for employees and ensures compliance with various leave laws. Employees needing a leave of absence should familiarize themselves with available leave types, policies, eligibility criteria, and the process for requesting leave.

Links to resources for leave of absence and detailed information on different types of leaves are provided below. For comprehensive policy details, please consult the directory of college policies. For further assistance, reach out to the Benefits Team at extension 2424 or via email at HRbenefits@holycross.edu.

Getting Started - Navigating The Leave Process

Leave Planning Checklists

Employee Request To Initiate a Leave of Absence Forms

Medical Leave Of Absence:  Yourself, Parental, or Care for a Family Member 

Other-Leave of Absence

Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (MA PFML)

Paid leave benefits now available for all employees under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (MA PFML), as well as the College’s new Supplemental Medical Leave plan available to benefits-eligible employees.  For information about MA PFML and Supplemental Medical Leave, please review the MA PFML Pamphlet (PDF) issued by the College in December 2020.

Bereavement Leave

Holy Cross recognizes the importance of taking leave when there is a death in the family. Where bereavement leave is not required by law, the College will provide paid bereavement leave as follows:

An employee may be absent without loss of pay for up to three days if someone in their immediate family or household dies. Members of their immediate family or household are considered to be their spouse, domestic partner, child, step-children, domestic partner’s children, siblings, step-siblings, parent, parent-in-law, step-parents or domestic partner’s parents, grandchildren, step-grandchildren or domestic partner’s grandchildren, grandparents, step-grandparents, grand parents-in-law, or domestic partner’s grandparents or other relatives living in the immediate household.

The purpose of this benefit is to allow employees, in a time of personal loss, the opportunity to travel (if needed) and to grieve. Time away from work for bereavement for anyone other than those persons listed above must be charged to vacation, floating holiday or personal time, and is subject to supervisor approval.

Employees must provide notice of the need for bereavement leave as far in advance as possible. The College may require documentation supporting their need for bereavement leave.

Domestic Violence Leave

Up to fifteen (15) days of Domestic Violence Leave during any rolling twelve (12) month period is available to all employees to address the effects of domestic violence including abuse, abusive behavior, including domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or kidnapping, of the employee, or a family member of the employee. Perpetrators of domestic violence are not eligible for this leave.

Leave may be granted to seek or obtain medical attention, counseling, victim services, or legal assistance; to secure housing; to obtain a protective order from a court; to appear in court or before a grand jury; to meet with a district attorney or other law enforcement official; to attend child custody proceedings; or to address other issues directly related to abusive behavior against the employee or a member of the employee’s family. 

Leave must be requested in advance, from Human Resources, for foreseeable events and as much notice as possible given if the need for leave is unforeseeable. If there is an imminent threat to the health or safety of an employee or the employee’s family, advance notice is not required, but Human Resources must be notified as soon as possible and within three (3) days.

For full information about Domestic Violence Leave, see the complete policy and application instructions (PDF) or call Human Resources at 3391.

Military Leave

You will be given time off for required annual military reserve training. You will continue to receive your regular salary for such duties. Military pay vouchers are to be submitted to the Human Resources department so that the necessary adjustments in salary can be made. For more information, please refer to the Reserve Call-Up policy, available in Human Resources.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Employees who have completed twelve (12) months of employment and have worked more than 1,250 hours in the preceding twelve (12) months are eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act. FMLA may be taken by eligible employees for up to 12 weeks unpaid leave during a 12-month period for the following purposes:

  • To care for a newborn, a newly adopted or newly placed foster child
  • To care for a child, a spouse or a parent who has a serious health condition
  • The employee's own serious health condition
  • Active Duty Leave - Leave due to a spouse, son, daughter or parent being on active duty or having been notified of an impending call or order to active duty in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation.
  • Caregiver Leave - This benefit provides 26 weeks of FMLA leave during a single 12‐month period for a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or nearest blood relative caring for a recovering service member.

To view the FMLA policy in its entirety and review procedures for requesting a leave, please visit the Policies and Procedures website. For additional information, please contact Human Resources. 

Workers' Compensation

College employees are expected to be safety‐conscious and report any unsafe conditions to their supervisor or department head. In the event that an employee, including a student worker, is injured on the job, the injury must be reported immediately to his/her supervisor or department head.

If you are absent from work as a result of a work-related injury you may be eligible for partial income in lieu of lost wages, as well as certain medical payments under the Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Law beginning with the sixth day of absence.

Workers' compensation benefits are coordinated with the College's leave policies and in cases of prolonged disability, with the Long Term Disability Insurance Plan. Upon employee request, sick time, vacation days and the like may be used during this period in conjunction with workers’ compensation benefits.

An employee must submit a clearance from the attending physician before returning to work following an absence because of a work‐related injury.

To view the workers' compensation policy in its entirety and to review procedures, please visit the policies website.

Parental Leave

For full details see the Parental Leave policy. Parental leave does not apply to periods when the employee would not otherwise be working and is not extended by holidays that fall within the leave period. Parental leave runs concurrently with the Family and Medical Leave Act and any other applicable leaves.

Fully Paid Parental Leave for Benefits-Eligible Staff and Administrative Employees

The College provides benefits-eligible full-time staff and administrative employees (i.e., employees who work at least 27.5 hours per week for at least 40 weeks per year) with a Parental Leave benefit that provides full pay at their normal weekly pay rate for the first eight (8) weeks of any approved parental leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. Following the eighth (8th) week of such leave, any additional period of child bonding leave is paid at the benefit rate set by the MA PFML law.

Parental Leave for Faculty Members

Faculty members are entitled to paid parental leave as set forth in the Statutes of the Faculty

Jury Duty

If an employee is required to serve on a jury, they will continue to receive their regular wages or salary for the first three days of juror service or any part thereof. For any additional days, time spent on jury duty will be unpaid. An employee may opt to use available vacation or other available paid time off in place of unpaid leave. However, while on the jury, an employee is expected to be at work for any days, or parts of days, that the employee is not required for court attendance.

Holy Cross encourages employees to fulfill their civic duties related to jury duty. If an employee is summoned for jury duty, they must notify their supervisor as soon as possible to make scheduling arrangements. 

The College reserves the right to require employees to provide proof of jury duty service to the extent authorized by law.

The College of the Holy Cross at its option, may change, delete, suspend or discontinue parts of, or College policies in their entirety, at any time without prior notice. In the event of a policy change, employees will be notified. Any such action shall apply to existing as well as to future employees.