Time Off & Away

All full-time staff members are eligible for three personal days with pay each fiscal year (July through June). The award of personal days for new hires will be prorated according to hire date and will be available to use after 90 days of employment. Unused personal days may not be carried over to the next fiscal year, may not be taken after notice of termination is given and are not paid upon termination.

A medical leave of absence includes yourself, parental or care for a family member. Please refer to this document for the full paid family medical leave policy.

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, siblings, parent, grandchildren, grandparent, or spouse/domestic partner’s parents, children, siblings, grandchildren, 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.

Please refer to this document for the full domestic violence leave policy.

Holy Cross provides up to 15 days of unpaid leave per rolling 12-month period to victims of abusive behavior, domestic violence, sexual assault, kidnapping and/or stalking, and certain family members, for purposes directly related to the abusive behavior. These purposes may include seeking legal or medical services, counseling or victim's services; securing housing; obtaining a protective order; appearing in court or before a grand jury; meeting with a district attorney or other law enforcement official; attending child custody proceedings; or addressing other issues directly related to the abusive behavior against the victim or family member of the victim.

An employee may take domestic violence leave if they are a victim of abusive behavior or due to the abuse of a covered family member, including the employee’s spouse/partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild or persons in a guardian relationship. Perpetrators or accused perpetrators of abuse are not entitled to domestic violence leave.

Before taking domestic violence leave, an employee must have exhausted all of their accrued paid time off, including, but not limited to, MA Paid Family and Medical Leave, sick time, vacation days and personal time. An employee must provide advance notice of their need for leave whenever possible; however, this requirement does not apply if the employee or a covered family member faces imminent danger to their health or safety. Should the employee be unable to provide advance notice based on a risk of imminent danger, the employee must notify their supervisor or Human Resources within three business days that the time off was related to domestic violence. If the employee is unable to notify the College, a family member, counselor, clergy or assisting professional may do so on their behalf.

The College may require documentation supporting an employee’s claim for domestic violence leave. Such documentation can consist of a protective order or other court document, a document under the letterhead of a court, provider or public agency that the employee attended for the purpose of obtaining assistance regarding the abusive behavior, police report, police witness statement, documents reflecting the perpetrator's conviction or admission of guilt, documentation of medical treatment, and/or a victim advocate, counselor, social worker, health care worker, member of the clergy or other assisting professional's sworn statement. In lieu of these documents, an employee may also submit their own sworn signed statement. Any documentation supporting the need for domestic violence leave must be submitted within 30 days of their last date of absence.  

While the leave may not be paid, an employee is entitled to return to the same or a substantially equivalent position once their leave has ended. An employee will not be terminated, retaliated against or receive a reduction in benefits based on their use of domestic violence leave. All information related to the leave will be maintained  confidentially, unless disclosure is expressly required by law, requested in writing by the employee or necessary to protect the safety of the employee or other employees.

Holy Cross complies with applicable federal and state law regarding military leave and re-employment rights. Unpaid military leave of absence will be granted to members of the uniformed services in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA; with amendments) and all applicable state law. The employee must provide verbal or written advance notice of the employee’s intent to enter into the military for a period not to exceed five years to Human Resources. An employee may elect to use any accrued paid vacation while on leave but is not required to do so. When returning from military leave of absence, the employee will be reinstated to their previous position or a similar position, in accordance with state and federal law. An employee must notify their supervisor and Human Resources of their intent to return to employment, and follow pertinent reemployment application procedures, which differ depending on the length of the leave consistent with applicable law. For more information regarding status, compensation, benefits and reinstatement upon return from military leave, contact Human Resources.

Please refer to this document for the full 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 weeks of any approved parental leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. Following the eighth 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.

Please report any injuries, incidents or accidents using this form.

Employees of the College 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.

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.