Policy

To support the University of Michigan’s commitment to faculty and staff as they balance family, professional and academic responsibilities, the university is committed to providing paid time off for employees who give birth and other parents that supports both the physical recovery associated with birth and also provides bonding time with children new to the family. For that purpose, the university provides paid maternity (childbirth) leave and paid parental leave.

Paid Maternity (Childbirth) and Parental Leaves¹

1. Maternity (Childbirth) Leave

   Employees who give birth are eligible for up to six weeks (240 hours with a full-time appointment) of paid time off for physical recovery immediately following birth.

   1. Eligibility: Effective upon hire for regular staff, regular instructional faculty, research faculty.  Postdoctoral research fellows subject to the rules of the sponsor or grant regarding payment for the leave period.
   2. Scheduling: This time must be taken as a single block of time.
   3. Availability: Immediately following childbirth.

2. Parental Leave

   Parents are provided with paid time off to bond with a newborn, newly adopted or newly fostered child, or child for whom legal guardianship has been appointed.

   1. Employees who have completed six months of service on or after the birth/placement are eligible for up to six weeks (240 hours based on appointment fraction) of parental leave.
   2. Employees who are in their first six months of service at the time of birth/placement are eligible for up to three weeks (120 hours based on appointment fraction) of parental leave.
   3. Appropriate amounts of paid parental leave are available for:
      1. regular instructional faculty
      2. postdoctoral research fellows subject to the rules of the sponsor or grant regarding payment for the leave period
      3. regular staff (including Medical School) and research faculty with at least a 20% appointment
      4. Michigan Medical staff on the PTO plan with at least a 50% appointment.

3. Scheduling

   Parental leave is intended to be taken as a single, continuous block of time. Units must allow a single block of time if requested, and scheduling the time is at the discretion of the department. Parental leave not taken in a single block may be requested but requires departmental approval. Units may establish scheduling guidelines for intermittent use of this time so as not to interfere with the operations of the unit.

4. Availability

   Parental leave is available for use within one year of the event. Eligible faculty may choose to take parental leave in lieu of one semester of modified duties (see, e.g., SPG 201.93).

Definitions

1. Parent: Faculty or staff member who is legally responsible for the child: including employee who gave birth, non-birth parent, non-birth parent, adoptive and foster parent, and legal guardian.
2. Employee who gives birth: Any regular employee or Postdoctoral Research Fellow who gives birth.
3. Event: The arrival or placement of a newly born, adopted or fostered child, or child for whom legal guardianship has been appointed.  The event date determines the amount of available parental leave. 
4. Legal Guardianship: Court appointed responsibility for the care and custody of a minor child.

Paid Maternity (Childbirth) and Parental Leave Overview

Other Options for Paid Time during Pregnancy, Parental Care, Childbirth, and Bonding

1. The six week paid maternity (childbirth) leave is a separate, stand-alone leave that specifically covers paid time off for the physical recovery from childbirth.

2. For absences related to pregnancy or prenatal care:

   1. Eligible faculty and staff may use extended sick time and/or available short-term sick, depending on the circumstances.  (Please note that Michigan Medicine staff on the PTO plan must use one week of Paid Time Off (PTO) before beginning extended sick time.)  University of Michigan - Health and Shared Services staff  who are not eligible for extended sick time may use PTO.
   2. Campus and Medical School staff who are not eligible for extended sick time may use short-term sick time or vacation.

3. In the event the physical recovery of an employee who gives birth exceeds the six-week paid maternity (childbirth) leave, there are other paid leave options depending on their eligibility.

   1. An employee who gives birth who is eligible for extended sick time will be able to access extended sick time to cover a period of medical recovery that extends beyond the six week paid maternity (childbirth) leave
      1. For example, an employee who gives birth who requires the typical eight week physical recovery for a cesarean birth would take six weeks of paid maternity (childbirth) leave, then take two more weeks from available extended sick (if eligible) or short-term sick (if not eligible for extended sick. After the use of those paid time benefits, the employee who gives birth may use vacation, or may tap into parental leave (if eligible) if they need more time for physical recovery. Those Michigan Medicine staff on the PTO plan would supplement extended sick with PTO or parental leave at their choice.
   2. An employee who gives birth who is not eligible for extended sick will use available short-term sick to cover the period of medical recovery, and may then choose to access vacation or parental leave. Michigan Medicine staff on the PTO plan may choose to access parental leave or PTO.
      1. An employee who gives birth is not required to use parental leave for their physical recovery. In the event  the physical recovery time of an employee who gives birth exceeds both the six-week paid maternity (childbirth) leave and other available paid time off, the employee who gave birth may choose to use parental leave to provide additional paid time for both physical recovery and bonding time, but they are is not required to do so.
4. Parental leave is intended for bonding. If parents wish to extend the amount of paid time off to spend with children new to the family, they may utilize available vacation or PTO. In addition after exhausting available vacation or PTO, unpaid child care leave is available for up to one calendar year from the child’s date of birth, adoption, foster care placement, or appointment of legal guardianship.
   1. The option to use short-term sick time to bond with a new child in the year following the child’s birth or arrival in the home is not available.

Procedures for Requesting Leaves

1. Faculty and staff should begin discussions with their departments to plan for maternity (childbirth) and parental leaves as soon as possible. Maternity (childbirth) leave must be used as a single block of up to six weeks (240 hours prorated based on appointment fraction) of paid time off immediately following childbirth.
2. Supervisors must make every effort to approve a faculty or staff member’s request to take parental leave as a single block of of paid time off. Units may establish additional guidelines about scheduling parental leave.

3. For timekeeping and payroll purposes, leave requests:

   1. For those in central timekeeping systems (staff, research faculty, librarians): Leave requests will be processed by each campus and Michigan Medicine. Please see hr.umich.edu/parental-leave for more information.
   2. For those not in central timekeeping systems (faculty and post-doctoral research fellows) - Contact the department chair, department administrator or human resources representative in accordance with unit guidance.

Limitations and Exclusions

1. Part-time Staff Members

   Proportional amounts of paid maternity (childbirth) and parental leaves are available to part-time staff members who are scheduled to work 20% (8 hours a week) or more. Michigan Medicine staff may require a 50% appointment.

2. While on Unpaid Leaves

   1. Due to prenatal absence for pregnancy complications: If a pregnant employee is absent due to pregnancy complications, and in an unpaid status due to ineligibility for extended sick time and lack of other paid time, they will have access to paid maternity (childbirth) leave (240 hours prorated based on appointment t) once they give birth. They will also have access to paid parental leave.
   2. If an employee is on an unpaid leave, unrelated to pregnancy, such as a seasonal leave of absence or a RIF, and the event occurs during the leave: the employee is not eligible for maternity (childbirth) and parental leaves. However, if the employee returns to work, the following applies
      1. The employee who gives birth has access to maternity (childbirth) and parental leaves if they return to work within 12 weeks of the event. The time available will be adjusted to account for the event date and the return to work (e.g., if the birth was four weeks prior to the scheduled return to work, the employee who gave birth will have two weeks of paid maternity (childbirth) and six weeks of paid parental leave available).
      2. The appropriate amount of parental leave is available if employee returns to work within 3 to 6 weeks of event. The time available will be adjusted to account for the event date and the return to work (e.g., if the event was four weeks prior to the scheduled return to work, a non-probationary employee will have two weeks of paid parental leave available).
3. Foster parents and legal guardians are eligible to take the appropriate amount of parental leave once within a twelve-month period.
4. A qualifying adoption or foster care placement is one in which the child is under the age of eighteen, or eighteen years of age or older and incapable of self-care due to a physical or mental disability.
5. Ae employee returning from a maternity (childbirth) leave may be required to provide a physician’s statement releasing the staff member to return to work, and noting restrictions, if any.
6. An employee’s absence may be partially or completely covered by the FMLA during these paid leaves.

7. Return to Work

   1. Upon completion of paid maternity (childbirth) and parental leaves employees will return to their same position.
   2. Failure to report for assignment at the conclusion of these leaves without requesting and receiving an unpaid medical or unpaid medical/childcare leave may be considered a resignation.

8. Holidays and Season Days

   1. Maternity Leave: Staff members who are on maternity (childbirth) leave on a day observed by the University as a holiday or season day will be considered observing that holiday or season day for timekeeping purposes. Having a holiday or season day during maternity leave does not extend the six-week paid block of time.
   2. Parental Leave: Staff members who are on parental leave on a day observed by the University as a holiday or season day will be considered observing that holiday or season day for timekeeping purposes. They will not be charged parental leave on that day.

9. Termination and Layoffs

   Eligibility for paid parental leave ceases on the effective date of a termination or layoff (i.e., the last day of work). Staff members recalled to active employment from layoff status will again be eligible for the benefits provided by this plan (see SPG 201.72).

10. Retirement

    Faculty and staff members may elect to terminate regular employment while on paid maternity (childbirth) and/or parental leave and retire, if eligible (see SPG 201.83)."

11. Transfers

    1. A staff member transferred to a position providing eligibility under different rules will assume the eligibility rules of the new unit (20% staff appointment vs 50% appointment for University of Michigan - Health staff ), including transfer to or from positions 
    2. A transfer to another position providing eligibility for these leaves will not affect the staff member’s balance of available time.

12. Compensation

    Staff members and eligible faculty will receive their regular compensation while taking maternity (childbirth) and parental leaves. The rate of pay will be their regular rate at the time of absence, plus shift premium, if applicable, multiplied by the number of hours of paid maternity (childbirth) and parental time scheduled and used.

13. Absence from Work

    If a staff member or eligible faculty member is absent from work during the period of physical recovery after having exhausted their allotted paid maternity (childbirth) leave, but have not met the eligibility requirements for extended sick time pay or paid parental leave, they will, by default, be paid out of her short term sick pay, and then vacation accrual if any is available. At the staff member’s request, excused absence without pay may be considered during that period.

14. Faculty and staff cannot receive pay in lieu of time off.

15. Pyramiding

    Maternity (childbirth) and parental leave will not be “pyramided” (i.e., paid twice for the same type of leave for the same eligible event). Note: multiple births (e.g., twins, triplets, etc.), and multiple children adopted, fostered or assigned guardianship are considered one event. An employee may not have more than one period of paid maternity (childbirth) and/or paid parental leave for the same child (e.g., previously fostered or assigned guardianship).

16. There is no payout of unused paid maternity (childbirth) or paid parental leave.

For more information, visit hr.umich.edu/parental-leave