ELIGIBILITY

• Tier 1: Kalamazoo College student-employees and FLSA-non-exempt staff who are paid, on average, less than 1,040 hours per fiscal year are eligible for Sick time.
• Tier 2: Kalamazoo College faculty and FLSA-exempt staff are eligible for Sick time.
• Tier 3: FLSA-non-exempt staff members who are paid, on average, at least 1,040 hours per fiscal year are eligible for Emergency time.

NOTICE and USES – Tiers 1, 2, 3

The College provides all eligible employees with Sick/Emergency time, which may be used for certain medical or personal reasons, including, but not limited to, those listed in the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA). Circumstances for which Sick/Emergency leave time might be used include the following:

• The employee’s or the employee’s family member’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee’s or the employee’s family member’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or preventative medical care for the employee or the employee’s family member. 
• If the employee or the employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, for medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability; to obtain services from a victim services organization; to relocate due to domestic violence or sexual assault; to obtain legal services; or to participate in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from the domestic violence or sexual assault; 
• For meetings at a child’s school or place of care related to the child’s health or disability, or the effects of domestic violence or sexual assault on the child; and 
• For closure of the employee’s place of business by order of a public official due to a public health emergency; for an employee’s need to care for a child whose school or place of care has been closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency; or when it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider that the employee’s or employee’s family member’s presence in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of the employee’s or family member’s exposure to a communicable disease, regardless of whether the employee or family member has actually contracted the communicable disease. 
• Tier 3 only: Death of a loved one for which the bereavement pay is not/ no longer available (non-ESTA reason)
• Tier 3 only: Employees who are unable to arrive for their shift due to severe weather may use accumulated Emergency leave time until their return to work. (non-ESTA reason)

For this policy, “family member” includes biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, or a child to whom the eligible employee stand in loco parentis, a biological parent, foster parent, stepparent, or adoptive parent or a legal guardian of an eligible employee or an employee’s spouse/domestic partner or an individual who stood in loco parentis when the eligible employee was a minor child, a grandparent, a grandchild, or a biological, foster, adoptive sibling or any other individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.

EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES – Tiers 1, 2, 3

Employees must request use of Sick/Emergency time. Supervisors may not provide Sick/Emergency time without employee’s request. To prevent unnecessary burden on co-workers or disruption to operations, employees must notify their direct supervisor of any need to take Sick/Emergency time (including absence, late arrival, or early leaving). Employees must provide seven (7) days’ notice when the need for Sick/Emergency time is foreseeable.  Employees must provide this notice to his/her/their supervisor as soon as possible and practicable when the need to use Sick/Emergency time is unforeseeable.

Employees must follow all College rules for calling in to report absences, tardiness, or leaving early, including compliance with departmental policy. Failure to comply with departmental policy may subject the employee to discipline under College/departmental policy, but not exclude the employee from using available Sick/Emergency time.

If an eligible employee has been absent from work because of his/her own illness, injury, or health condition (as defined in the ESTA) for a period of three (3) consecutive working days, the College reserves the right to request documentation from a healthcare provider indicating that the eligible employee is able to return to work. The employer will reimburse the employee for out-of-pocket costs incurred to obtain the requested documentation. When the College requests documentation, the College will give the employee three (3) days to provide it.

ACCRUAL and BALANCES

Tier 1: Upon hire or transfer into an eligible position, an eligible employee will accrue Earned Sick time for time worked on and after February 21, 2025 at a rate of 0.034 per hour, which equates to one (1.0) Sick hour for every thirty (30) hours worked. Sick time is accrued on all hours up to 40 hours per week for which the employee is paid, excluding overtime hours. Accumulated but unused Sick time may be carried over from one benefit year to the next benefit year (July 1- June 30). There is no cap on the amount of Sick time that may be carried over from benefit year to benefit year. Less-than-fulltime employees will earn a prorated amount of Sick time based on the number of hours worked.

Tier 2: Upon hire or transfer into an eligible position, an eligible employee will be frontloaded a bank of Sick time at a rate of 0.034 per hour expected per fiscal year, which equates to one (1.0) Sick hour for every thirty (30) hours expected. This equates to about 9 working days in a 12-month period for full-time employees. Frontloaded sick time balances will reset at the beginning of each benefit year (July 1- June 30). Less-than-full-time employees will earn a prorated amount of Sick time based on the number of hours worked. February 21– June 30, 2025: Employees are frontloaded a prorated Sick time balance during the partial benefit year.

Tier 3:  Upon hire or transfer into an eligible position, an eligible employee will accrue Emergency leave time at the rate of 1.386 hours for every thirty (30) hours worked. This equates to approximately 12 working days in a 12-month period for full-time employees. The amount of time earned in a 12-month period will vary, depending on the number of hours the eligible employee has worked.  Emergency Time is accrued on all hours up to 40 hours per week for which the employee is paid, except overtime hours, including hours worked, holidays, paid break days and Emergency hours. Emergency leave time is not accrued on disability pay. Unused Emergency Time carries over from year to year.

GRANTING SICK/EMERGENCY TIME – Tiers 1, 2, 3

Sick/Emergency time is available to be used as it is earned, except where noted below. Payment for Sick/Emergency time is computed at the eligible employee’s straight-time hourly or base rate. If an Sick/Emergency time request is for a reason listed in ESTA, the College will grant the request, provided that: The employee has the amount of time available, the employee has complied with the responsibilities outlined in this policy, and the employee has not utilized more than seventy-two (72) hours of Sick/Emergency Time in the current benefit year (July 1- June 30).

Once the employee has utilized seventy-two (72) hours of Sick/Emergency time in the current benefit year, all Sick/Emergency time requests, regardless of the reason, are subject to supervisor approval in consideration of business operations.

Tier 1: A new employee, hired on or after February 21,2025, may use Sick time upon attaining their 120th calendar day of employment.

Tier 3: If an Emergency time request is not for a reason listed in ESTA, the employee’s supervisor will grant the planned or unplanned request as business operations permit, at its sole discretion.

RECORDING SICK/EMERGENCY TIME

Tiers 1 and 3: Employees are required to log Sick/Emergency time in accordance with departmental practices, such as through HornetHQ. The amount of Sick/Emergency time accrued is available on HornetHQ. Eligible employees may use Sick/Emergency Time in 15-minute increments.

Tier 2: Employees are expected to log Sick time at https://hr.kzoo.edu/Sick_time_use/ and in accordance with departmental practices. The amount of available Sick time is visible on HornetHQ. Employees may use available Sick time in 15-minute increments.

DEPARTURE and PAYOUT

Tiers 1, 2, 3: No payments will be made to employees for any unused Sick/Emergency time when employment ends, except where noted below. If an employee separates from employment and is rehired by Kalamazoo College within two (2) months of the separation, the College will reinstate previously accrued, unused Sick/Emergency time. The reinstated employee will be permitted to use that Sick/Emergency time and accrue additional Sick/Emergency time upon reinstatement.

Tier 3: Employees who retire from the College will be paid at their current rate of pay for one-half of the accumulated unused Emergency leave time, up to 100 hours paid. [See Leaving K for details]

Approved by President’s Staff: March 20, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Supervisor Questions