Time Off & Leaves of Absence

Employees in a position classified as full-time will receive 8 hours for each observed holiday. Part-time employees will receive holiday pay at a pro-rated amount according to your scheduled weekly hours in Workday. For any questions regarding your scheduled weekly hours, please reach out to your direct leader.

WGU's Flexible Time Off (FTO) benefit, is an approach to time off in which employees are encouraged to take time away from work for rest and relaxation in balance with their work obligations. FTO recognizes that devoting time to recharging, self-care, connecting with family and friends, volunteering, or focusing on leisure pursuits supports personal and professional resilience and top performance at work.

FTO Eligibility

All regular employees on the U.S. payroll who are in positions classified to work 30+ hours per week. For employees whose positions are classified as part-time, intermittent, temporary, or intern are not eligible for FTO. Non-U.S.-based employees are also not eligible.

If you have questions about your eligibility, please visit the WGU People Center or email Benefits@wgu.edu.

Regular FTO

Regular FTO is exclusively reserved for anything that does not qualify for Sick FTO or a LOA or is not a separately designated form of time off such as jury duty or bereavement. Example uses of Regular FTO include time off for rest, relaxation, leisure pursuits, volunteer service, special holiday observance, and personal or family matters not otherwise covered by Sick FTO or other policies.  

Sick FTO

For regular full-time employees, Sick FTO is available and applies only to an employee's acute health condition or to care for a family member's acute health condition, not to exceed five (5) consecutive scheduled workdays in either case, or as otherwise required by applicable law. For those situations where you need more than five (5) consecutive days of Sick FTO or if you need Sick FTO on a more regular cadence over an extended period of time to care for yourself or your qualified family member(s), you should contact the P & T Benefits team benefits@wgu.edu to learn about possible Leave of Absence options.

Traditional Accrued Sick Time Off (Regular, Part-Time Employees)

If your position is classified as part-time, you may accrue up to 24 hours of sick time per year, up to a balance maximum of 72 hours. You will accrue one hour of sick time for every 30 regular hours worked (excluding any overtime hours or paid time off paid). A year, for the purpose of earning sick time, is based on your Western Governors University anniversary date. If you attain the sick time balance maximum, no further accruals will be credited until you use sick time to lower your balance below the maximum.

Bereavement time of up to five days per incident is provided in cases of death in the employee's immediate family. For certain extenuating circumstances, additional paid bereavement time may be permitted with approval from your leader and People & Talent. Time away exceeding a total of 10 days due to bereavement may require a leave of absence. For details on WGU's expanded bereavement policy, please reference the Employee Handbook that is available in the WGU People Center.

Life happens. And WGU is here to support you when you need a leave of absence (LOA) that goes beyond occasional use of regular or sick time off. If you need time off for more than five (5) consecutive days to care for yourself or your qualified family member due to a serious health condition, you require time to bond with a new child, or you need time for military service, you may be eligible for a leave of absence.

For current WGU employees, detailed information on our LOA policies can be found in the Employee Handbook located in the WGU People Center.

Paid Parental Leave (PPL)

Becoming a parent is an exciting step for families, and Western Governors University recognizes the importance of parent-child bonding. While nothing can quite prepare you for those first weeks of parenthood, Western Governors University will provide you with up to 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave (PPL) following the birth of a child or the placement of a child in connection with adoption, surrogacy, or foster care.

Overview

• Up to a maximum of 12 weeks of leave for bonding purposes
• For employees who are the birthing parent, PPL will begin after any pregnancy leave under WGU's Short Term Disability plan
• Paid at 100% of the employee's regular base pay - may be reduced by any federal, state, or local bonding/parental leave benefits the employee may also receive
• Must be used within the 12-month period following birth or placement
• Cannot be used intermittently but may be used in no more than two continuous blocks of leave
• If available, PPL will run concurrently with FMLA entitlement

PPL Eligibility

Employees must meet all the following criteria, as of the leave start date:

• Have been employed for at least 12 months
• Employed in a regular position classified to work 30 or more hours weekly (Note: Positions classified less than 30 hours weekly or positions classified as temporary/intern are ineligible.)
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave start date.
• Have given birth to a child
• Have a spouse or partner who has given birth to a child, including via surrogacy
• Have adopted a child for placement or been the recipient of a foster child placement and such child is age 17 or younger

Paid Medical Leave (PML)

Eligible employees may request Paid Medical Leave (PML) when needing to take a leave of absence due to their own serious health condition. This policy is separate from WGU's Sick Flexible Time (Sick FTO), which is intended to provide paid time off for an employee's acute health condition, or to care for a family member's acute health condition, not to exceed five (5) consecutive scheduled workdays in either case.

PML Eligibility

Employees on the U.S. payroll who meet the following criteria will be eligible for PML:

• Are employed in a regular position classified to typically work 30 or more hours per week
• Have been employed with WGU for at least 12 months (not required to be consecutive)
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave start date.

Positions classified as intermittent, temporary, or intern are not eligible for Paid Medical Leave. Additionally, non-U.S. based employees are not eligible for Paid Medical Leave.

Paid Family Leave (PFL)

Paid Family Leave (PFL) provides paid time off to care for a qualifying family member who has a medically certified serious health condition. This paid leave provides up to six (6) weeks of compensation at 100% of the employees' regular base pay for missed work time and is encouraged to be taken continuously in increments of two (2) weeks or more.

PFL Eligibility

Employees on the U.S. payroll who meet the following criteria will be eligible for PFL:

• Are employed in a regular, full-time position classified to typically work 40 hours per week
• Have been employed with WGU for at least 12 months (not required to be consecutive)
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave start date.
• Positions classified as part-time, intermittent, temporary, or intern are not eligible for PFL. Additionally, non-U.S.-based employees are not eligible for PFL.

Military Leave

To support your service to our country, you may be eligible for LOA consistent with the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). For more resources or to connect with a Leave & Disability Specialist, visit the Leaves of Absence page in the WGU People Center.

With proper documentation, you may be eligible for military differential pay when you return WGU from your deployment or service for certain qualifying military leaves. For more information and resources, or to contact the P&T Leave & Disability Specialists Team, please visit the Leaves & Disability section of the WGU People Center.