Illness, emergencies and other leaves

All University of Waterloo employees are entitled to consideration of leaves in cases of illness, pregnancy, bereavement, or other circumstances that would make carrying out regular duties difficult or impossible.

Chairs are responsible for managing appropriate accommodations but are not entitled to know the details of an individual employee’s illness. In many instances, consultation with the manager of occupational health would be necessary or at least advisable.

Please see the following list of policies and guidelines that govern the chair’s actions and decision-making: 

• Policy 14: Pregnancy and Parental Leaves (including Adoption)
• Policy 39: Leaves of Absence for Staff Members
• Policy 67: Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Bereavement Leaves
• Emergency Leaves
• Jury Duty
• Political Leaves

In cases where an employee’s need for accommodation has a financial impact on the department (i.e., a temporary staff member needs to be hired or a course needs to be given to a sessional instructor), the chair should contact his/her dean to request assistance. The dean may ask the provost for support.