ECU offers a wide range of leave to support staff to establish a balance between your working and personal lives.
Leave is ordinarily requested and approved in advance, providing the opportunity for the work area to incorporate these requests into operational planning and consider the impact on the organisation of work and performance of the work within the work area. This leave includes: annual leave; long service leave; parental and partner leave; ceremonial and cultural leave; jury duty/witness and community service leave; and study leave (for Professional Staff).
It is also recognised there are times when a leave absence cannot be anticipated due to events that arise with little or no notice. Leave in these circumstances may be available for: illness; caring responsibilities; family and domestic violence; attendance as a member of a volunteer emergency organisation; compassionate; and short leave.
All staff have an obligation to utilise and manage their leave in accordance with the ECU Enterprise Agreement and associated policies and guidelines. Managers and supervisors are accountable for effective leave management and it is essential that all leave is diligently managed.
Annual leave provides the opportunity for staff to have a break from the workplace to support life balance. Eligibility and entitlements are outlined in the ECU Enterprise Agreement. Managing excess balances and cashing out of leave is further explained in the Managing Excess and Cashing Out Annual Leave policy.
The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Leave Policy to understand eligibility, entitlement, documentation and notification requirements.
Compassionate leave is available when staff need to spend time with an immediate family or household member who has sustained a life threatening illness or injury, or after the death of an immediate family or household member. The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Leave Policy to understand eligibility, entitlement and notification requirements.
ECU provides leave for staff to meet religious observances, ceremonial and/or cultural obligations on days when they would otherwise be expected to attend work. The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Leave Policy to understand eligibility, entitlement and notification requirements.
From 1 February 2023 an employee including a casual employee experiencing family or domestic violence will be entitled to 10 days paid leave in a 12-month period. The 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave is not pro-rated for part-time or casual employees and is available upfront. The leave will not accumulate from year to year if not used.
An employee may take this paid leave for example where they need to make safety arrangements, attend to legal matters, or access other services to deal with the impact of family and domestic violence. Reasonable notice as soon as practicable is required, including the period, or expected period, of the leave. The University may require supporting documentation when approving a leave request.
Employees may request periods of leave without pay when all other accrued leave credits have been exhausted. The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the applicable Leave Policy to understand eligibility, entitlement, notification and documentation requirements.
The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Leave Policy to understand leave eligibility, entitlement, minimum periods of leave to be taken and circumstances when the leave balance may require reduction. There may be the possibility to convert any balance in excess of 13 weeks to a financial payment.
Paid and unpaid parental leave is available to staff who will be the primary caregiver on the birth or legal adoption of a child. Paid and unpaid partner leave is available for staff who will not be the primary caregiver at the time of birth or adoption placement. The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Parental and Partner Leave Policy to understand eligibility, entitlement, notification and documentation requirements.
Personal leave is available to staff for personal illness or injury to care for or support immediate family or household members because of personal illness or injury, or an unexpected emergency or experiencing. The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Leave Policy to understand eligibility, entitlement and documentation requirements.
ECU may grant leave for staff to attend to personal urgent business or an emergency at home which arises at short notice and cannot be attended to outside of required hours of duty. This leave is not to be used for planned arrangements such as moving house or routine medical appointments. The ECU Enterprise Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Leave Policy to understand eligibility, notification and documentation requirements.
ECU encourages staff to develop their skills and knowledge and supports professional development. Leave may be granted to attend approved educational courses of study and exams held during normal working hours. The ECU Enterprise Agreement sets out eligibility, entitlement, documentation and notification requirements.
An Educational Equity Consideration has been endorsed to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees access development opportunities. Please refer to the Managers Guide to support this initiative.