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Administrative Leave

CONTENTS

UNDERSTAND

Definition

The term "Administrative Leave" describes the situation when an employee is temporarily relieved of his or her normal responsibilities, continues to receive regular pay and benefits, and is normally required to remain at home during regular work hours. "Home Assignment" is an alternative term for administrative leave. Administrative leave is not a category of leave, like sick leave or annual leave, but describes a person's work status.

Required Approval

Advance approval from the Vice President for Human Resources, or the Vice President's designee is required to place a staff member on administrative leave (home assignment).

Reasons for Placement on Administrative Leave

Administrative leave is used rarely and only when it is necessary to temporarily address a particular situation. An employee is only placed on administrative leave when the University determines that the employee cannot be allowed to remain in the workplace. The most common reasons for placing an employee on administrative leave are:

  1. As a prudent business practice to secure particularly sensitive information or resources when warranted by the circumstances.
  2. To facilitate the investigation of allegations of misconduct, which if true, could place persons or University resources in jeopardy.
  3. To remove an individual from the workplace who is behaving disruptively pending assessment of of the situation.

ACT

If you have a situation in your department where you believe it may be necessary to place an employee on administrative leave, you should consult with your unit's Human Resources Consultant if you have not already done so. Your Human Resources Consultant will help evaluate the situation, determine a course of action, and obtain the necessary approval if administrative leave is warranted.