New Paid Parental Leave Policy for KU Employees

Carl Lejuez interim provost and executive vice chancellor
Friday, June 14, 2019, 9:08 a.m.
KU Lawrence Faculty and Staff

Sent on behalf of Carl Lejuez, Interim Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor and
Mike Rounds, Vice Provost for Operations

 

Colleagues,

Last November, then Governor Jeff Colyer issued an executive order authorizing paid parental leave for state employees. And at its May meeting, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a similar paid parental leave policy for state institutions.

The University of Kansas and the State of Kansas recognize the importance of parental bonding and nurturing following the birth or adoption of a child. KU has adopted the KBOR Parental Leave Policy, which allows faculty and staff members up to six weeks of paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child. Previously, employees at state institutions had to take vacation or sick leave if they wanted paid time off following birth or adoption.

Details can be found in the Policy Library, but here are some key aspects of the new paid parental leave policy:

  • To request paid parental leave¸ you must have 12 months of service in a benefits-eligible position with KU and/or the State of Kansas.
  • If both parents work for KU or the State of Kansas, the primary caregiver will receive up to six weeks of paid leave and the secondary caregiver will receive up to three weeks of paid leave.
  • Parental leave will be paid at the regular rate of pay.
  • Parental leave must be taken within 12 weeks immediately following the birth or adoption placement date.
  • Employees can still take vacation and/or sick leave in addition to the paid parental leave.

The Human Resource Management website offers information about requesting parental leave as well as an FAQ page.

Paid parental leave has health benefits for children, and work benefits for parents and their employers. As KU strives to enhance our family friendly environment, we join an increasing number of organizations offering paid parental leave.

We share the belief articulated in the executive order that the paid parental leave policy will help us retain and recruit faculty and staff, while also leading to stronger families and communities. As part of this commitment, the university has a family friendly working group whose efforts include refining content for new webpages to help all KU employees be more aware of resources supporting better work-life integration, such as parental leave.

Best regards,

Carl Lejuez
Interim Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor

Mike Rounds
Vice Provost for Operations