Postdoctoral Parental Leave Request Form Instructions
1
Employee Information Section
Please fill out all of the requested information. The contact information for the unit’s Payroll Reporter is required to process the leave request funding.
2
Parental Leave Benefits Application Section
When considering Parental Leave, think about how you want to structure it. You can take 8 weeks of full-time leave, 16 weeks of half-time leave, or a combination of both. If both parents are Postdoctoral Fellows at the University of Utah, they can take leave concurrently or sequentially. Note that if taking part-time leave, some of the time will be paid centrally and the rest from the postdoc's usual funding source.
You need to work with your faculty advisor to create a written agreement that outlines the plan for leave, including coverage for ongoing responsibilities. The agreement should be attached to the Leave Application. While the agreement can provide an outline, flexibility may be required due to the unpredictable nature of childbirth. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and the Americans with Disabilities Act can be consulted regarding the agreement's terms.
Here are some examples of Parental Leave structures:
1
Dr. Postdoc will take eight weeks of full-time Parental Leave starting two weeks before their baby's expected arrival on August 1, 2022. The leave will begin on July 18, 2022, and end on September 12, 2022. Upon return, Dr. Postdoc will resume all regular responsibilities.
2
Dr. Postdoc is adopting a new child on August 1, 2022. They will take sixteen weeks of half-time Parental Leave beginning one week prior to the adoption (July 25 - November 1, 2022). During the leave, Dr. Postdoc will fulfill regular teaching responsibilities, but research progress may be slower. Dr. Postdoc will resume all regular responsibilities at the conclusion of this leave.
3
Dr. Postdoc has been entrusted with a foster child placement as of August 1, 2022. They will take four weeks of full-time Parental Leave beginning immediately (August 2-30, 2022), and an additional eight weeks of half-time Parental Leave beginning on September 28, 2022 (ending on November 23, 2022). During full-time leave, a colleague will care for research animals. Regular responsibilities will resume in the interim period (August 31-September 27, 2022), and again after the leave ends. During half-time leave, Dr. Postdoc will perform some responsibilities (outline which ones) and curtail others (outline which ones).
Note that academic units may provide Postdoctoral Fellows with more extensive benefits for parental or other family responsibilities, so long as similarly-situated Postdoctoral Fellows in the same unit are treated consistently and any more extensive benefits are not in violation of another University Regulation.
3
Postdoctoral Fellowship Certification Section
Some externally funded postdoctoral fellowships may require formal approval from the funding agency for an extension beyond the standard duration. If you have an external fellowship, please ensure it permits Parental Leave and attach a copy of its Parental Leave Policy.
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Postdoctoral Fellow Certification Section
Please sign this certification to confirm that you understand the statements. If you're eligible for FMLA, it will run concurrently with paid Parental Leave. After the paid leave, you may apply for additional unpaid leave through FMLA by contacting HR. The leave shouldn't start earlier than two weeks before the expected event and should end within 12 months following the child's arrival. Postdoctoral Fellows will return to their position at the end of the leave with the same rate of pay and benefits.
Visit HR Medical Leave of Absence Information
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Faculty Advisor and Department or Unit Chair/Head Acknowledgement Section
Signatures from the Faculty Advisor and Department or Unit Chair/Head are required but do not provide final approval for the leave request.
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Do Not Fill Out the Approval & Routing Sections
These sections are for Office of Postdoctoral Affairs use only.