Community Service Leave
- Introduction
- Eligibility
- Delegations
- Community Service During Periods of Leave
- Payment of Allowances During Periods of Community Service Leave
- Procedures
Introduction
1. Community Services leave encompasses Jury Service and Emergency Services leave.
2. These provisions apply where employment is governed by the University's current Enterprise Agreement. Leave provisions under other industrial instruments may differ.
Eligibility
Jury Service Leave
3. Employees are eligible for leave with pay to cover the time required for jury service. The certificate of attendance for jury service provided by the Sheriff's Office must be provided and leave will be approved in accordance with the attendance details specified on this advice.
4. Employees are entitled to receive full pay for the period of absence but are required to pay the University any attendance fees received for the jury service. Employees are entitled to retain any monies received from the Sheriff's Office relating to meal and travelling expenses.
5. Casual employees are not eligible for paid leave to cover the time required for jury service and are entitled to retain any monies received from the Sheriff's Office.
Emergency Services Leave
6. Employees who are members of a recognised emergency services organisation are eligible for up to five days paid leave per calendar year to attend voluntary emergency activities and related training.
7. Additional paid leave may be granted in exceptional circumstances.
8. Emergency services leave will only be granted where an employee provides documentary evidence of their training requirements, attendance during emergency situations, and membership of the relevant emergency services association.
Delegations
9. Refer to HR Delegations for the delegations relating to community service leave.
Community Service During Periods of Leave
10. Community service leave will not be granted when an employee is absent on another period of approved leave. However, an employee who is required for jury service during a period of approved leave is entitled to retain all monies received from the Sheriff's Office.
Payment of Allowances During Periods of Community Service Leave
11. Relieving allowance and additional responsibilities allowance will continue to be paid during periods of community service leave if the employee is in the higher position for a total continuous period of six months or more. Relieving allowance will not be paid when the total continuous period in the higher position is less than six months. In such cases, should the period in the higher position subsequently be extended beyond six months, the allowance will only be paid during periods of community service leave taken after an extension beyond six months has been approved and six months in the higher position has been served.
12. First Aid Allowance will continue to be paid during periods of community service leave.
Procedures
13. An employee intending to apply for community service leave should notify their supervisor of the impending absence prior to the proposed commencement date. Where emergency circumstances contribute to the absence and prior notice cannot be given, the employee should, as far as practicable, advise their supervisor of their absence and the estimated duration within one hour of the commencement of the first working day of the absence. The employee must communicate directly with their supervisor or nominated officer, not by way of voice mail or email.
14. The employee is required to complete a leave application in MyHR, prior to commencing the leave where possible, or as soon as they return to work. The leave application must specify the employee's relationship to the family member. Where necessary, a supporting medical certificate or statutory declaration must be provided to the employee's supervisor before the leave can be approved.
15. When the leave has been approved, the employee will receive an automatically generated confirmation email and the authorising officer will forward any supporting documentation to HR Services.
16. Professional employees are required to reflect the period of their leave on their attendance record.
17. Where applicable, payment of allowances will cease during the period of leave.
Updated: 02 April 2013