Rule 3341-5-40 | Parental leave.
(A) Policy statement and purpose
As part of its efforts to foster a workplace in which professional success can be achieved while maintaining a quality personal and family life, the university supports employees and their families with leave opportunities for new parents. The purpose of parental leave is to promote work-life balance by providing time for parents to care for and bond with their newborn, newly-adopted, or newly-fostered child.
All requests for leave under this policy must follow the procedures outlined in this policy. The university will make appropriate arrangements to cover the duties of the employee while the employee is on parental leave.
(B) Policy scope
This policy applies to full time, benefit-eligible employees of BGSU who have at least twelve months of continuous service with BGSU before the birth, adoption, or foster care placement for which parental leave is requested.
(C) Definitions
(1) Benefit-eligible
An employee is benefit-eligible if they are eligible to enroll in a BGSU health insurance plan.
(2) Qualifying event
The term "qualifying event" means the birth of a child or the adoption or foster care placement of a child who is less than six years of age. Adoption of a stepchild is not a qualifying event.
(D) Policy
(1) Parental leave benefit
Bowling Green state university provides full time benefit-eligible employees with up to thirty consecutive business days of paid parental leave to be used immediately following a qualifying event.
The parental leave will commence on the day of the qualifying event if that day is a business day. If not, the parental leave will commence on the first business day after the qualifying event.
Parental leave does not reduce the employee's accrued time under any other university paid leave program (such as sick, vacation, personal, or compensatory time). An employee on parental leave will continue to accrue sick, vacation, and personal leave at their regular rate.
Any holiday occurring during parental leave period shall be counted as part of the parental leave and paid as such.
Parental leave will run concurrently with the employee's available family medical leave (also known as FMLA leave) and maternity leave. At the end of the parental leave, the employee may choose to use some or all of their remaining family medical leave and maternity leave.
If both parents are eligible for parental leave under this policy, they may choose to take the parental leave concurrently or consecutively.
No more than two parental leaves may be granted during employment.
(2) Procedure
An employee should make their request for parental leave as soon as practicable to enable the university to make arrangements to cover their duties. In any event, it is the employee's responsibility to make the request at least four weeks before the first day of the parental leave. Parental leave may be denied, in sole discretion of the chief human resources officer or designee, if the request is made after that deadline.
The employee should request leave in writing, using the parental leave form available on the office of human resources website, and submit it to the office of human resources after consultation with their supervisor.
(E) Early start to parental leave
Parental leave may begin before the qualifying event if it is deemed medically necessary by a certified physician or is required to fulfill the requirements of the adoption or foster care placement. The office of human resources will require an employee requesting an early start to parental leave to submit appropriate supporting documentation. The decision whether to allow parental leave to begin early will be made in the sole discretion of the chief human resources officer or designee. Early parental leave is subject to paragraph (D) of this policy.
Last updated August 19, 2024 at 8:52 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 3341
Prior Effective Dates: 2/21/2020