Time Off and Leaves of Absence (Staff)

Berklee offers different types of time off:

paid time off (illness, vacation, personal day, etc.)
paid absence (jury duty, bereavement, voting)
leave of absence (parental leave, FMLA, military leave, personal leave, etc.).

Paid Time Off

Eligible staff members earn paid time off (PTO) for periods of rest and relaxation, for illness, and to take care of personal matters. Staff who are not eligible for benefits earn sick time. For more information on eligibility and accrual, see Berklee's full PTO policy.

How to Request PTO

Log into Workday and use the "Absence" worklet to request time off. You should make this request in advance whenever possible, but can make a retroactive request when necessary.

Do not cheat yourself! With the exception of a couple of departments, the typical work schedule at Berklee is defined as 35 hours per week. So a day off for someone on a normal schedule would be 7 hours, a 1/2 day off would be 3.5.

Paid Absences

Jury Duty/Court Leave

Both staff and faculty receive paid absence for compulsory jury duty service. Jury Duty Leave will not count as PTO usage.

You are required to notify your supervisors/chairs of the need for this absence, and you must submit a copy of their Juror Service Certificates within 10 days of receipt to the Office of Human Resources.

Bereavement/Funeral Leave

Bereavement/Funeral Leave is an authorized paid absence from work, up to five days, when a death occurs in the staff member’s immediate family. All faculty and staff members are eligible.

Voting

Berklee recognizes and supports your right to exercise your right to vote in local, state and national elections. As such, all faculty and staff will be allowed up to 3.5 hours of paid release time to vote. Please arrange for voting release time in coordination with your supervisor in advance to ensure the absence doesn’t adversely affect services or operations.

Leave of Absences

Delivering Parent (Maternity) and Parental Leave

Qualifying employees may take up to twelve weeks leave (under FMLA) or eight weeks (under MPLA) for incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care, or child birth. You can also use this leave to care for your child after birth, or after they are placed in your care.

FMLA protects your job while you are out. It does not cover getting paid during your leave. You will need to use a combination of PTO, paid parental leave (pay continuation), or short-term disability to account for your salary while you are out.

Contact benefits@berklee.edu to schedule an appointment and start the process.

Time Off for a Serious Health Condition (for you or a family member)

You can request time-off under the FMLA for a "serious health condition," defined as an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition. FMLA also covers time off to care for a son, daughter, parent or next of kin who is a military service member.

Read the policy for more information.

Military/Civil Defense Leave

Federal law says that military/civil defense leave is covered by FMLA, which means you will have job protection in the event you are called to service.

Domestic Violence Leave

Massachusetts law says that your job will be protected for up to 15 days (over a 12 month period) to handle matters related to domestic violence.

Personal Leave

Staff are allowed to take unpaid personal leave if PTO or other types of paid leave are not available.

How to Request a Leave of Absence

Contact benefits@berklee.edu to discuss your request for leave, including questions about pay during your absence.

Unpaid Absence

Small Necessities Leave Act (SNLA) allows you to take PTO or unpaid leave for up to 24 hours (over a 12 month period) for appointments, activities, or other small events.