PAT Council is updated on status of Compassionate Leave pilot program

By Lori Wright, Media Relations

At its April meeting, the PAT Council received an update on the Compassionate Leave pilot program, which kicked off April 1.

Sharon Demers, assistant vice president of Human Resources, said her department has not received any calls from employees out on unpaid leave who wish to receive donated paid time. The program allows staff to donate vacation and earned time days to people who are facing a catastrophic illness or injury, but who have exhausted their paid leave time.

Seven employees currently are out on unpaid leave, which Demers said was the potential pool of people who could benefit from the program. None of the staff members have applied for the program and been evaluated regarding their eligibility for it.

“As you talk to folks, please remind them that this program is here,” Demers said.

Employees facing an unpaid leave who believe they may be eligible for the program need to submit an eligibility form to Human Resources. The form is available at http://www.unh.edu/hr/pubs-frm.htm#other.

Once the employee becomes eligible to receive donations, donors can begin donating time to the employee. Prospective donors must fill out a form, as well, which is available at the above Web site.
“It’s not an ego thing – I gave my time to you. It’s a sharing of what you’ve got that you no longer need but someone can benefit from,” Rep. Polly Daniels said.

The pilot program is expected to last a year, during which time Human Resources hopes to determine whether there is a need for it and whether staff are willing to donate vacation and earned time to support it.

“The councils did a lot of great work on this, and we think that a good program came out of it as a result,” Demers said.
In other business, the council discussed:

• Sending out a monthly e-mail to constituents that addresses the hot topics under discussion.
• Work on the proposed retired staff benefit. The proposed benefit would allow retired staff to take advantage of local discounts available to staff.
• The continuing review of the proposed Family Friendly policies, which, among other things, provide for paid leave for adoptive parents. Several members of the council plan to meet with representatives from the OS Council, System Personnel Policy Committee and Human Resources to discuss the programs options as well as costs.
• The 2005 professional development breakfast series, “Are You Sick?” The series will focus on ways for people to deal with health and safety issues, such as terrorism, food safety, environmental safety and infectious agents.

The council’s last professional development breakfast for 2004 is April 29. University Historian Marian James will discuss her research and writing of a history of UNH, together with presentations and committee work that have revitalized her life since retiring from the UNH History Department 15 years ago. All breakfast presentations are held in Acorns, New England Center, and begin at 7:30 a.m.