A leave of absence for the purpose of furthering a team member’s education when the additional education will be beneficial to the performance of the team member in their current position, related positions within the organization, or a position to which the team member could reasonably expect to attain upon completion of the additional education.

ELIGIBILITY

Team members employed for at least one year and working at least 20 hours per week are eligible to apply for an educational leave of absence.

CONSIDERATION OF LEAVE

Factors taken into consideration for approval of an educational leave of absence include position, length of absence requested, course of study, team member’s performance record, expectancy of team member’s return, direct or indirect benefit to the organization, etc.  The education being pursued should be applicable to the team member’s current position or to a position the team member could reasonably expect to attain upon completion of the educational program.  

DURATION OF LEAVE

An educational leave is no longer than six months.

BENEFITS STATUS DURING LEAVE

The team member will not be eligible for benefits during an educational leave of absence.  Sick bank hours will be reinstated upon the team member’s return to work. 

COMPENSATION DURING LEAVE

Accrued paid leave hours will be used until exhausted; the remaining leave time will be unpaid. 

REQUEST AND APPROVAL FOR LEAVE

Educational Leave requests should be submitted by completing the Request for Leave form. The request must include the dates the team member intends to leave and return to work and detail the course of study.

RETURN TO WORK

An educational leave of absence does not guarantee the reinstatement of the team member at the end of the leave. However, Carle Health will make every effort to return the team member to their former or a comparable position. If the team member’s position is unavailable at the time of return, it is the team member’s responsibility to submit applications for vacant positions of interest. If the team member is not selected for a position within 30 days following the end of leave or date of release, the team member’s status will reflect voluntary resignation with proper notice.