Time Off and Leave
Montgomery College offers a variety of ways you can take time off of work. The main categories include annual time off (also considered vacation time off), sick time off, personal time off, and professional development time off.
Change in Terminology
Previously, we have used the term “leave” to apply to any form of time off or absence from the College. You will find that this is no longer applicable as our new HR information system, Workday, uses different terminology. In Workday, there are two types of absences an eligible employee may use: “time off” and “leave.” The differences between the two are as follows:
- Time Off applies to all short-term absences, such as: annual, sick, personal, enrichment, civic, sick and safe, bereavement, professional meeting, and unpaid.
- Leave applies to long-term absences, such as: Sabbatical (faculty), professional development (staff/administrators), family medical leave (FML), short-term disability (STD), Worker’s Compensation (WC), administrative – voluntary and involuntary, annual military reserve, and extended military service.
Regular Time Off
Skip sectionAnnual time off for staff and administrators is granted to allow vacation time or for taking care of activities that can't be scheduled on non-working days. It can also be used to supplement sick time off when necessary. The amount of annual time off you earn is based on how long you've worked at the College.
Sick time off is granted to staff, full-time faculty, and administrators for personal illness, injury, and quarantine, as well as for medical, dental, or optical examinations and treatment.
Personal time off is to be used for personal obligations or for other important personal unplanned crises or emergencies involving family members or personal property.
Provides full-time faculty members the opportunity to take time away from the classroom to engage in various types of professional development endeavors.
Provides administrators and staff members the opportunity to take time away from the College to engage in various types of professional development endeavors.
Additional Time off and Leave
Montgomery College generally offers 14 days of paid time off for holidays. Those holidays are designated each year in the College calendar, and are listed as days when the school is closed.
Employees are authorized paid time off on official holidays when the holiday is a day the employee would normally be scheduled to work. Some employees may be required to work on an official holiday if certain College services must be maintained. Non-exempt employees who are required to work on an official holiday are paid (in addition to pay for their regular holiday time off) at one and one-half times their pay for each hour of work performed on the holiday.
When an official holiday falls on an employee's regularly scheduled day off, the employee will not be paid for that day. If a temporary change in work schedule means the employee won't get the regular paid holiday, the employee will receive an alternate paid day off during the same week.
If you have any questions, please contact us at LeaveRequest@montgomerycollege.edu.
Montgomery College offers time off and leave with pay under certain circumstances, as listed below:
Bereavement
Employees may be allowed up to a maximum of five consecutive workdays of special time off with pay upon the death of a member of the employee's family. The employee's supervisor has the authority to approve the extent of the time off to be granted up to the maximum number of days permitted. Bargaining unit employees should refer to their respective contracts for details.
Court Attendance
Employees who are subpoenaed as a court witness or who are called to serve on a jury may be granted court attendance time off for the period required to be in court plus necessary travel time. Employees must submit the appropriate time off form with a copy of the subpoena or summons to the Director of Personnel Services. Any pay (less travel or other necessary and uncompensated expenses) received by the employee for such service is paid to the College unless the employee elects to use annual time off or leave without pay, in which case the employee may retain all pay received for such court service.
Annual Military Reserve Training
Employees who are members of the National Guard or of the United States Armed Forces Reserves may be granted special leave with pay for training purposes not to exceed 15 calendar days in any 12-month period when required by federal or state order. In addition, such leave with pay may be granted to an employee when his/her reserve unit is activated by federal or state order in the event of a civil disturbance or other emergency. Employees must submit the appropriate leave form with a copy of the military or other governmental orders attached to the Director of Personnel Management. Any pay (less travel or other necessary and uncompensated expenses) received by the employee for such active duty must be paid to the college unless the employee elects to use annual leave or leave without pay, in which case the employee may retain all pay received for such active duty.
Professional Meeting
Granted for purposes of attending off-campus professional meetings that are in the best interest of the College and the employee.
Professional Development Leave for Staff
Is available for administrative, associate, and support staff for a period of three months or one semester at full pay. To be eligible to apply and be considered for this leave, an employee must have served continuously at Montgomery College for at least 3 years. The employee must sign a written agreement to return to work at the College for at least 4 months for each month of leave after the Professional Development leave ends. Employees in temporary positions with benefits are not eligible for this particular leave.
Recess Leave
Recess leave is available to full-time counseling faculty. The number of recess days given depend on years of full-time employment. Please refer to the AAUP contract for more information.
Workers Compensation Leave
Workers’ Compensation benefits provide payment for lost wages as well as reasonable medical expenses incurred as a result of a work-related injury or illness. HRSTM administers the Workers’ Compensation Program through CORVEL a contracted claims service. Learn more about workers compensation.
Administrative Leave
Paid administrative leave is granted when the health, safety, or general welfare of an employee is in danger, or when leave is in the best interest of the College. Leave may be authorized for all employees or for selected offices of personnel of the College. Non-exempt staff employees who are classified as "essential personnel" and who are required to work during administrative leave are paid (in addition to their regular pay) at one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for those hours worked.
NOTE: Administrative leave is the leave granted for weather related emergencies. When the decision is made to close the College (not just cancel classes), staff are not required to report for work.
The Office of Communications notifies the media and in-house communications systems (Montgomery College ALERT, e-mail, voice mail, Web site) as early as possible, once the decision is made to close or delay opening. You can also determine the College’s operational status during inclement weather or emergency situations through the following means:
- Montgomery College employees can sign up to receive text messages or e-mail announcements about emergencies, closures or delays affecting the College or one of the campuses. This service, Montgomery College ALERT, developed out of a partnership with Montgomery County’s “Alert Montgomery” emergency communications system. To learn more about Montgomery College ALERT and how to register, visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/emergency.
- Check the College’s Web site at www.montgomerycollege.edu for an announcement or log on to College’s e-mail service. A collegewide e-mail will be sent to employees.
- For faculty and staff with voice mail, call in to check your voice mail, which will be updated with a broadcast message. If you are calling from home or off-site, dial 240-567-1701, insert your extension number, press * and enter your pass code.
- Call the College’s main phone number, 240-567-5000, to hear an updated message. Do not call security or the campuses for an update.
- Obtain your information from radio or TV announcements.
Within Montgomery County, tune in to Montgomery College Television, which is available on channel 10 on all Montgomery County cable systems. Additional television and radio stations that the College notifies for weather closings generally include:
- WMAL - 630 AM WFRE- 99.9 FM (Frederick) WTTG- Fox Channel 5
- WTOP- 103.5 FM WRC-NBC Channel 4 NewsChannel 8
- WAMU - 88.5 FM WUSA-CBS Channel 9
- WFMD/WFRE - 930 AM (Frederick) WJLA-ABC Channel 7
People who are considered “essential personnel” are: chief administrative officer, director of college relations, director of facilities, campus facilities managers, all general maintenance workers and supervisors, building service workers and supervisors, security officers and supervisors, building equipment mechanics, automotive mechanics and all trades helpers. Other positions may be designated “essential” by the chief administrative officer.
Employees who choose to take time off due to inclement weather when the College remains officially open must report their absence as annual time off.
Up to 12 months of leave without pay may be granted for reasons such as illness in the family, maternity (beyond the period of disability), military service, travel, family obligations, professional development, disability, or any other reason which is in the best interests of both the College and the employee. With the exception of military service, employees who are on leave may continue to participate in the Montgomery College employee benefit plans by paying 100% of the cost.
Leave without pay for 1 to 5 working days may be granted by the employee's supervisor. Leave for more than 5 days requires the approval of the employee's supervisor and the Associate Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management. If you have any questions, please contact us at LeaveRequest@montgomerycollege.edu.
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), employees are eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if they have worked for the College for at least 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12-month period. Unpaid leave will be granted for any of the following reasons:
- To care for an employee's child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care;
- To care for the employee's spouse, son or daughter, or parent who has a serious health condition;
- For a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his/her job;
- In certain circumstances, leave may be granted to care for a family member in the armed forces. A spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin can to take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness.
The College will require:
- The employee to use available sick leave for which the employee may be eligible for all or part of the leave to which the employee is entitled under FMLA. Sick leave runs concurrent with family medical leave.
- Medical certification to support a request for leave because of a serious health condition, and may require a second or third opinion (at College expense) and a fitness for duty to return to work.
For the duration of leave under the FMLA, the College will maintain group insurance coverage under the same conditions as if the employee were still working.
These procedures will be administered in accordance with the provisions of the FMLA.
Please reference The Employee's Guide to The Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF, 
) . If you have any further questions, please contact us at LeaveRequest@montgomerycollege.edunew window.
FAQs
Employees who work in regular budgeted positions may be eligible for disability leave if they have worked at least 6 months for the College. (Employees in temporary positions with benefits are not eligible for this particular benefit). Employees who have been disabled because of sickness or accidental bodily injury may be granted disability leave with pay during the first 12 months of disability. Proof of disability must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources. After all accumulated sick leave and advanced sick leave has been used, a percentage of the employee's salary will be continued according to the following:
- Employees with 6 months but less than 3 years of service 50% of pay
- Employees with 3 years but less than 10 years of service 60% of pay
- Employees with 10 or more years of service 80% of pay
- Workers' Compensation Disability 100% of pay *
Long-Term Disability benefits are payable after 365 days of disability.
Learn more about Short Term Disabilitynew window
In workers' compensation cases, the use of sick leave will not be required before Disability Leave is authorized. Salary continued by the College is reduced by other disability benefits or pay for rehabilitative work.
* The percent of pay for Worker' Compensation Disability applies if the individual is participating in the Managed Care Program. If not it is 66% 2/3 of pay as required by MD State Law. If you have any questions, please contact us at LeaveRequest@montgomerycollege.edu.