Faculty Leaves Without Pay (LWOP)

Overview: 

A faculty member may request a leave without pay for academic reasons or personal reasons. Each situation comes with its own specific requirements and processes. This process will go over when each leave applies and how a faculty member would request the applicable leave as it pertains to COLA. This process does not include leaves or time off that are covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Faculty requests for leave without pay (not involving FMLA) are final-approved by the Provost Office. 

Relevant Definitions: 

Leave – Academic: A faculty member is requesting leave without pay for academic activities.

• Must be 100% LWOP and be of greater than 30 days in duration; terminology of "leave" consistent with Workday usage.
• Examples: a fellowship to perform research or complete a manuscript where the stipend is paid directly to the faculty member; a visiting teaching position at another university. 
• Leave must be final approved by APS. 

Unpaid Time Off: a faculty member requesting leave without pay that is either:

1. For personal reasons, after all applicable paid time off balances have been exhausted; OR
2. For academic reasons where the leave spans less than 30 days, or the LWOP is not 100% time for the time period, such as a 50% LWOP (4hrs/day not paid via UT). 

• Leave must be final approved by EVPP. 

Return Rule: A requirement related to certain research-related faculty awards (e.g., FDLs, CSEFs, and SFAs), and specified in the award letter, in which a faculty member is released from teaching but remains on the instructional budget. Specifies that when the faculty member’s award period is over, they will return to their normal FTE appointment at UT Austin for a required amount of time, typically for one academic year following the completion of their award, or they will be required to re-pay the amount of salary provided by the award.

• A return rule can possibly be deferred (see Step 1.b. below). 

Academic Personnel Services (APS): the Provost Office team who help to oversee many/most processes related to academic staff and faculty, such as hiring, leaves, promotions, and related matters 

FYI: For Your Information; a courtesy notification; no action needs to be taken by the recipient 

COLA HR: COLA_HR@austin.utexas.edu   

Process: 

COLA Deadlines: 

June 30 – Fall Semester Requests 

October 31 – Spring Semester Requests 

1. Faculty member reaches out to department staff or Chair to request leave. Staff/Chair should discuss with faculty member how taking leave may affect:
   1. Benefits and premium sharing:
      1. Faculty on 100% LWOP unrelated to FMLA (Leave-Academic, or Leave-Personal/non-FMLA) may still be able to retain UT benefits but are not eligible for premium sharing. i.e., the faculty member would have to pay out of pocket. Please see also: Faculty Leave Types and Benefits Impacts.
      2. Faculty on Unpaid Time Off would still be eligible for full premium-sharing, provided their faculty position remained at 100% time. (We know this is confusing.)
   2. Any previously committed return rules; if department does not have solid records of faculty leaves taken, check with COLA HR.  

      1. If a faculty member wishes to be on an approved academic leave during the academic year following an award, but then plans to return to their full-time duties at the university in the following academic year, an exception to the return rule policy may be granted in exceptional circumstances. The request must include a description of their plans and their reason for not returning the year immediately following their award, and the request must be endorsed by their supervisor and dean. The request should be submitted via COLA HR.

         1. NOTE: Return rules connected to an FDL cannot be waived.

         2. Requests are handled on a case-by-case basis and, if an exception is granted, it will be contingent upon the faculty member’s subsequent return to their normal duties at the university as outlined.

   3. Probationary status/promotion & tenure "clock"; see more information on tenure-track probationary period here.
   4. Any departmental responsibilities the faculty member will retain while on leave. 
2. Ensure that, if the Chair was not notified in step 1, that you (dept staff) bring them into the conversation and/or that they are made aware of the potential considerations listed above. 
3. Leave-Academic and Unpaid Time Off are both requested using the Faculty Request for Leave (FRL) form. 
   1. Complete the form based on the specific leave faculty member is taking. 
      1. The percentage faculty member will be on leave is based on their funding amount and their current salary. 
   2. The FRL is submitted to COLA HR via the faculty leaves submission portal for review prior to Chair’s signature. Please follow naming convention: "YY-YY_DEPT_Lastname_Semester_FRL"
      1. "YY-YY" = the fiscal year of the leave; ex. "22-23"
      2. "DEPT" = 4-character UT Department code for your unit; ex. "PSYC" (Department of Psychology)
      3. "Lastname" = faculty member requesting the leave
      4. "Semester" = the semester for which the leave is requested (Fall, Spring, or AY, if full year)
   3. COLA HR will create a leave record in the CLASP database and begin processing. 
   4. COLA HR will make any applicable corrections consistent with COLA policy and submit the request through the APS Service Now "Request for Leave" form.
   5. Once approved, or denied by APS, the FRL will be returned to COLA HR. We will send an FYI copy to the requesting department. 
4. Leave-Academic and Unpaid Time Off are both input into Workday by APS. No direct action is needed from the departments after FRL has been approved by APS, though it is useful for department staff to check that the Workday updates have been made.
   1. For Leave-Academic, the faculty member will appear in Workday with "(On Leave)" after their name. 
   2. For Unpaid Time Off, the unpaid time off would be listed under the "Time Off" tab.
5. If a Leave-Academic or Unpaid Time Off is not requested by the department or faculty member in an appropriate time-frame, the employee may be overpaid by Payroll. In this instance you would: 
   1. Reach out to COLA HR to inform us of the overpayment. 
   2. Step 3 (the FRL) would need to be completed as soon as possible. 
   3. Once the LWOP has been input into Workday by APS, COLA HR will contact Payroll with information about the overpayment. 
   4. Payroll will give us options for how the overpayment can be corrected. COLA HR will work with the department staff to contact the faculty member to determine how to correct the overpayment.

Related policies and information: 

HOP 2-2210: Faculty Leaves and Special Assignments 

Faculty Leave Information (EVPP Site) 

Payroll Policy for Faculty 12-month Salary Spread  (Payroll Site)

Faculty Leave Types and Benefits Impacts (EVPP/HR Chart)

Insurance Options While on LWOP (Central HR Site)

Other Related Links: 

Faculty Submissions Portals (wiki)

Faculty Request for Leave Form

UT Workday Login