There are dozens, if not hundreds, of reasons that someone may need to take a leave of absence, and most people usually require a leave of absence from their job at least once.
If you’re considering taking a job at UPS or you just got hired, you might be curious about the UPS leave of absence policy. For example, does UPS offer a leave of absence? I’ve looked into it and here’s what I discovered!
UPS Leave Of Absence Policy In 2024
UPS’s leave of absence policy exists but is somewhat lacking as of 2024. UPS adheres to the Family and Medical Leave Act, which means the only acceptable reasons for leave of absence are being critically ill or injured, pregnant, documentable traumatic events, or government-mandated activities such as jury duty, court appearances, or public duties.
If you’re a UPS employee looking to request a leave of absence or just want to better understand the UPS employee policies, be sure to keep reading!
Are The UPS Sick Leave And Leave Of Absence Policy The Same?
Most people look to take a leave of absence due to a personal illness or injury; however, these policies are not the same.
With that, UPS has a separate injury and illness policy that it refers to as “The Scheme,” which details the amount of company sick leave provided to each employee based on their seniority, as well as whether it’s paid or unpaid.
Further, UPS employees that have worked for a year or less get up to 13 weeks of company sick pay, or 60% of their typical income.
In comparison, employees who have worked for UPS for one to five years are given up to 26 weeks of company sick pay.
Finally, UPS employees who’ve worked five or more years receive up to 52 weeks of company sick pay.
Also, UPS reserves the right to decide whether or not to award employees paid sick time on an individual basis.
Additionally, UPS reserves the right to request documentation to back up the employee’s request and undergo a separate medical examination.
Moreover, if you’re interested in reading more about the UPS sick leave policy, you can check out page seven of the employee handbook.
What Are Some Acceptable Reasons To Take A Leave Of Absence At UPS?
For a leave of absence outside of illness or injury, UPS doesn’t guarantee any allowances not mandated by federal law.
With that, the acceptable reasons for taking a leave of absence as outlined in the UPS employee handbook are as follows:
- Crises at home
- Part of an employee’s annual leave entitlement or unpaid leave if there is insufficient vacation leave
- Time off for dependents (UPS allows two days of unpaid time off to take care of any dependents, although that varies individually)
- Urgent medical appointments (granted for urgent treatment of medical, dental, or optical issues, but employees are required to make the appointments outside of business hours or over lunch breaks to minimize disruption to working hours)
- Time off for antenatal and adoption appointments (employees must give as much advanced notice as possible and arrange appointments as close to the beginning or end of the workday as possible)
- Pregnant employees may have paid time off for appointments during the day as recommended by a doctor
- Jury service
- Court appearances
- Public duties
- Trade union/safety representative duties and activities
Also, the UPS employee handbook outlines separate terms for leaves of absence regarding maternity/paternity leave, adoption leave, and shared parental leave.
Additionally, the UPS employee handbook outlines all the necessary procedures for requesting these types of leave and return policies and any documentation and steps required to qualify for that leave.
So, if you’re interested in reading more about the UPS leave of absence policy or want to see more about other types of leave, you can check out its online employee handbook through this link.
Still, the UPS employee handbook is available through the UPS employee website, and all questions can be directed to UPS HR or your direct manager.
To learn more about UPS, you can also see our posts on whether or not UPS drug test, if it is easy to get a job at UPS, and UPS shipping restrictions.
Conclusion
UPS’ leave of absence policy varies greatly depending on why you’re seeking a leave of absence.
For maternity, paternity, adoptive, and any kind of parental leave, UPS can be generous, offering paid leave and detailed documentation of all the expected procedures and requirements to qualify for leave.
For a leave of absence due to illness or injury, paid time away and the amount of time away is awarded individually and allotted based on the amount of time the employee has worked for UPS.
Finally, any other leave of absence is left entirely up to the company to decide whether or not it will be granted and if it will be paid or unpaid.