NJ Earned Sick Leave Law – Hourly Students

• Students earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours  of earned sick leave per benefit year (NJIT has defined the benefit year as July 1 through June  30); 

• Students begin accruing paid sick leave upon date of hire; however, there is a 120 day wait  before a student can begin to use the time; 

• Students can carry over up to 40 hours of earned paid sick leave into the next benefit year but  are still limited to the use of only 40 of earned sick leave in any given benefit year. 

Determining Availability of Hours:

Students (and supervisors) are able to view the earned number of hours available (and the date available) via the student’s online timesheet by clicking on “Leave Balances” next to the student’s name:

Student – No Available Hours:

In the example below, the student has 8.3 hours “banked”; however, the student cannot use these hours until May 17, 2020 as the student has not passed the 120-day waiting period:

Student – Available Hours:

Below is an example of a student who has passed the 120-day waiting period and has 19.34 hours of earned sick leave available:

Student – Utilized Hours:

The example below shows a student who has utilized 3.4 hours of earned sick leave, with updated availability:

Acceptable Reasons to Use NJ Earned Sick Leave: 

Pursuant to the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law, students may use NJ earned sick leave for the reasons below:

1. Student or a family member needs diagnosis, care, treatment or recovery from an illness, or preventative medical care;
2. Student or a family member have been the victim of domestic or sexual violence and needs time for treatment, counseling or to prepare for a court proceeding; 
3. Student needs to attend school-related conferences, meetings or events regarding their child’s education or to attend a school-related meeting regarding their child’s health; 
4. Student needs to care for their child if their school or child-care provider is closed due to a public health emergency; 
5. The university closes due to a public health emergency.

 Please note that sick leave accrued under the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law may not be used for bereavement or to bond with a newborn, newly adopted or foster child. 

Requests for Time Off and Approval: 

Where at all possible, students should submit requests to use earned sick leave to their supervisor 7 days in advance. If their need for earned sick leave is unforeseeable, students should provide as much notice as possible. Please note that sick time can only be utilized during a scheduled shift; for example, if you are scheduled to work from 10:00-2:00 and you request 1 hour of sick time, the timesheet for that day should reflect 3 hours worked and 1 hour of sick time. 

Documentation: 

Reasonable documentation may be required if a student uses earned sick leave on three or more consecutive work days. Please note that documentation from the health care provider should NOT specify the medical reason for the student’s leave to their supervisor; students should submit all documentation to their supervisor.