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Leave & Benefits

The HR Team support all our staff by providing guidance and advice when availing of any leave benefits or statutory leave entitlements. Further details on all the leave benefits, are available from Cathleen McMurrough, Human Resources, Ext: 6047.

Annual Leave

Annual leave for Academic Staff is in accordance with the Academic Calendar https://www.lyit.ie/About/Academic-Calendar-Opening-Times
The annual leave year for Professional Management Support and Technical staff and other categories of staff begins on the 1st January and ends on 31st December each year.
Requests for annual leave must be submitted through Core Portal ESS https://my.corehr.com/pls/coreportal_lyitp

Please submit your annual leave request at least two weeks before it is proposed to take leave. This request will go to the appropriate Head of School/Function, for approval. In the case of Technicians, Craft Assistants and Attendants, annual leave will normally be taken during the last half of July and the month of August. In all other cases the requirements of the Institute will be considered before approval is given. Annual leave must be taken within the year to which the entitlement applies. Any requests to carry over leave into the following year must be approved by your relevant manager. Please note a max of 10 days only for 2021/22 may be carried over in exceptional circumstances.

Career Break scheme

Permanent whole-time members of staff who have not reached 60 years of age may be granted special leave without pay for a career break. Staff seeking career breaks must forward their applications in writing to the Institute authorities at least three months prior to the proposed date to commence the break. The application should contain precise details of the duration of the career break and indicate the purpose for which it is required. Members of staff intending to take up alternative employment within the state should submit a copy of any offer of employment in support of the application for a career break. Full details of the career break scheme are available from the Human Resources Office.

Flexi Time Leave

There is a flexi time scheme for Professional Management Support staff and other staff who are eligible to join this scheme. The main purpose of the flexi-time scheme is to provide a more flexible system of attendance for staff. The total number of hours which people are required to work on flexi-time is the same as that which they are required to work under fixed hours. The difference lies in the scope which individuals on flexi-time have to vary their times of arrival and departure, to vary the length and timing of their lunch break and to take flexi-leave if they have accumulated sufficient credit hours.

Term Time Leave Scheme

The Term Time Leave Scheme provides for unpaid leave for the purpose of allowing working parents or carers match their working arrangements to the main summer holidays of their children, or to care for a family member who has a disability that gives rise to the need for care on a continuing or frequent basis. The period of term time leave shall be unpaid special leave.

For Term Time Application Forms and for further details on this scheme please contact Cathleen McMurrough in Human Resources, Ext: 6047.

Maternity Leave

A female staff member is entitled to take twenty six consecutive weeks Maternity Leave. Please submit to HR a medical certificate confirming pregnancy and stating the expected week of confinement. You must give ATU Donegal written notice of your intention to take leave no later than four weeks before your leave begins. A minimum of two of these weeks must be taken before the end of the week when the baby is due and a minimum of four weeks must be taken after the birth.

The policy at Letterkenny Institute of Technology extends full pay to all employees during the period of maternity leave. Female staff on fixed term contracts are covered until the expiry of their contract. For those staff paying PRSI at the A1 rate, in order to receive full pay during the period of Maternity Leave, the claim form for Maternity Benefit (MB10) must be completed in full and submitted to Social Welfare at least 6 weeks before commencement of maternity leave.

An additional period of sixteen week’s unpaid leave may be taken immediately following the Maternity Leave period. You must give ATU Donegal written notice that you intend to take additional maternity leave either when you give notice of maternity leave or not later than four weeks before the end of your return date. Please note that no Social Welfare Benefit is payable during this period to employees. HR will send a confirmation letter to the employee in relation to their maternity leave which will include details of the return to work date. For further information, please contact Sheral Hetherington at ext. 6045 or Cathleen McMurrough at ext 6047 in the Human Resources Dept.

Paternity Leave

Paternity Leave is a period of two consecutive weeks paid leave available to the other relevant parent on the birth/adoption of a child, where the date of birth/day of placement falls on or after 1st September 2016. You may qualify for Paternity Benefit from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection if you have sufficient PRSI contributions. Please contact Cathleen McMurrough at ext. 6047 for further information.

Parental Leave

The Parental Leave Act 1998 entitles parents of children of the qualifying age, up to 22 weeks unpaid parental leave to take care of his/her child subject to certain conditions. To apply for Parental Leave you must fill out the Parental Leave Form and return to HR Dept. The form is available from Cathleen McMurrough, Ext. 6047. Parental leave cannot be reckoned for pension purposes.
Click here for the Parental Leave Application form

College Business

Staff may be paid (depending on the contract of employment) salary in respect of period of absence in connection with his/her attendance at a training / conference / meeting of instruction in accordance with conditions approved by the Minister.

Marriage Leave

Staff may be granted (depending on the contract of employment) seven consecutive days special leave of absence with pay on marriage, including the day of marriage. A further seven consecutive days of leave of absence without pay immediately following the special leave of absence with pay may also be granted if requested. Application for such leave should be made in writing in good time.

Compassionate Leave

Staff may be paid (depending on the contract of employment) salary in respect of a period of absence not exceeding five days necessitated by the illness or death of a near relative.

Force Majeure Leave

The Parental Leave Act 1998 provides for force majeure leave for all employees which is paid leave that is afforded to an employee in the event that a member of his/her family (family i.e. parent, spouse, child or adoptive child, partner, brother, sister, grandparent) has suffered an illness or injury, and the employee’s presence is indispensable. This entitles the employee to take three days in a year to take care of a family member, subject to a maximum of 5 days over a 36-month period. To apply for Force Majeure Leave you must fill out the form and return to HR Dept. The Force Majeure form is available from Cathleen McMurrough, Ext. 6047.
Click here for the Force Majeure application form

Sick Leave

New Sick Leave Scheme since 1st September 2014, Circular Number: 0064/2014
Normal sick leave:

For PMSS, Technical, Maintenance and other staff, a medical certificate is required on day 3. For Academic staff a medical certificate is required on day 4. Please note a maximum of 7 days uncertified sick leave is permitted over a two year rolling period. Staff must contact their line manager on the first day of absence and where a staff member is returning to work before a certificate is required, i.e. day 3 or 4 as above, they must notify their line manager of their intention to return to work. Staff returning to work after a period of certified sick leave must submit a fit to return to work certificate from their Doctor to HR.
Staff on long term sick leave are supported by an Occupation Health Review.

Covid related illness:

Any staff member who has tested positive must send in the relevant confirmation from the HSE to HR. HR will then confirm any entitlement to special leave outside of the normal sick leave entitlement. Any extension to this special leave period will be considered with further medical certification. It is vital that we are contacted about positive cases to ensure we minimise the risk of transmission.

What is the position regarding sick leave and medical certificates?

Medical certificates must be submitted to the Institute immediately. In the case of lengthy illness, a doctor’s medical certificates should be submitted weekly following submission of the initial certificate. Along with the doctor’s medical certificate, claim forms (called “IB1”) and medical certificates (called “MED1”) for the illness and Injury Benefit schemes should be completed.

How to Apply

Your doctor will give you an IB1 claim form and a MED1 medical certificate. You fill out the IB1 form and your doctor completes the MED1 certificate. The IB1 form and MED1 certificate are only available from your doctor. If you become ill or injured and go straight to hospital instead of your doctor, see 'Hospital Visit' section below. You will need to get a completed MED1 certificate from your doctor to claim for each additional week you are ill or injured, unless you are told otherwise. You are not required to pay for each MED1 certificate you receive but you may have to pay for the doctor to examine you.

Hospital Visit

If you become ill or injured and go straight to hospital instead of your doctor, ask the doctor in the hospital for a letter confirming your visit. Please bring this letter to your GP who will give you the IB1 application form to complete, and a completed MED1 certificate, free of charge. A nominated person can do this on your behalf if you are admitted to hospital for a longer stay. Please apply for Illness Benefit within 7 days of becoming ill or injured. Delaying your claim for more than 7 days may cause you to lose part of your payment. If you delay making your claim, and feel you have a valid reason, please complete part 3 of the IB1 Illness and Injury Benefits application form.

Please send completed forms by freepost to Illness Benefit Section at: Social Welfare Services, P.O. Box 1650, Dublin 1.
Please note that sending forms to your local Intreo Centre or Branch Office may delay your payment.
If you need assistance completing the IB1 form. Please contact Ms Cathleen McMurrough in HR, Ext: 6047 who will assist in the filling in of the form.

Bereavement

Click here for the Bereavement Leave Procedure

Click here for the Bereavement Leave Application form

Other

In exceptional circumstances, a member of staff may be paid salary in respect of occasional brief absences owing to reasonable causes other than those mentioned above, subject to approval of the Institute.