BRIEF

Policy Summary

Berkeley Lab recognizes the importance of family and the difficulties employees face following the death of a family member or another person close to the employee. The Laboratory provides time off for this purpose.

Who Should Read This Policy

• This policy applies to all employee classifications: Career, Term, Postdoctoral Fellow, Limited, Visiting Researcher, Faculty, Rehired Retiree, Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA), and Student Assistant.
• This policy applies to nonrepresented employees. Employees who are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent should refer to their collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

To Read the Full Policy, Go To:

The POLICY tab on this wiki page

Contact Information

For more information, employees may contact their division's Human Resources (HR) Center.
Feedback on HR policies or procedures is welcomed. Send comments to hrpolicies@lbl.gov.

POLICY

A. Purpose

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) recognizes the importance of family and the difficulties employees face following the death of a family member or another person close to the family. The Laboratory provides time off for this purpose.

B. Persons Affected

• This policy applies to all employee classifications: Career, Term, Postdoctoral Fellow, Limited, Visiting Researcher, Faculty, Rehired Retiree, Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA), and Student Assistant.
• This policy applies to nonrepresented employees. Employees who are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent should refer to their collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

C. Exceptions

Requests for bereavement leave that exceed what is allowed under current policy or that are not expressly addressed by current policy are considered exceptions to policy. A request for an exception to policy requires, at minimum, the approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

D. Policy Statement

1. Eligibility for Bereavement Leave: All employees are eligible to take paid or unpaid bereavement leave. Employees eligible to accrue sick leave may use a portion of their accrued sick leave for paid bereavement leave.

2. Use of Bereavement Leave

   If you need time away from work…	You may be eligible to use the following amount of sick leave or unpaid leave:
   For the death of a family member (spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, in-law, or step-relative in the same relationship) or person residing in your household	Up to 10 days for each family member or person residing in the household
   For the death of an individual who is not a family member or person residing in your household	In total, up to five days in a calendar year

   1. If an employee requires more than the time allowed for bereavement leave, he/she may request an unpaid personal leave of absence or may use any accrued vacation leave.
   2. An employee may not use accrued sick leave for bereavement leave:
      1. As a personal day off. Employees must use accrued vacation for a personal day off.
      2. After his/her effective date of separation, retirement, or layoff
      3. In excess of his/her scheduled hours of work (e.g., an employee scheduled to work six hours a day would not take eight hours of bereavement leave a day) up to a maximum of eight hours per day and 40 hours per week, including extended workweek situations
      4. During work deferment or leave without pay
      5. On an intermittent basis for purposes of eligibility for holiday pay and employer-paid contributions toward benefits. However, if the employee is taking Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave on an intermittent or reduced-schedule basis, refer to the applicable policies (Family Care and Medical Leave, Pregnancy Disability Leave, Parental Bonding Leave) for further details.
3. Evidence of the Need for Bereavement Leave: An employee may be required to submit satisfactory proof of the bereavement.
4. Return to Work
   1. An employee is expected to return to work no later than the next regularly scheduled workday after the bereavement leave has ended.
   2. An employee who unexpectedly cannot return to work on the next regularly scheduled workday after the bereavement leave has ended must notify his/her supervisor soon as possible to explain the reason for the absence.
   3. Failure to return to work after the bereavement leave has ended without supervisory approval is considered an unauthorized absence. Five consecutive workdays of unauthorized absence constitutes job abandonment and may lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination from employment. See the Unauthorized Absences and Job Abandonment Policy.
5. Misuse of Leave
   1. Misrepresenting reasons for requesting time off, including but not limited to misrepresentations that could lead to concerns of conflict of interest and/or fraud, may result in disciplinary action, suspension without pay, and/or termination from employment.
   2. Employees on an approved leave of absence for which a medical certification is required may jeopardize their right to leave benefits and or their continued employment by engaging in activities incompatible with the medical certification submitted in support of the leave.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

F. Definitions/Acronyms

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

H. Implementing Documents

I. Contact Information

For more information, employees may contact their division's Human Resources (HR) Center.
Feedback on HR policies or procedures is welcomed. Send comments to hrpolicies@lbl.gov.

J. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Source Requirements Documents

• California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act
• DOE Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231, Mod No. M046, Sec.J, App. A, Advance Understandings on Human Resources
• University of California Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM) 2.21, Absence from Work

Implementing Documents