State Broadens and Increases Community Service Leave
By Fran Rensbarger
A little-noticed change to the leave policy last year gives George Mason staff a greater opportunity to help in the local community. Last July, the Virginia State Legislature broadened the school assistance leave policy to permit paid time for other forms of community service and doubled the amount of leave allowed. Formerly, the policy allowed leave only for volunteering in a school or on a field trip, or for meeting with teachers or school administrators. Community Service Leave is available to classified and other salaried employees.
"The university has a strong tradition of outreach and service to the community by students, staff, and faculty," says Linda Westphal, assistant vice president for human resources. "We see this type of support as one of our goals. I have heard Dr. Merten speak about how engaged we are with the local region and about how important that relationship is."
Under the new policy, only hands-on work time, not planning meetings, for community-based organizations or local extensions of national groups is eligible. Examples of qualifying organizations include volunteer rescue squads and fire departments, the American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity.
Under the new policy, which became effective last July, full-time employees can take up to two full days a year in preapproved leave for volunteer activities. Part-time employees can take a proportional amount of leave. The leave may be used in increments of one hour at a time or more.
"There may be some additional difficulty in allowing employees time off for community service because of reduced staffing levels; on the other hand, the economic downturn increases people's reliance on community service agencies and organizations, and we will try to support those increased needs," says Westphal.
You can find a copy of the policy at hr.gmu.edu/policy
under Virginia Department of Human Resource Management Policies and Procedures.
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