The employer can grant leave for various reasons. You are entitled to some types of leave, but other types are given if they can be accommodated. Types of leave that you are entitled to include: study leave, parental leave, and leave for care of loved ones and urgent family matters.
4.1. Leave in General
The employer can grant you leave for different reasons. You are entitled to some leave of absence and you have an absolute right to leave for: studies, parental leave, to provide care to a person with whom you have a close relationship and who is so severely ill that his/her life is in danger, urgent family circumstances and if you have a position abroad. Other leaves of absence can be granted if it does not cause any inconvenience to the work.
If you are permanently employed at the university, you are entitled to leave if you are offered another temporary position in a governmental agency. This leave cannot exceed two years. The right is only valid for a full-time leave. For part-time leave, you and your direct supervisor must come to an understanding. The right to leave applies provided that you have had a permanent employment (probationary employment also counts) at the university for at least 12 months. You must notify the employer of the leave at least two months before the start of the leave.
About the decision
Leave must be planned in consultation between you and your manager. Leave is decided according to the delegation policy. The President makes decisions on professorial leaves lasting longer than one year.
4.2. Leave with salary
If you are granted leave and the reasons are covered by the university guidelines listed below, nothing is deducted from your salary.
Medical visits and emergency dental visits
If necessary, the employee has the right to salary without deductions in the following circumstances:
- Medical visits, examinations or treatments by a doctor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, outpatient care, blood donation, or if you are pregnant maternity care.
- Emergency dental visits or examinations/treatments with a dentist’s referral.
For doctor visits and the like, the appointment should be made as close to the beginning or end of workhours as possible.
Visit at the maternity care centre for parents-to-be
If necessary, an employee who is about to become a parent, but is not the pregnant one, may take time off without salary deduction for the purpose of accompanying a visit to a maternity care center. This applies until parental allowance can be paid for the corresponding visit (60 days before the expected date of birth).
Other types of leave
When the employer has granted an employee leave according to Leave Regulations (1984:111) or another ruling, the employee has the right to salary without deductions in the following circumstances:
- Matters within the family (life-threatening, see clarification below) for time needed, but no more than 10 workdays per year.
- Moving to registered address, one workday.
- Moving, if transfer removal is permitted, no more than three days per year.
- Central union representative duties, no more than 10 workdays per year.
Leave for any part of the day is counted as a whole-day leave.
Clarification of “Matters within the family”
Employees of Stockholm University can receive paid leave for matters within the family for a maximum ten days per year, travel included.
The basic principle for paid leave at Stockholm University is that one day is granted for each of the events described below. Necessary travel time during workhours should also be taken into consideration. In practice, this means one day for the event itself and two travel days (there and back) for travel outside of the Stockholm area.
- Cases of serious illness. More serious cases of illness are defined as illnesses of a life-threatening nature or an acute illness. For other reasons that affect the relatives’ illness, such as the care of the sick person, you need to apply for vacation or leave without salary. One day when the employee’s immediate presence is required such as an acute illness or injury (that could not be predicted or planned for), or at a deathbed.
- Funeral and burial. One day for the funeral, one day for the burial.
- Probate and inheritance. One day to sign for the estate or inheritance.
- Death. One day in connection with the death.
Definition of “family” under this regulation
- Spouse, partner or registered partner
- Children or partner’s children
- Grandchildren
- Parents, stepparents or parents-in-law
- Grandparents
- Siblings, step-siblings, half-siblings, nieces and nephews
- Aunts and uncles
- Daughter- or son-in-law
- Sister- or brother-in-law
4.3 Unpaid Leave
There are many other circumstances in which an employee might want leave and for which leave can be granted, but either as unpaid leave or as vacation time, flex time, or as compensatory leave for overtime.
Examples of reasons to take unpaid leave:
- Grieving a death
- Close friend’s funeral
- Executing an estate
- Preparation for burial
- Emptying a residence
- Moving a loved one
- Visiting a loved one to help with housing or medical issues
- Accompanying a loved one on doctor visits
- Birthday celebration
There is also something called “care of close relative”. In these cases, Försäkringskassan makes the decision about compensation and pays it. The employer takes a full salary deduction. The employee has the right to leave to the extent and for the time over which Försäkringskassan pays compensation. Read more at Försäkringskassan.
For leaves up to 5 days, 4.6 % is deducted from your fixed salary for every workday. For leaves of six days or more, 3.3 % is deducted from your fixed salary for every calendar day. Leave without pay is not counted toward holiday compensation.
4.4 Parental Leave
Parental rights are regulated by the Parental Leave Act which defines various types of leave, conditions for leave, and the amount of leave.
Types of parental leave defined by the Act
- Maternal leave in connection with the birth of a child.
- Full-time absence until the child is 18 months old.
- Part-time absence with parental compensation. Leave can be taken as 75 %, 50 %, 25 % or 12.5 %.
- Reduction in working hours by 25 % until the child turns 8 years old. A one-quarter reduction of work hours applies to full-time employees only.
- Absence to temporarily take care of a child. Leave can be taken as 75 %, 50 %, 25 % or 12.5 %.
Partial parental leave in addition to the Parental Leave Act
In addition to the Parental Leave Act, state employees can be granted reduction of working hours – partial parental leave – according to the Leave Regulations to care for children – until the child is 12 years old.
Decision regarding parental leave
The employer makes the decision on leave according to the Parental Leave Act and the Leave Regulations.
If the employee wants to discontinue a current leave of absence, the closest supervisor should be notified. If the leave of absence has lasted longer than one month, the employer can postpone the employee’s return to work by up to one month after the employer received the request to return.
Application for parental leave
- Parental leave should be planned in consultation between you and the Head of Department/Head of Unit/Supervisor.
- Apply for leave of absence at least 2 months before the parental leave begins.
- Leave can be divided up into a maximum of 3 periods during one calendar year.
- The application should include which type of parental leave, the exact beginning and ending dates, the nature of the leave, and the child’s birthdate.
- Notify Försäkringskassan (Social Insurance Agency) that you will be on parental leave.
University salary supplement
There is a local collective agreement between Stockholm University and local trade unions that replaces the rules on supplemental parental compensation found in chapter 8 of the Terms of Employment Agreement/Terms of Employment Agreement-T.
An employee on leave for a child’s birth or the care of an adoptive child has the right to the salary supplement if parental compensation comes from Försäkringskassan. In the case of adoption, the time is counted from the arrival of the adopted child with the adoptive parents.
- Salary supplement is paid for a maximum of 36 months
- Salary supplement starts at 10 % of daily wages up to the amount of the maximum basic amount. For the portion of the wages over the maximum basic amount, it is calculated at 90 % of daily wages.
- Salary supplement is paid monthly according to the nature of the leave for a maximum of 360 days regardless of the scope.
- Leave with salary supplement accrues holiday leave according to the Annual Leave Act.
4.5 Parental Leave without compensation
In addition to the legal right to parental leave, state employees can opt for a reduction in working hours according to the leave regulations (1984:111) in order to care for children under 12 years old.
4.6 Study Leave
In accordance with law, every employee has the right to take leave in order to study.
If you plan to study you are required to take a course that correlates to the amount of time you are on leave. The right to this kind of leave is not dependent on the nature of the education or length of course, apart from self-study. However the employer has the right to postpone the time when you are granted leave until a later time than you have requested.
4.7 Staff Training
You are entitled to staff training without deduction in salary. Staff training is defined as certain courses or training programmes required by the university. Hand in an application for the staff-training programme you wish to take. It is the employer – usually your Head of Department, Centre, etc. – who will decide whether you can take the training.