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 leave for different reasons. Some leave is entitlement-based, while other leave is granted by the employer if it can be accommodated within the organisation. The leaves to which you are entitled are: 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.

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 pregnantmaternity care.
  • Emergency dental visits or examinations/treatments with a dentist’s referral.
  • If necessary, an employee who is to become a parent, but is not the pregnant woman,may take leave without pay deduction to accompany her to a maternity centre. Theright to this leave is valid until parental benefit can be paid for the corresponding visit(60 days before the expected date of birth).

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 (Tjänstledighetsförordning (1984:111)) or another ruling, the employee has the right to salary without deductions in the following circumstances:

  • Matters within their own family or immediate family circle. The basic principle atStockholm University is that paid leave is granted for one day for each occasion, butnot more than ten working days per year. Clarification can be found on the Employeewebsite under Terms of employment/Leave.
  • Moving to registered address, one workday.
  • 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

According to the Parental Leave Act (Föräldraledighetslagen) employees are entitled to be absent from work to take care of their children.

Different types of leave according to the Act:

  • Maternity leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child.
  • Full-time absence until the child is 18 months old.
  • Part-time absence with parents’ allowance.
  • Reduction of working hours by 1/4 until the child reaches the age of 8.
  • Leave for temporary care of children.
  • Leave can be taken as full, three-quarter, half, quarter or eighth time. Reduction ofworking time by 1/4 applies to full-time staff.
  • Leave may be divided into a maximum of three periods for each calendar year.
  • Notification of leave shall be made two months before the beginning of the leave or,if this is not possible, as soon as possible.

More information about parental leave and compensation is available on the Försäkringskassans (Social Insurance Agency´s) website.

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.

Application for parental leave

  • Parental leave should be planned in consultation between you and the Head ofDepartment/Head of Unit/Supervisor.
  • Submit the application for leave of absence to your institution at least 2 monthsbefore 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 andending dates, the nature of the leave, and the child’s birthdate.
  • Notify Försäkringskassan (Social Insurance Agency) that you will be on parental leave.

Parental leave with parental benefit and vacation cannot be combined on the same day, regardless of the amount of parental benefit.

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.

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.

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.