Career Break Leave

Preamble

The University recognises that a career break offers a range of benefits not only to the staff member but also to the University. By combining entitlements for different leave types together a staff member can meet their need to take a break from work to refresh, re-energise, attend to other responsibilities or pursue professional development. For the University granting career break can support retention of valued staff and the professional development of staff.

A career break can include a combination of paid and unpaid leave. It can be made up of accrued entitlements such as annual or long service leave and/or a period of leave without pay. It provides a mechanism for the employee to structure a mix of current leave types to provide for a longer absence.

Definitions

Career break:a broad term meaning any time out from a career. It is sometimes referred to as an “Adult Gap Break”, and typically taken for three or six months. The employee has the right to return to a job at the same level.

Purpose of career break leave

A career break may be taken for the purpose of travel, volunteering, professional development, study, pursuit of personal interests including work family balance or simply to re-energise.

Eligibility

A minimum period of two-year service is required before an employee is eligible to apply for a career break. Otherwise the eligibility requirements for annual leave, long service leave and leave without pay will apply.

Career break leave is not an entitlement and can only be entered into by mutual agreement by the staff member and his/her manager.

Type of leave available to be used for career break leave

A staff member may use his or her annual leave and long service leave entitlements and apply for leave without pay, for career break purposes. Staff are required to comply with the current provisions for taking leave without pay and exhaust all annual and long service leave credits before commencement of any unpaid period of career break leave.

Career break leave does not cover absence to undertake paid work, which is subject to the University’s Paid Outside Work Policy.

Where a component of ‘leave without pay’ is taken as part of the career break leave, the provisions of the University’s ‘special unpaid leave’ policy apply. These provisions cover access to University holidays, salary increments, and such periods of leave not counting as service.
For further information please refer to Special Leave.
Note that Career Break differs from the Outside Studies Program in that the purpose of an Outside Studies Program (OSP) is to provide academic staff with a period of relief from normal University duties to carry out a cohesive program of scholarly work to enhance staff member's development and extend the body of knowledge in their chosen field. There is no requirement to carry out any duties while on Career Break leave.

Making application

Staff can apply for career break leave by completing the relevant leave forms (i.e. application for annual leave, long service leave or leave without pay forms) or by applying through Employee Self Service (ESS) where applicable. The written agreement in the current “Application for Leave Without Pay” form is to be used for detailing arrangements including the period of time. A four week minimum notice period would normally apply.

Approval

In considering whether to approve an application for career break leave a manager will have regard to the individual’s circumstances, the eligibility requirements, the timing of the leave, the impact on operations or service delivery, the ability of the school, department, division or unit to make alternate arrangements to accommodate the request, the likely impact on retention, the individual’s performance and the unit’s performance, the entitlement to annual leave and long service leave and other considerations relevant to making a balanced decision. A refusal should be accompanied with communication of the reasons for the refusal.

For leave without pay the approval of the relevant Dean/Divisional Director is required.

Early return to work

A staff member may request to return to work earlier than approved in their application, a four week minimum notice period would normally apply.
The supervisor is not obliged to accede to the staff member's request to return to work from career break leave at a date earlier than originally agreed, provided the supervisor has reasonable grounds to reject the request. Such grounds may be connected to budget limitations due to contractual obligations to staff employed to backfill the person on the career break leave.

Period of leave

The maximum and minimum periods for career break leave is approved on a case-by-case basis, as is currently the arrangement for leave without pay. However, usually 1 week would be the minimum and 12 months would be the maximum with a two-year qualifying period for each application. The timing of the leave will be approved in accordance with operational requirements.

Training and career development

Training and career development provisions for employees on career breaks and the cost of such provisions will be at the discretion of the employee’s manager. In many cases the career break experience will provide professional development.

Communication

It is recommended that the staff member and manager agree on communication arrangements while on leave and that mechanisms are put in place to keep the staff member up-to-date.

Superannuation

Superannuation impact will be the same as applies to each of the leave types. For example, current leave without pay arrangements provide for the staff member to continue superannuation contributions while on leave without pay.

Relief arrangements

Suitable relief arrangements are at the manager’s discretion. Where the employee is on leave without pay the salary savings from the unpaid absence can be utilised to employ an alternate staff member.