New York Safe and Sick Leave Policy

Columbia University provides eligible employees who work in New York State with paid safe/sick time for use for the reasons specified under this policy. Eligible employees may receive or accrue up to 56 hours per fiscal year of paid safe/sick time, in accordance with the “Fiscal Year Accrual Schedule and Other Information for NY Safe and Sick Leave” section below. Any earned but unused paid safe/sick time under this policy will be carried forward from year to year; however, covered employees may not use more than 56 hours of paid safe/sick time in any given fiscal year (though an employee may be eligible for additional paid medical leave under other University policies).

Effective February 22, 2026, Columbia University also provides eligible employees who work in New York City an additional 32 hours of unpaid safe/sick time, immediately available at the start of each fiscal year, for use for the reasons specified under this policy. Unpaid safe/sick time does not carry forward from year to year, and covered employees may not use more than 32 hours of unpaid safe/sick time in any given fiscal year.

New employees may begin using available safe/sick time upon commencement of employment. 

Use of Safe/Sick Time

For purposes of this policy:

• “Family member” means an employee’s child (biological, adopted, foster or to whom the employee stands in loco parentis), spouse, domestic partner, parent (or who stands in loco parentis to the employee), the child or parent of an employee’s spouse or domestic partner, sibling (including adopted, half- or step-sibling), grandparent and grandchild, any other individual related by blood to the employee, and any other individual whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
• “Care recipient” means a person with a disability, including a temporary disability, who is the employee’s family member or household member and relies on the employee for medical care or to meet the needs of daily living.

Use of Paid Safe/Sick Time

Eligible employees who work in New York State will be allowed to use all, or any portion, of their paid safe/sick time for:

1. The employee’s mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, regardless of whether such illness, injury or health condition has been diagnosed or requires medical care at the time that such employee requests leave;
2. The employee’s diagnosis, care or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, or need for medical diagnosis, preventive care or elective surgery, including organ donations;
3. To care for employee’s family member because of the family member’s mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, regardless of whether such illness, injury or health condition has been diagnosed or requires medical care at the time that such employee requests leave;
4. To care for the employee’s family member because of the family member’s diagnosis, care or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, or need for medical diagnosis, preventive care or elective surgery, including organ donations;
5. For “safe time” reasons, including an absence from work due to any of the following reasons when the employee or the employee’s family member has been the victim of domestic violence, a family offense, sexual offense, stalking, or human trafficking (“safe time”):

• to obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center, or other services program;
• to participate in safety planning, temporarily or permanently relocate, or take other actions to increase the safety of the employee or employee’s family members;
• to meet with an attorney or other legal or social services provider to obtain information and advice on, and prepare for or participate in, any criminal or civil proceeding;
• to file a complaint or domestic incident report with law enforcement;
• to meet with a district attorney’s office;
• to enroll children in a new school; or
• to take any other actions necessary to ensure the health or safety of the employee or employee’s family member or to protect those who associate or work with the employee.

Use of Unpaid Safe/Sick Time

Eligible employees who work in New York City will be allowed to use all, or any portion, of their paid and unpaid safe/sick time for any of the reasons set forth in #1-5 above, as well as for the following additional reasons:

1.  When a public official orders the closure of or restriction of in-person operations at an employee’s child’s school or child care provider due to a public health emergency or declared public disaster;
2. When a public official orders the closure of the employee’s place of business due to a public health emergency or declared public disaster;
3. Upon direction by a public official to remain indoors or avoid travel during a declared public disaster which prevents such employee from reporting to their work location; or
4. An absence from work due to any of the reasons set forth in 5(a)-(g) when the employee or the employee’s family member has been the victim of workplace violence.
5. When the employee acts as a caregiver for a minor child or care recipient and needs time off to:
6. Provide care to their minor child or care recipient;
7. initiate, attend or prepare for a legal proceeding or hearing related to subsistence benefits or housing to which the employee, their family member, or their care recipient is a party; or
8. take actions necessary to apply for, maintain or restore subsistence benefits or shelter for the employee or their family member or care recipient.

For absences of more than 3 consecutive work days under this policy, employees may be required to provide medical or other reasonable documentation of the need for the amount of leave taken. For purposes of safe time, reasonable documentation may include a written note from a victim services organization, legal or social services provider, court or government agency, school or care provider, attorney, member of a clergy, or medical provider, a police, agency or court record, or a notarized letter from the employee documenting the need for such leave. Employees may be asked to certify that they have used safe/sick time for covered purposes under this policy. Fraudulent use of safe/sick time or failure to provide requested documentation may be the basis for disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.

Employees must submit any requested documentation within 7 days from the date they return to work. The University will reimburse for reasonable out-of-pocket fees incurred in obtaining any required documentation under this policy to the extent required by law. Employees must submit proof of the fee or reasonable costs incurred for the purpose of obtaining such documentation, if any. Any required reimbursement shall be paid to the employee no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period beginning after the provision of such proof.

The University will not ask for or require the disclosure of personal health information or details about the underlying reason for using safe/sick time as a condition of providing safe/sick time pursuant to this policy. Any information disclosed to the University about an employee’s use of safe/sick time under this policy will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed unless the employee consents to disclosure in writing or disclosure is required or permitted by law. 

Where the need for safe/sick time is foreseeable (for example, non-emergency medical and dental appointments), the University requests that the employee provide their supervisor with notice at least a week in advance. Where the need for safe/sick time is not foreseeable, the employee shall provide notice in writing to the employee’s supervisor or department as soon as practicable.

Upon mutual agreement of the employee and manager, a regular or part-time officer of administration who is absent for a covered reason may work additional hours to make up for lost time during the immediately preceding 7 days if the absence was foreseeable or in the immediately subsequent 7 days from that absence without using paid safe/sick time.

For officers of instruction, upon mutual agreement of the officer of instruction and the Department Chair, the officer of instruction can make up for lost time at any point during the applicable semester without using paid or unpaid safe/sick time.

Columbia University does not pay out unused safe/sick time under this or any other policy at termination.

Upon termination for any reason, any unused paid safe/sick time under this policy will be recorded and if the employee is rehired to work in New York State within 6 months of termination, the prior accrued paid time will be reinstated and can be used at any time, subject to the 56-hour paid safe/sick time maximum per fiscal year. 

Upon termination for any reason, any unused unpaid safe/sick time under this policy will be recorded and if the employee is rehired to work in New York City within 6 months of termination, the employee may use any unused unpaid safe/sick time from their prior position at Columbia, subject to the 32-hour unpaid safe/sick time maximum per fiscal year.

In accordance with the University policy on time records:

• All eligible academic personnel, officers of administration and support staff will track use of their paid safe/sick time through People@Columbia (PAC) NY Sick Application and track use of their unpaid safe/sick time in the “Unpaid Safe/Sick Tracker,” which can be found here (will link to tracker).
• All eligible Variable Hour Officers, Casuals, and Student Casuals will track their paid safe/sick time accruals and use on their bi-weekly timesheets and track use of their unpaid safe/sick time in the “Unpaid Safe/Sick Tracker,” which can be found here.
• All eligible employees who work in departments that utilize Kronos will track both their paid and unpaid safe/sick time in that system.

Fiscal Year Accrual Schedule and Other Information 

Paid safe and sick/sick time must be taken in 1-hour increments.

Unpaid New York City safe/sick time must be taken in 4-hour increments.

Employees are protected from retaliatory action or from being subject to any adverse personnel action for exercising or attempting to exercise their rights under this policy. Any employee who believes they have been subjected to retaliatory action in violation of this policy should report such action immediately to the Office of Institutional Equity. The University will promptly investigate any claims of retaliatory action and take any necessary corrective action where appropriate.

Excel Unpaid Safe/Sick Time Tracker 

Workplace Essentials: Manage Your Time Off

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Sick Leave

New York State Paid Family Leave

Prenatal Leave