UAB and UAB Medicine are committed to creating and maintaining a work culture that is supportive of employees’ efforts to navigate their work responsibilities while fulfilling their commitments at home.

To help in these efforts, UAB's Paid Parental Leave Policy and Sick Time Policies will undergo important enhancements next month. The changes will expand eligibility for paid parental leave and give employees more time to bond with their growing families after the birth or adoption of a child.

“Welcoming a child — whether by birth or adoption — is one of life’s most meaningful moments,” said UAB Health System Chief Human Resources Officer John Petrov. “By extending paid parental leave and broadening eligibility, we’re investing in our people’s well-being and giving them the gift of time to focus on what matters most: bonding with their growing families and returning to work refreshed and supported.”

Effective July 1, 2025:

• Eligible employees who have been employed in a benefits-eligible position with UAB/UAB Medicine for at least six months prior to the birth or adoption of a child are eligible for paid parental leave. Prior to this change, an eligible employee had to have been employed for at least 12 months prior to the qualifying event.
   
• Eligible employees will now be able to take up to six weeks (30 days/240 hours) of paid leave during the first six months following a birth or adoption — up from the four weeks granted prior to the change. This benefit will continue to be available to both parents and can still be used continuously or intermittently.
   
• In addition to the previously offered direct donations, mothers can also receive sick time pool donations while they recover from childbirth. Please note, sick time donation applies to UAB employees only.
   
• Eligible employees can use sick time to care for any eligible individual/dependent, which may be defined as a spouse, sponsored adult dependent, parent, step-parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, sibling, biological child, step-child, sponsored dependent child, or a child placed for adoption or foster care. The previous policy limited sick time that could be used to care for a qualified individual not residing in the same household to three days per calendar year.

As a family-friendly employer of choice, UAB is dedicated to supporting employees in balancing their professional and personal lives. In addition to these enhancements, UAB Human Resources provides valuable resources and services designed to support employees in this endeavor.

• The UAB Sick Time Donation Program for UAB employees provides a source of paid leave for eligible employees who have exhausted their available accrued benefit time — through both direct donations and donations to the sick time donation pool, which the upcoming changes make available to mothers recovering from childbirth. 
• Through a partnership with Senior Care Authority, the UAB Employee Assistance and Counseling Center offers employees assistance in finding local care for an aging parent or loved one, as well as discounted eldercare consulting, driver self-assessments and more.
• For information on additional support for employees who are pregnant or expecting, new parents, and those raising a family, visit the Support for UAB Parents and Families page.

“UAB Human Resources strives to give faculty and staff the tools they need to be successful both at home and in the workplace,” said UAB Chief Human Resources Officer Janet May. “The enhancements to our parental leave and sick time policies are the next step in UAB’s long-standing commitment to ensuring a healthy work-life balance for our employees and being an employer of choice.”

Once the changes take effect July 1, visit the Human Resources website for additional details, including new paid parental leave examples and updated FAQs.