Unpaid leave

Purpose and background

The guideline supplements the rules on leave agreed in collective agreements and/or the statutory rules on leave applying to DTU's area of employment. It is thus not the intention of the guideline to place any employee groups in a less favourable position than set out in the applicable collective agreement/legislation.

Target group

The guideline applies to all employees at DTU.

Who grants unpaid leave

The immediate manager grants the leave. When considering the employee's request for leave, the manager makes a specific assessment of the overall task performance and the background for the employee's request for leave.

This assessment will, among other things, be based on:

• A consideration of DTU's interests, operations, and finances
• A consideration of the performance of the relevant job function
• The possibility of underpinning the employee's academic development for the benefit of DTU or society in general.

Terms and conditions during unpaid leave

• No seniority is earned.
• No right to paid holiday is earned during the leave, including concurrent holiday, holiday supplement, holiday allowance, or special holidays.
• No pension contributions are paid during the leave.
• Employees on leave may be dismissed to the same extent as other employees.
• The employee does not have the right to cancel the leave during the period of leave, and the employee therefore cannot return to a position at DTU until after the expiry of the agreed period of leave.
• As a general rule, any insurance covering the employee, including group life insurance, is suspended during the leave. Employees who are covered by group life insurance must contact their own group life insurance scheme for further information about the possibility of cover during the period of leave.

The above list of terms and conditions is not exhaustive, and other relevant terms and conditions may be clarified as part of the specific case.

Duration and return

The duration of the leave is agreed between the immediate manager and the employee. No leave will be granted for a period exceeding two years. In connection with the agreement on leave, the assessment of the duration of the leave must factor in the possibility of returning to and resuming the same or another appropriate position after the leave.

After the leave, the employee returns to either the previous position or another appropriate position within the employee's area of employment on the previously applicable terms and conditions.

Granting of leave must take place in writing, stating the terms and conditions of the leave, including duration and return. The granting of leave is filed with the employee's HR case.

Secondary employment

Special rules apply to partial leave where the employee continues to work for DTU, see the guidelines on secondary employment.

These guidelines stipulate that, subject to agreement with the head of department, employees can transfer to part-time employment due to other employment—e.g. due to starting up their own business or working for another institution/company.

However, the general rule is that secondary employment must not affect the work and workload to be handled by the employee as defined in his/her terms of employment at DTU—regardless of the agreed number of working hours. Consequently, a part-time position elsewhere must neither affect nor prevent the employee from fulfilling his/her duty to take on necessary overtime. Equally, requirements regarding loyalty, decorum, legal capacity, etc. must be observed.

Before accommodating an application regarding part-time employment, the head of department must ensure that the employee's other employment is compatible with his/her position at DTU, and that the employee's IP remains at DTU.

Special rules on leave

Special rules on leave are applicable for PhD students and public servants.

PhD students may apply for leave for a minimum of one month and a maximum of up to one year during the entire study period. See further information and requirements for the process.

The department and the public servant may contact Corporate HR for further information on unpaid leave.

The special rules on leave applying in connection with, for example, maternity/paternity leave, childcare, civic duties, UN service, etc. are not affected by these guidelines.

Approval and entry into force

The guideline was approved by the Executive Board and discussed in the Cooperation and Joint Consultation Committee in March 2017.

The guideline becomes effective from the time it is published on DTU Inside.

Amendment or withdrawal

After having been approved by the Executive Board and discussed in the Cooperation and Joint Consultation Committee, the guideline may be amended or withdrawn by way of announcement on DTU Inside.