The U of A System has approved up to five days (40 hours) of paid leave for benefits-eligible U of A employees who suffered significant damage to their primary residence as a result of recent storms and tornadic activity in Northwest Arkansas.

The leave is available for use through Aug. 31, 2024. Employees with a primary residence in one of the following Arkansas counties are eligible: Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Fulton, Marion, Nevada and Randolph.

Disaster Service Leave

Separately, university employees participating in official disaster relief services may be granted up to 15 days (120 hours) of paid leave. Both instances of paid leave are in addition to an employee's annual leave or other accrued leave and will not result in a reduction of that leave.

To be eligible for disaster service leave, an employee must:

• Be trained and certified as a disaster service volunteer by the American Red Cross
• Have specialized disaster relief services that are requested by the American Red Cross
• Provide services in Arkansas or in a contiguous state
• Obtain consent from Chancellor Charles Robinson by submitting the request in Workday with attached documentation, following the steps outlined below

Employees may request disaster recovery and disaster service leave in Workday using the following process:

• Enter a leave request using "Disaster Emergency" time off type
• Select "Reason"
• There are two available reasons — "Adversely Impacted" and "Volunteer Service"
• If requesting both, you must enter two separate requests   
• Requests route in Workday to the absence partner, and if approved, then route to the chancellor for review and approval

Human Resources offers a quick reference guide for submitting a leave request in Workday.

Other Campus Resources

Employees who need access to showers may use facilities provided by University Recreation. The Full Circle Food Pantry is open on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The university supports employees and their families through difficult times with personal, professional and family counseling at no cost through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The Collaborative in Bentonville offers U of A employees access to power and university Wi-Fi as well.

The State of Arkansas also provides a resource hub with opportunities for assistance from organizations across the region for those impacted.

The university is committed to supporting employees during this recovery period. For more information about leave options, please contact Stacey Moore in Human Resources or reach out to hrleave@uark.edu.