Work-Life Balance & Family-Friendly Programs

Illinois is committed to supporting faculty members and their families as they navigate their professional and personal lives. A wide range of programs, services, and policies that help faculty balance their career and personal goals are described below.

Policies and Programs for Parents

Child Care Resource Service – Located at the University of Illinois, CCRS is an agency that works to support the well-being of children and families by promoting the availability of quality child care services in the area.

Modified Duties Policy* – Modified duties enable a faculty member to recover fully from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, or enable the primary caregiver of a new child to spend more time with the child immediately after birth or adoption without a reduction in salary.

Nursing Mothers in the Workplace – The State of Illinois Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act (820 ILCS 260/1) and the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) provide working mothers with reasonable break time during normal business hours to express breast milk.

Parental Leave Policy – Parental leave grants eligible employees up to six (6) weeks of paid leave following the birth of a child or upon the initial placement or legal adoption of a child under age 18.

Tenure Rollback Policy* – The probationary period is normally a consecutive set of years; however, an appointee can be granted an interruption in the probationary period by special written agreement when unusual, compelling circumstances arise. Policies and procedures related to interruptions in the probationary period for faculty are outlined in this policy.

Additional Programs/Facilities

Campus Recreation – Campus Rec provides recreation and wellness opportunities to the university community. University staff and their partners/spouses are eligible to purchase memberships at specified rates.

Dual Career Academic Couples Program* – Waivers of search in the case of academic couples enhance the ability of the campus to recruit and retain faculty members when the appointment or retention of one person is contingent upon employment of another.

Faculty/Staff Assistance Services (FSAS) – The staff of the FSAS is dedicated to providing quality, confidential assistance to employees and their families who may be experiencing difficulties that impact their lives. This includes assessments, short-term counseling, crisis services and referrals to appropriate resources. The FSAS offers this benefit free of charge to all faculty, staff, retirees and family members or significant others living in their household.

Wellbeing Services – Campus Wellbeing Services endeavors to empower the Illinois community to incorporate healthful practices into their lives, and to help create a culture of wellness that supports healthy living, personal growth, and enhanced quality of life. Its goal is to help students, faculty, and staff attain successful and fulfilling studies, work and life.

*Primarily for tenure-system faculty

If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Provost’s Office (217-333-6677) or Illinois Human Resources (217-333-7466). To read more about faculty opportunities at Illinois, see the Work. Live. Thrive. brochure.