What Does Workpartners Handle?
I’m a seasonal employee with the Commonwealth. Do I report my sick absences and request leaves through Workpartners?
Yes! All employees paid by the Commonwealth, including seasonal employees and contractors, contact Workpartners for day-to-day sick absences, medical leave, and family leave.
Contractors who are paid by a third party instead of the Commonwealth do NOT participate in the Workpartners program.
Does Workpartners handle my own sick calls and those relating to my child’s illness?
Yes, day-to-day sick absences for personal health conditions and family member health conditions are currently managed by Workpartners for certain agencies.
View our Workpartners landing page here for a list of agencies who have already launched day-to-day sick reporting with Workpartners.
Are vacation days, sick days, and personal days managed by Workpartners?
Day-to-day sick absences for personal health conditions and family member health conditions will be managed by Workpartners.
Workpartners does NOT manage vacation days and personal days that are unrelated to an employee’s health condition or a family member’s health condition. Even if you do not have enough accrued sick time to cover an illness- or injury-related health condition, you will need to report that absence to Workpartners. Workpartners will document the absence for your agency but be sure to follow up with your manager to request approval to use vacation time or personal time in lieu of sick time. .
What if I don't feel well during the workday. Should I tell my manager first and then call Workpartners? What if I need to leave because of a sick family member?
If an employee must leave work early, the employee must report to Workpartners before the end of their workday that they are leaving work early because they, or their family member, are ill. As always, the employee should make sure that their supervisor is aware they are leaving the worksite or logging off for the day and any time-sensitive or important work that the employee cannot work because they need to leave for the day.
If I am injured while doing my job, do I need to contact Workpartners?
Contact Workpartners if you need to be absent because your injury prevents you from working. Workpartners does not handle the administration of workers’ compensation benefits for us, but they handle your leave of absence, related notification, and leave case management when you cannot work due to your work-injury. For workers’ compensation benefits, such as medical payments, continue to work with your HR department and workers’ compensation claims adjuster.
As a reminder, when Workpartners is notified of your need for leave, they request that you submit a medical certification because medical documentation/information is required to support your leave.
Please note that workers’ compensation is a payment mechanism and not a job-protected leave. The appropriate documentation will be needed by the employee to support the need for leave. If an employee experiences a work-injury AND cannot work because of that injury, workers’ compensation protects income, whereas job-protected leave (e.g., FMLA or PFML) ensures that the employee can return to the same or equivalent position if/when they are fit for duty after the period of job protected leave.
I currently have an approved FMLA, but what if I need an accommodation?
Workpartners handles job-protected leaves, including FMLA leaves but your department continues to handle reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees who require a reasonable accommodation under the ADA will continue to work with their Agency's ADA Coordinator for reasonable accommodations.
Will I still need to provide fitness for duty documentation if I am out of work for more than five days? Do I submit it to Workpartners?
It depends! Generally, if you are out of work for five or more consecutive workdays due to a personal health condition and are required by your agency to submit a fitness for duty in order to resume working, documentation must be provided to your HR department or Workpartners Liaison according to current practice. Talk to your agency’s HR department or agency Workpartners Liaison to learn more about your agency’s current practice.
A copy of the medical clearance documentation is submitted to Workpartners by the Agency (either your HR department or Workpartners Liaison) only if your consecutive absences have been designated as a job-protected leave under the FMLA, PFML, or your union contract or the manager's Red Book.
I currently have an FMLA to take care of a family member with a terminal illness. Sadly, that family member passed away. What do I do now?
The loss of a loved one is never easy. When you have the chance to do so, you should notify Workpartners that you no longer need FMLA (or PFML) leave to care for your family member because the family member has passed away. You should also provide the date on which your family member passed away so that your agency’s HR department (Workpartners Liaison) has the necessary information to help you review and use any bereavement leave benefits that you might be eligible for.
Additionally, the Mass4You employee assistance program is available to all state and municipal employees and their families who are eligible for Group Insurance Commission (GIC) benefits. For more information visit the Mass4You benefits page.
Contacting and Reporting an Absence to Workpartners
How can I report a sick absence or request a leave with Workpartners?
You can either call Workpartners at 1-833-640-2800 to make your report/request over the phone or use the Workpartners Consumer Portal to make your report/request online.
What are the accessible options for reporting an absence or requesting a leave through Workpartners?
Whether calling in to Workpartners or making on online submission via the Consumer Portal, both methods are accessible options for reporting an absence or requesting a leave.
For employees who have a hearing disability and wish to call Workpartners, Workpartners participates in the 711 MassRelay system.
If you have further questions about accessible options for reporting absences and requesting leaves through Workpartners, contact your agency’s Workpartners Liaison (HR department).
Does it matter if I call Workpartners or use the Consumer Portal to report my absence or request my leave?
Whether you call Workpartners or use the Consumer Portal is based on personal preference, and you will be asked the same questions and be expected to provide the same level of detail.
If needed, interpreter services are available through the call center.
Otherwise, whether you call or use the Consumer Portal, the experience will be nearly identical. If calling in to Workpartners, Workpartners will ask you some preliminary questions to verify your identity. If using the Consumer Portal, you will not be asked to verify your identity as the login to your Consumer Portal account is tied to your unique employee ID.
What information will Workpartners request when I want to use sick time?
If you plan to use sick time as part of an approved intermittent leave, Workpartners will ask you to confirm if your absence is related to your approved intermittent leave. If your sick time is related to your approved intermittent leave, the reason for your absence—whether for your health condition or a family member’s health condition—will already be on file.
If you plan to use sick time as a standalone (day-to-day) absence that isn’t part of an approved intermittent leave, Workpartners will ask you if your sick absence is for your own health condition or medical appointment or if your absence is for you to care for a family member due to their health condition or their medical appointment. If your absence is to care for a sick family member, Workpartners will ask for your family member’s name, relationship to you, and (if the absence is to care for your child) your child’s date of birth because this is the information that the Commonwealth requires to support that your absence is a valid reason for the use of sick leave. Workpartners does not share your family member’s name or date of birth with your supervisors or managers
If I already have an absence on file with Workpartners that has a case number, how can I contact Workpartners about that case?
If you have questions about an existing case or want to make changes to an existing case, you can either call Workpartners at 1-833-640-2800 or email Workpartners at AbsenceMA@workpartners.com. Whether calling or emailing Workpartners, be sure to reference your case number so that the Workpartners specialist helping you can review your case information and respond more quickly.
When you call Workpartners, you will reach an intake specialist who can provide answers to general questions that you might have about your case or make certain changes to a day-to-day sick absence case. If you need further assistance, the intake specialist will connect you with the Leave Specialist assigned to your case if they are available.
When you email AbsenceMA@workpartners.com, a Leave Specialist will review and make sure that the Leave Specialist assigned to your case receives and responds to it.
When I report my absence or request my leave, I’m being asked to share the reason for my leave. What kind of information is Workpartners looking for?
Once you have clarified to Workpartners whether your absence is for your own health condition or a family member’s health condition (and provided the relevant family member information), you can share as little or as much information to support that your absence is a valid reason for the use of sick leave. This can be a general reason such as, “doctor’s appointment” or “sick.” Alternatively, if you wish to disclose a diagnosis or specific condition, you may share that information with Workpartners.
No matter what information you provide in response to this question, your response will NOT be shared with your supervisor in Workpartners’ absence notification. The absence notification to your supervisor and Workpartners Liaisons (HR department) will only note that you are taking sick leave and whom you will be taking care of during the absence.
What does Workpartners mean when they refer to the “start time” and “end time” of my absence?
Workpartners is looking for the time period during which you will be away from work when your supervisor typically expects you to be working. For example, if your normal workday begins at 8AM and ends at 5PM, but you need to leave work at 11AM and come back at 2PM because of a doctor’s appointment, the start time of your absence would be 11AM and the end time would be 2PM.
NOTE: The notification from Workpartners to your supervisor about your absence shows the full time that you will be away from work, which may include any lunch break that falls in that time period. However, this doesn’t mean that you will be charged sick time for your lunch break. You and your supervisor manage your timesheet, so make sure you continue to communicate with your supervisor about how much sick time you plan to use.
When I report my absence or request my leave, I’m being asked What my “payment mechanism” is. What does this mean?
If you are reporting an unplanned absence (day-to-day sick absence), you will not be asked this question because sick absences are paid by your agency using your accrued sick time. If you do not have enough sick time to cover your sick absence, then you will need to speak with your supervisor about your options (if any) for covering your sick absence.
If you are requesting a continuous or intermittent leave of absence, Workpartners will want to know how you plan to be paid during your leave of absence so that they can share this information with your Workpartners Liaison (HR department). This information will prepare your Workpartners Liaison for a conversation with you about how to report your absence(s) in your timesheet and any other important related payroll information. Depending on what type of leave you are eligible for, your payment mechanism options may include the following:
- Employer Paid – employee uses their accrued sick and/or other accrued balance (ex. comp, personal, vacation) for duration of the leave
- Unpaid – employee does not receive any pay for time off
- DFML Only – employee would apply and receive pay through DFML benefit
- Employer Paid to DFML – employee uses their accrued sick pay up to the allowed time under the reason or other accrued time, and also apply & receive pay through the DFML benefit upon completion of accrued time
If you have questions about your payment mechanism options, please contact your Workpartners Liaison (HR department). A list of Workpartners Liaisons by agency can be found at www.mass.gov/workpartners.
What happens if the sick employee is not able to call Workpartners due to a severe unexpected illness? Can another person call on her/his/their behalf?
Yes! The employee’s loved one, supervisor, or agency’s Workpartners Liaison can call out with Workpartners on behalf of the employee if the employee is unable to do so. The person calling on behalf of the employee will need to provide to Workpartners the employee’s name, employee ID or date of birth, and general details about the absence.
How soon before or after my shift do I need to report my sick absence to Workpartners?
It depends on your position and the employer policy that applies to your position. Some positions are covered by union contracts that require that sick time be reported at as little as 15 minutes before the start of their shift, while other union contracts may require 1-hour notice. For managers, their positions are covered by Commonwealth’s Red Book which requires that they report their sick absence as soon as possible on the date of their absence. This means that you are required to report your absence to Workpartners within the timeframes outlined in your position’s union contract or the Red Book if you are a manager. For more details on the timeframes for calling out sick, you can refer to your position’s union contract, the Red Book, or contact your agency’s Workpartners Liaison for clarity. A list of Workpartners Liaisons by agency is available at www.mass.gov/workpartners.
How far in advance should an employee contact Workpartners for a scheduled medical appointment or procedure?
Employees should give Workpartners as much notice as possible when prescheduling time-off for medical appointments. Workpartners will notify the employee’s supervisor and next-level supervisor within minutes so that the supervisor and next-level supervisor have enough time to plan for coverage while the employee is absent. In the Consumer Portal, you can easily schedule these appointments up to 60 days in advance.
Navigating and Understanding the Consumer Portal
I have an approved intermittent leave that I want to use. How do I use the Consumer Portal to report an absence that falls under my approved intermittent leave?
Find the open intermittent leave case that you want to use in the “View Case Status and History” section of the Consumer Portal. Here, you will have the option to submit an absence under this case. You can find the Consumer Portal User Guide, which will have additional details on how to report an absence under an intermittent leave, on our Consumer Portal Help Page.
I have a pending leave request with Workpartners and need to submit supporting documentation. Can I submit my documentation through the Consumer Portal?
Yes! Find the open pending leave case for which you want to submit paperwork in the “View Case Status and History” section of the Consumer Portal. Here, you will have the option to securely upload your documentation and indicate what type of documentation it is. You can find the Consumer Portal User Guide, which will have additional details on how to securely upload your supporting documentation, at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/workpartners-consumer-portal.
Why are my day-to-day sick absences showing up as pending in the Consumer Portal? Does this mean they were not approved?
Whether submitted through the portal or phoned in to Workpartners, day-to-day sick absences (referred to as “unplanned absences” in the Workpartners system) will show as pending. Workpartners does not have access to employee timesheets. It is the joint responsibility employee and supervisor to ensure these absences are coded and submitted correctly for payment.
If I submit my sick absence report through the Consumer Portal, will my supervisor be notified about my absence? Do I need to call Workpartners to make sure my sick absence was reported successfully?
You will reach a confirmation message in the Consumer Portal when you have successfully submitted your absence report to Workpartners. You will also be able to see your successful absence reports via the “View Case Status and History” section of the Consumer Portal. If you reach the confirmation page and/or see your absence in the “View Case Status and History” case history, you are all set.
Additionally, you will receive copy of the email notification that is sent to your supervisor and WP Liaisons (HR Department). While not required, if you’d like some peace of mind, you can certainly check in with your supervisor to see if they received notice of your absence from Workpartners.
NOTE: By default, Workpartners sends email notifications about your absences and leaves to the personal email address on file with the Commonwealth. If you would prefer that email notifications be sent to another email address of yours, during intake with Workpartners, you must specify your preferred email address for email notifications.
Workpartners Notifications
If staff call in sick to Workpartners at night or early morning, how quickly will the supervisor be notified that their staffing needs to be reallocated?
The supervisor will be notified by Workpartners via email within five minutes of Workpartners’ receipt of the absence report.
How do I know if my absence or leave request was successfully reported to Workpartners and my supervisor?
If you have not opted out of text (SMS) messages from Workpartners and have a personal cell phone number on file with your HR department through your Commonwealth self-service time and attendance (SSTA) portal, this number is provided to Workpartners so that they can text you information about when you have successfully reported an absence, requested a leave, or other updates on open leave requests. Additionally, Workpartners will include you on email notifications to your supervisor about your reported absence or requested leave.
If my supervisor changes, how soon will my new supervisor receive notifications about my day-to-day sick time usage?
When your supervisor changes, your HR department needs to update your supervisor in your electronic personnel record. Once your HR department has updated your supervisor in your electronic personnel record, your new supervisor’s information will be sent to Workpartners later that night so that Workpartners will be able to send notifications to your new supervisor going forward.
Why did Workpartners send me paperwork to apply for a leave of absence when I’m just taking sick days?
If an employee reports five or more consecutive days of sick absences for the same reason each time, it signals that the employee or the employee’s family member may have a condition that might qualify for an extended leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave PFML) law. This is also true if an employee reports many sick absences for the same reason in a short period of time, such as a 2-week or 4-week period.
Under the FMLA and PFML laws, when an employer is made aware that one of their employees might need a leave, the employer is required to inform the employee of their rights and responsibilities and also give the employee the opportunity to apply for these job-protected leave benefits.
Additionally, under your union contract or the Red Book (managers’ leave policies), an employee who is out of work for eight consecutive days for illness or injury is required to submit medical documentation to cover that time out of work. Returning the family or medical leave paperwork completed by your doctor or family member’s doctor to Workpartners may satisfy that medical documentation requirement and protect the time that you were out of work. Workpartners will not be able to determine if your time out of work is job-protected if you do not return the medical documentation.
If the reason for your multiple sick absences is something that will resolve within a week and/or if you do not need a leave of absence, simply call or email Workpartners with your absence case number and tell them that you want to cancel your leave because you do not need a leave. Keep in mind that if you cancel your leave or do not provide the paperwork for a complete FMLA/PFML application, your time out of work will not be considered job-protected leave.
Why does Workpartners keep referring to my preplanned medical appointment as an “unplanned absence”?
“Unplanned absence” is a term that Workpartners and the Commonwealth uses to refer to absences that aren’t part of an extended or long-term leave of absence. This term is used when reporting time away from work on a given day when the employee cannot work due to their own illness/injury, when the employee needs to care for a family member who is ill/injured, or when the employee needs to go to a preplanned medical or dental appointment for themselves or for a family member.
After submitting my application for leave, my medical documentation was returned for more information. Why does the letter mention the possibility of disciplinary action?
Workpartners serves as your department’s keeper of medical documentation to support leaves of absence, such as FMLA leave. If Workpartners does not have sufficient medical documentation to support an approval of your leave, that means that your employer does not have sufficient evidence to support your time out of work and your time out of work may be considered unauthorized. Under your union contract or the Red Book (if you are a manager), an employee can face disciplinary action for being on an unauthorized leave which can range from a verbal warning to termination of employment. Disciplinary action can only be authorized and taken by your department, not Workpartners.
Time Reporting (Employee Timesheets)
I use self-service time and attendance (SSTA) to do my timesheet, but I don’t know which payroll codes or time reporting codes (TRCs) to use for my absence(s). What do I do?
As always, your department is responsible for making sure your timesheets are completed accurately and promptly. Your department’s Workpartners Liaison will make sure that you know which TRCs to use in your timesheet when you are on a leave of absence or take sick leave.
Can Workpartners view or modify my timesheet?
No, Workpartners will not have access to your timesheets. Employees, time approvers, and agencies will continue to be responsible for entering, approving and reviewing timesheets.
Confidentiality with Workpartners
Why does Workpartners ask me for my family member’s name, relationship, and date of birth?
Rules for sick time and leaves of absence are detailed in the Law, our union contracts and the Red Book (for managers) about which family members are covered when using sick time or taking leave. Just like how your department is responsible for making sure that sick time and leaves of absence are taken for the right reasons at the right time, Workpartners is responsible for doing the same.
Before the Workpartners model launched, your department would already have this information available. However, Workpartners does not have this information readily available because the Commonwealth does not share family member information with Workpartners. Workpartners only collects only the information necessary to manage absences and leaves and only when the information is necessary, which means they only ask for family member information from employees who are absent for reasons related to a family member. Any information collected during a phone call be subject to the same rigorous confidentiality standards employed by Workpartners.
Why are my calls with Workpartners recorded?
The Commonwealth holds Workpartners accountable for excellent customer service, including accurate information about our absence and leave policies being provided to our employees. Workpartners encrypts and secures all recordings in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws as well as the Commonwealth’s policies. The recordings are only available to Workpartners staff responsible for ensuring the quality of information and service provided to Commonwealth employees.
What employee information does the Commonwealth share with Workpartners?
The Commonwealth shares only the employee information that Workpartners needs to validate and manage employee sick absences and leaves and to provide enough information to the employee’s supervisor or manager to help with coverage while the employee is out. This includes information such as employee name, employee ID, date of birth, gender, contact information, job position and work location.
The Commonwealth does NOT share the employee’s social security number with Workpartners.
Any sensitive or personal information that Workpartners stores is subject to all applicable state/federal laws, rules, or regulations that require compliance with secure storage of protected health information and personally identifiable information.
How will Workpartners safeguard my personal and health care data submitted as part of my leave request?
Workpartners is an industry leader in data security and confidentiality. As part of our partnership, the following data security features are in place.
- All employee data is encrypted before it leaves the Commonwealth’s payroll system and while in transit between the Commonwealth and Workpartners through SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) servers
- The Commonwealth only provides data necessary for administering leave (e.g., employee SSN is not provided)
- The software that Workpartners uses (AbsenceTracker) is SOC 1 Type 2 certified
- AbsenceTracker data security architecture is designed using industry standard
- Workpartners’ parent company, UPMC, is HITRUST certified (infrastructure and IT services)
- UPMC engages an external audit firm for annual SOC Type 2 examinations
- Workpartners is compliant with applicable privacy laws and regulations
Miscellaneous Questions
Will Workpartners be able to terminate my employment?
No! Workpartners has no control over any actions related to your employment. Only your HR department has the ability to take any actions related to your employment.
If I have questions or concerns about my call experience with Workpartners, who can I talk to about them?
If you have any questions or concerns about your call experience with Workpartners, please direct them to your department’s Workpartners Liaison in your HR department. The Commonwealth has provided clear guidance to Workpartners on our absence and leave policies and holds them accountable for excellent customer service. If you have feedback on the information provided by Workpartners staff or the level of customer service, your department’s Workpartners Liaison can escalate those concerns internally in the Commonwealth to make sure that our employees are receiving accurate information and excellent customer service.
Who are Workpartners and how were they selected?
Workpartners is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is an industry leader in leave and absence administration and was selected following a competitive procurement process. As with other contract opportunities with the Commonwealth, the details of the procurement process, the bids received, and the details of each bid are available publicly via COMMBUYS the official procurement system for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Departments.