Jury Duty and Public Service Leave

Jury duty and public service leave

Start here to notify your manager, find local guidance, and limit updates to the information needed for work planning.

• For employees summoned for civic service and managers planning work coverage Fictional example: This page uses Northstar Works, a fictional organization. If you have received a summons or service notice, tell your manager promptly that you expect to be away, share the dates currently known, and say when you expect to have an update. Use your organization's established People & HR channel to find guidance for your work location. Local rules and organizational policies can differ; this page does not determine eligibility, pay, or leave terms. Share only information needed to plan work. Follow the locally approved process for any supporting records, and ask People Operations through the established People & HR channel if the applicable guidance is unclear.

On this page

Use these links to jump directly to the notification, coverage, policy, or return-to-work guidance you need.

Notify your manager

Share known dates, uncertainty, and the timing of your next update so work planning can begin.

• Send a direct work-planning update as soon as you know civic service may affect your schedule. Include: That you expect to attend jury duty or another civic service. The dates currently known, including whether any dates are still uncertain. When you expect to receive or share your next update. You do not need to share more personal detail than the established process requires. For records or documentation, follow the locally approved instructions rather than sending sensitive material through an unapproved channel.

Reference: work coordination and local guidance

Compare common date scenarios with practical handoff steps and questions that must be resolved through local guidance.

• Illustrative work-planning example only; this table is not policy or a record of a submitted request. Situation Work-coordination step Resolve with local guidance Dates are known Tell your manager the expected dates and list work that needs a handoff. Which local policy applies and what process, if any, is required? Dates are uncertain Share the dates you know and when you expect an update; avoid presenting estimates as confirmed. How should supporting records or later date changes be handled? Illustrative example: away Tuesday and Wednesday The employee tells their manager, identifies a Wednesday handoff for a time-sensitive work item, and agrees that a colleague covering that work can find the current status in the team's existing work location. The employee updates the manager if the service dates change. The employee checks the established People & HR channel for applicable local guidance; the example makes no claim about eligibility, pay, or required notice.

Arrange work coverage

Agree on time-sensitive tasks, coverage, and where the current work status can be found before you are away.

• Agree with your manager on a small, clear coverage plan before you are away, where timing allows. Start with work that has a due date or depends on your input: List the time-sensitive tasks and the next action for each. Agree which role or colleague will cover each item, and what should wait. Point the covering colleague to the current work information in the team's existing, approved location. Agree how you and your manager will share schedule changes, using the usual work channel. Example: If a Wednesday handoff is due while you expect to be at civic service, agree who will provide the handoff and where the latest status can be found. If your dates change, update your manager so the plan can be adjusted. This is coordination guidance—not a case submission, approval, or task-status workflow.

Questions and answers

Use these answers to resolve common questions about changing dates, records, policy guidance, and work priorities.

• For questions about policy or eligibility, use the organization's established People & HR channel to reach People Operations. What if I do not know the exact dates yet? Tell your manager what is known, identify which dates remain uncertain, and say when you expect to have an update. Update the plan when you receive new information. What should I do if the schedule changes? Tell your manager promptly through the usual work channel. Review any affected handoffs and agree what needs to change. Follow the locally approved guidance for any required records. How do I know which policy or eligibility rules apply? Check the guidance provided through your organization's established People & HR channel for your work location. If the relevant guidance is unclear, ask People Operations there; do not rely on this general page to determine eligibility or leave terms. How should supporting records be shared? Follow the locally approved instructions for whether records are needed and how they should be handled. Share only what the process requires, using an approved channel. Who should I contact about coverage or a work priority? Ask your manager, who coordinates task ownership, handoffs, and priority changes. Direct policy, eligibility, and record-handling questions to People Operations through the established People & HR channel.

Return to work

Reconnect with your manager to review covered work, reset priorities, and flag corrections to the page owner.

• When you are available to return, update your manager through the usual work channel. Review work that was covered, note any decisions or items awaiting your input, and agree which priorities should come first. If your availability differs from the plan, tell your manager so the handoff can be adjusted. Page owner: People Operations. The manager is the work-planning handoff. Ask People Operations through the established People & HR channel to clarify policy guidance or flag a correction. Review the page when local guidance or the established handling process changes.