Basics of
Submitting a PIN
A Personal Illness Note (PIN) must be submitted electronically via SWALife, within the time restrictions listed in Article 32.5 in order to excuse your absence. Keep in mind, you may use the PIN – OR – a Doctor’s note once per quarter to not accrue points for a sick call. A PIN can be extended with a Doctor’s note that states the absence was a continuous illness (14 consecutive days of absence from the day following the last day of the initial report of illness).
IMPORTANT: A PIN cannot be used to extend a Doctor’s note.
The PIN submission form can be found by logging into Workday.
SWALife > Life & Career > Employee Services Main
Unfortunately, we cannot use screenshots from Workday on our resources. This recreation is not an exact replica of what you’ll find on Workday but should give you the needed information to successfully submit a PIN, or extend your PIN with a Doctor’s note for a single continuous occurrence of illness.
STEP 1: Click on the hamburger icon in the top left corner of the screen
STEP 2: Under “Personal”, click “Leave, OJI, & Accommodations”
STEP 3: Create a case by selecting “Create Case”
STEP 4: Select “PIN” in the dropdown menu
STEP 5: Put “PIN” and the days of absence in the “Case Title” box
STEP 6: Click “Add Required Details”
STEP 7: Add dates of absence to be covered by the PIN in the pop-up box.
If you are extending your PIN with a Doctor’s note, you would select “Doctor’s Note” as the Case Type, “Doctor’s Note to Extend PIN” as the Case Title, and then attach the Doctor’s note in the Detailed Description box.
Basics of
Using a PIN
A Personal Illness Note (PIN) may be submitted in lieu of a quarterly Doctor’s note, to excuse an absence due to illness for up to seven (7) consecutive days. A PIN must be submitted via SWALife prior to or on the next scheduled pairing, or within seven (7) working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays) after the ending of the last day of absence due to the initial report of illness, whichever is EARLIER.
In the above situation, the Flight Attendant called in sick and used their First Quarter PIN (noted as PIN1). Because they did not have another assignment (pairing or Reserve block), their PIN must be submitted within seven (7) days from the last day of their sick call, not including weekends, which would be the 20th.
This Flight Attendant reported sick on the 9th but felt well enough to report for their next trip on the 16th. They must submit their PIN prior to or on the pairing on 16-18, even though it has been less than seven (7) days since their reported illness.
Remember: A valid quarterly PIN can be used to excuse an absence of up to seven (7) consecutive days. Start counting on the first day of absence.
Single Continuous Occurrence of Illness (Article 32.3)
A Personal Illness Note (PIN) can be used to excuse an absence of up to seven (7) consecutive days. If you are still not well enough to report to work after that due to a single continuous occurrence of illness, the excused absence (PIN) can be extended with a Doctor’s note for up to fourteen (14) days from the last day of the initial reported illness. Let’s take a look at what this extension looks like depending on different circumstances.
Let’s take a look at some examples!
Example 1: This Flight Attendant reported in sick for the pairing on 10/22-24 using the Electronic Report System (ERS). On the 25th, they determined that they were still too sick to report to work and reported in sick (using ERS) for the pairing on 10/26-28. Sadly, on Halloween night (10/31), they were still sick and went to see a Doctor to excuse their absences on 11/01-03 and 11/05-07.
In this example, the first day following the initial report of illness would be on 10/25. They could attach a Doctor’s note excusing absences up until 11/07 for a single continuous occurrence of illness.
NOTE: The example would be the same if this Flight Attendant had called in sick to Crew Scheduling instead of using ERS for the individual pairings.
Our Contract allows us to report in for an illness covering assignments up to five (5) days consecutive calendar days following the report of illness. (Article 32.1.a) Let’s look at what that means for a single continuous occurrence of illness!
Example 2: This Flight Attendant called in sick to Crew Scheduling on 07/05 for an absence of five (5) days (from 07/05-09). This sick call resulted in the pairing on 07/08 to be pulled as well.
In this example, because both pairings were pulled during the initial report of illness, the fourteen (14) day counter would start on 07/10.
NOTE: The fourteen (14) day calculation depends on what assignments were pulled during the initial report of illness.
Example 3: This Flight Attendant had a packed schedule… and then sprained their ankle! They called in sick for the first five days of absence (10/15-19) hoping that they’d feel better. Their ankle did not get better, and they needed to report in sick for their 3-day on 10/20-22. To excuse the first seven (7) days of absence (10/15-21), this Flight Attendant submitted their Q4 PIN and then got a Doctor’s note to excuse the final day of absence (10/22). When talking with the doctor, this Flight Attendant was told that their return to work was fully based on their level of pain and discomfort. They returned to work on 10/23-25 and were able to power through the entire SMF/SAN pairing, but their ankle really hurt. After a return visit to the doctor’s office, the Flight Attendant called in sick (10/26-28 and 10/30-11/01) and took more time to heal. All of these absences are a result of a single continuous occurrence of illness (a sprained ankle). Utilizing the single continuous occurrence of illness language (Article 32.1), they are able to take the time needed to heal and not accrue attendance points.
In this example, the first day following the initial report of illness would be on 10/20. They could attach a Doctor’s note excusing absences up until 11/02 for a single continuous occurrence of illness.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please don’t forget that a PIN and/or Doctor’s note MUST be submitted prior to, or on, the next scheduled assignment, or within seven (7) business days (excluding weekends and holidays) after the ending of the last day of absence due to the initial report of illness, whichever is earlier.
Max Doctor’s Note
Did you know that if you use a quarterly PIN/Doctor’s note and then find yourself sick/injured again in the same quarter, you can submit a Doctor’s note and the maximum points you would accrue is 2.5?! When reviewing points totals for Flight Attendants who have found themselves at a dangerous spot, there are many times when this language could have been utilized to save Flight Attendants from accruing unnecessary points.
Example: I call in sick for a 3-day assignment on April 11-13 and submit my Q2 PIN to excuse my absence. In June, I get a really bad sinus infection and need to call in sick again… for two 3-day pairings (6 days). I have already submitted my quarterly PIN, so I won’t be able to submit a PIN or Doctor’s note to excuse my absence and accrue no points. However, I still go to my doctor and get a note. I submit the valid Doctor’s note in the normal Absence Form portal and instead of accruing 3 points, I would only accrue a maximum of 2.5 points.
When utilizing this language, please make sure to double check that the max points accrual has been applied correctly.