Meet Julie Vue

When Julie Vue saw a job opening at the University of Minnesota for a leave of absence specialist, she jumped at the opportunity. She had been working as an HR generalist for a health care company, involved in everything from recruiting and training to compliance and performance management, but, Julie says, “I was really ready to become a specialist and an expert on a subject.”

As a leave specialist, she works with employees across the University who are requesting an extended leave of absence for personal, medical, or military reasons, either for themselves or to care for an immediate family member. The leave process can be complex, involving a variety of federal and University policies that allow for vacation time and sick leave, which can vary by employee group, or time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which guarantees job protection for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for qualified absences. 

She is also excited to be part of a significant project like PEAK and to share the responsibilities that come with starting a brand-new department. “I thought it was interesting to be a part of a big initiative that brings such great change to an organization on a really large scale,” she says. “It’s amazing to be part of a developing process.” It has been invaluable, she says, to work with her leave colleagues as they “workshop and brainstorm” ideas as new procedures are developed and fine-tuned. 

The Leave Administration team works remotely but has started weekly meetings in the office for planning and to connect with one another. “All my peers are very knowledgeable. I love that we all come in together with our experiences and bounce ideas off each other.” When they’re not in the office, the team has daily virtual meetings every afternoon to raise unique situations or ask questions. 

All in all, she says, the job gives her a sense of pride in being able to “educate and advocate” for employees navigating the leave process. The leave team has also been able to free up time for her HR peers in units around the University. “I’ve heard that, with the variety of populations that a department can have, FMLA leaves take anywhere from 5% to 30% of their time, and to be able to come in and make such a great impact, not only for employees but also my peers, is great. I’ve heard a lot of good feedback about how appreciative they are.”