Wayland Personnel Board advances sick leave and bereavement policy revisions

WAYLAND -- November 5, 2025, Wayland Personnel Board approves bereavement revisions and advances sick leave changes for non-union staff. Meeting remotely Nov. 5, the board voted 3-0 to recommend a revised non-union sick leave policy and 3-0 to approve a bereavement leave policy that now specifies leave "shall be taken on the day of the funeral" with flexibility for later memorials. Chair Maryanne Peabody, member Jill Zukerman and member Mary Ellen Castagno agreed to limit a new 15-to-20-year sick leave payout tier, capped at $7,500, to employees hired after Nov. 5, 2025; the 20-year payout remains capped at $10,000. HR Director Kate Ryan said the changes affect roughly 30 non-union positions. An annual leave rewrite, raising accruals to 15 and 20 days at lower tiers and front-loading time, returns in December after Castagno pushed back on a 48-hour vacation notice window.