The tenure of every permanent employee holding a position is during good behavior. Any such employee may be temporarily separated from the state civil service through layoff, leave of absence, or suspension, permanently separated through resignation or removal for cause, or permanently or temporarily separated through retirement or terminated for medical reasons under the provisions of Section 19253.5.

A permanent or probationary employee may within 90 days of the effective date of such separation, file a written request with the department for reinstatement; provided, that if the appointing power has notified the employee of his or her automatic resignation, any request for reinstatement must be made in writing and filed within 15 days of the service of notice of separation. Service of notice shall be made as provided in Section 18575 and is complete on mailing. Reinstatement may be granted only if the employee makes a satisfactory explanation to the department as to the cause of his or her absence and his or her failure to obtain leave therefor, and the department finds that he or she is ready, able, and willing to resume the discharge of the duties of his or her position or, if not, that he or she has obtained the consent of his or her appointing power to a leave of absence to commence upon reinstatement.

An employee so reinstated shall not be paid salary for the period of his or her absence or separation or for any portion thereof.

“Reduced worktime,” as used in this article, means employment of less than 40 hours of work per week, and includes arrangements involving job sharing, four-, five-, or six-hour workdays, jobs which provide eight hours of employment or less for one, two, three, four or five days per week, and such other arrangements which the department finds consistent with maximum employment opportunity to employees desiring other than a standard worktime.