Staff Manual: Work Schedules

Revised 7/2012

Standard Work Schedules

Work schedules are determined on the basis of the needs and requirements of each unit and are designed to:

Provide orderly and efficient service.
Provide regularly recurring consecutive hours of work where practicable.
Avoid overtime.

Full-time staff members are regularly scheduled for forty (40) hours of work each week. In most units, a standard schedule consists of five (5) eight- (8) hour days. Special characteristics inherent in some jobs and temporary work situations may warrant establishing schedules which vary from this pattern. Starting and ending times may vary from unit to unit and within a unit.

Part-time staff members are normally scheduled to work less than forty (40) hours per week.

Supervisors may provide written approval for employees to:

Establish daily schedules outside the typical office schedule, and
Adjust their normal schedule on a given day to compensate for special needs which arise, as long as such action does not impair the efficiency of the unit or incur overtime compensation. (See Overtime, and SPG 201.38)

Library staff are expected and encouraged to devote a portion of their work time to professional development activities, consistent with their ability to perform their job duties and in consultation with their supervisor.

Supervisors are encouraged to accommodate the work-life balance of staff members, to the extent possible and consistent with the operating requirements of the unit, by adjusting work schedules and starting and ending times.

Definitions

Calendar week: Seven (7) consecutive calendar days beginning at midnight between Saturday and Sunday.

Day: The twenty-four (24) consecutive hour period beginning with the staff member’s starting

time on each work day.

Alternate Work Schedules

Employees may submit requests for alternate schedules to their supervisor. Typically, requests are made by email or memo and are initiated by the employee.

Supervisors may, at their option, grant such requests as long as they maintain adequate supervision, coverage of public service areas, and unit efficiency. Staff members who request schedule changes should remember that supervisors may not grant requests that hinder unit operations.

The following applies to alternate schedules:

Eligibility - An alternate work schedule is available to all regular employees, except bargained-for employees, with the permission of their supervisor.
University Holidays - All employees are encouraged to return to a standard schedule for the week of any paid University holiday.
Overtime - Overtime accrues only if the staff member works more than 40 hours per calendar week. (See Overtime, and SPG 201.38)
Vacation and Sick Time - These benefits are calculated on the basis of an eight-hour day. Thus employees who miss two 10-hour days due to illness will have 2.5 days (20 hours) worth of sick or vacation time charged against their accrual. Employees may make up time only during the calendar week of their absence, and only with the supervisor’s permission.
Rest Periods - Employees receive no extra break when on an extended work day.
Lunch Periods - Employees may choose to split their meal periods into two segments taken at different times of the day. These segments may not be combined with rest periods. Supervisor approval is required.