Policy No. 321
12/14/04
Alternate Work Schedules
POLICY
It is the policy of the National Cancer Institute-Frederick (NCI-Frederick)
to provide opportunity for the scheduling of alternative work hours in order
to address the demands of a research environment. These demands are influenced
by the efficient scheduling of research labor effort, the composition of the
work force, and the need of employees for greater flexibility to balance work
with personal responsibilities.
Definitions:
Alternative Work Schedule (AWS): This term applies to both
Compressed Work Schedules and Flexible Work Schedules that have been approved
in advance.
Compressed Work Schedules (CWS): occur when employees deliver
the required number of work hours, weekly or biweekly, on a schedule other than
the standard five days a week, eight hours a day.
Flexible Work Schedules (FWS) include the following components:
Flextime - the range of hours within each day/week, as
defined by management, during which employees may perform their required work
as part of an Alternate Work Schedule.
Core Hours - the daily/weekly work hours, defined by management
as part of an Alternate Work Schedule, during which an employee must be present
for work.
Credit Hours are hours that full-time exempt employees on approved
Flexible Work Schedules may elect to accumulate on an hour-for-hour basis
by working, with management approval, in excess of the employee’s basic
work requirement (scheduled hours per pay period). Work performed while accumulating
Credit Hours must relate to the Scope of Work of the employee’s program.
A maximum balance of twenty-four (24) Credit Hours may be carried at any time.
Limited Access Facility means a worksite where employees must
take more than 5 minutes to shower, change clothing or don protective garb prior
to entering, upon leaving, or both.
“In Lieu of” Holidays occur when a holiday falls
on a day when an employee is not scheduled to be present at work as a result of
an Alternate Work Schedule. In such circumstances, the employee may designate,
with prior management approval, another workday (up to a maximum of 8 work hours)
within the workweek (nonexempt employees) or pay period (exempt employees) in
lieu of the holiday.
PROCEDURE
In order to accommodate Alternative Work Schedules, adequate controls must
be in place to ensure the following:
Each program area must maintain a staffing level that includes supervisory
staff and is adequate to respond to the requirements of the contract statement-of-work
and requests for service.
Relevant Government and Contractor staff must be familiar with the work
schedule in order to avoid misunderstandings regarding work schedules and
to ensure compliance with Contractor labor hour reporting requirements.
Adequate controls must be in place to accurately capture and report Credit
Hours and actual hours worked.
Flextime hours worked must include Core Hours.
Requests to change Core Hours for a program area are to be sent to the
Contractor Human Resources representative for submission to the NCI Contracting
Officer for approval.
Equal consideration should be given to all employees requesting authorization
to work an Alternate Work Schedule. However, approval need only be given when
it will not interfere with the efficient operation of the program area.
Compressed Work Schedules must ensure that all required labor hours are
accounted for within each discrete two-week payroll period for exempt employees
and each weekly period for nonexempt employees.
Employees attending training sessions, on travel or other temporary assignments
are expected to adjust their schedules to conform with the schedules of these
situations as necessary.
Compressed Work Schedules may be temporarily suspended for fixed periods
at the request of the employee (with management approval), or management,
when necessary and appropriate.
Alternative Work Schedule requests are to be forwarded through the program Director/Manager
to the Human Resources representative for review and submission to the Contractor
Director/Principal Investigator (or designee) for approval. Alternative Work Schedules
must be approved in advance by management. Once established, such schedules cannot
be altered without formal revision and approval. Requests are to be submitted
on an Alternate Work Schedule form (Attachment #1).
Occasional deviations from an employee’s regular schedule may be approved
by the supervisor on a casual basis.
Daily work schedules exceeding six (6) hours must include at least a one-half
hour non-paid meal break. This may not be scheduled to occur at the beginning
or end of a workday unless the employee works in a Limited Access Facility.
Work Hours are to be scheduled to provide coverage during Core Hours. Scheduled
work hours are not to exceed twelve (12) hours in a twenty-four (24) hour period.
In order to provide adequate coverage for each program function, a minimum of
50% of the program staff is to be available on any workday.
EXAMPLES OF COMPRESSED WORK WEEK SCHEDULES
Nonexempt employees (NOTE: Schedules must be constructed so as to avoid working
of unnecessary overtime):
1. 4/10 schedule
4 days @ 10 hours = 40 hour work week
5th day off - optional Monday through Friday
2. 4/9/4 schedule
4 days @ 9 hours = 36
5th day @ 4 hours = 4
Total: 40 hours/week
1/2 day off on 5th day - optional Monday through Friday
Exempt employees (Compressed Work Schedules are not intended to limit hours worked
by exempt employees when department workload necessitates working longer hours):
1. 4/10 schedule
4 days @ 10 hours = 40 hour work week
5th day off - optional Monday through Friday
2. 4/9/4 schedule
4 days @ 9 hours = 36
5th day @ 4 hours = 4
Total: 40 hours/week
1/2 day off on 5th day - optional Monday through Friday
3. 4/9/8 schedule
8 days @ 9 hours = 72
1 day @ 8 hours = 8
Total: 80 hours biweekly
10th day off - optional
Biweekly schedule to coincide with a biweekly pay period
Accrual and Use of Credit Hours (Exempt Employees on Approved Flexible Work
Schedules Only)
With management approval, full-time exempt employees on approved Flexible
Work Schedules may accrue and carry a balance of up twenty-four (24) Credit
Hours to be used in subsequent pay periods. Credit Hours are accumulated on
an hour-for-hour basis.
Employees on Compressed Work Schedules may not accumulate Credit Hours.
Credit Hours may only be used in conjunction with an established Alternate
Work Schedule and may be used to take time off from work at any time during
the workday or used in lieu of paid Sick or Vacation leave.
Unused Credit Hours are not paid out under any circumstance and may not
be used in advance, or earned while on travel or at training.
There is no time limit in which the Credit Hours must be used.
Management has the authority to approve, disapprove or limit individual
requests to accrue and use Credit Hours.
Credit Hours must be recorded on the employee’s time card. A record
must be kept of total credit hours earned and used each pay period and the
beginning and ending balances.
RESPONSIBILITY
Each contractor shall administer this policy and maintain records as required.
|
