DEPARTMENTAL REGULATION |
Number: 4040-451-03 |
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SUBJECT: Criteria for Time-off Awards |
DATE: |
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OPI: |
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SECTION
1 PURPOSE 1
2
SPECIAL
INSTRUCTIONS/CANCELLATIONS 1
3
ELIGIBILITY 1
4
CONSIDERATION 2
5
AWARD AMOUNT 2
6
EXAMPLES OF ELIGIBLE
CONTRIBUTIONS 3
7
USE OF TIME-OFF 3
8
PROCESSING 4
9
RESTRICTIONS 4
10 ADVANTAGES OF GRANTING TIME-OFF 5
11 DISADVANTAGES OF
GRANTING TIME-OFF 5
12 PROGRAM MONITORING 5
13 REPORTS 5
1 PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy
is to provide guidelines for the use of Time-off Awards. The provisions of Section 201 of the Federal
Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990, authorize
agencies to grant employees Time-off in recognition of superior accomplishments
that contribute to the quality, efficiency or economy of Government
operations. This authority is regulated
by Title 5 United States Code 4502(e) and Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations
451.104(a). The Time-off Award is an
excused absence granted to a Federal employee without charge to leave or loss
of pay.
2 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/CANCELLATIONS
This regulation replaces Personnel Letter Number 451-12,
Time-off as an Incentive Awards, dated
3 ELIGIBILITY
a All USDA employees who meet the
definition of “employee” in 5 U.S.C. 2105, are eligible for Time-off with the
exception of:
(1) Presidential Appointees;
(2) Career and non-career Senior Executive
Service (SES) employees;
(3) Employees in SES equivalent positions,
(e.g., Senior Level, Professional and Scientific, Senior Foreign Service,
etc.);
(4) Employees who do not have a regular,
established tour of duty (intermittent);
b Volunteers and contractors are not
eligible for Time-off Awards.
4 CONSIDERATIONS
Scheduling of Time-off
is subject to supervisory approval.
Before utilizing the Time-off Award, managers should consider the full
resource implications of the award, including:
a Salary of the employee; and
b Impact on workload and customer
service.
5 AWARD AMOUNT
a A manager or supervisor may grant up
to 10 hours of Time-off without a higher level of review or approval. If the award exceeds 10 hours, it must be
reviewed and approved by an agency official at a higher level than the
recommending official. In addition, a
written justification must be attached to the AD-287-2 (dated 7/94),
Recommendation & Approval of Awards for Time-off Awards exceeding 10 hours.
b Full-time employees may not be granted
more than 40 hours for a single achievement.
Full-time employees may be granted up to 80 hours of Time-off during a
leave year.
c Part-time employees or those with an
uncommon tour of duty may be granted Time-off up to the average number of work
hours in the employee’s biweekly scheduled tour of duty during a leave
year. The limit for any single
contribution for part-time employees or employees with an uncommon tour of duty
is one half the maximum that may be granted during the leave year. (For example:
If an employee’s scheduled tour of duty is 64 hours biweekly, the
employee may be granted up to 64 hours of Time-off during the leave year, and
cannot exceed 32 hours for a single achievement).
d The amount of Time-off granted must be
proportionate to the value of the contribution being recognized. Refer to the Guide for Employee
Recognition when determining the amount of Time-off to grant an
employee. The guide is available on the
Office of Human Resources Management website at http://www.usda.gov/da/employ/recognition_program.htm
or through your servicing personnel office.
e Time-off Awards may be granted along with
other forms of awards, as long as the total value of the awards given reflects
the value of the contribution being recognized.
For example, an employee might receive both a one-day Time-off Award and
a $50 cash award as an incentive award for a single contribution, as long as
the combination of the awards is suitable recognition for the value of the
employee’s contribution in accordance with the Guide for Employee
Recognition.
6 EXAMPLES OF
ELIGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS
Time-off Awards are
intended to recognize the following types of accomplishments or contributions:
a Making a high quality contribution
involving a difficult or important project assignment.
b Displaying initiative and skill in
completing an assignment or project before the deadline.
c Using initiative and creativity in
making improvement in projects, activities, programs or services.
d Ensuring the mission of the work unit
is accomplished during a difficult period by successfully completing additional
work or a project assignment while maintaining the employee’s own workload.
7 USE OF TIME-OFF
a Time-off Awards must be scheduled and
used within 26 pay periods from the effective date of processing. After the 26th pay period, any unused
Time-off will be automatically forfeited and may not be restored or otherwise
substituted.
b A Time-off Award may only be taken
after it has been entered in the payroll/personnel system and is available in
the
c If an employee is incapacitated while
using his or her Time-off Award, that period may be recorded as sick leave, and
the Time-off rescheduled for another time, within the 26 pay period limitation.
d Any unused Time-off will be forfeited
once an employee separates or transfers to another USDA or Federal agency. If forfeited, no other award or compensation
may be substituted. Please see 8c for
instructions to delete forfeited Time-off.
8 PROCESSING
a The Time-off Award must be recommended
and approved on Form AD-287-2, “Recommendation & Approval of Awards.” See 5a, page 2 for additional approval
information.
b When recognizing a group you may
either:
(1) Prepare an individual AD-287-2 for each
member of the group; or
(2) Prepare one AD-287-2 with a list
indicating the required information for each group member.
c The processing clerk will enter
information on Time-off awards or forfeited Time-off (see 7d) into the National
Finance Center database. Detailed
instructions on processing the actions and record keeping are presented in
Personnel/Payroll Processing note issuances.
d Once processed, a copy of the AD-287-2
should be forwarded immediately to the time keeper who will document the
Time-off Award on the Time and Attendance report (recorded via
prefix/transaction code 61/66) and then attach a copy of the Form AD-287-2 to
the Certified Time and Attendance report as supporting documentation.
9 RESTRICTIONS
a Under no circumstance does Time-off
convert to cash (5 CFR 451.104(f)) nor transfer from one USDA or Federal
agency.
b Recommending officials may not grant
Time-off Awards to employees from other USDA agencies.
c The Department does not support or encourage
managers to grant Time-off to an entire division, region, or other large
geographic area and allow all employees the same day off. This gives the appearance of granting an
official holiday (official holidays are created by law). Agencies are encouraged to use sound judgment
when issuing all awards. The misuse of
the awards authority could seriously compromise the integrity of the
program. All awards should be granted
with careful consideration of excellence in service.
10 ADVANTAGES OF GRANTING
TIME-OFF
a Equity. Identical Time-off Awards granted to members
of a team with various grade levels may be perceived as more equitable than
cash awards that are based on a percentage of pay.
b Value. Employees with low annual/sick leave balances
may especially value Time-off Awards.
c Timeliness. Time-off Awards should be closely linked to
the time of the accomplishment.
11 DISADVANTAGES OF
GRANTING TIME-OFF
a Excess
Leave. Employees who have “use
or lose” annual leave might not value a Time-off Award.
b Hidden
Costs. Because the form of the
award is Time-off, not cash, managers may not see the hidden costs associated
with the award.
c Loss
of Productivity. Productivity
could be compromised because staff is away from the office using their Time-off
Awards.
12 PROGRAM MONITORING
Agencies are
responsible for monitoring and assessing the usage of Time-off Awards. This
documented information will be reported to the Office of Personnel Management
as part of their Annual Incentive Awards Report.
13 REPORTS
Each mission
area/agency will provide information and reports to the Office of Human
Resources Management concerning the operation of its program(s) as requested.
-END-
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