Staff Time Accountability

Accountability is governed by policies at a variety of levels, including federal, state, university, school and department. highlights are listed here.

http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/index.html is the official site with UW HR policies. Check under Employee or Manager sections for policies and information for the particular type of staff member in mind. Check under Labor Relations for union contracts. The following info is intended to supplement that info and does not replace or supersede it.

http://www.son.washington.edu/departments/dean/finadmin/forms.asp is the site for School of Nursing forms and information about time accountability.

Contact Matt Eng for questions about department procedures.

OWLS (online work and leave system) is the official UW online system for documenting classified and professional staff leave, comp time and absences. The department OWLS coordinator (currently the dept payroll coordinator) makes entries. Staff and supervisors are expected to provide input and monitor it regularly.

Each person has one primary supervisor, and may have other supervisors and PIs who direct their work. For this document, the term supervisor refers to the Primary Supervisor.

SCHEDULING (also see Flex Time section)

The work week in BNHS is Sunday through Saturday. Exceptions to the work week can be made by the administrator for staff with unusual schedules like sleep staff, people working nine nines, etc. The work week does not fluctuate.
Business hours in BNHS are 8am-5pm during the academic year and 8am-4:30 during breaks and summer quarter. Selected staff on research projects may have irregular hours.
Supervisors are responsible for establishing schedules for all staff and student employees. Employees are responsible for adhering to those schedules and notifying supervisors in advance of shift start times if they cannot be present.
If union contracts are not in conflict, supervisors and staff may choose to allow staff to modify their schedules for up to one week. This allows staff to work extra hours some days and fewer hours other days as long as at the end of the week, the hours worked match the percentage paid. This needs to be documented in email between staff and supervisor and the email forwarded to the OWLs coordinator for OWLs entry. Overtime is not paid during modified schedules. In unusual situations, a staff member may request a 2 week modified schedule. In those cases, the increased hours must be worked during the first week

OVERTIME (working in excess of % paid or working over 40 hours in a work week)

Supervisors and staff are responsible for knowing who is eligible for overtime and following appropriate HR and union policies.
All staff who are eligible for overtime need to complete timesheets submitted to the OWLS coordinator no later than the end of the month.
PIs, supervisors or others can suggest that staff work overtime as long as it’s in direct support of the mission. Supervisors need to approve the work to be done during any overtime periods.
All overtime must be approved in advance in writing by the authority who controls the budget the staff member is paid from, or his/her designee. In rare and unexpected cases, (perhaps 2-3 times/year), overtime can be approved after the fact. Overtime approval needs to be sent to the OWLS coordinator.
Staff are to document # of hours and dates of overtime worked in an email to their supervisor and the OWLS coordinator and request either overtime pay or comp time. If pay is requested, the email also needs to be sent to the payroll coordinator.
All overtime must be accounted for using the OWLS system.

ABSENCES: (time away from work during established work schedules)

Planned absences (eg vacations, doctor appointments, surgeries, volunteer work, etc)

Require prior approval by supervisors. The timeframe for getting approval is triple the time off requested. (eg request 1 day off 3 or more days in advance) This may be waived by supervisors on a case by case basis.
Supervisors are expected to approve requests for leave if mission permits. If disapproved, supervisors need to provide a reason and work with the employee to find a mutually agreeable time for leave.
Black out periods (times groups are not permitted to be off due to mission needs) must be communicated in advance and be limited in duration.
DOCUMENTATION – All planned absences are to be documented by email between the staff member, the direct supervisor and the OWLS coordinator. The staff person is responsible for making sure documentation of the request, supervisor approval, and accounting for hours is done by email and forwarded to the OWLS coordinator.

Unplanned absences (eg getting sick or injured, car trouble, unexpected family situations)

Advance approval is not required, but communication and documentation are required. Staff are responsible for having contact information for their supervisors.
When staff are going to be late, if possible they need to call, email or otherwise get word to their supervisor BEFORE the work shift begins. For rare situations where notification is not possible, as soon as arriving, the staff person needs to contact the supervisor, explain, and determine how to handle the absence.
When staff are going to be sick and out for a day, they need to call or email supervisor BEFORE the work shift begins. They may also be expected to notify others.
If taken sick while at work, contact the supervisor in person or by phone, explain and make arrangements for coverage of duties.
If injured at work, get first aid or call 911 if appropriate. Then contact the supervisor or administrator, document injury with an accident report, then arrange for time off.
DOCUMENTATION - For all unplanned absences, staff need to follow up with an email to the supervisor and OWLS coordinator the day they return. The email documents the amount of time off used and the category charged. Supervisors have the option of allowing the staff member to make up the time within the same week.

Leave Without Pay is used when no leave or comp time is accrued. As soon as Leave Without Pay is used, the documentation needs to be forwarded by the employee or supervisor to the payroll coordinator in addition to the OWLS coordinator.
Time off using other forms of leave such as Family and Medical Leave, shared leave, leaves of absence, disability leave require other forms and approvals. Contact the administrator in addition to the supervisor.
Medical authorization may be requested by supervisors for any periods of sick leave, and is commonly expected for absences in excess of 3 consecutive workdays.

FLEX TIME (working other than regular business hours Monday through Friday)

Staff who are past probationary periods, have no ongoing corrective actions, and have demonstrated above average accountability practices may request flex time.
Flex time is a privilege that may be granted if the mission is not impeded. Flex time can be withdrawn at any time the supervisor or chair determines the mission has been adversely affected.
Flex time must be approved in advance in writing by the supervisor, must include regular hours, and the supervisor or another designated supervisor needs to be able to supervise the employee during the shift time that is outside regular hours.
Due to recurring unavailability during business hours, shifts of “four tens” or “nine nines” are to be scheduled rarely and for a minimum number of staff. Flex time that results in a small amount of time unavailable during business hours, such as 7:30-4pm, may be approved for unlimited numbers of staff.

TELEWORKING (Working away from the dept or team site, also called working remotely or telecommuting)

Research staff who are required to telework need to confirm that with their supervisor when hired.
Other research and administrative staff may telework up to 20% if the work can be done remotely, the supervisor or PI approves, the staff member has demonstrated above average accountability practices, and the requirements of the UW Teleworking Policy are followed. Department approval is provided by the chair or administrator and is typically for a limited duration such as one year. http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/polproc/telework/index.html.

Voluntary short term teleworking is allowed for staff members who have an unexpected minor illness (eg cold or sore throat) and want to work up to a maximum of 1 hour/shift. This is intended for checking email, rescheduling appointments, employees, or subjects, or for other brief amounts of work. This is not appropriate for a staff member with an illness or injury significant enough to warrant medical attention. Sick staff members are also not required to do this.
Inclement weather or disaster teleworking may be approved for limited times by the supervisor by email. This is best planned in advance, it can be approved after the fact occasionally.

For assistance please contact Matt Eng.