Loading...
Work Hours & Scheduling 3-27-13 CITY OF SCHERTZ EMPLOYEE POLICY HANDBOOK Work Hours & Scheduling PREPARED BY: Human Resources APPROVED BY: City Council DATE APPROVED: 3/26/2013 EFFECTIVE DATE: 3/27/2013 REPLACES VERSION: 2.2 Purpose To establish policies and procedures regarding the workweek, work hours and office hours to maximize the city’s capabilities to provide services to citizens. Policy Employees are expected to report to work and observe their approved work schedule. Applicability This policy applies to all city employees Standard Work Hours: Standard Workweek: The standard workweek for most employees (except as explained for commissioned police and uniformed fire personnel, and EMS personnel) is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Although a normal workweek for many regular, full-time employees is forty (40) working hours per week, the workweek may vary by department and operational necessity. Standard Work Day: The standard work day for regular, full-time employees is eight (8) hours. Meal time during a work shift is not considered compensable time unless the employee is required to work during the meal time. Employees may be granted a 15 minute rest period with pay during the first and second halves of the work day; however, this privilege is not guaranteed. Individual Work Schedules: An employee’s work schedule is determined by the department’s operating requirements and subject to change at any time by the Department Head or designee. An employee’s work schedule may be adjusted within the standard workweek (or other designated work period as allowed by FLSA) to avoid the payment of overtime or accrual of compensatory time. Required Work Time: All city employees may be required to work hours in excess of their normal work hours when necessary as determined by the supervisor. An employee is expected to respond to a reasonable request to work extra hours and may be subject to discipline for failure to work such hours. CITY OF SCHERTZ EMPLOYEE POLICY HANDBOOK Department Head Responsibilities: Each Department Head is responsible for ensuring that supervisors and employees are complying with established work schedules and that unscheduled work is performed only in bona fide emergencies. The mere establishment of schedules (written or verbal) does not relieve the Department Head of his/her responsibility for controlling work time. It is advised that supervisors and managers limit the use of extended shifts and increase the number of days employees work. Working long shifts will generally result in reduced productivity and alertness. When shifts are extended past normal work periods, additional break periods and meals should be provided Unauthorized Working Time: Unless approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor, non-exempt employees performing work at any time other than authorized working time is prohibited. Such time would include, but is not limited to, work performed before or after regular work hours or work taken home. Except for Police, Fire, and EMS, any hours to be worked in excess of forty (40) hours in a week, except in the case of emergencies, require the advance approval of the Department Head or the designated representative. Hours Worked: Only hours actually worked count as hours worked for the purpose of overtime. Vacation, sick, and compensatory time (comp time) do not count as hours worked (Refer to the overtime rules under the FLSA policy). Dual Employment: Dual employment within the City is allowed only where the combined standard work hours for both positions is less than or equal to forty (40) hours per week and when no conflicts exist with work schedules (including overtime) between the two positions. Exceptions are only allowed upon express written approval of the City Manager. Lunch Periods Regular, full-time employees generally have one hour off for lunch. Department Heads will arrange lunch schedules so that his/her Department can provide uninterrupted service to the public. This policy does not apply to shift workers, except at the discretion of the Department Head based on scheduling and the availability of personnel for relief purposes. Employees shall not work through their desi gnated lunch periods unless authorized by their direct supervisors as this has implications on productivity and overtime costs. Rest Periods Regular full-time city employees generally have two fifteen-minute rest breaks during the day, one in the middle of the morning and the other in the middle of the afternoon. Employees who are not full-time should generally have one 15-minute break after four (4) consecutive hours of work. Employees with varying schedules should adjust their CITY OF SCHERTZ EMPLOYEE POLICY HANDBOOK break periods accordingly through consultation with their supervisor. Time allotted for rest periods may not be applied to any other time, absence, leave, or time off. In all events, Department Heads have the authority to schedule rest periods so that necessary work can be accomplished. This policy does not apply to shift workers except at the discretion of the Department Head, based upon scheduling and the availability of personnel for relief purposes. Employees should recognize that breaks provided outside lunch periods are a privilege and not an entitlement. Police Department Work Schedule The term “tour of duty” is a unique concept applicable only to Section 207(K) employees. This term refers to periods of time when a patrol officer is considered to be on duty for purposes of determining compensable hours. The time may be scheduled or unscheduled. Scheduled time includes “shifts” and is the time the employee is regularly assigned. Unscheduled time is spent in work outside the “shift”. Even though the specific work performed may not have been assigned or scheduled in advance, the time must be included in the compensable tour of duty. Police Department Shift-Work The standard work shift of the Police Department may consist of the following schedules:  Eight (8) hours per day;  Ten (10) hours [forty (40) hours per workweek];  Twelve (12) hours;  Twelve (12) hours and fifteen (15) minutes per day (86 hours per pay period) For more specific information regarding shift assignments and duties for the Police Department, employees should refer to the Police Department Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) Each officer works a total of forty (40) scheduled hours per work period. Fire Department Work Schedule The Fire Department sets work schedules for their personnel and notifies employees in writing of their work schedule assignments. Fire Department Shift-Work The standard work shift of the Fire Department may consist of the following schedules:  Eight (8)- hour shifts  Twenty-four (24)-hour shifts (168 hours per 21 consecutive days);  Twenty-four (24)- hour shifts (212 hours per 28 consecutive days). CITY OF SCHERTZ EMPLOYEE POLICY HANDBOOK For more specific information regarding shift assignments and duties for the Fire Department, employees should refer to the Fire Department SOP’s. EMS Department Work Schedule EMS sets work schedules for their personnel and notifies employees in writing of their work schedule assignments. Fire Department Shift-Work The standard work shift of the EMS may consist of the following schedules:  Eight (8)-hour shifts  Ten (10)-hour shifts  Eleven (11)-hour shifts  Twelve (12)-hour shifts  Twenty-Four (24)-hour shifts For more specific information regarding shift assignments and duties for the EMS Department, employees should refer to the EMS SOP’s.