New work options offered to employees

Two new employee programs ­ community service credit and the flexible work schedule option ­ will be available to managers and staff on a voluntary basis, according to Dr. Jeannine Raymond (Human Resources).

Community service credit for employees

The community service credit is just one of the more meaningful ways the university can reach out to the community. Consistent with the university's mission of being an interactive institution, volunteers from the university are encouraged to become involved with community projects that offer solutions to problems of mutual interest. The program offers employees the opportunity to volunteer up to 40 paid hours per calendar year for community service if the following conditions are met:

• The volunteer project has been approved by the appropriate dean or director and has been reviewed by Human Resources or Academic Personnel for consistency with relevant Memorandum of Understanding and university policies;
• The state-compensated hours to be volunteered do not exceed 40 hours in any calendar year;
• The state-compensated hours to be volunteered have been approved by the supervising manager and do not conflict with the operational needs of the department, budgetary limitations, or negatively impact the health or safety of the campus;
• Employees match the compensated time with their own personal volunteer time (e.g., employees who volunteer 40 hours of community service credit during work hours, should volunteer an additional 40 hours of personal time for a total of 80 hours of volunteer time).

Flexible work scheduling for employees

The university is trying flexible work scheduling on an experimental basis this summer. The purpose of the flexible work schedule option is to allow both staff and management flexibility

in work hours during the summer without compromising customer service. Implementing the policy will require teamwork and effective communication, according to Human Resources personnel, who say this flexibility may even enhance customer service in those areas where adequate staffing permits extended hours by rotating individual work schedules.

Some examples of flexible scheduling would be 4/10 and 9/80 work weeks. However, schedules must observe restrictions of applicable collective bargaining agreements. The following additional restrictions apply:

• All offices will be open for the regular university summer hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a half hour for lunch.
• Flexible scheduling may be used during the period of time between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester, determined by the summer hours schedule published annually. Approval of such schedules is at the discretion of the manager and is subject to the operational needs of the department.
• Offices staffed by a single person, or where the small number of staff limits flexibility,
• are encouraged to work with their respective dean's or director's office to develop ways of responding to phone and foot traffic through creative use of existing technology and teamwork.
• As is the case during the rest of the year, changes in work schedules must be approved in advance by the manager.
• Staff and Management Personnel Plan employees may participate. Participation is voluntary. Specific instructions on how to report attendance will be issued soon.

For more information on either program contact the Human Resources Office at Ext. 8-2364. ­mlr

Back to University Journal, 5/11/98 Issue