Classified Staff Handbook: Attendance and Work Routine
ATTENDANCE AND WORK ROUTINE
Recording Time/Attendance
In accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers must maintain an accurate record of hours worked for each covered, non-exempt employee. This information includes regular hours worked, leave taken, leave without pay, overtime/compensatory hours earned, and regular days off. For recording purposes, non-exempt employees are provided with a Time and Attendance Record. At the end of the leave year (January 9), non-exempt employees must submit a completed record to Human Resources. All Time and Attendance Records are subject to yearly audit.
Full-time, non-exempt and exempt employees must report leave taken to Human Resources by using the Leave feature in MyMadison, where employees can add or edit leave requests and view balances.
Workweek
Full-time, classified employees normally work a minimum of 40 hours per week. The university’s standard workweek begins 12:01 a.m. Sunday and ends 12:00 midnight Saturday. Normal work hours are from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Employees in certain roles may work non-standard shifts or workweeks to provide adequate coverage and service to the university community.
Break Time for Nursing Mothers
In accordance with The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which amended section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), James Madison University employees will be allowed reasonable, unpaid break time to express milk for a nursing child for up to one year after the child’s birth, each time such employee has need to express milk. A specific location will be provided, other than a bathroom, which is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public. JMU Policy 1341 – Break Time for Nursing Mothers.
Meal Breaks
Employees who work at least six consecutive hours may be afforded a lunch break of at least 30 minutes, except in situations where shift coverage precludes such lunch breaks. Lunch breaks may be staggered to provide adequate departmental coverage. The lunch break does not count as time worked; therefore, no work should be conducted during this time.
Rest Breaks
Supervisors may grant employees who work an 8-hour day or longer a maximum of one 15-minute rest break before and one 15-minute rest break after the lunch break, but are not required to do so.
- Rest breaks must be taken separately.
- Rest breaks, if taken, do count as time worked; however, they cannot be used to extend the lunch break or be taken at the beginning or the end of the day to shorten the work day or to offset late arrivals.
Late Arrival
Occasionally, unplanned circumstances may occur that cause employees to arrive late or to miss work. It is expected that late arrivals or absences will be kept to a minimum. It is the employee’s responsibility to inform their supervisor when they will be late or absent, as soon as possible, and prior to the beginning of the scheduled start time. The supervisor should communicate requirements for reporting late arrival or absence, including who to contact should the supervisor not be available. Failure to report a late arrival or absence in accordance with university/department requirements may result in disciplinary action.
During normal work hours, an employee should not leave the work area for personal matters (other than lunch or rest breaks) without permission from the supervisor or the supervisor’s designee. Excessive or habitual tardiness or absence is a violation of the Standards of Conduct and Performance JMU Policy 1317.
Granting Overtime and Compensatory Leave, Provisions for JMU Policy 1303
Federal law requires university employees, who are classified as non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), to be paid one and one-half times their regular rate of pay or receive overtime leave in lieu of overtime pay, for any hours worked over the standard 40-hour workweek. A non-exempt employee cannot work overtime without prior authorization or direction given by the supervisor.
An employee who may be required to work more hours than normally scheduled on certain days, but does not exceed the 40-hour workweek, is not entitled to overtime because the actual number of workweek hours did not exceed 40.
Employees classified as exempt from the FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Alternative Work Schedules JMU Policy 1310
In some instances, alternative work schedules may be necessary to provide effective services to the university community. When feasible, the university also tries to provide employees with a work schedule that is flexible enough to allow an opportunity to balance work and other responsibilities. Alternative work schedules must be approved by your supervisor and may include flextime, job sharing and less-than-12-month agreements.
Closings, Class Cancellations and Exam Postponements Due to Inclement Weather or Emergencies JMU Policy 1309
Decisions to close all non-essential university operations will be made by the Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance. When bad weather or another emergency situation causes the university to open late, close early or be closed for a full day, you will be compensated for the time off. Many employees are considered non-designated and are not required to work when the university is closed due to inclement weather or other emergency situations. However, to continue to provide services to students, some positions are considered designated and, as a condition of employment, must report to work when the university is officially closed due to inclement weather or during other emergency conditions.
If you are designated as an “essential” classified employee, you will receive compensatory leave for the hours worked during a normally scheduled shift, whether it is an entire shift closing or a partial shift closing. Should you be required to work in excess of the 40 hours in a normal workweek, you will be compensated in accordance with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for the excess time worked (overtime pay/leave) provided you are in a non-exempt classification.
Designated “essential” classified employees who do not report to work as scheduled, or who must leave before the end of the shift during an authorized closing, must charge time missed to annual, sick, compensatory leave or leave without pay as appropriate. A designated classified employee's failure to report to work as required during an authorized closing may be grounds for discipline under the Standards of Conduct and Performance for Classified Employees JMU Policy 1317.
Non-designated (non-essential) classified employees are expected to report to work on time. However, when weather conditions create transportation difficulties that result in late arrival, supervisors may authorize up to two hours of lost time as an authorized absence not charged to leave.
For information regarding late openings or official closings, listen to local television and radio stations, visit the JMU website or call 540-433-5300. Employees can also authorize JMU to provide emergency notifications via text message or voice message to the employee's cell phone through MyMadison.
Holidays JMU Policy 1102
The president of the university signs into effect each calendar year a schedule of official university holidays and pre-determined closings. The holiday schedule includes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving. Pre-determined closings include a floating day for full-time JMU employees in lieu of Election Day as a holiday, the day after Thanksgiving, and a winter break. It may also include time for spring break and other appropriate holidays, up to the number set by the Commonwealth of Virginia as holidays for state employees. For a list of holidays during which the university will be closed, refer to the HR website.
To receive holiday pay, employees must either work or be on paid leave the workday before and the workday after the holiday, with the exception of a holiday that falls on the first day of a pay period. Employees that are scheduled to begin employment or return from leave on the first workday of a pay period (10th or 25th) and that day is also a holiday, the first day of the pay period will be considered the first day worked and the employee will be eligible to receive holiday pay.
Employees working on holidays/recognition leave days may receive pay or compensatory leave for the number of holiday hours proportionate to their work schedules, not to exceed eight hours.
Outside/Additional Employment
In accordance with the Classified Employee Standards of Conduct and Performance JMU Policy 1317, employees are expected to obtain approval from their supervisor prior to accepting outside or additional employment. Also, in accordance with Conflict of Interests JMU Policy 1106, no JMU employee shall accept any business or professional opportunity when that employee knows there is a reasonable likelihood that the opportunity that is being afforded will influence the employee in the performance of their official duties.
