Memorandum
Subject: Division policy
created for Acquisitions Department in 1998; minor revisions made for Technical Services organizational structure
Working hours
The working hours permitted in the department are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST. The core hours of the workday are 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Full time staff are expected to work the majority of the core hours on a regular basis. If, on occasion, someone needs to work later than 7:00 p.m. or on the weekend, that must be approved by the section head or department head in advance. (Note: Notification of your supervisor via e-mail or note does not constitute approval. It is the employee's responsibility to make certain that the supervisor has had an opportunity to respond to the request and approve it.)
Schedules/Reporting to work
Staff must establish a regular working schedule which is subject to the approval of their supervisor. It is the staff member's responsibility to request any changes in the work schedule in a timely manner.
Late arrival — If the staff member is not going to be able to come to work on time, they must call the department within 1 hour of the scheduled starting time and include an explanation of the reason and the expected time of arrival. When the staff member calls in to the department to report their absence, they must speak with their supervisor if at all possible. Approval of the late arrival must be granted by the supervisor and should be an exception rather than a usual occurrence. If it isn't possible to speak directly with the supervisor, a message should be left for the supervisor. Also, the staff member should ask the person answering the phone to notify their section of the absence and add their name to the board.
Illness — Illness must be reported by phone call in advance of the employee's expected arrival time at work or no later than one hour after the expected arrival time. When the staff member calls in to the department to report their absence, they must speak with their supervisor if at all possible. If it isn't possible to speak directly with the supervisor, a message should be left for the supervisor. Also, the staff member should ask the person answering the phone to notify their section of the absence and add their name to the admin board.
Vacation — Vacation requests must be made in advance and approved by the supervisor. If vacation time is used to cover a change in schedule or absence from the office, both the schedule change and use of vacation time must be requested and approved in advance. Vacation time may be used instead of sick leave to cover illness. Vacation time may not be used to "make up" unplanned changes in schedule or late arrival in the office except due to exceptional circumstances which are approved by the supervisor.
Breaks
Staff are permitted one 15 minute break for each 4 hours worked. Although the University discourages the practice, it is within Departmental discretion to allow the combining of two 15 minute breaks into a single 30 minute break. This practice is allowed in the Technical Services Division under the following circumstances:
- The longer break is taken during the core hours for the dept. (10-2) and is not used at the beginning or end of the workday to shorten the workday.
- No additional breaks will be taken during the day. (Quick trips to the restroom etc. are permitted, of course.)
Attendance at departmental/division meetings
Attendance at departmental/division meetings is considered part of the staff member's job assignment. Excused absences include scheduled vacation time or sick leave. All other absences from the meetings must be approved in advance by the supervisor.
Phone calls
Phone calls of a personal nature should be limited as to frequency and duration during working hours. Staff should use the pay phone in the hallway during breaks for extended personal phone calls.
Reporting lines
As this document indicates, the first point of contact for most requests is the staff member's supervisor. If the immediate supervisor is unavailable, the next levels for approval follow:
- section head
- department head
- acting department head (if one has been designated)
- any other section head in the dept.
- division head (to be contacted only in unusual circumstances)
- Director of Libraries (to be contacted only in unusual circumstances)
Page last modified: 8 November 2011