Sec. 1 Purpose
To establish practices for accurate time and attendance records ensuring compliance with overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Sec. 2 Principles
2.1 Employees will:
a) report time appropriately to comply with policy;
b) adhere to applicable laws, rules, and procedures; and
c) ensure balance limits do not exceed the maximum allowable.
2.2 Managers have the discretion to balance business needs in the context of the personal needs and legal rights of the employee and will:
a) accommodate an employee’s request to the extent practicable;
b) consider the financial impact of an employee’s leave request and available leave balance;
c) follow applicable laws and policies;
d) adhere to responsibilities set forth by UT System Administration as defined below; and
e) ensure balance limits do not exceed the maximum allowable.
2.3 Timekeepers will:
a) monitor timesheets to ensure employees submit and managers approve within 90-days
b) ensure hourly staff timesheets are submitted and approved in accordance with the Payroll Schedule
c) review timesheets to help ensure compliance with policies;
d) train new employees on how to request leave and report time; and
e) assist employees and managers with time reporting, leave and balances.
Sec. 3 Applicability
This policy pertains to all employees.
Sec. 4 General Responsibilities
4.1 Employee requests leave in advance of absence when the need for leave is foreseeable. If the need for leave is not foreseeable, the employee must request leave as soon as they know of the need for leave.
4.2 Manager or HR, when applicable, responds to leave request after considering department staffing requirements in the context of the personal needs and legal rights of the employee.
4.3 Employee records absence from work in the electronic timesheet system using the appropriate leave type.
4.4 Negative leave balances are not permitted.
Sec. 5 Work Schedule
5.1 UT System Administration’s regular work schedule for full-time employees is eight hours a day (plus a one-hour meal period), Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. A manager may approve adjusted work schedules as needed for business purposes and/or to provide flexible work schedules as long as sufficient staffing exists to conduct official business Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
5.2 Though employees may be occasionally required or permitted to work through a meal period, an employee’s regular work schedule will include a meal period of at least 30 minutes.
5.3 A non-exempt employee must have prior approval from his/her manager before working hours that may result in the earning of FLSA overtime. If a non-exempt employee works through lunch, starts early or stays late, and works more than 40 hours in a work week, UT System Administration is responsible for compensating the employee for that overtime.
Sec. 6 Requirement to Record Time
6.1 Employees will accurately record time worked during the work week. Timesheets will be submitted on a weekly basis. All time is recorded to the nearest quarter of an hour, with fractions of hours recorded as .25, .50 and .75.
6.2 Managers will review and approve timesheets weekly.
Sec. 7 Official Travel
7.1 Travel time to and from the location, less regular home-to-work commute time and meal periods, will be recorded as hours worked whether the employee was driving or a passenger.
7.2 Time spent waiting at the airport will be recorded as hours worked. For example, an employee is instructed to report to the airport one hour before flight departure, the employee will record the time arrived at the airport and time spent waiting before flight departure as hours worked.
7.3 Outside of travel time, reported hours worked should coincide with actual hours worked. For example:
a) If you work from 9:00am to 4:00pm with a 1-hour lunch, work hours should be recorded as 6.00.
b) If you work from 7:45am to 6:00 with a 30-minute lunch, work hours should be recorded as 9.75.
7.4 Employees may earn state compensatory time and overtime for meetings held outside of the normal business day. This does not extend to social activities held in conjunction with conferences or other events.
Sec. 8 Leave Requests
Employees will request time off in advance from the manager. The manager has discretion to determine the written method in which to receive the leave request. An employee unable to request leave in advance must contact the manager as soon as possible.
Sec. 9 Inclement Weather
9.1 Notice of official closing at UT System Administration offices due to inclement weather will be provided to employees. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that their personal contact information is up to date in UT System’s emergency notification system. Announcements concerning closure of The University of Texas at Austin do not apply to UT System Administration.
9.2 Official closings of UT System Administration offices in Austin do not automatically apply to work locations outside of the Austin metropolitan area. Closure decisions for remote UT System Administration offices are initiated by the onsite manager based upon the operation of the institution with which they are located. The onsite manager will contact the Office of Talent & Innovation (OTI). Further direction will come from OTI. Any absence not approved by the aforementioned procedure requires the use of personal applicable and accumulated paid leave.
Definitions
Employee – an individual who is on the UT System Administration payroll.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) - the federal law (29 U.S.C. §§ 201-219) that establishes overtime standards for employees.
Hourly Employee - an employee who is paid semi-monthly at an hourly rate.
Non-exempt Employee - an employee who does not fall under any of the exemptions to the overtime provisions of the FLSA and is therefore covered by the Act.
Salaried Employee - an employee who is paid monthly at an annual rate.
Time Worked - hours performed working.
Work week - a fixed and recurring period of seven consecutive 24-hour days, which begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday and ends at 12:00 midnight Sunday.
