POL-U5410.05 Administering Work And Leave Time Reports

The Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs (BFA) is responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy. Under the Vice President for BFA, the Human Resources Director is responsible for administering, monitoring, and training on work time and leave issues including:

1. FLSA designation,
2. Employee classification and compensation, WWU, BFA, Human Resources
3. Time entry,
4. Training for personnel responsible for work time tracking and reporting,
5. Employee leave management support, and
6. The Special Leave Request process (see #6).

The President, vice presidents and directors are responsible for ensuring:

1. Appropriate procedures are developed and followed in their respective areas for monitoring, reporting, and documenting work and leave time. Procedures are to include, at a minimum, the requirements in this policy, and
2. Employees, department keyers, and timesheet approvers receive appropriate training in regards to relevant procedures, policies and guides.

The Human Resources Director will ensure appropriate personnel have access to employee leave reports for monitoring.

Directors and supervisors are expected to:

1. Actively manage employee work hours and leave requests through fair, legal, contractual and consistent practices,
2. Report to Human Resources immediately when there is evidence that an employee’s leave usage is falsified or impacting performance and/or business operations, and
3. Appropriately address attendance in performance reviews.

Supervisors will ensure:

1. Employees follow applicable employee handbook or contract rules and departmental and payroll policies and procedures for requesting and submitting leave time and/or additional work hours,
2. Timesheet approvers and department keyers appropriately process electronic timesheets and obtain, when applicable, their review and written approval,
3. Timesheets submitted are accurate, and
4. Documentation is maintained appropriately.

Employees must comply with all applicable handbook or contract rules, policies, procedures, guides and instructions regarding work hours and leave time.

Full-time FLSA exempt professional staff, including those not-benefits eligible:

1. Are expected to work the number of hours necessary to accomplish the duties and responsibilities of their positions,
2. Shall receive full salary for each work week that any work is performed, and
3. Are not eligible for overtime pay.

Part-time FLSA exempt professional staff:

4. Are expected to remain flexible in regards to work hours to accommodate the goals and mission of the department, and
5. Will receive straight-time compensation of hours worked in excess of an established part time schedule but not in excess of the full time equivalent.

Business operations may necessitate specific work hours for individual position. All absences and use of leave are subject to supervisor and Human Resources Department approval.

FLSA exempt professional staff will submit to payroll appropriate available accrued leave for each full day absent for vacation, personal reasons, sickness or injury.

When an FLSA exempt professional staff has exhausted available paid leave, the employee will receive:

1. Full salary for partial-day absences due to illness or disability, and
2. Unpaid leave for full-day absences due to illness or disability.

Exception: FLSA exempt professional staff who are not eligible for paid sick leave benefits will receive full salary for a workweek when an absence is less than a full work week and due to illness or disability.  

The university compensates part-time FLSA non-exempt professional staff for all hours worked in excess of the established part time schedule. Employees elect type of compensation as either:

1. Straight-time pay or compensatory time for hours over appointment up to 40 hours per week, and
2. At one and one-half times the regular hourly rate or compensatory time for hours worked over 40 hours in a work week.

The university compensates classified staff per the relevant bargaining unit contract.

FLSA non-exempt professional staff and classified employees must receive supervisor’s appropriate approval prior to working hours over appointment. Unauthorized overtime is subject to progressive discipline.

FLSA non-exempt professional staff and classified employees are to charge appropriate leave balances for any leave of .25 of an hour or greater in accordance to the appropriate handbook or bargaining unit contract.

If the TSA’s supervisor reviews and authorizes the TSA’s hours outside of the electronic time entry system, the TSA may electronically approve his/her timesheet. This authorization must be in writing and be kept on file with the department.

Supervisors who do not approve employee timesheets electronically through the webtime entry system are responsible each pay period for:

1. Ensuring they receive all non-electronic time sheets or reports (if provided by a designated timesheet approver),
2. Reviewing the accuracy of the timesheets or reports, and
3. Providing a written approval for the hardcopy timesheets and/or report.

Timesheet approvers are responsible for providing supervisors with documents requiring written approval each payroll period.

If a timesheet is not submitted electronically by an employee, the timesheet approver or department keyer must obtain the employee’s written signature on the hard copy time sheet or report.

The following leave requests require Human Resources approval using the Special Leave Request Esign form:

• Bereavement
• Civil/Jury Duty
• Educational
• Professional
• Medical/Maternity
• Military
• Leave without pay
• Exceptions to policy, bargaining unit agreements, or employee handbooks

Supervisors may not deny, discipline for, or retaliate against employees requesting or using approved protected leave provided under family/medical leave laws.

Anyone who intentionally falsifies, omits, or knowingly approves falsified or omitted information related to payroll, hours worked, or leave taken is subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Directors will ensure supervisors and timesheet approvers maintain accurate documentation of work time including daily work records of temporary hourly and student employees. Departments are encouraged to follow the Maintaining Payroll Documentation Guide to be in compliance with this section.

All records as required by this policy shall be made readily available for current or future review. Such records shall be maintained by the department for no less than six years.

Human Resources will ensure:

1. Relevant policies, procedures, guides and forms are up to date and readily accessible,
2. Training is readily available to directors, supervisors, timesheet approvers, department keyers, and employees, and
3. All employees, supervisors, timesheet approvers, and department keyers are provided a copy of this policy