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Policy No: 2090
Responsible Office: Human Resources
Last Review Date: 10/18/2022
Next Required Review: 10/18/2027
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Attendance
1. Purpose
Sets forth University guidelines related to work attendance of staff employees.
2. Applicability
This policy applies to all University General Division and USA Health staff employees.
3. Definitions
Staff Employees: Non-faculty, non-administrative employees, full or part-time, of the University General and USA Health Divisions.
Non-Exempt: A status of employment as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Non-exempt in this context is an individual that is not exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA and is entitled to overtime pay of one and a half times their normal rate for all hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Non-exempt employees with the University are paid on an hourly basis.
Exempt: A status of employment as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Exempt in this context is an individual that is exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA and are not entitled to overtime pay. Exempt employees with the University are paid on a salary basis.
4. Policy Guidelines
4.1 Work Schedules
You are expected to work regularly scheduled hours as established by the University and your supervisor.
4.2 Working Hours, Rest Periods and Meal Periods
Your starting and ending time will be determined by your Department Head or supervisor. When working conditions warrant and your supervisor agrees, you may take up to two 15 minute breaks each day, one to be taken before the meal period, the other, after the meal period. Breaks are a privilege and are not required by law.
If you work in certain departments it may not be operationally feasible to take a meal period for work related reasons. Your supervisor will notify you if this is the case. Non-exempt employees will be paid for actual hours worked.
Breaks and meal periods cannot be accumulated and are not to be used to leave early, arrive late or to extend other periods.
Hourly paid employees are not permitted to work before or after their normal schedule unless authorized by their department/ unit. There can be no deviation from this policy except at the direction of your Department Head or Supervisor.
4.3 Overtime
If you are in a non-exempt (hourly) classification, you will be paid overtime at the rate of one and one/half (1 ½) times your regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek. In lieu of overtime pay, you may be provided time off during the same work week. In the event that your supervisor determines that time off during the same work week cannot be arranged, then you will be paid overtime. The accrual of compensatory time is not permitted at the University of South Alabama. All overtime must be approved in advance by your supervisor.
The work week begins on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and ends at 12:00 a.m. midnight on the following Saturday night. Vacation, sick leave, holidays, administrative leave and PTO hours are not considered hours worked when computing overtime.
4.4 Time Sheets, Time Cards and Time Clocks
The time sheet is a record of the time a non-exempt (hourly) employee works each pay period and exceptions for exempt (salaried) employees. Your pay is based upon your time sheet. Non-exempt employees should record time worked and not worked each day. Exempt employees should record only full days that were not worked. Your time sheet will be checked by your supervisor to ensure that it is accurate.
You will be required by your supervisor to submit your time sheet at the end of each pay period unless you are absent from work.
You are personally responsible for your time and attendance records. Falsification of time and attendance records is cause for immediate termination. In areas where electronic time and attendance systems are used, clocking another employee in or out is cause for immediate termination. This also applies to the signing of another employee’s time sheet or assisting in the falsification of any record relating to time actually worked.
4.5 Reasonable Accommodation Request
The University of South Alabama is committed to nondiscrimination and employment of qualified individuals with physical and mental disabilities in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), and state and local laws and ordinances. The University’s attendance policy is subject to requests for reasonable accommodation under the ADA and ADAAA.
It is the employee’s responsibility to request an accommodation. Requests for a workplace accommodation will require the employee to complete the University’s Employee Accommodation Request form and submit it to Human Resources for review. The University may require written documentation of the employee’s limitations from an appropriate health care provider. If obtaining this information is necessary the employee will be provided with a Medical Inquiry form for the health care provider to complete. Once the required documentation is reviewed and approved, the University will engage in the interactive process with the employee in seeking the availability of a reasonable accommodation.
If the request for a workplace accommodation is granted, implementation of the accommodation will be handled by the employee’s department with guidance provided by Human Resources. The employee who has been granted a workplace accommodation must report changes in the ongoing need for the accommodation.
5. Procedures
N/A
6. Enforcement
The University’s Human Resources department is responsible for implementing and enforcing this policy, including the resolution of reasonable accommodation. Persons found to be in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary actions including, but not limited to warning/reprimand, demotion, transfer, suspension, or termination or expulsion.