Hours of Work

2.600 Hours of Work

Full-time employees work 37 ½, or 40 hours per week throughout the regularly scheduled work year.

Regular part-time employees are those who work less than 37 ½ hours per week during the scheduled work year.

One hour is allowed for lunch for those working in administrative offices and one-half hour is allowed for service department staff. Lunch schedules within a department must be established to assure the department is adequately staffed at all times. Lunch periods are excluded in computing the hours worked per week by employees in administrative offices or service departments. Employees are strongly encouraged to have lunch away from the work area.

In departments where hours deviate from the regular work day of 8:30 am - 5:00 pm and/or work week of Monday through Friday (shift work, evening hours, weekend work, etc.), the manager will establish work schedules for the staff. If it is necessary to make changes in the work schedule, the manager will give notice two weeks before the employee is expected to work a different schedule. The College, however, reserves the right in an emergency situation to ask employees to work hours other than their regular hours temporarily without giving such notice.

2.604 Release Time

Release time is that time during which a regular employee is released from normal working duties and compensated at regular pay while participating in training, staff development programs, or community gatherings. Release time is intended to provide an opportunity for employees to participate in training and development, for the purpose of improving skills and job performance and increasing promotional opportunities, or for attending campus gatherings and events. All full-time employees are eligible for 30 hours of release time per calendar year for attendance at these programs. Employees with less than a 100 percent appointment participate on a pro-rata basis. Employees who are not scheduled to work during the time an event is occurring may participate in the event; however, no compensatory time off or additional compensation will be allowed.

Additional release time may be provided at the discretion of the supervisor, and is always appropriate for mandatory training. The decision to provide or not provide release time shall be made by the supervisor in accordance with this policy. Supervisors are responsible for monitoring the annual release time for their employees.

2.605 Overtime Work and Pay

In accordance with the Federal Wage and Hour Law, overtime is defined as any hours worked over forty (40) in a given week by nonexempt employees. Although overtime is discouraged, during peak periods it may become necessary to work overtime. When overtime is required, it must be approved in advance by the appropriate manager. For computing overtime, a work week is defined as a seven day period beginning on Monday and ending on Sunday.

Overtime may be due to either emergency or non-emergency circumstances.

Nonexempt employees will receive one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all time worked in excess of 40 hours in a weekly payroll period. This includes break time, but excludes time spent "on call" but not worked, meal periods, leave of absence, etc.

During the week in which there is a holiday or vacation day, the employee should count the actual hours she or he would normally have worked on that holiday or vacation day when determining whether or not overtime has occurred for that week.

Calculating hours worked for overtime purposes, an employee who is required to work on an official holiday due to emergency reasons, will receive credit for the normal hours that she or he would have worked (7.5 or 8) plus the hours actually worked.

For departments that must be operational during College defined official holidays, the department manager can require that the employee(s) take these days at another time during the calendar year. Compensatory ("Comp") time may be granted by the manager as a replacement for overtime provided that it is granted during the same work week in which the overtime would have occurred.

2.606 On-Call, Call-Back

An employee not at work or on-call and called back for emergency service shall receive compensation at the rate of time-and-one-half of their base hourly rate. Guaranteed minimum pay for call back to a work site is three hours at time-and-one-half. An employee on-call but not called back for emergency repair shall receive three hours pay at the regular rate per week of on-call duty.

2.610 Inclement Weather

Definition

A "weather emergency" occurs when Guilford College declares that local weather conditions prevent employees and students from traveling to or traversing the campus in order to work or attend classes. These conditions include heavy snow and ice that make roadways and walkways impassable as well as dangerous wind, rain and other conditions related to tornadoes, hurricanes and other extreme weather events. These conditions do not include occasional snow and ice.

The procedures for conditions resulting in the loss of heat or power on campus are described at the end of this policy.

Decision

In the event of a weather emergency, the vice president and academic dean will consult with the director of facilities and campus services and decide before 6 a.m. whether to delay opening or close the college and whether to delay or cancel daytime classes. A delay/closing/cancellation announcement will ordinarily be made by 6 a.m. However, developing weather conditions may require that the decision and announcement be made later than 6 a.m. If the college is closed, only essential personnel in open departments (detailed below) need report to work.

If inclement weather exists in late morning or early afternoon, the vice president and academic dean will consult with the dean for continuing education and the director of facilities and campus services before deciding whether to cancel evening classes and/or close the college. A closing/cancellation announcement for evening classes will ordinarily be made by 3 p.m.

In the event of extreme situations, the president will convene an emergency team. This is addressed at the end of this document.

Notification

Once a decision to delay opening or close the college and delay or cancel classes has been made:

The vice president and academic dean will notify the director of college relations who will:

post an announcement on 316-CLOS (this is the primary means of employee notification and should be checked for updates when weather conditions are deteriorating)
alert the commercial and campus media
place a message on employee and student voicemail boxes
post an announcement on the front of the college's Web site

Campus Areas and Departments

The following pertains to various campus areas and departments once a decision to close the college and cancel classes has been made:

Academic Affairs
Classes will not meet and faculty need not report. All academic support offices (The Learning Commons, International Center, Multicultural Affairs, Career & Community Learning, Registrar, Correspondence Center) will close. Hege Library may open on a full or limited basis as conditions permit.

Classes can be canceled for the entire institution only by the Vice President and Academic Dean. …Only very rarely will daytime classes be canceled because of bad weather.

Individual instructors can cancel their classes if they reasonably believe they are unable to come to campus safely. In such cases, the Correspondence Center (ext. 2274) shall be notified … and individual faculty should put a message on their voice mail. It will normally be necessary to make arrangements to make up work missed on such occasions later in the term.

If commuting students reasonably believe that safety considerations prevent attendance at classes which are not canceled during bad weather, they should refrain from undue risk and will receive an "excused absence." Whenever possible, students should leave a message on voice mail for the relevant faculty person.

These procedures regarding bad weather days should be announced to the students at the beginning of the semester by the faculty member.

Campus Life
The live-on residential staff will be present on campus in the residence halls. The dean for campus life will communicate with the director of facilities and campus services and director of public safety to ensure safe conditions for students in the residence halls and on campus. The coordinator of student involvement and leadership will coordinate on-campus programming and events with and for students. Dining services will operate on its weekend schedule. (In the case of a delay in opening, dining services will operate on its regular schedule.)

Financial Administration
Public Safety will remain open. The Business and Financial Aid Offices and Human Resources will close. The bookstore will close. The Physical Education Center will close.

Essential Personnel

Essential personnel include those responsible for aspects of the residential program that must continue to operate while students are in residence. Certain administrative functions may also be designated as essential. When the college is closed for weather emergencies, senior staff have designated specific essential personnel who must report for work. Offices include, but are not limited to, maintenance, housekeeping, and Information Technology and Services (IT&S). All other employees shall be granted leave with pay for hours which they would normally work during a weather emergency. All hourly-paid employees properly authorized to work shall receive additional pay for hours worked during the official closing. When the institution remains open during inclement weather, employees unable to report to work may either: (1) use earned vacation time or emergency leave; (2) make up the time on other days within the same week; or (3) take leave without pay.

Guidelines for Staff

Departments, academic or administrative, may not declare themselves closed on days when school is open unless there is an unusual work interference. The decision to close a department or building will be made by the department manager after consultation with the Vice President and Academic Dean.

In cases where an employee is unable to come to work or needs to leave early, the employee may do so by using emergency or vacation leave time. It is important that the employee communicate with the manager regarding these emergency circumstances if she or he will be unable to work the standard work day.

Certain departments must remain open, regardless of the work interference. … It is the manager's responsibility to plan and implement a program to assure that necessary coverage is always in place.

When the college is closed for weather emergencies, all essential personnel in open departments must report for work as scheduled. Other employees scheduled to work need not report for work but will receive their regular pay. If an employee is on vacation or emergency leave during a weather emergency, any time off is still considered vacation or emergency leave.

Employees required to work overtime during a weather emergency will receive overtime pay according to normal practices.

If Guilford does not declare a weather emergency, an employee, after checking with his or her supervisor, may choose not to travel or decide to leave work early because of concerns about the weather. In such cases, he or she may (1) use earned vacation time or emergency leave; (2) make up the time on other days within the same week; or (3) take leave without pay.

The following table summarizes employee responsibilities in case of severe weather:

IF A WEATHER EMERGENCY . . .

	has been declared	has not been declared
Essential personnel in open departments . . .	report for work as scheduled; receive additional pay for hours worked.	report for work as scheduled; use vacation or emergency leave if unable to report.
Other personnel . . .	do not report for work; receive regular pay for normally scheduled hours unless previously scheduled for vacation or emergency leave.	report for work as scheduled; use vacation or emergency leave if unable to report.

Supervisors may require that temporary employees report for work during weather emergencies if their jobs are considered essential. However, these employees are only paid for hours worked. Paid time off for staff not required to work during a weather emergency is counted as time worked in calculating overtime.

On-Campus Events

A department or group that is sponsoring an event on campus is responsible for determining if an event will take place during a weather emergency, in consultation with the director of conference and events and the coordinator of student involvement and leadership. For instance, student-driven events may proceed even if lectures or performances with off-campus participants or attendees are cancelled. The coordinator of student involvement and leadership, in coordination with the live-on residential staff, will make every effort to see that on-campus programming proceeds as planned. Sponsors of evening events will consult with the director of conferences and events and/or coordinator of student involvement and leadership by 3 p.m., and the appropriate person will contact the director of college relations for announcement of cancellations.

Emergency Team/Extreme Situations

In the event of extreme situations resulting in the loss of heat or power on campus, the president will convene and chair an emergency team. The vice president and academic dean will convene and chair in the absence of the president. The core team will include the president, vice president and academic dean, vice president for finance and administration, director of facilities and campus services, vice president for enrollment and campus life, dean for campus life, director of public safety and director of college relations. At the request of the president, the director of IT&S, general manager of dining services, coordinator of student involvement and leadership and safety manager may also be involved. Ordinarily, the team will meet in the commons on second floor of Founders Hall.

From decisions made by the emergency team, the following notification and communication process will be followed:

The director of college relations will prepare one message that will be used in all communications (voicemail, 316-CLOS, WQFS, campus flyers, Web site, etc.).
All members of the community should check voicemail and 316-CLOS for the latest updates.
All offices should change their outgoing voicemail to alert incoming callers that the college is closed and to check 316-CLOS for updates.
Campus Life will post flyers with updates, particularly those concerning residential students, and provide that information to security control, the info desk in Founders Hall and the front desk in each residence hall.
The front page of the Web site will have current information.

2.611 Media Policy and Practices

The news media provide an important communication channel to the citizens of Greensboro , the region, state and nation. Public understanding and support of Guilford College 's programs can be enhanced through the maintenance of good working relationships with the media and the provision of information in a cooperative, coordinated fashion.

Guilford 's media policy and practices are based on a commitment to supplying information to which the media have a just and reasonable claim. Policies and practices take into account Guilford 's status as a private higher education institution and federal laws governing the release of information. With that in mind, there may be limitations to protect the rights of students or employees.

Contact with the Media

It is expected that direct contact between the college and the media will be initiated by or through the Office of College Relations. Having a reliable one-stop shop fosters media confidence in the institution and ensures that the college speaks with "one voice," especially on sensitive issues.
The college maintains a media source guide online, and reporters are encouraged to make direct contact with faculty, staff and administrators listed in the guide on non-sensitive issues. College relations staff is available to assist media with contacting other members of the college community.
Student contact information will not be released by the Office of College Relations without permission of the student. In most cases, college relations staff will ask a student to return the media call. The college switchboard does not release student contact information.
Occasionally, there will be a need for media to contact a member of the administration, faculty or staff at home after regular business hours. The college relations staff will handle these requests with appropriate sensitivity.
In speaking with the media, an individual should answer a reporter's question as fully and openly as possible. If an individual is uncertain as to how much information should be provided, it is appropriate to redirect the inquiry to the next administrative level or to the Office of College Relations.
If a media representative requests a copy of an internal document that has not been publicly released, this request should be directed to the Office of College Relations.
When speaking with media representatives, consider the following tips:
- When possible, prepare your message with three to five key points.
- State important facts first. Be concise and avoid complex explanations. Electronic media are in search of "sound bites."
- Tell the truth. Don't guess at the facts and don't exaggerate. If you cannot answer the question, give a reason and/or offer to obtain additional information.
- Avoid saying "no comment." This gives the impression you have something to hide. Rather, say, "It would be inappropriate to comment or speculate on the matter."
- Never make "off the record" comments. Assume that your entire conversation with the interviewer is on the record.
- When communicating by e-mail, be mindful of the difference in tone versus a conversation.

Crisis Communications

The college has established a separate Crisis Communications Policy that is part of the Emergency Operations Plan.
The director of college relations is a member of the college's Crisis Management Leadership Team and is responsible for working with Public Safety, Facilities and Campus Services and other offices to assess the situation and prepare the college response(s).
The Office of College Relations coordinates release of all information to the media and other internal and external constituents in the event of a crisis or major emergency situation.

2.615 Pay Dates and Time Sheets

Employees are paid on a monthly basis. The pay date is the first business day of the month, unless the first business day is a weekend or holiday, in which case the pay date will be the prior Friday.

Time reports must be prepared by all academic/administrative support staffand be turned in to the Office of Human Resources by the second Monday of each month. Time reports must be approved and signed by the supervisor. The reports must show the actual hours worked and indicate vacation, holiday, emergency leave, and other exceptions.

Exempt employees are expected to maintain monthly time summary logs. The logs are submitted to the Office of Human Resources monthly to account for leave and vacation accrual.

2.620 Employee Attendance

Each employee of the College is expected to work the hours for which she or he has been hired as determined by the department manager and based on the operational needs of the department. Certain definitions related to attendance are as follows:

ABSENCE is the failure of an employee to come to work during the hours which have been scheduled for the work to be accomplished.
TARDINESS is the failure of the employee to report to work or return to work at the time she or he is normally scheduled to begin work or return to work.
EXCUSED ABSENCE OR TARDINESS is an absence or tardiness that occurs when an employee notifies her or his supervisor of an upcoming absence or tardiness and gives an acceptable reason for it. In the event that the employee is unable to notify the supervisor in advance due to emergency reasons, she or he will notify the supervisor as soon as is practicable. The supervisor must approve the absence or tardiness in order for it to be excused.
UNEXCUSED ABSENCE OR TARDINESS is an absence or tardiness that occurs when an employee fails to obtain prior approval from her or his supervisor before the absence or tardiness occurs. An absence or tardiness is also unexcused if the employee chooses to be absent or tardy after the supervisor refuses to grant an excused absence.

It is the employee's responsibility to contact her or his supervisor before the time the employee is scheduled to be at work in order to obtain approval for tardiness or absence from work.

No disciplinary action will be taken concerning excused absences until such time as these absences exceed the accrued emergency leave days for the current year. If excused absences exceed the employee's emergency leave accrual, the supervisor will determine the reason for the excessive absenteeism. Disciplinary action may be taken by the supervisor if the excessive absenteeism is determined to be unwarranted. If an employee is away from the department for five or more days due to personal illness, then the employee will be required to send a note from the physician to the Office of Human Resources indicating the expected duration of the absence as well as a note that releases the individual when ready to return to work.

If an unexcused absence occurs, the supervisor will determine from the employee the reason for the absence. If there are clearly extenuating circumstances due to an emergency, no disciplinary action will be taken and the absence is excused.

Written reprimands for unexcused absences will be given to the employee by the manager. Reprimands will increase in severity based on the number of unexcused absences. Copies of all written reprimands will be placed in the employee's personnel file. Three unexcused absences in a twelve month period will result in termination.

Any employee absent for three consecutive working days without an excuse or without calling the supervisor will be considered as having voluntarily terminated and will not be reconsidered for employment. In the case of serious illness or serious family matters where the employee cannot call the supervisor directly, a family member may call to report the reason for the absence.

Employees will not be paid for unexcused absences.

2.625 Tardiness

If an employee is tardy three times within three months, and the tardiness has not occurred for justifiable reasons as determined by the supervisor, a written reprimand will be issued by the supervisor. Reprimands will increase in severity if the problem is not corrected. Tardiness, like unexcused absences, can lead to dismissal if the problem is not corrected. Copies of all reprimands will be placed in the employee's personnel file.