Administrative Policy #3.17 - Alternative Work Schedules

Purpose

The City of Corvallis is dedicated to excellence in public service. The purpose of this Policy is to provide flexibility in work schedules and telecommuting options to meet the business needs of the City. Each department should determine if the Alternative Work Program would be effective in meeting their business needs. Participation in City's Alternative Work Program is at the sole discretion of the City and is not an employee entitlement. It should be understood that not every job or employee is suited for an alternate work schedule or for telecommuting. This Policy provides opportunities for efficiency, potential expanded hours for customer service, and a possible recruiting tool to attract new talent while retaining existing employees.

Nothing in this Policy supersedes Collective Bargaining Agreements and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations.

Scope

This Administrative Policy applies to all City departments.

Policy

All departments may, upon approval of their Department Director and Human Resources, provide alternative work schedules and/or telecommuting agreements to employees. Each participating department shall determine which alternative work schedules and/or telecommuting options, if any, are available for employees. Such determinations shall be made on a case-by-case basis and based upon business needs, staffing and coverage requirements, hours of operation, etc.

Alternative work schedules and/or telecommuting are not appropriate for all employees or positions. For an alternative work schedule or telecommuting agreement to be approved, the employee must have a satisfactory attendance record, meet all performance expectations in their current role, and consistently demonstrate the ability to complete tasks and assignments in a timely manner with limited direct supervision. The nature of the employee's work and responsibilities must be conducive to the alternative work schedule and/or telecommuting agreement without causing disruption to their job performance, the activities of the employee’s work group, and/or City service delivery. Alternative work schedules and/or telecommuting agreements are generally reserved for an employee who is outside of their new-hire training/probationary period, with exceptions requiring approval from the Human Resources Director.

Alternative work schedules and/or telecommuting agreements shall be memorialized in writing using the appropriate City forms, and any changes, modifications, or cancellation to the schedule shall also be in writing with acknowledgement from the supervisor, director, Human Resources and employee. Alternative work schedules and telecommuting agreements will be reviewed at least annually to assess the impact and effectiveness of the arrangement thereafter to ensure continued success. The alternative work schedule and/or telecommuting agreement may be canceled at any time and for any reason by the City. An employee wishing to change or cancel an alternative work schedule or telecommuting agreement must obtain written approval from their director/manager and Human Resources.

This Policy does not apply when the schedule change request is originated by management for operational or seasonal needs. Schedule changes of less than two weeks do not trigger the paperwork requirements (Alternative Work Schedule/Telecommuting Request, Telecommuting Agreement, etc.) of this Policy for alternative work schedules; however, all other parameters set forth in the policy must be followed even if the change covers less than a two-week period.

Supervisors may require employees to adjust or forego their telecommuting workday, with no advanced notice, when needed onsite for business, operational, or other needs as determined by their supervisor. Expectations should be set in the Alternative Work Schedule/Telecommuting Agreement to ensure clear communication with employees regarding expectations based on the position/duties of the individual role.

Procedure

a. Requesting an Alternative Work Agreement:

1. An employee requesting to enter into an alternative work agreement shall enter into a written agreement providing the details of the alternative work schedule and/or telecommuting schedule. The agreement shall be signed by the employee, the employee's supervisor, the Department Director, and Human Resources. The original agreement must be sent to Human Resources and will be placed in the employee's personnel file.
2. The City may require the employee to return to their position’s standard work schedule or to working onsite at any time (including with no advance notice) as the needs of the business require or for other work-related reasons, including employee performance. Employees may not change the approved agreement without a revised written agreement. Once on an approved alternative work agreement, short-term changes (e.g. less than 3 days) must be approved in advance via email between the employee and the supervisor.
3. If an employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, alternative work schedules may be permitted that are consistent with work schedules negotiated as part of the collective bargaining agreement. Provisions in collective bargaining agreements take precedent over this Policy if there is a conflict between the agreement and this Policy.
4. Leave usage, other than holiday, will be charged based on the approved work schedule.
5. Each alternative work schedule agreement shall provide for the specific treatment of holidays to ensure that employees are not afforded holiday pay in excess of the equivalent standard eight hours per holiday.
6. Management reserves the right to temporarily revert the schedule or work location to a normal workweek or to a special flexible schedule in order to accommodate training, attendance at conferences, other special events, or staff coverage needs.
7. An employee working in the alternative work program who receives an unsatisfactory performance evaluation or is subject to disciplinary action may be returned to their normal work schedule and/or onsite work location if the supervisor determines the employee's performance or supervision is impacted by the alternative work schedule and/or telecommuting agreement.
8. Compensatory time is governed by applicable rules and regulations such as FLSA, Collective Bargaining Agreements, and other City policies.

b. Nothing in this policy is intended to obstruct or interfere with the City’s right to modify, suspend, or dissolve an alternative work agreement. Since City facilities must be open and available to the public during certain days and timeframes, management reserves the right to limit the number of individuals telecommuting or on an alternative work schedule at any given time. When balancing requests with operational needs, individual situations will be considered together with the other factors as noted above, position suitability, employee performance, and remote office/alternative office suitability. In addition, an employee may revoke their alternative work schedule/telecommuting agreement at any time.

c. An employee who fails to adhere to their alternative work agreement may lose their eligibility to participate and may be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment. While revocation of an alternative work schedule and/or telecommuting agreement is not subject to the grievance procedure, any formal discipline would be consistent with union contracts and/or City policy as applicable.

d. An alternative work agreement may be withdrawn at any time if in the view of management that it is no longer in the best interest of the City to continue the arrangement. (The City reserves the right to cancel the agreement at any time with no advance notice, but will endeavor to provide as much notice as possible to the employee when their alternative work agreement is canceled.) All alternative scheduling and telecommuting arrangements must not negatively impact City business or the City’s budget.

e. Failure to comply with the terms of an approved Alternative Work Schedule or Telecommuting Agreement, or this policy will result in immediate termination of the agreement. The City maintains the right to terminate an Alternative Work Schedule or Telecommuting agreement at any time.

Guidelines

Any alternative work agreement must further the City’s commitment to excellence in    public service, comply with FLSA regulations, and meet the business needs of the department. Alternative work arrangements may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Compressed Work Week:  An employee completes a 40-hour workweek in less than five full workdays.

Examples of compressed schedules include:

• Four 10-hour days each week (4/10’s)       
  • 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (T, W, Th, F; four 10-hour days with one-hour meal breaks)
  • 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (M, T, Th, F; four 10-hour days with half-hour meal breaks)
• Four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day each week
  • 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (M, T, W, Th with one-hour meal breaks) and
  • 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (F, no meal break) [four 9-hour days and one 4- hour day]

Flexible Working Hours (Flextime): A 40-hour workweek (for full-time employees) is completed, but an employee is given flexibility in daily start and end times. Days of the workweek may have varying start and end times, but the pattern should recur predictably over each workweek.

Examples of flextime schedules include:

• 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; 9:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
• 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (M, W, F); and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (T, TH)

Job Sharing:  Two employees share the duties of one full-time position (FTE). Work hours of each employee may vary, and benefits will be according to budgeted FTE/regular scheduled work hours.

Reduced Work Schedule:  Temporarily working less than full scheduled hours. Note: Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) contributions, compensation, accruals, and other benefits may be impacted due to reduced hours. (This schedule will not take the place of a leave of absence or the requirement to use paid leave to take time away from work.)

Telecommuting: Work is completed off-site by substituting telecommunications technology for commuting to the employee’s primary work location. An employee must work a minimum of 50% of the workweek onsite at their regular City facility. Telecommuting is not a substitute for leave and is not to be used for last minute schedule changes (i.e. working from home instead of using a sick day); telecommuting is an advanced agreement with agreed-upon parameters. Telecommuting arrangements may differ for non-bargaining FLSA exempt employees. Telecommuting is being added on a trial basis and may be removed at any time.

Additional Telecommuting Parameters

See General Provisions for Telecommuting (Exhibit A).

Responsibility

Definitions

Alternative Work Schedule: Employee-requested changes to an employee’s normal workweek including a compressed workweek, flexible working hours, job sharing, reduced work schedule, or telecommuting.

Collective Bargaining Agreement: A written legal contract between the City and a union representing the employees.

Compressed Work Week: An employee completes a 40-hour workweek in less than five full workdays.

Flexible Working Hours (Flextime): A 40-hour workweek (for full-time employees) is completed but an employee is given flexibility in daily start and end times.

Job Sharing:  Two employees share the duties of one full-time position (FTE).

Reduced Work Schedule:  Employees temporarily work less than full scheduled hours for a period of time.

Remote Work Site:  An off-site work location outside of an employee’s normal worksite. The telecommuting agreement must state a location for the remote work site. The remote work site must be located in the state of Oregon. Any changes to the regular remote work site location must be approved in advance by the Department and Human Resources Director.

Telecommuting: When work is completed off-site by substituting telecommunications technology for commuting to the employee’s primary work location.

Review/Update

The Human Resources Director will update this Administrative Policy as needed and submit to City Manager for review and approval. The addition of telecommuting has been added on a trial basis and may be removed at any time.

Last reviewed: 04-2022

For More Information