No. 38459 (Amendment): Rule R477-8. Working Conditions

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 38459
Filed: 04/25/2014 12:26:48 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

The purpose of this amendment is to better reflect the actual time frame worked in different positions. Employees are not required to take a 30-minute unpaid lunch. Managers need to approve excess hours.

Summary of the rule or change:

The changes: requiring employees to obtain management approval to either acquire or use excess hours; incorporate Subsection R477-8-5(c) as part of Subsection R477-8-5(b); makes unpaid lunch discretionary; and changes "work week" to "work period".

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Section 67-19-6.7
• Section 67-19-6
• Section 20A-3-103

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

These changes are administrative and do not directly impact state budgets.

local governments:

This rule only affects the executive branch of state government and will have no impact on local government.

small businesses:

This rule only affects the executive branch of state government and will have no impact on small businesses.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

This rule only affects the executive branch of state government and will have no impact on other persons. This rule has no financial impact on state employees.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There is no direct compliance cost for these amendments, because this rule only affects the executive branch of state government.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

Rules published by the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) have no direct effect on businesses or any entity outside state government. DHRM has authority to write rules only to the extent allowed by the Utah Personnel Management Act, Title 67, Chapter 19. This act limits the provisions of career service and these rules to employees of the executive branch of state government.

Debbie Cragun, Executive Director

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Human Resource Management
Administration
Room 2120 STATE OFFICE BLDG
450 N MAIN ST
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84114-1201

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Katie Clayton at the above address, by phone at 801-538-3080, by FAX at 801-538-3081, or by Internet E-mail at [e-mail]

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

06/16/2014

Interested persons may attend a public hearing regarding this rule:

• 05/22/2014 10:00 AM, Senate Bldg, Sprice Room, 420 N State Street, Salt Lake City, UT

This rule may become effective on:

07/01/2014

Authorized by:

Debbie Cragun, Executive Director

RULE TEXT

R477. Human Resource Management, Administration.

R477-8. Working Conditions.

R477-8-1. Work [Period]Week.

(1) The state's standard work week begins Saturday at 12:00am and ends the following Friday at 11:59pm. FLSA nonexempt employees may not deviate from this work week.

(2) State offices are typically open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Agencies may adopt alternative business hours under Section 67-25-201.

(3) Agency management shall establish work schedules and may approve a flexible starting and ending time for an employee as long as scheduling is consistent with overtime provisions of Section R477-8-4.

(4) An employee is required to be at work on time. An employee who is late, regardless of the reason including inclement weather, shall, with management approval, make up the lost time by using accrued leave, leave without pay or adjusting their work schedule.

(5) An employee's time worked shall be calculated in increments of 15 minutes. This rule incorporates by reference 29 CFR 785.48 (2012) for rounding practices when calculating time worked.

 

R477-8-2. Telecommuting.

(1) Telecommuting is an agency option, not a universal employee benefit. Agencies utilizing a telecommuting program shall:

(a) establish a written policy governing telecommuting;

(b) enter into a written contract with each participating employee to specify conditions, such as use of state or personal equipment, protecting confidential information, and results such as identifiable benefits to the state and how customer needs are being met;

(c) not allow participating employees to violate overtime rules;

(d) not compensate for normal commute time; and

(e) document telecommuting authorization in the Utah Performance Management system.

 

R477-8-3. Lunch, Break and Exercise Release Periods.

(1) Each full time work day [shall]may include a minimum of 30 minutes noncompensated lunch period, [unless otherwise authorized by management]at the discretion of agency management.

(a) Lunch periods may not be used to shorten a work day.

(2) An employee may take a 15 minute compensated break period for every four hours worked.

(a) Break periods may not be accumulated to accommodate a shorter work day or longer lunch period.

(3) Compensated exercise release time may be allowed at agency discretion for up to three days per week for 30 minutes.

(a) Participating agencies shall have a written policy regarding exercise release time.

(b) Work time exercise that is a bona fide job requirement is not subject to this section.

(4) Authorization for exercise time and regular scheduled lunch breaks less than 30 minutes shall be documented in the Utah Performance Management system.

(5) Reasonable daily noncompensated break periods, as requested by the employee, shall be granted for the first year following the birth of a child so that the employee may express breast milk for her child. A private location, other than a restroom, shall be provided.

 

R477-8-4. Overtime Standards.

The state's policy for overtime is adopted and incorporated from the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 CFR Parts 500 to 899(2002) and Section 67-19-6.7.

(1) Management may direct an employee to work overtime. Each agency shall develop internal rules and procedures to ensure overtime usage is efficient and economical. These policies and procedures shall include:

(a) prior supervisory approval for all overtime worked;

(b) recordkeeping guidelines for all overtime worked;

(c) verification that there are sufficient funds in the budget to compensate for overtime worked.

(2) Overtime compensation designations are identified for each job title in HRE as either FLSA nonexempt, or FLSA exempt.

(a) An employee may appeal the FLSA designation to the agency human resource field office. Further appeals may be filed directly with the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Sections 67-19-31, 67-19a-301 and Title 63G, Chapter 4 may not be applied for FLSA appeals purposes.

(3) An FLSA nonexempt employee may not work more than 40 hours a week without management approval. Overtime shall accrue when the employee actually works more than 40 hours a week. Leave and holiday time taken within the work period may not be counted as hours worked when calculating overtime accrual. Hours worked over two or more weeks may not be averaged with the exception of certain types of law enforcement, fire protection, and correctional employees.

(4) Agency management shall arrange for an employee's use of compensatory time as soon as possible without unduly disrupting agency operations or endangering public health, safety or property.

 

R477-8-5. Compensatory Time for FLSA Nonexempt Employees.

(1) An FLSA nonexempt employee shall sign a prior overtime agreement authorizing management to compensate the employee for overtime worked by actual payment or accrual of compensatory time at time and one half.

(a) An FLSA nonexempt employee may receive compensatory time for overtime up to a maximum of 80 hours. Only with prior approval of the Executive Director, DHRM, may compensatory time accrue up to 240 hours for regular employees or up to 480 hours for peace or correctional officers, emergency or seasonal employees. Once an employee reaches the maximum, additional overtime shall be paid on the payday for the period in which it was earned.

(b) Compensatory time balances for an FLSA nonexempt employee shall be paid down to zero at the rate of pay in the old position in the same pay period that the employee is:

(i) transferred from one agency to a different agency; or

(ii) promoted, reclassified, reassigned or transferred to an FLSA exempt position.

[(c) The pay down for unused compensatory time balances shall be based on the employee's hourly rate of pay in the old position.

]

R477-8-6. Compensatory Time for FLSA Exempt Employees.

(1) An FLSA exempt employee may not work more than 80 hours in a pay period without management approval. Compensatory time shall accrue when the employee actually works more than 80 hours in a work period. Leave and holiday time taken within the work period may not count as hours worked when calculating compensatory time. Each agency shall compensate an FLSA exempt employee who works overtime by granting time off. For each hour of overtime worked, an FLSA exempt employee shall accrue an hour of compensatory time.

(a) Agencies shall establish in written policy a uniform overtime year either for the agency as a whole or by unit number and communicate it to employees. Overtime years shall be set at one of the following pay periods: Five, Ten, Fifteen, Twenty, or the last pay period of the calendar year. If an agency fails to establish a uniform overtime year, the Executive Director, DHRM, and the Director of Finance, Department of Administrative Services, will establish the date for the agency at the last pay period of the calendar year. An agency may change the established overtime year only after the current overtime year has lapsed, unless justifiable reasons exist and the Executive Director, DHRM, has granted a written exception.

(b) DHRM shall establish the limit on compensatory time earned by an FLSA exempt employee.

(i) Any compensatory time earned by an FLSA exempt employee over the limit shall be paid out in the pay period it is earned.

(c) Any compensatory time earned by an FLSA exempt employee is not an entitlement, a benefit, nor a vested right.

(d) Any compensatory time earned by an FLSA exempt employee shall lapse upon occurrence of any one of the following events:

(i) at the end of the employee's established overtime year;

(ii) upon assignment to another agency; or

(iii) when an employee terminates, retires, or otherwise does not return to work before the end of the overtime year.

(e) If an FLSA exempt employee's status changes to nonexempt, that employee's compensatory time earned while in exempt status shall lapse if not used by the end of the current overtime year.

(f) Schedule AB employees may not be compensated for compensatory time except with time off.

 

R477-8-7. Nonexempt Public Safety Personnel.

(1) To be considered for overtime compensation under this rule, a law enforcement or correctional officer shall meet the following criteria:

(a) be a uniformed or plain clothes sworn officer;

(b) be empowered by statute or local ordinance to enforce laws designed to maintain public peace and order, to protect life and property from accident or willful injury, and to prevent and detect crimes;

(c) have the power to arrest;

(d) be POST certified or scheduled for POST training; and

(e) perform over 80% law enforcement duties.

(2) Agencies shall select one of the following maximum work hour thresholds to determine when overtime compensation is granted to law enforcement or correctional officers designated FLSA nonexempt and covered under this rule.

(a) 171 hours in a work period of 28 consecutive days; or

(b) 86 hours in a work period of 14 consecutive days.

(3) Agencies shall select one of the following maximum work hour thresholds to determine when overtime compensation is granted to fire protection employees.

(a) 212 hours in a work period of 28 consecutive days; or

(b) 106 hours in a work period of 14 consecutive days.

(4) Agencies may designate a lesser threshold in a 14 day or 28 day consecutive work period as long as it conforms to the following:

(a) the Fair Labor Standards Act, Section 207(k);

(b) 29 CFR 553.230;

(c) the state's payroll period; and

(d) the approval of the Executive Director, DHRM.

 

R477-8-8. Time Reporting.

(1) Employees shall complete and submit a state approved biweekly time record that accurately reflects the hours actually worked, including:

(a) approved and unapproved overtime;

(b) on-call time;

(c) stand-by time;

(d) meal periods of public safety and correctional officers who are on duty more than 24 consecutive hours; and

(e) approved leave time.

(2) An employee who fails to accurately record time may be disciplined.

(3) Time records developed by the agency shall have the same elements of the state approved time record and be approved by the Department of Administrative Services, Division of Finance.

(4) A Supervisor who directs an employee to submit an inaccurate time record or knowingly approves an inaccurate time record may be disciplined.

(5) A Non-exempt employee who believes FLSA rights have been violated may submit a complaint directly to the Executive Director, DHRM or designee.

 

R477-8-9. Hours Worked.

(1) An FLSA nonexempt employee shall be compensated for all hours worked. An employee who works unauthorized overtime may be disciplined.

(a) All time that an FLSA nonexempt employee is required to wait for an assignment while on duty, before reporting to duty, or before performing activities is counted towards hours worked.

(b) Time spent waiting after being relieved from duty is not counted as hours worked if one or more of the following conditions apply:

(i) the employee arrives voluntarily before their scheduled shift and waits before starting duties;

(ii) the employee is completely relieved from duty and allowed to leave the job;

(iii) the employee is relieved until a definite specified time; or

(iv) the relief period is long enough for the employee to use as the employee sees fit.

 

R477-8-10. On-call Time.

(1) An FLSA nonexempt employee required by agency management to be available for on-call work shall be compensated for on-call time at a rate of one hour for every 12 hours the employee is on-call. A FLSA exempt employee required by agency management to be available for on-call work may be compensated at agency discretion, not to exceed a rate of one hour for every 12 hours the employee is on-call.

(a) Time is considered on-call time when the employee has freedom of movement in personal matters as long as the employee is available for a call to duty. An employee may not be in on-call status while using leave or while otherwise unable to respond to a call to duty.

(b) Agencies who enter into on-call agreements with employees shall have an agency policy consistent with this rule and finance policy.

(c) On-call status shall be designated by a supervisor and shall be in writing and documented in the Utah Performance Management system on an annual basis. Carrying a pager or cell phone shall not constitute on-call time without this written agreement.

(d) The employee shall record the hours spent in on-call status, and any actual hours worked, on the official time record, for the specific date the hours were incurred, in order to be paid.

(e) An employee may not record on-call hours and actual hours worked for the same period of time. On-call hours, actual hours worked, and leave hours cannot exceed 24 hours in a day.

(f) An employee shall round on-call hours to the nearest two decimal places. Hours of on-call pay shall be calculated by subtracting the number of hours worked in the on-call period from the number of hours in the on-call period then dividing the result by 12.

 

R477-8-11. Stand-by Time.

(1) An employee restricted to stand-by at a specified location ready for work shall be paid full-time or overtime, as appropriate. An employee shall be paid for stand-by time if required to stand by the post ready for duty, even during lunch periods, equipment breakdowns, or other temporary work shutdowns.

(2) The meal periods of guards, police, and other public safety or correctional officers and firefighters who are on duty more than 24 consecutive hours shall be counted as working time, unless an express agreement excludes the time.

 

R477-8-12. Commuting and Travel Time.

(1) Normal commuting time from home to work and back may not count towards hours worked.

(2) Time an employee spends traveling from one job site to another during the normal work schedule shall count towards hours worked.

(3) Time an employee spends traveling on a special one day assignment shall count towards hours worked except meal time and ordinary home to work travel.

(4) Travel that keeps an employee away from home overnight does not count towards hours worked if it is time spent outside of regular working hours as a passenger on an airplane, train, boat, bus, or automobile.

(5) Travel as a passenger counts toward hours worked if it is time spent during regular working hours. This applies to nonworking days, as well as regular working days. However, regular meal period time is not counted.

 

R477-8-13. Excess Hours.

(1) An employee may use excess hours the same way as annual leave.

(a) [Agency management shall approve the accrual of excess hours before the work is performed]An employee may not work hours which would lead to the accrual of excess hours without prior management approval.

(b) An employee may not use[Agency management may deny the use of] any leave time, other than holiday and jury leave, that results in the accrual of[an employee accruing] excess hours.

(c) An employee may not accumulate more than 80 excess hours.

(d) Agency management shall pay out excess hours:

(i) for all hours accrued above the limit set by DHRM;

(ii) when an employee is assigned from one agency to another; and

(iii) upon separation.

(e) Agency management may pay out excess hours:

(i) automatically in the same pay period accrued;

(ii) at any time during the year as determined appropriate by a state agency or division; or

(iii) upon request of the employee and approval by the agency head.

 

R477-8-14. Dual State Employment.

An employee who has more than one position within state government, regardless of schedule is considered to be in a dual employment situation. The following conditions apply to dual employment status.

(1) An employee may work in up to four different positions in state government.

(2) An employee's benefit status for any secondary position(s), regardless of schedule of any of the positions, shall be the same as the primary position.

(3) An employee's FLSA status (exempt or nonexempt) for any secondary position(s) shall be the same as the primary position.

(4) Leave accrual shall be based on all hours worked in all positions and may not exceed the maximum amount allowed in the primary position.

(5) As a condition of dual employment, an employee in dual employment status is prohibited from accruing excess hours in either the primary or secondary positions. All excess hours earned shall be paid at straight time in the pay period in which the excess hours are earned.

(6) As a condition of dual employment, the Overtime or Comp selection shall be as overtime paid regardless of FLSA status. An employee may not accrue comp hours while in dual employment status.

(7) Overtime shall be calculated at straight time or time and one half depending on the FLSA status of the primary position. Time and a half overtime rates shall be calculated based on the weighted average rate of the multiple positions. Refer to Division of Finance's payroll policies, dual employment section.

(8) The Accepting Terms of Dual Employment form shall be completed, signed by the employee and supervisor, and placed in the employee's personnel file with a copy sent to the Division of Finance.

(9) Secondary positions may not interfere with the efficient performance of the employee's primary position or create a conflict of interest. An employee in dual employment status shall comply with conditions under Subsection R477-9-2(1).

 

R477-8-15. Reasonable Accommodation.

Employees and applicants seeking reasonable accommodation shall be evaluated under the criteria of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C.A. 12101). This shall be done in conjunction with the agency ADA coordinator. The ADA coordinator shall consult with the Division of Risk management prior to denying any accommodation request.

 

R477-8-16. Fitness For Duty Evaluations.

Fitness for duty medical evaluations may be performed under any of the following circumstances:

(1) return to work from injury or illness except as prohibited by federal law;

(2) when management determines that there is a direct threat to the health or safety of self or others;

(3) in conjunction with corrective action, performance or conduct issues, or discipline; or

(4) when a fitness for duty evaluation is a bona fide occupational qualification for selection, retention, or promotion.

 

R477-8-17. Temporary Transitional Assignment.

(1) Agency management may place an employee in a temporary transitional assignment when an employee is unable to perform essential job functions due to temporary health restrictions.

(2) Temporary transitional assignments may also be part of any of the following:

(a) when management determines that there is a direct threat to the health or safety of self or others;

(b) in conjunction with an internal investigation, corrective action, performance or conduct issues, or discipline;

(c) where there is a bona fide occupational qualification for retention in a position;

(d) while an employee is being evaluated to determine if reasonable accommodation is appropriate.

 

R477-8-18. Change in Work Location.

(1) An involuntary change in work location shall not be permitted if this requires the employee to commute or relocate 50 miles or more, one way, beyond the current one way commute, unless:

(a) the change in work location is communicated to the employee at employment; or

(b) the agency either pays to move the employee consistent with Section R25-6-8 and Finance Policy FIACCT 05-03.03, or reimburses commuting expenses up to the cost of a move.

 

R477-8-19. Agency Policies and Exemptions.

(1) Each agency may write its own policies for work schedules, overtime, leave usage, and other working conditions consistent with these rules.

 

R477-8-20. Background Checks.

In order to protect the citizens of the State of Utah and state resources and with the approval of the agency head, agencies may establish background check policies requiring specific employees to submit to a criminal background check through the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Identification.

(1) Agencies who have statewide responsibility for confidential information, sensitive financial information, or handle state funds may require employees to submit to a background check, including employees who work in other state agencies.

(2) The cost of the background check will be the responsibility of the employing agency.

 

R477-8-21. Policy Exceptions.

The Executive Director, DHRM, may authorize exceptions to this rule, consistent with Subsection R477-2-2(1).

 

KEY: breaks, telecommuting, overtime, dual employment

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [July 1, 2013]2014

Notice of Continuation: February 2, 2012

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 67-19-6; 67-19-6.7; 20A-3-103

 

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