University Policies, George Mason University

Administrative Policies

University Policy Number 2205

Subject: Staff and Faculty Recording and Submitting Hours
Worked and/or Leave Taken

Responsible Parties: Human Resources and Payroll

Procedures: Not Applicable

Related University Policies: Not Applicable

I. SCOPE

This policy applies to all employees of George Mason University who are responsible for reporting hours worked and/or leave taken, including wage, classified, and 12-month faculty, to include administrative/professional, instructional, and research faculty.

II. POLICY STATEMENT

The University is responsible for paying employees consistent with the terms and conditions of their employment.

Effective management of resources includes accurate accounting of hours worked and leave taken by staff and covered faculty. It is the individual responsibility of each wage, classified, and 12-month faculty member to submit hours worked and/or leave taken according to procedures established for their employment type. Failure to do so according to established schedules may result in non-payment, mis-payment and/or disciplinary action. Non-payment and mis-payments due to a failure by an individual staff or faculty member to submit his/her own hours worked, in a timely manner, will be corrected and processed no sooner than the next regularly scheduled payroll process for that employee.

It is the responsibility of each supervisor, approver, or designated proxy, to approve hours worked and/or leave taken by assigned staff or faculty according to established schedules. Failure to do so according to established schedules may result in disciplinary action.

III. DEFINITIONS

A. Compensatory Time: leave earned on an hour-for-hour basis for hours worked outside an employee’s regular schedule. This leave is earned only by classified employees who 1) are not eligible for overtime compensation, or 2) are eligible for overtime compensation but worked less than 40 hours in a given work week.

B. Exempt Employees: those staff and faculty in positions not covered by the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act under Executive, Administrative, or Professional exemptions.

C. Non-exempt Employees: those staff covered by the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The university is required to compensate these employees at a time-and-one-half rate, either leave or money, for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a given work week.

D. Recording of Time: the process by which an employee documents hours worked and/or leave taken.

E. Submitting of Time: the process by which an employee transmits a fully complete and accurate record of hours worked and/or leave taken for a pay period to a supervisor or approver.

F. Bi-weekly Payroll: the payroll schedule that generally pays employees every other Friday. All wage employees are paid according to this schedule.

G. Semi-monthly Payroll: the payroll schedule that pays all salaried employees twice per month. Pay periods run from the 10th of the month to the 24th of the month and from the 25th of the month to the 9th of the next month. All classified staff and faculty members are paid according to this schedule.

H. Supervisor: the individual responsible for managing, directing, and evaluating the work of another.

I. Approver: the individual assigned the responsibility for approving another employee’s report of hours worked and/or leave taken. Approvers are not necessarily an employee’s supervisor. If an approver approves his/her own time, documentation must be retained to show that the approver’s supervisor has reviewed and approved the hours worked and/or leave taken.

J. Proxy: the individual temporarily assigned responsibility for approving another employee’s hours worked and/or leave taken due to the absence of a supervisor or approver. If a proxy approves his/her own time, documentation must be retained to show that the proxy’s approver has reviewed and approved the hours worked and/or leave taken.

IV. RESPONSIBILITIES

Wage employees are responsible for recording hours worked on a daily basis, and submitting timesheets for approval by their supervisor or approver, by established deadlines.

Non-exempt level classified staff are responsible for recording hours worked on a daily basis, recording leave hours in advance of scheduled leave or no later than the day of their return, and submitting timesheets for approval by their supervisor or approver, by established deadlines.

Exempt level classified staff are responsible for recording leave hours in advance of scheduled leave or no later than the day of their return, for recording compensatory time on the same day these hours were worked, and submitting timesheets for approval by their supervisor or approver by established deadlines.

12-month faculty, to include administrative/professional, instructional, and research, are responsible for recording leave hours in advance of scheduled leave or no later than the day of their return, and submitting timesheets for approval by their supervisor or approver by established deadlines.

The supervisor or approver is responsible and accountable for approving hours worked and leave records by established deadlines. The supervisor or approver is responsible for establishing a proxy to act on his or her behalf during periods of absence.

In the event that an employee is absent or otherwise unable to submit his/her time by established deadlines, the supervisor or approver is responsible for notifying Human Resources & Payroll.

Human Resources & Payroll staff are responsible for training faculty and staff members and supervisors or designated proxies on the proper procedures for the recording and submission of time worked and leave reports.

V. COMPLIANCE

The Payroll Manager or designee is responsible for reporting to management when employees and/or supervisors, approvers, or designated proxies fail to fulfill their responsibilities with regard to the approval and submission of time worked or leave taken. Such staff and faculty may be subject to disciplinary action, consistent with relevant policies and handbooks.

VI. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPROVAL

This policy is effective October 20, 2002. This policy shall be reviewed and revised, if necessary, annually to become effective at the beginning of the University’s fiscal year, unless otherwise noted.

Approved:

_______________________
Maurice W. Scherrens
Senior Vice President

________________________
Peter N. Stearns
Provost

Date approved: September 24, 2002