You are a valued member of the Health Sciences Libraries. Customers and co-workers count on you to be at work as scheduled. Fully staffed work shifts are essential to achieve and maintain smooth and efficient operations. Because of this, regular and punctual attendance is an ongoing expectation of HSL for all employees. If there is a need for you to be absent from work, you will be expected to follow the Attendance Policies covered in this section. Failure to maintain an acceptable attendance record may result in unsatisfactory performance evaluation and/or disciplinary or corrective action.

Leave Reporting

Requesting Time Off in Advance
As soon as you are aware that you need to request time off, you must complete and submit a UW Request for Leave of Absence form to your supervisor. It should be approved, by your supervisor, a minimum of 24 hours prior to taking any non-emergency leave (including medical or dental appointments) and/or annual leave. Failure to provide the required notification of absence constitutes an “unauthorized” absence, which reflects as “unauthorized LWOP” and is considered a serious misconduct warranting disciplinary action. Leave request for personal holiday must also be approved at least 24 hours in advance, except in extenuating circumstances. The master leave schedule, the online work/leave system (OWLS) and the UW Request for Leave of Absence - Form UoW 1079 must coincide with all approved leave requests. (Forms are on the back of the staff timesheets and at http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/forms/leave/leavereq/leavereq_basic.pdf)

In the event of an emergency requiring early departure, NOTIFY your supervisor of your situation and expected date and time of return, if known. If your supervisor is not available, please report to your department head, department deputy director or department director.

UW Request for Leave of Absence Form
The Request for Leave of Absence form is used to update the Employees’ OWLS. For planned absences, the form is to be filled in and submitted to the employee’s supervisor such as vacation, doctor appointments, and personal holiday. Once the supervisor approves, by initialing and dating each request, and returns the form, the employee will enter the information on the master leave schedule and turn in the form, to the leave record coordinator, at the end of the month, in Administration Services.

Reminder: If you forget to update the master leave schedule, you are making it difficult for others to determine optimal times to avoid conflicts and the ability of your supervisor to determine if there is sufficient coverage for your department. Also, in the event of an emergency evacuation valuable time may be lost searching for you.

Employee’s Online Work/Leave System (OWLS) & Time Record Form
The Time Record Form is used to track hours worked and absences. The Employee’s OWLS is a permanent record kept for each employee that is updated from the information provided on the monthly Time Record form. Each employee must have a designated scheduled work week, which is noted on OWLS. These forms are used to account for your attendance. It gives the amount of sick leave and annual time accrued. These are made available to staff members monthly via email notice or by going to My UW to review. When you review the form, check the figures for completeness and accuracy. If any leave taken is not accurately accounted for on the OWLS, notify the time keeper in Administrative Services.

Professional leave (PL)/Travel requests (regardless of the source of funding) must be on the PL form and approved in advance, by your supervisor. This form is available on Libraries Staffweb at https://staffweb.lib.washington.edu/units/FinancialServices/travfile/travApp.dot. The Travel Request Form needs to be completed as well. See Administrative Services for assistance. Unlike annual or sick leave, professional leave must be approved up the chain and not just by your supervisor.

Unplanned Absence(s) or Late Arrival Reporting
If you cannot come to work, personally report absences due to sick leave to 543-5531 by 8 a.m. so that your workload can be rescheduled. THIS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTED MEANS OF COMMUNICATING AN EMERGENCY ABSENCE. If you reach voicemail, you should leave a message, which includes a telephone number where you can be reached. This information will be passed on to your supervisor. Having someone else call for you is not acceptable, except in extreme situations. Employees must report illness, disabilities or any other unplanned circumstances at the beginning of any sick leave period and daily thereafter, unless pre-arranged. For unplanned absences, the employee must complete the Request for Leave of Absence form found on the back of your monthly timesheet and submit it to his/her supervisor, within 24 hours after return to work. The supervisor will initial their approval for use of appropriate leave.

Employees are responsible for ensuring they have sufficient leave to accommodate the request. As per stated at the following websites, leave hours (annual leave and sick leave) accrue at the end of the month and are available to be used by eligible employees during the month following the accrual.

Contract Classified
http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/ee/leaveholiday/cc/index.html

Classified Non-Union
http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/ee/leaveholiday/cnu/index.html

Professional
http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/ee/leaveholiday/prostaff/index.html

Librarian
http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/ee/leaveholiday/librarian/index.html

Extended Absence Reporting
If you have an extended illness or hospitalization, you request extended leave with your immediate supervisor. Those eligible for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may take up to twelve weeks leave from the job for a serious health condition, or that of your child, spouse or parent. Refer to the FMLA at: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/polproc/leave/fmla.html. However, you should discuss this with your supervisor as soon as you are aware of your need to be away, so that the necessary paperwork can be completed. The paperwork may include documentation from your health care provider.

If you are absent from your job for three (3) consecutive days or on a scheduled continual basis, you may need to submit documentation from your health care provider. HSL Administration will work with an HR Representative to ensure all procedures are followed.

Presumption of Resignation
If you are absent without authorized leave from the job for a period of three (3) working days, we may consider you to have resigned.

Personal Holiday
A monthly-paid employee is granted 1 personal holiday per calendar year after completing the initial 4 months of employment. Thereafter, the personal holiday may be taken at any time in each calendar year. Like all other holidays, the personal holiday is used as 1 calendar day off; it may not be split into several partial days off.

The personal holiday must be used by the end of the calendar year. If not used, it is forfeited.

All or part of the personal holiday may be donated as shared leave.

Professional staff employees who hold appointments for service periods of less than 12 consecutive months are not eligible for the personal holiday. The personal holiday is paid at a rate equivalent to the FTE in effect at the time the holiday is taken.

Temporary Assignment To a Higher Position
The employing official or designee may temporarily assign a regular full time employee the duties and responsibilities of a higher-level class for up to one year. Such appointments shall be made in increments of no more than six months.

The employee will be given a temporary salary increase (TSI) that represents at least a two-step salary increase over the current salary. The increase will be effective the first day of the assignment when approved as higher-level duties and responsibilities by Personnel.

When an employee is in TSI status, but is absent from work or not performing the temporary assigned higher-level duties for two (2) weeks or more, the employee will be removed from the higher-level pay until those duties are resumed. It is the responsibility of the employee’s supervisor to provide information regarding planned absences of two (2) weeks or more, to the leave record coordinator, well in advance. Unplanned absences of this duration should be reported immediately upon the employee’s return to work.

Temporary Modified Work Schedule
At the discretion of the supervisor, on occasion, you may be granted a temporary modified work schedule. This schedule may allow employees, on a temporary basis, to rearrange their work schedule for time needed away from work. Consideration will be given to current business needs and various regulations regarding overtime. If authorized by your supervisor, employees may be allowed to utilize this temporary work schedule. In situations where there may be a pattern of tardiness or other attendance issues, an employee’s request to modify his/her schedule may be denied.

A Temporary Modified Work Schedule is pre-arranged by submitting a Temporary Modified Work Schedule Request memo to your supervisor. This will be returned to you with an approval/denial of your request. This form can be found at: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/forms/leave/leavereq/med_serioushlth.pdf.

Employees who work the Alternate Work Schedule (9/80 Compressed Work Week) would coordinate their schedule to ensure proper end/start dates would be used to avoid the use of overtime.

Overtime
Rare use of overtime should occur. Approval from your supervisor is required prior to working any overtime hours. Librarians and Professional staff, level 2 & 3 do not qualify for compensatory time. Upon agreement of the employee and the supervisor, an employee, in a position covered by overtime requirements, may be granted compensatory time equivalent to one and one-half times the overtime hours worked or be paid for the excess hours above the regular scheduled 40 hour work week. Use of compensatory time must be documented on the UW Request for Leave of Absence Form. Time must be either used or paid by June 30. Refer to appropriate union contract.

Maximum Annual Leave Balances
Classified and Professional staff = 240 hours

You may carry a maximum annual leave balance from anniversary date to anniversary date. It is your responsibility, to plan in advance, in discussion with your supervisor, to insure you don’t lose use of hours. Refer to the appropriate website for specifics.

Librarians may carry a maximum annual leave balance of 288 hours from month to month. Annual leave will not accrue beyond 288 hours. Refer to the appropriate website for specifics.

Shared Leave
All regular state employees who accrue leave and who meet eligibility requirements may donate and receive shared leave. Requests to receive shared leave require Human Resources’ approval. Refer to http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/polproc/leave/shared-leave.html.

Annual Attendance Incentive Program
The Annual Attendance Incentive Program is available to Classified and Professional Staff, and Librarians. In January of each year, the program allows employees who have at least 480 hours of sick leave, to receive monetary compensation, for unused sick leave accrued during the previous calendar year that exceeds the 480-hour base. Payment is made at the rate of 25% of the employee’s salary and may be expected by the second paycheck in February. All hours compensated are deducted from the sick leave balance. In no event may the remaining balance be less than 480 hours. REQUEST FOR PAYMENT OF YEAR-END UNUSED SICK LEAVE, form UoW 1502, is used for this purpose. Refer to http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/polproc/leave/attend-incent.html.

Definitions

Unauthorized Absences
Absences from work not approved by manager or supervisor, including but not limited to:

• Tardiness;
• Leaving early prior to the end of your assigned work shift;
• Taking extra breaks;
• Absences from assigned work shift where medical documentation has not been provided when requested by the supervisor;
• Absences not covered by vacation, sick leave and/or Family and Medical Leave or leave not pre-authorized by your supervisor.

Meal Periods
The normal workday for full-time employees typically shall be eight (8) hours to be completed within a nine (9) hour period. Meal Periods are "unpaid" and on the employee's own time. It is the Employer's intention to provide uninterrupted breaks. The meal period shall commence not earlier than the second hour of the shift nor later than the fifth hour without a break.

Rest Breaks
Employees shall receive a fifteen (15) minute break during each four (4) hours worked. It is the Employer's intention to provide uninterrupted rest breaks. NOTE: This does not mean you can add breaks together. They cannot be accumulated and used to leave work early either.

Disciplinary or Corrective Action

WPRB Classified
Under WAC 251-11-030 employees may be demoted; suspended, reduced in salary or dismissed for just cause, including excessive absenteeism and/or failure to follow procedures.

CSA Contract Classified
Under the CSA #54 and #55 collective bargaining unit contracts, contract employees may receive informal counseling, formal counseling, final counseling and be dismissed for disciplinary problems.

All Employees
Examples of activities which, may result in such disciplinary/corrective actions include, but are not limited to:

• Failure to follow policy for reporting absences
• Tardiness
• Taking longer and/or extra breaks than those scheduled
• Taking longer lunches than scheduled
• Unauthorized absence from assigned work area
• Unauthorized absenteeism that results in leave without pay (includes, but is not limited to the above cited incidents, absences not related to illness, or as a result of using all accrued sick leave.)
• A pattern of absences falling on days before and after holidays, weekends, and/or annual leave days.
• Abuse of sick leave

• Calling in and talking directly to your supervisor rather than leaving voicemail messages.
• Presenting medical documentation for each absence due to illness.

Tardiness
It is an ongoing expectation of the Health Sciences Libraries that employees report to work in a punctual manner. As an employee, you are considered tardy when you are not available and ready to work at the start of your work shift or when you return late from breaks and/or lunch.

Presented at Staff Meeting June 12, 2001 (Effective July 1, 2001)
Revised 06/03 & 01/09
P:\HSL Read Only\Policies and Procedures\Attendance Policy 7-1-01 REVISED 6-03 REVISED 1-09.doc