Purpose

Compensatory Leave is intended to allow eligible employees to take time off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation. Compensatory leave may be used for vacation or personal time as necessary.

Eligibility

All non-exempt regular salaried employees are eligible to earn compensatory leave.

Accumulation

Employees who normally work a 35 hour work week accumulate one (1) hour of compensatory time for every hour worked over seven (7) in a day, and for every hour worked over thirty-five (35), up to forty (40) hours per week. After an employee has worked over eight (8) hours in a single day, or over forty (40) hours in a week he or she will accumulate compensatory time at a rate of one and one half (1.5) times the number of hours worked.

Maximum Accumulation

In accordance with Fair Labor Standard Act guidelines, employees may accrue up to 240 hours of compensatory time.

Department Heads are expected to minimize the accrual of Compensatory Time by planning work so that it may be accomplished during normal working hours.

Utilization of Leave

Any compensatory time which has accumulated must be used in lieu of annual leave, and must be approved in advance under the same terms and conditions as annual leave.

Application/Approval of Leave

Compensatory Leave must be requested and approved in advance except in cases of legitimate emergencies. Department Heads may require documentation from employees to substantiate leave taken without notice because of emergencies.

The amount of advance notice required may vary from department to department depending on the scheduling and other needs of the individual department. Department Heads should set reasonable guidelines and convey them to all staff.

It is the responsibility of the employee to plan scheduled absences so that they do not cause undo disruption of normal office functions. Department Heads have the authority to require employees to be present during periods of peak activity. It is expected that Department Heads and employees will work together to plan for vacations and other absences.

Employees who fail to obtain advance approval to take compensatory leave may have absences charged to Leave Without Pay.