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Human Resources Office - Abilene Christian University
Employment Policies and Procedures

Section 200: Hours of Work and Payroll Practices
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Policy 210
June 2000
Reviewed July 2004

PAY DAYS, PAY ARRANGEMENTS AND HOURS OF WORK

PURPOSE
To establish the hours of employment in ACU's basic word day and work week and to establish pay periods and paydays to administer the payment of wages, salaries and overtime.

SCOPE
This policy applies to staff employees at the university.

POLICY
  1. Hours of Work.  The normal work week is 40 hours.  For most offices the work week will be Monday through Friday; however, exceptions will be followed depending upon the needs of a particular department.

    The standard work day is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. which includes one hour for lunch.  However, various shifts may be arranged in accordance with the needs of the department.  It is expected that offices will open to the public at 8 or 8:30 a.m. and close to the public at 4 or 5 p.m.
  2. Break Time.  Each employee is allotted two paid 15-minute break periods, based on workload needs as designated by the supervisor.  Break time should be used for relaxation and refreshment and not for off-campus activities.  Break time is considered working time.
  3. Daily Assemblies Chapel.  Department supervisors may arrange for non-exempt employees to attend Chapel one day each week.  Employees electing to exercise the privilege may do so in lieu of their break that day.
  4. Pay Days, Non-Exempt Staff.  Non-exempt staff are paid semi-monthly on the 15th and 29th.

    Pay Periods are:
    16th through the 29th - Paid on the 15th
    30th through the 15th - Paid on the 29th

    Work performed from Sunday through Saturday, a calendar week, is used to determine if overtime is due and will be paid if hours worked during this period excess 40 hours.  Weeks of the semi-monthly pay period will overlap several different Sunday through Saturday periods.  Based on information on the time sheet, Payroll will determine if a calendar week exceeds 40 hours of work and will then compute the overtime pay.

    If pay date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the paycheck will be issued on the previous Friday.  A complete list of paydays for each payroll type can be found on the Human Resources website.
  5. Faculty and Exempt Staff.  Faculty and staff classified as exempt are exempt from overtime provisions and are paid on the first day of the month for work performed from the first day through the last day of the previous month.  If a pay date falls on a weekend, the check will be disbursed on the previous Friday.
  6. Emergency Financial Needs.  When faculty and staff have an emergency financial need, they may choose to apply to the ACU Credit Union to receive a loan to be paid back by payroll deduction.  Loan applications may be obtained from the ACU Credit Union Office, located in the Administration Building during the business hours of Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.  The ACU Credit Union will notify the employee of loan approval status within 24 hours of request.

    If an employee's loan request is denied, he or she may appeal to the vice president of his or her division of the university for an exception.  The vice president will determine the validity of the emergency need.
  7. Automatic Bank Deposit.  ACU's preferred method of compensation payment to employees is by Direct Deposit.  This program allows deposit into one or two accounts, to either or both a check and savings account.  The form for enrollment may be obtained in the Human Resources Office, Administration Building, Room 213.
  8. Payment Request vs. Personnel Action Form (Contract Labor).  A payment request is used as a method to pay a contract laborer who is not otherwise employed by ACU.  If a person is currently on the payroll, or has been paid during the calendar year, a Personnel Action Form (PAF) must be submitted in order to be paid.  It is an IRS guide line that an employee on payroll must be paid for labor in the same manner at all times with no exceptions.

    A completed W-9 form and Payment Request form must be submitted to Accounts Payable BEFORE contract labor pay may be processed.  Payment is made after work is completed.  There is no arrangement for pre-paying labor.

    The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), a federal agency, states that an employer must have completed documentation for each employee no later than the third day of employment.  Each employee must present BCIS-acceptable documents to the Human Resources Department.
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Policy No. 211
October 1, 1995
Reviewed July 2004

OVERTIME: NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES

PURPOSE
To provide guidelines to administer overtime pay to comply with applicable federal wage and hour regulations.

SCOPE
This policy applies to non-exempt employees at ACU.

POLICY
Non-exempt activity is customarily performed according to a routine and has a set of standards or rules that does not require the exercise of discretion and independent judgment.  Employees whose positions do not meet the Fair Labor Standards Act exemption tests for Executive, Administrative Professional, and who are paid one-and-one half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in one week are considered non-exempt.  A week is defined as Sunday through Saturday.  Employees classified as non-exempt generally occupy non-supervisor and operating positions.

ACU's overtime pay policy conforms to overtime provisions of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.  Exemption from these provisions will be claimed for an employee only when it can clearly be established that the employee's duties and responsibilities meet the requirements for such exemption. (See Policy No. 110, Exempt/Non-Exempt Employee Status.)

Overtime pay policy for employees includes the following principal elements:
  1. Non-exempt employees will be paid straight time for all hours worked through forty (40) in one week, Sunday through Saturday.
  2. Non-exempt employees will be paid time-and-one-half for hours worked in excess of forty (40) in one week, Sunday through Saturday.
  3. Only hours actually worked will be used to calculate overtime pay.  Paid time off for holidays, jury duty, vacation, sick leave or any leave of absence will not be considered "hours worked."
  4. Overtime worked by non-exempt employees must be authorized in advance by the department manager.  All time worked must be recorded.
  5. Compensating time off in lieu of overtime payments will not be granted.  The "banking" of overtime as compensation time is a Federal Labors Standards Act violation.  Compensation time cannot be given any time after the employee has already worked forty (40) plus hours in a scheduled work week.  When forty (40) plus hours of work has been completed overtime must be paid.
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Policy No. 212
January 1, 1994
Reviewed July 2004

NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES WORKING IN TWO DEPARTMENTS

PURPOSE
To establish guidelines for non-exempt employees whose full-time equivalency is divided between two departments.

SCOPE
This policy applies to non-exempt employees at ACU.

POLICY
In some cases a non-exempt employee's full-time equivalency may be divided between two departments.  If the employee works more than forty (40) hours in one work week, Sunday through Saturday, the employee will be paid time-and-one-half for hours worked over forty (40).  The department in which the forty-first (41) hours occurs, will be the department charged for the overtime pay.

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Policy No. 213
January 1, 1994
Reviewed July 2004

ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES

PURPOSE
To establish guidelines and pay practices to administer alternative work schedules which meet the university's need for 24-hour coverage with a minimum number of employees.

SCOPE
This policy applies to non-exempt employees in any department whose normal hours of operation do not conform to the normal 8 a.m.-5 p.m. workday.

POLICY
To meet university needs, employees in designated jobs will observe work schedules which differ from the university's normal work schedule of five consecutive days per week, eight hours per day.

Employees in non-exempt positions will be paid time-and-one-half for hours worked beyond forty (40) in one week, Sunday through Saturday, according to federal law.  For additional guidance regarding the university's overtime pay policies, see Policy No. 110, Exempt/Non-Exempt Employee Status, Policy No. 211, Overtime: Non-Exempt Employees.

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