FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
It is important to acknowledge that employees are people with lives independent of work. A balance for family time,
work time and education time is important to employees. Supervisors may want to consider supporting a flexible
work schedule, where appropriate. While flexible work schedules are not applicable to all jobs, employees, or work
environments, they can be a valuable tool to increase staff retention and staff satisfaction. It must be made clear,
however, that fairness to all members of a unit takes precedence in determining work schedules. All possible
impacts on work productivity and support to faculty, students and co-workers must be considered. Staff need to
understand that a flexible work schedule is not an entitlement.
Flexibility in work schedules is becoming more valued by many employees. This can be a significant factor in
someone’s decision to remain with his/her current position. Supervisors must have a clear understanding of the
University of Michigan policies regarding work schedules, potential payroll implications, and the differences
between exempt and non-exempt status before implementing any flexible work schedules within their units. LSA
provides general guidelines for establishing work schedules for non-bargained-for staff.
Setting Unit Business Hours
1. First and foremost the Chair/Director and Key Administrator should determine the business hours for each
LSA unit within the guidelines established by the University and the College.
2. The primary consideration in setting unit business hours should be meeting the needs of faculty, students,
visitors and other staff served by the unit. (For additional detail see SPG 201.67).
3. During the Fall and Winter Terms, the normal hours for administrative and service offices in LSA are from
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
We encourage units to stagger employee lunch hours and/or make use of
temporary assistants to remain open over the 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. lunch hour. Public service areas such as
the museums have special concerns in setting hours that may be different from other LSA units.
4. From mid-May through mid-August, many academic units see a significant decrease in the number of
faculty and students seeking assistance. If the needs of those seeking service from the unit can be met by
a shortened or altered workday during those three months, LSA units can choose a schedule with a closing
time as early as 4:00 p.m.
General Guidelines to Consider
1. Supervisors and key administrators are responsible for staff work schedules. They provide the final
approval for a flexible work schedule.
2. Staff members are to be reminded that the opportunity to negotiate a flexible work schedule is a privilege,
not an entitlement.
3. Flexible schedules do not mean staff come and go as they wish; it means they have a set time schedule for
a period of time that is outside of the standard “Monday-Friday, 8 to 5” work day.
4. Office coverage and work quality must be maintained as required by the unit’s operations.
5. Consider the potential impacts on workflow and other staff, faculty and students.
6. All staff should be available during the unit’s established core hours of operation to cover “peak times” and
to conduct meetings.
7. Schedules should be agreed upon by the affected work group.
8. Staff work schedules should be posted and available to all faculty and staff.
9. Schedules should be re-evaluated as needed when staff join or leave the work group.
10. Fairly consider all staff requests for flexible schedules.
11. The supervisor and staff member mutually agree on the work schedule and time period of the schedule in
writing to avoid any miscommunication. The agreed upon schedule should meet the needs of the unit as
well as the needs of the staff member.
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12. Set a pilot period of time to try the changed schedule, and then evaluate how things are working. Adjust
schedule parameters as needed.
Options for Flexible Work Schedules
Several options may be considered when trying to manage flexible schedules with staff. Remember that many
options may have positive or negative budget implications. Some ideas are:
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Shift in start and end times of the workday
Long days/long weekends
Combination of long and short days.
Seasonal leaves during the summer months without salary (possibility of benefits based on prior year’s
effort percentage).
Combination of use of vacation days and times without pay during the summer months.
Shorter lunch periods for shorter days.
Reduced effort and possible use of temporary staff for certain positions.
Switch a regular workday with a Saturday periodically if that helps with staff needs and productivity.
Members of a work team and the supervisor of that group typically work similar schedules.
Employees may not use paid break time to arrive late, leave early, or as a substitute for the unpaid lunch break.
(SPG 201.31, 201.52)
Non-exempt Employees
A non-exempt employee may occasionally request a non-recurring schedule change to allow time off on one day to
be replaced by working longer on another day. Please remember that overtime payment is required if the hours
exceed 40 in one week for non-exempt employees. The following examples should help explain how to provide
such flexibility for non-exempt staff:
1. When such a request is approved for a non-exempt employee that results in a schedule greater than 8
hours per day within a 40-hour work, the timesheet must reflect the actual hours worked and entered into
the column “Reg Hours Worked”. Example: M 8 hours; T 10 hours; W 8 hours; Th 10 hours; F 4 hours.
2. When such a request is approved for a non-exempt employee that results in more than 40 hours of work in
one week and corresponding time off within the same timekeeping period, the change can be budgetneutral and paycheck neutral by allowing the employee to take an hour-and-a half off for each overtime
hour worked. Example: Week one: 5 days at 9 hours each = 40 hours of straight time and 5 hours at
time-and-a-half; Week two—three days at 8 hours each and one at 8.5 hours. [Please remember that while
this schedule is budget neutral, it only requires 77.5 hours of work for 80 hours of pay and thus such
schedules cannot be approved in LS&A on a recurring basis.] Such situations should rarely arise and
represent exceptions to the University’s expectation that units will not create or compensatory
(“comp”) time plans. LSA units must consult with LSA HR prior to using excused time without pay
for this purpose.
3. When such a request is approved for a non-exempt employee that results in more than 40 hours of work in
one week and corresponding time off in a different timekeeping period, the change can be budget-neutral
by allowing an hour-and-a-half of time without pay for each hour of overtime worked. Such a change will
not be paycheck neutral since the employee will receive overtime compensation in one paycheck and have
time without pay deducted in another paycheck. Such situations should rarely arise and represent
exceptions to the University’s expectation that units will not create or compensatory (“comp”) time
plans. LSA units must consult with LSA HR prior to using excused time without pay for this
purpose.
4. Please remember that timesheets must accurately reflect time worked on an hourly basis for non-exempt
employees and supervisors should not set up informal tracking systems that are different than the time
reported on the timesheets.
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Exempt Employees
Full-time exempt employees report time absences in half-day increments and therefore do not have the same
obligation to report all variations in schedule on their timesheets. They still have the obligation to work the schedule
assigned by their supervisor and to request approval in advance for absences. Exempt employees can negotiate
flexible schedules within the monthly reporting period with their supervisors. The designation of exempt employee
status means that the university is exempt from the obligation to provide overtime payment and/or an equal amount
of time off for time worked in excess of the assigned schedule.
Union Employees
Collective bargaining agreements for union staff stipulate some constraints in setting up and/or changing work
schedules.
Supervisor/Key Administrator Responsibilities
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Assure the required work and services continue to be provided in an effective and efficient manner.
Discuss the proposed schedule with impacted staff before approving.
Support flexible schedules to meet the various needs of all staff whenever possible.
Assure that flexible schedules are managed fairly and not abused.
Assure that the time worked is necessary and accurately reported.
Consider each request on its own merit.
Arrange staff schedules creatively to provide a positive benefit to employees whenever possible.
Seek counsel from colleagues with experience in managing flexible schedules.
Ask for assistance from LSA Human Resources.
Be a coach to employees.
Realize that saying “no” is okay.
Employee Responsibilities
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Consider different options and consider what option provides the flexibility you need.
Consider the potential positive or negative impact on your work and the work of your colleagues.
Seek counsel from other staff who may have flexible schedules.
Discuss with and present a written proposal to your supervisor.
Perform job duties required consistent with agreed upon work plan and set goals.
Ensure that your attendance at work is accurately recorded and is within the approved flextime schedule.
Cooperate with the workload requirements and accept responsibility for your own work performance.
Realize that any abuses of the flextime privilege may result in such privileges being withdrawn.
Communicate the new arrangement to those with whom you work (inside and outside your unit).
Evaluate the arrangement periodically with your supervisor.
Accept a change in schedule flexibility as workload or staffing changes occur in your department.
Understand that your supervisor may not be able to approve your request.
Be prepared to demonstrate a satisfactory level of work productivity to your supervisor.
Provide a documentation resource for your work when you are not in the workplace.
Work at Home
LSA does not, at this point in time, support telecommuting (ie. more that one to two days of working at
home) assignments. If a Key Administrator deems an individual or project as fitting the need for
telecommuting on an exception basis, a written contract must be negotiated and the unit must receive
approval from LSA HR prior to approving the release.
On a case-by-case and occasional basis, supervisors may allow employees to do some of their work at
home, but regular work schedules are expected to be on site.
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Decisions to allow occasional work at home need to be based on the decision whether the work can be
done as effectively off-site as on-site.
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Employees need to assure the supervisor that the time set aside for work at home is free from other
demands.
Work at home arrangements may not be used as a substitute for sick time when an employee is too ill
to be at work.
Such an arrangement requires a higher level of accountability for work productivity and measurable
outcomes.
Care should be taken that such work assignments do not require taking confidential or other
irreplaceable documents to an off-site location.
Work-at-home assignments that would result in a loss of supervisory oversight should not be granted to
any employee where there are performance and/or attendance concerns.
The College is unable to provide second computers for such work-at-home projects; if units have laptop
computers available for off-site use, standard sign-out procedures should be used.
Additional Information
We have identified some additional references which are available online for your use:
 Sample Flextime Proposal form
 Sample Flextime Understanding/Agreement form with sample operations guidelines
 UM Work/Life Resource Center - Flexible Work Arrangement website: http://www.hr.umich.edu/worklife/
 Standard Practice Guide – various guidelines relating to payroll implications, business hours and employee
schedules. See http://www.umich.edu/~spgonlin/
o SPG 201.26
Holidays
o SPG 201.30-3
Seasonal Leave of Absence Appointment
o SPG 201.31
Lunch Periods
o SPG 201.38
Overtime (Regular Office Staff)
o SPG 201.38-1
Overtime (Prof/Admin and Primary Staff)
o SPG 201.52
Rest Periods
o SPG 201.67
Work Schedule
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Flextime Guidelines
The Flextime Program, allowing alternative work schedules is designed to increase services with extended hours,
to create additional job opportunities, to improve employee morale and motivation, and to enhance staff
productivity.
 Core work hours are 10:00 – 3:30; all employees must work the core hours.
 The standard work week is 40 hours.
 Lunch break must be at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 60 minutes. Lunch break must be taken
during the 11:00 am to 1:00 pm period.
 The same work schedule need not be followed for each day. An employee can begin work between 7:00
am and 10:00 am and end work between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
 Flexible schedules are available only if agreed to and developed with appropriate department, collegiate (if
applicable) and division approvals.
 Flextime is a voluntary arrangement.
 Flextime shall not decrease productivity. All work units must be properly “covered” during the regular office
hours.
 Flextime shall cause no increase in budget or staff. There shall be no additional funding to implement
and/or maintain the program.
 When more employees want more flextime schedules than there are flextime positions available and an
amiable solution cannot be reached:
o the supervisor may make the decision based on business-related factors.
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Sample Flextime Proposal
Date: ________________________________
Employee’s Name: ______________________________________________________________
Supervisor’s Name: _____________________________________________________________
I, _________________________________________, am requesting a flextime schedule
for my position as __________________________________, beginning on ____________________.
(Job Title)
(Date)
Potential impact of my flextime schedule on my work responsibilities and/or my department may include the
following (e.g. impact on operations/work flow, potential advantages, potential disadvantages):
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
The schedule I would desire for flextime is: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
My expectations for supervision while on flextime are: ____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Suzanne Dribble
Professional Skills, Inc.
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Sample Flextime Understanding
Flextime is a mutual work agreement between employer and employee that allows for some components of the
employee’s work to be performed at flexible hours/days other than the standard work hours and /or workweek.
Flextime is supported by our organization provided the missions of the department granting flextime are
uncompromised.
The following constitutes the terms and conditions of Flextime which the employee must follow.
Work Hours
Total hours to be worked per week:
Core hours are routinely expected to include the following:
Mon: _______________________________
Tues: _______________________________
Wed: _______________________________
Thurs: _______________________________
Fri: _________________________________
Sat: _________________________________
Sun: ________________________________
Schedule Evaluation
The employee and supervisor will meet/communicate as necessary and appropriate to review work progress and
effectiveness of the flextime schedule.
Termination of Arrangement
The agreement may be changed or terminated upon mutual agreement. The supervisor has the right to request the
employee to retain to the standard schedule with reasonable notice.
I have read the flextime policies and guidelines related to flextime and agree to uphold the terms.
_____________________________
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Employee’s Name
Date
_____________________________
_______________________
Supervisor’s Name
Date
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