Flextime Arrangements

Flextime arrangements are available year-round to all employees, subject to the operational needs of your department. University departments and offices are required to maintain full operations Monday through Friday, either in person or virtually.

Flextime Procedures

Hourly and salaried employees may be eligible for flex hours on a year-round basis. Typically, hours may fall within a weekly 52.5-hour time period (7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.).

Examples of typical employee schedules available year-round:

  • Five-day work schedule: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., one-hour lunch (7.5-hour day).
  • Four-day work schedule: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 40-minute lunch (three 9.4-hour days and one 9.3-hour day). Employees may work an alternative Tuesday through Friday four-day schedule subject to staffing requirements for Mondays.
  • Four 1/2-day work schedule: Modified work schedule consisting of 37.5 hours per week (not including the lunch break), Monday through Friday, with no less than 1/2 day of work on Friday morning or afternoon.

Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to flextime:

  • All offices must remain fully functional on the normal academic year schedule, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The unit administrator is responsible for ensuring office functionality. It is important to note that office functionality does not necessarily imply face-to-face operations.
  • Breaks may not be accumulated.
  • Lunch breaks of at least 30 minutes are required.
  • Hourly employees must arrange 37.5-hour schedules with their supervisor before beginning the flexible schedule.
  • Rules on accrual and compensation of overtime are in effect. Even if a flex schedule is approved, overtime accrues only if an hourly employee is asked to work more than 37.5 hours in the workweek. The supervisor is responsible for approving overtime in advance and ensuring proper documentation of hours worked and applicable overtime. If the employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, please refer to the agreement for additional rules that may apply.
  • During holiday weeks, employee schedules will revert to normal hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., one-hour lunch, 7.5-hour day). For example, for the week of the Independence Day holiday, all full-time employees will receive 7.5 hours pay for the July 4 holiday (observed Monday, July 5, 2021) prorated based on FTE for those employees who are less than full time.

Inquiries concerning flextime procedures should be directed to HumanResources@niu.edu or 815-753-6000.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my flextime be modified by my supervisor?

If unforeseen operational needs require staff availability or if circumstances impact the availability of staff members, your supervisor may modify your flextime schedule or revert your time to a normal schedule (normally with a minimum one-week notice).

How do I document flextime on my timesheet?

Consistent with normal payroll procedures, employees are required to document time worked and supervisors are responsible for approving. Employees using a flexible schedule should indicate their schedule in the comment section of their timesheets.

What are my responsibilities as a supervisor?

You asked to continue to be flexible and innovative when meeting the operational needs of your area while supporting your employees.

You should continue to work to accommodate staff schedule preferences within the guidelines of the procedure outlined below, although we recognize this may not always be feasible for every unit.

When approving flextime requests, you should maintain full-service capacity for your area – either in person or virtually.

I don’t think we do flextime in my area. What should I do?
Discuss the option of flexible scheduling with your supervisor. Supervisors are asked to continue to be flexible and innovative when meeting the operational needs of their area while supporting their employees. Divisional vice presidents are committed to accommodating flextime schedule requests to the maximum extent possible within the context of operational and service requirements for our campus community. Supervisors of units in which flextime is not possible should consult with divisional leadership before announcing these decisions to staff.
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