Classification and Compensation

Employee Categories

Extra Compensation

Policy

Extra Compensation may be paid to employees for tasks performed after normal business hours for duties not included in the employee's normal job responsibilities, provided the following three criteria are met (BOR policy 5.3.2):

1. The tasks must be outside of the employee's regular department.
2. The Request for Extra Compensation must be signed by the appropriate department heads.
3. The employee must meet at least one of the criteria listed below (Criteria from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated Section 45-10-25):

Chaplain • Fireman • Dentist • Certified Oral or Manual Interpreter for Deaf Persons • Registered Nurse • Licensed Practical Nurse • Psychologist • Teacher or Instructor of an evening or night course or program • Professional holding a doctoral or master’s degree from an accredited college or university • Part-time employee • other (must be explained) 

Also, an employee meeting all three criteria listed above may be paid extra compensation for a task for another department during normal job hours if the task is not part of the employee's normal job responsibilities, and the employee takes annual leave for the portion of time that is being used for the task receiving extra compensation.

Employees who have been determined by the institution to be non-exempt, as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and are performing extra duties could qualify for overtime pay. Non-exempt employees should be paid at least the overtime rate or more if working over 40 hours.

Click here to log into the Extra Compensation Approval and Payment Request System (ECARS).

Employee Categories

Policy Statement

The University System of Georgia (USG) has established employee categories (types of employees and types of employment) to identify persons who are employed by the USG. The types of employees and types of employment are used to determine benefits eligibility and applicability of Board of Regents (BOR) policy, as well as ensure accuracy in reporting based on employee and employment type. This policy ensures consistency necessary for hiring, extending benefits, applying policy, and meeting applicable reporting requirements.

Definitions

Benefits Eligible: There are three definitions pertaining to benefits eligible as described below:

• Full Benefits Eligible: This is defined as 30 or more hours per week or .75 FTE and greater, which applies to regular faculty and regular staff employees. Full benefits include all benefits in accordance with University System of Georgia of Board of Regents policy 8.2.9 Insurance.
• Partial Benefits Eligible: This is defined as 20 to 29 hours per week or .5 FTE to .74 FTE. Partial benefits eligible may apply to regular faculty and regular staff employees. Partial benefits include retirement and pro-rated leave accruals.
• Non-Benefits Eligible: This is defined as nineteen or less hours per week (.49 FTE or less), which applies to regular faculty and staff employees. Non-benefits eligible also includes temporary faculty, staff, and student employees who may not work more than 1,300 hours in a 12-month period as defined later in this policy. Students may not be placed into a regular status.

Employee Categories

• Student Employees: Student Employees are considered temporary and include graduate assistants and student workers.
• Faculty: The faculty shall consist of the corps of instruction and the administrative officers as defined in Section 3 of the Policy Manual of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
• Staff: Staff employees shall consist of two major employee groups 1) staff professional and administrative employees and 2) staff non-exempt and defined as follows:

• Staff Professional and Administrative Employees are exempt from the Federal Wage-Hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) because of their professional or administrative responsibilities. (This group does not include faculty or graduate assistants); and

Staff Non-Exempt Employees are not exempt from the federal wage-hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). (NOTE: The University System of Georgia position classification system includes the appropriate FLSA status in the “Master List with Definitions and Guidelines”.)

• Classified Employees shall consist of the Staff Professional and Administrative, and Staff Non-exempt employees as defined above.

Employment Status

• Regular Employment Status: Regular employment is considered continuous and may also be defined by agreement, contract, term, or restricted funding source(s). Regular employment may be benefits eligible, partial benefits eligible, non-benefits eligible, full-time, or part-time, exempt or nonexempt. Regular exempt employment must meet the “salary basis” requirement under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• Salary Basis: Being paid on a “salary basis” means an employee regularly receives a predetermined amount of compensation each pay period on a weekly or less frequent basis and the predetermined amount cannot be reduced because of variations in the quality or quantity of the employee’s work subject to exceptions under FLSA.
• Temporary Employment Status: Temporary employment is short in duration to address business needs and must meet the requirements and characteristics described below:
  • A temporary is non-benefits eligible.
  • A temporary does not have an expectation of long-term employment.
  • A temporary may be full-time or part-time.
• A temporary employee may not exceed a total of 1,300 hours worked in a 12-consecutive month period. The 1,300 hours can be accumulated in any combination during the 12 month period. Once a temporary employee has worked 1,300 hours or has been employed for 12 consecutive months, whichever comes first, the temporary employee must have a break in service of 26 consecutive weeks. Employment applies across all USG institutions.
• If a temporary employee is needed beyond the 1,300 hours, they must be moved to a regular employee status.
• A temporary who is dually or jointly employed in more than one position must have all hours worked counted towards the 1,300 hour worked limit from the date of hire into the first position this includes Temporary Staff Arrangements.
  • A temporary may be separated at any time for any reason without notice and either the employer or the employee can end the employment relationship. Such separation is not grievable or subject to appeal.
  • A temporary is typically considered non-exempt under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime provisions and paid for all hours worked on an hour for-hour basis, and they must receive overtime pay for hours worked over forty in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rate of pay. In some instances, temporary employees, such as graduate assistants, post docs or credentialed professionals, may be exempt.

Note: If a temporary employee exceeds an average 30 or more hours per week during the ACA measurement period and meets the definition of healthcare eligibility under ACA, if they continue employment in a regular position, they will become eligible to enroll in healthcare benefits during the ACA administrative period.

Employee Categories—Types of Employment

• Faculty: Consists of the corps of instruction and the administrative officers as defined in Section 3 of the Policy Manual of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
  • The types of faculty are described below:
    • Regular Faculty are employed on a continuous basis and whose duration of employment may also be defined by agreement, contract, term, and/or restricted funding source(s). Regular Faculty may be full-time or part-time. Those faculty with a work commitment of half-time or greater are partial or full benefits eligible and those who work less than 20 hours per week are non-benefits eligible. Regular Faculty who are not hired through a competitive search will typically be given a “term” appointment for one academic or fiscal year and may be reappointed for one (1) additional year, not to exceed a total duration of 2 years. Regular Faculty who have a full-time (1.0 FTE) appointment may be tenured, on tenure track or hold a non-tenured position in accordance with Sections 8.3.7 and 8.3.8 of the Policy Manual of Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
    • Temporary Faculty are employed on a short-term basis through written appointment. They are not employed on an academic year contract. If they are employed for more than one consecutive academic semester for 30 hours or more, except when the Academic semester is combined with summer semester immediately preceding or following the Academic Semester, they shall be employed as Regular Faculty. Temporary Faculty are non-benefits eligible.
• Requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA): Under the ACA, a reasonable method of crediting hours for Part-time Regular and Temporary Faculty may be used to determine healthcare eligibility. The University System of Georgia has determined that a reasonable method for converting credit hours or contact hours to standard hours work is as follows: 1.25 Prep/Grading hours + .5 Office/Meeting hours per each Classroom/Contact hour per week. Graduate Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants will track hours worked.

  See page 5 of the USG Employee Categories policy for the conversion chart used for crediting hours on a weekly basis for Part-time Regular and Temporary Faculty for purposes of the ACA to determine healthcare eligibility.

• Staff Employees:
  • The types of staff employees are described below:
    • Regular Staff are employed on a continuous basis and whose duration of employment may also be defined by term and/or restricted funding source(s). Regular Staff employees may be full-time or part-time. Those with a work commitment of half-time or greater or .5 FTE are partial or full benefits eligible and those who work less than 20 hours per week are non-benefits eligible.
    • Temporary Staff Employees are employed for a short duration and are non-benefits eligible
  • Requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA): Under the ACA, all regular staff employees who work less than 30 hours per week (less than .75 FTE) and all temporary staff employees shall record and report all hours worked to determine health benefits eligibility.
• Student Employees: Student Employees are considered temporary and include graduate assistants and student workers. Student Employees may not exceed a total of 1,300 hours worked in a 12-consecutive month period. The 1,300 hours can be accumulated in any combination during the 12-month period. Student employees are not subject to the re-employment restriction requiring a break-in-service after 12-consecutive months of employment.

International students in lawful F-1 and J-1 status are eligible to work for an institution but must not work more than 20 hours per week in accordance with Federal Regulations they can work more than 20 hours a week during school holidays and breaks. Additionally, students in F1 and J1 status may work in positions not classified as student employment as approved by their Primary Designated School Official (P) DSO or Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO).

 

Related Links

BOR Policy Manual on Personnel Categories

BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Employee Categories

 

Determination of Status: Employee vs. Independent Contractor

The characterization of individuals as independent contractors or employees has important tax and non-tax consequences to both Georgia College and the individual. It is generally more advantageous to federal and state governments to have an individual classified as an employee. When faced with a characterization issue during the course of an employment tax audit, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will almost always treat individuals as employees, absent a reasonable basis for classification as an independent contractor on the part of the employer. Misclassification of an individual can be very expensive to the Institution (or to persons in positions of responsibility), so it is essential that proper characterization of an individual be determined before any payments are made to an individual for services performed.

When a person performing services for GC meets the criteria established by the IRS for status as an independent contractor, he/she shall not be subject to income tax withholding through payroll. When a person performing services for GC does not meet the criteria to be considered an independent contractor, he/she shall be treated as an employee, hired through the normal hiring process subject to all applicable policies and requirements, and subject to income tax withholding through payroll. Retirees of the University System of Georgia are not eligible for re-employment as independent contractors but are subject to the University System policy on Employment Beyond Retirement. (This eligibility clause is not applicable to S-Corporations.)

Related Links:

• GC Independent Contractor Form
• BOR Business Procedures Manual- Determination of Status - Employee vs. Independent Contractor

Wage and Salary Administration Policy

As authorized by the University System of Georgia, Georgia College administers a wage and salary administration program to ensure fair and equitable pay among its employees. The program provides guidance on an employee's salary at the time of hire, performance based increases, and other salary adjustments when necessary and warranted. The program also recognizes that all salaries are subject to budgetary authorization and funding limitations. The compensation policies and procedures are designed to assist in creating an environment which will:

• Attract, develop, retain, and reward high quality employees at all levels of responsibility
• Provide the foundation for internal equity through consistent application of job evaluation, position evaluation and pay programs,
• Ensure pay is competitive with the prevailing rates for similar employment in the labor markets,
• Comply with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

Related Link:

Position Classification

The University System of Georgia (USG) has established a position classification system to provide the basis for administering a personnel program in the University System. The classification system is based on job categories designed to group positions which have similar duties, have approximately the same levels of complexity and responsibility, require similar training and experience at the time of recruitment, may be compensated at the same general levels of pay, and ensure the University System member institutions meet federal reporting requirements. Georgia College is authorized to establish positions within the USG System, to create campus specific job classifications where appropriate based on institutional size, scope and complexity, and to establish salary structures to which the specific job classifications can be linked to guide compensation at the campus level.

Related Links:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Position Classification
• BOR Job Classification
• USG Job Categories (“B-CATS”)

Entrance Salary

In accordance with BOR policy, the salary of a new employee should be at the minimum of the paygrade range in which the psition is classified or position to which the person is appointed. The CHRO has the discretion to approve a higher salary level with appropriate review and justification. In addition, Georgia College and State University is authorized by the USG to develop and administer wage and salary administration programs that may allow the salary of a new employee to exceed the beginning of the salary range. The Office of Human Resources has developed a Salary Administration Guide to support job offers and other employee pay decisions.

 

Related Link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Entrance Salary
• Salary Administration Guidelines
• Georgia College Salary Structure

Time Records

Employees (non-exempt employees) subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act are required to keep a time record of the hours worked. Non-exempt employees will use the ADP system to record hours worked. Time records have to be maintained on a daily basis.

Payroll records are subject to audit and will reflect actual time worked and leave taken. Any intentional falsification of time records may be grounds for termination of employment.

Paydays

The pay dates for exempt employees are the last working day of each month. Non-exempt employees are paid every other Friday. Payroll Services will communicate any alterations to this schedule that may be required due to holidays or shutdown periods.

Direct Deposit

All employees hired on or after January 1, 2004 are required to participate in direct deposit of their paycheck as a condition of employment. Arrangements for direct deposit can be made through the ADP Employee Self-Service System or Payroll Services. 

Deductions in Salary

There are certain amounts that, by law, must be deducted or withheld from your paycheck. Among these may be federal or state income tax, Social Security/Medicare taxes, and applicable retirement contributions. All deductions will be explained during orientation. Employees eligible for benefits may elect certain benefits offered by the University in the form of insurance, tax-sheltered annuities, credit union, approved charities, and parking. These benefits will be explained to employees during an extensive orientation and are subject to change, as deemed necessary.

Garnishments of Pay

Georgia College considers the acceptance and settlement of just and honest debts to be a mark of personal responsibility. Failure to meet personal financial obligation causes discredit to the University. The University is required by law to accept and process garnishments served by officials of a court of law.

Other mandated payments such as child support, tax levies, educational loans, etc., may be deducted from an employee's salary upon receipt of official notice from the appropriate agency.

Related Link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Garnishment of Pay
• BOR Policy Manual on Garnishment of Pay
• Payroll Services

Withholding of Pay

Georgia College is authorized to hold paychecks, after payment of minimum wage, pending reimbursement of amounts owed by employees of the University for any fine, fee, penalty or other financial obligation(s) to GC.

Related Link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Withholding of Pay

Salary Increase Administration Process

Salary and wage adjustments will generally be awarded to employees upon promotion to a higher level position, upon reclassification to a higher level position, when an equity or administrative adjustment is deemed necessary, and on an annual basis provided performance warrants the adjustment. The annual increase will be in the form of a merit increase and developed in conjunction with the budget development process. Equity adjustments may also be developed in conjunction with the budget development process. All adjustments are contingent upon available funding.

Related Link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Salary Increase Administration Process

Interim and Acting Assignments

Reassignments as described in this policy shall normally be for no less than one month and no more than twelve months and shall only occur when the responsibilities being undertaken by the employee are those of another position that is vacant or because of temporary sufficient change in the duties and responsibilities of a filled position. A temporary pay increase may be made when a significant change in duties and responsibilities occurs. Such pay increases may only be made if funding is available. The pay increase should be consistent with additional responsibilities assigned and with university salary guidelines; and should be approved by the Director of Human Resources or designee. The pay increase should generally be at least the minimum of the salary range for the position for which the interim or acting appointment is made. The former rate of pay will be re-assigned when the interim or acting assignment is completed.

• Acting Title: An 'acting' title is used if an administrator is absent or reassigned for a short period of time (usually three months or less). The absent administrator retains the responsibility of his/her position but delegates the authority to the 'acting' person.
• Interim Title: An 'interim' title is used if an administrator resigns and a replacement is sought or if an administrator is absent for a longer period of time (usually exceeding three months). The 'interim' person has both the authority and responsibility of the office.

Related Link:

• BOR Policy Manual on Interim and Acting Assignments

Fair Labor Standards Act

GCSU complies with the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for non-exempt employees. This Act, in part, established a minimum hourly wage and requires the payment of overtime for work in excess of forty hours per week at a rate of not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay.

Any non-exempt staff employee required to work in excess of his/her normal 40-hour work week may be granted compensatory time off, in lieu of overtime pay, at the discretion of the immediate supervisor and in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Compensatory time is earned at a rate of one and one-half hours of time off per hour of overtime.

The Act provides that employees of one gender must not be paid wages at rates lower than those paid employees of the other gender for substantially equal work on jobs requiring equal skill, effort, and responsibility which are performed under similar working conditions.

Workweek

All full-time staff employees observe a minimum workweek of 40 hours. The requirements of the various operations of the University are highly diverse and different work schedules may be adopted to meet these needs. The department head, subject to the approval of the Vice President, establishes the schedules for a given department. Most offices shall be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and, as required by some departments, in the evenings, nights, and weekends. Typically, lunch periods will be one hour, depending on the individual department, while ensuring the 40 hour workweek.

 

Related Link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Workweek and Overtime
• Fair Labor Standards Act

Flextime, Compensatory Time and Overtime Policy

Policy Name: Flextime, Compensatory Time, and Overtime

Policy Statement: It is the policy of Georgia College to provide guidance to employees on proper use of flextime, compensatory time and overtime in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, University and Board of Regents Policies.

Definitions:

• Compensatory Time: Any time accumulated above 40 hours physically worked in a work week (Sunday – Saturday) that will calculate at time and half.
• Exempt employees: Salaried employees are not subject to the FLSA minimum wage and overtime. Exemptions from the law are narrowly defined and the employer must prove that the exemption rules apply. Reference DOL Fact Sheet 17https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/fs17a_overview.htm. Exempt employees are only eligible for Flextime and cannot be paid overtime or accumulate compensatory time.
• Flextime: A work period that may vary from the standard work hours established for a department.
• Non-exempt employees: Employees who are covered by or subject to the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provision of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Non-exempt employees are eligible for flextime, compensatory time, and in very limited situations, Overtime.
• Overtime: Time worked by a non-exempt employee above the normal forty (40) hour work week.
• Workweek: A seven (7) day period in which the required working hours for full-time employees equal forty (40) hours, with distribution of such hours during the workweek a matter of scheduling left to the individual institutions.

Key Words:

Compensatory time
Exempt
Fair Labor Standards Act – FLSA
Flextime
Non-exempt
Overtime

Reason for Policy: To ensure that all Georgia College employees understand that altering schedules to accommodate projects and/or events is allowed as long as Supervisors make every effort to accommodate scheduling changes using flextime first. In the event that flextime is not an option, compensatory time may be used and then, in very limited situations, overtime may be requested (requires Vice Presidential approval). The policy is also in place to ensure compliance with the Fair Labors Standard Act, University and Board of Regents Policies.

Proposed Outcome: Reinforces Georgia College’s commitment to ensuring the proper and fair use of flextime, compensatory time and overtime.

 

Related Documents/Resources:

• Georgia College Time Records Policy
• Georgia College Emergency Call Back and Variant Pay Policy
• USG Compensatory Time and Overtime Policy
• USG Flextime Policy
• Fair Labors Standard Act

Procedures:

Flextime

• Flextime may be utilized by exempt and non-exempt employees on a temporary basis or an extended period of time, as long as it is approved by the employee’s supervisor.
  • If a flex schedule is needed for an extended period of time, Supervisors should have employees complete a Flexible Schedule Agreement https://intranet.gcsu.edu/faculty-and-staff-forms/flextime-and-telework.
• Flextime scheduling should take place within the same work week (Sunday – Saturday) for non-exempt employees and within the same pay period for exempt employees.
• Every effort should be made to accommodate scheduling needs using flextime before use of compensatory time.

Compensatory Time

• If a non-exempt employee cannot fulfill business operation needs using flextime, a supervisor may approve use of compensatory time.
• All compensatory time must be recorded in OneUSG and will calculate at time and a half. Time not recorded in OneUSG will not be eligible for payment to the employee.
  • If there is a paid Holiday and/or an employee takes leave during a work week, compensatory time will only accumulate as straight time. For example: The Labor Day Holiday is observed on a Monday and an employee physically works 8 hours a day, Tuesday – Saturday, then the employee will not accumulate time and a half for working 8 hours on Saturday because they only physically worked 40 hours within the work week. The 8 hours of paid leave for the Labor Day Holiday does not count as time physically worked so the employee will only accumulate 8 hours of compensatory time.
• Supervisors must allow employees to utilize all compensatory time earned as soon as reasonably possible but before May of each year. Supervisors must seek approval from the Vice President within their division for compensatory time that cannot be utilized in a given fiscal year before such time can be paid out.
• Employees are required to use accrued compensatory time prior to using other leave (including annual). The only exception to this provision is at the end of a calendar year, in the case that an employee needs to use accumulated annual leave to reduce their annual leave balance by December 31 to avoid forfeiture of hours exceeding 360. Supervisors are, however, expected to manage employee leave proactively during the calendar year to reduce if not eliminate this scenario.
• Accrued compensatory time is nontransferable.  When an employee is transferring from one department to another and that employee has a balance of accrued compensatory time, every effort should be made for the employee to take all compensatory time before the effective date of the transfer.  When this is not possible, an employee transferring from one department to another shall receive full payment for the compensatory time balance associated with the employee’s time in his/her former department. This requirement will also be enforced should the employee’s position be reclassified from non-exempt to exempt status. Such payout shall occur with the final paycheck from the department in which the comp time was accrued or the final check associated with the non-exempt position.  Such payout will be based on the rate of pay for the position from which the employee is transferring, not the rate of the new position.

Overtime

• Overtime will only be granted in very limited situations for non-exempt employees where flextime or compensatory time will not fulfill the operational needs of the University.
• All overtime requests must be pre-approved by the appropriate Division Vice President BEFORE an employee may utilize this option. Failure to comply will result in progressive discipline.
• Overtime must be recorded in OneUSG and will calculate at time and a half.
• The only departments approved to use this option without Division Vice President approval are Facilities Operations and Public Safety.

Non-Compliance:

Failure to comply with the requirements of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination or expulsion in accordance with relevant University policies and may result in prosecution in accordance with state and federal law.

 

Creation Date:  October 2020

Revision Date:  Month, Year

Last Reviewed Date:  Month, Year

Next Review Date:  Month, Year - Two years from Last Reviewed Date

Responsible Department:  Office of Human Resources

Cabinet Approval Date: December 1, 2020                   

Effective Date: December 1, 2020

 

Emergency Call Back and Variant Pay

The University System of Georgia has established a policy to allow for consistency among institutions regarding variant pay. This policy authorizes units of the University System to determine non-exempt employees and positions, as determined by GC, eligibility for premium pay.

Emergency Call Back

An emergency call back occurs when a nonexempt employee is requested by management to return to work after leaving the university premises following his or her work shift to respond to a work-related emergency which cannot wait until regularly scheduled working hours. Each institution should identify those positions and/or employees that are likely to be called back to work in the event of an emergency and management should carefully weigh the costs and benefits of alternatives before authorizing emergency call back pay. Employees may be called back to work for emergencies which require a response on short notice and for which the call back work will serve to:

• Avoid significant service disruption
• Avoid placing employees, students or the public in unsafe situations
• Protect and/or provide emergency services to property or equipment
• Respond to emergencies with students, clients, or residents

When an employee has left the work site and is called back by management to work before or after completing the regular work schedule and upon leaving the premises, the employee shall be paid for time actually worked upon return or a minimum of three (3) hours, whichever is greater. In accordance with FLSA, travel time from the home location to the primary work site is not compensable. The portion of the three hours call back compensation that is guaranteed but not worked does not count toward overtime. Emergency call back time actually worked will count towards determining overtime.

• Employees returning to work shall receive a minimum of three hours compensation as time off or additional pay at the straight-time rate of pay for each occasion of callback.
• If the time on callback is more than the three hours allowed, the employee shall be compensated for the actual time on callback.
• Management shall determine a reasonable time for which preparation and travel to the worksite shall be compensated.
• Shift pay, holiday pay and overtime pay shall be received in addition to emergency call back pay, if applicable. Time on callback is subtracted from the on-call hours, if applicable.
• Unless otherwise compensated and/or de minimis under FLSA, employees responding to an emergency request via telephone/computer shall receive a minimum of 30 minutes as paid time at the employee’s hourly rate for each occasion of call back. If more than one call back occurs within an eight (8) hour time frame, total call back time cannot exceed three (3) hours unless the time actually worked exceeds three (3) hours.
• Time actually worked and, if applicable, travel to a remote worksite from the primary work location, shall be included in hours worked for determining overtime hours.
• The provisions of this policy do not apply when the emergency call back causes the employee to return to work less than one (1) hour in advance of his/her start time.
• Employees whose work continues following the end of the regularly scheduled hours of work will not be considered to be called back

On Call Pay

An employee is considered to be in on-call status only when assigned by the institution. On-call will be considered hours worked only when an employee is required to restrict personal activities so that the employee cannot use his or her time effectively for the employee’s own purposes. The employee must be fully capable of performing all essential functions of the job. In most cases, if an employee is not required to remain at home or leaves a message where they can be reached is not working while on call.

Under such circumstances, the employee will be paid at the employee’s normal pay rate (or overtime when appropriate).

Shift Differential Pay

To qualify for shift differential, more than half of the positions regular, recurring work shift should occur between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Shift premium is payable only for hours actually worked. It is not paid for hours accounted for through leave, paid time off, holidays, or other absences. At the discretion of the institution, shift differential should be combined with the base salary rate before the calculation of overtime rate for hours worked. Employees will be eligible for Shift differential if they are schedule to work between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. An employee that works extended hours beyond the scheduled timeframe will qualify for differential pay.

Shift differential pay is not considered a part of annual salary or the hourly rate for classification or personnel records purposes.

• Shift differentials are separate from the base wage for the covered positions.
• The shift differential is to be combined with the base hourly rate before the calculation of any overtime rate for hours worked that are covered by a shift differential.
• Shift differential is not paid on paid-time-off benefits received as separation pay.

If the employee is required to work a covered shift on a holiday, the employee will receive shift premium pay as well as holiday pay.

Weekend Premium

At the discretion of the institution, employees in selected classifications whose regular work schedule includes work on Saturdays and/or Sundays may be paid a weekend differential (in addition to a shift differential when applicable) for all hours worked between 11:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Holiday Pay

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for vacations or holidays (federal or otherwise). Holidays and vacations are generally a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee’s representative).

Holiday pay should be designated as eight (8) hours pay for each holiday as set by the institution and under BOR holiday policy. Should an employee’s normal work schedule not include a holiday, that employee’s supervisor should schedule an alternate “holiday” to ensure the employee receives the ‘benefited’ holiday time allowed by the University System of 12 days. Non-exempt employees required and scheduled to work on holidays will receive regular pay in addition to the holiday pay. Holiday hours are not considered as time worked in the computation of overtime. Any time worked over 40 hours will follow FLSA overtime regulations. Part-time benefited employees are eligible for holiday pay on a pro-rated basis. Non-benefited employees are not eligible for holiday pay.

Related link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Emergency Call Back Pay and Variant Pay

Promotions

A promotion is the shift of an employee from one job title or position to another having more responsible duties or involving more skill and generally associated with a higher minimum rate of pay. To be promoted, the employee must meet the minimum job qualifications or minimum hiring standards required by the new job title or position. An employee affected by a promotion may be subject to a background check.

Promotions may come in the form of reclassification, reorganization, or through competitive recruitment.

Related Links:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Promotions

Transfers

The University System of Georgia supports an environment that values the pursuit of career mobility and encourages employees who express an interest, and have the abilities, to pursue appropriate vacancies to foster their career development. Toward that end, employees' efforts to transfer from one position to another will be supported.

An employee may apply for a posted position in another department or at another USG institution or the University System office or be identified for transfer when appropriate. Georgia College shall have the discretion to transfer an employee when deemed appropriate. For the purposes of this policy, there shall be two types of transfers as follows:

1. Internal Transfer - The shift of an employee from one position to another of the same classification or to one with comparable skills and in the same general pay range in the same institution.
   1. The employee who is affected by an internal transfer shall continue all benefits uninterrupted.
   2. The employee will not restart the provisional period.
2. External Transfer – The movement of an employee from a position at one institution within the University System to a position at another USG institution or to or from the University System Office. Since institutional compensation practices may differ due to market conditions, the transfer may be to a position at a different pay range but the provisions of this transfer policy shall apply.

In the event of an external transfer, accumulated sick leave, retirement benefits and service continuity will be transferred if the break in service does not exceed thirty (30) calendar days. When the external transfer occurs with no break in service, an employee must transfer accrued vacation leave of between one (1) and twenty (20) days. For employees with accrued vacation leave of greater than twenty (20) days, the employee may elect one of the following options:

1. Transfer of the total accrued vacation balance, not to exceed forty-five (45) days.
2. Payment by the institution from which the employee is moving of accrued vacation leave greater than twenty (20) days. The total accrued vacation leave for which the employee may be paid shall not exceed twenty-five (25) days.
3. The transferring employee will restart the provisional period at the new location effective on the first day of employment and serve his/her first six (6) months in a provisional status, subject to all terms and conditions of the provisional period policy.

When an employee terminates from one institution and is then hired by another System institution, this shall not constitute an external transfer. If the termination and subsequent hiring occurs with less than thirty (30) days between the actions, the Chief Human Resources Officer of new employer may choose to treat such an action as an external transfer under this policy at his/her sole discretion.

Related Link:

• BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual on Transfers

Change in Status

It is the employee's responsibility to notify the Office of Human Resources of changes in name, marital status, address, telephone number, etc. and to keep information current in the personnel record at all times. It is vital that an emergency contact be maintained in the personnel file in the event of an accident, illness or injury to the employee during working hours.

Certain changes such as name change, marital status change, require original documentation to support the change before records can be updated. Consult with the Office of Human Resources and Employee Relations for acceptable form

• Name change – original Social Security Card
• Marital status change – Marriage Certificate or Divorce Decree
• Change of address can be entered into ADP or by submitting a Name/Change of Address form to the Office of Human Resources and Employee Relations.