Staff Policies

The following policies apply to staff employees at UP.

Working Hours, Rest Breaks & Meal Periods, and Overtime

Working hours

Expectations regarding working hours are set by position. Employees who have questions about
their working hours should speak to their immediate supervisors or Human Resources.

Meal Period

All employees who are paid twice per month are non-exempt (hourly) employees. Non-exempt
(hourly) employees are expected to take scheduled rest breaks and meal periods consistent
with Oregon law.

If a non-exempt employee works 6 or more hours in a day, the employee should take a lunch
period of at least 30 minutes. Employees at UP who work 7 hours per day usually take a 1 hour
lunch period; employees who work 8 hours usually take a 30 minute lunch period. A nonexempt
employee must take additional meal periods if the workday is 14 or more hours in
length. Ordinarily, employees should be relieved of all work duties during the meal period.

Rest Breaks

Under Oregon law, a non-exempt (hourly) employee is required to take at least one paid 10
minute break if a workday is longer than 2 hours. Under UP policy, non-exempt employees who
work 7 or more hours per day are allowed to take two paid 15 minute rest breaks. The first rest
break should be taken in the middle of the first half of the workday and a second 15-minute
break should be taken in the middle of the second half of the workday.

Examples of How to Schedule Rest Breaks & Meal Period

The table below shows common work schedules at UP. Employees should take their rest breaks
and meal period at the times scheduled for the applicable work schedule.

The table below shows the number of rest breaks and meal periods required based on the length of the work period:

More information about meal periods and rest breaks is available at:
https://www.oregon.gov/boli/ta/pages/t_faq_meal_and_rest_period_rules.aspx

Overtime

Under federal and Oregon law, non-exempt (hourly) employees are required to be paid
overtime for any hours above 40 hours worked in a work week. The overtime rate is 1.5x the
regular hourly rate. At UP, the work week is defined as Monday through Sunday. In determining
the number of hours worked by an employee for overtime determination purposes, one should
not include any sick, vacation, or holiday hours taken during the work week.

Before working any time that is in excess of regularly-scheduled work hours, employees must
obtain approval from the immediate supervisor. This means:

• That employees scheduled to work 35 hours per week must obtain approval from the
  immediate supervisor before working more than 35 hours during a Monday to Sunday
  work period.
• That employees scheduled to work 40 hours per week must obtain approval from the
  immediate supervisor before working more than 40 hours during a Monday to Sunday
  work period.
• With supervisory direction or approval, employees can change the hours worked during a work
  week (Monday through Sunday) to avoid overtime. However, an employee cannot work more
  than 40 hours during an initial work week and then work less than 40 hours during a following
  work week; in this situation, the employee must be paid overtime for any hours in excess of 40
  hours worked during the initial work week. The following are examples:

More information about overtime is available at: https://www.oregon.gov/boli/TA/pages/t_faq_taovrtim.aspx

Reporting of Partial Day Absences by Exempt Staff Employees

This policy is applicable to exempt staff employees of the University of Portland.

When an exempt employee has a partial day absence, the employee is required to apply sick or vacation time as applicable to the actual amount of absence time (Absences for which sick and vacation time may be used are set out in the Staff Sick Time and Vacation Policy).

Consistent with the setup of Self Service Banner, sick and vacation time use should be reported in 15-minute increments.  If an exempt employee does not have sufficient sick or vacation time to cover a partial day absence, the employee is required to contact Human Resources in order to receive direction about how to report time.

With partial day absences, an exempt employee does not have to report absence hours that were flexed in the same workweek (Monday through Sunday) with approval of the supervisor, i.e., worked at another time in the same workweek

Example 1: Rusty is an exempt employee who is usually scheduled to be present in the office for 35 hours per week,  7 hours per day.  Rusty was absent for 1.5 hours from the office on Monday for a dental appointment.  Rusty is required to report 1.5 hours of sick time use for Monday. 

Example 2: Sally is an exempt employee who is usually scheduled to be present in the office for 35 hours per week, 7 hours per day.  Sally was absent for 2 hours from the office on Monday to take her child to a doctor’s appointment, and with the approval of her supervisor she worked 9 hours on Tuesday.  She does not have to apply sick or vacation for the 2- hour absence on Monday because she worked an additional 2 hours on Tuesday.

Example 3: Ted is an employee who is usually scheduled to be present in the office 40 hours per week, 8 hours per day.  Ted asked his supervisor in advance if he could take 4 hours of vacation time on Monday, which was pre-approved by the supervisor.  With the approval of his supervisor, he worked 9 hours Tuesday and 9 hours of Wednesday.  Ted only has to report two vacation hours for his absence on Monday because he worked an additional hour on Tuesday and an additional hour on Wednesday.

Please note, consistent with federal and Oregon requirement, it is the University’s policy that the salary of an exempt employee will not be reduced for absences of less than a full day, even if the employee has no available accrued sick or vacation time to apply to the absences, unless applicable law specifically provides for the reduction of salary in a particular situation. 

*This policy is effective currently but reminder/clarification of this policy was provided on March 1, 2018.
**The updated language of this policy was approved by PLC on February 19, 2018

Personal Appearance

While the University has no official dress code, employees are expected to exercise good judgment regarding matters of personal hygiene and appropriate workplace attire.  Every employee is a representative of the University and frequently interacts with students, other employees, visitors, and other members of the UP community.  Therefore, the University expects employees to maintain personal dress and hygiene standards appropriate to their positions.  If a supervisor determines that an employee is not meeting departmental expectations, they will bring the matter to the employee's attention.

Unauthorized Absences & Tardy Arrivals to Work

It is each employee's responsibility to not have unapproved absences and tardy arrivals to work. Employees also should strive to take care of personal affairs during nonworking hours as much as possible. If an employee must be absent or late, they are expected to inform their supervisor as soon as possible so that coverage can be arranged. Unauthorized absences or tardy arrivals to work are considered leave without pay and may be grounds for disciplinary action.

Please note that the information noted here may not be applicable to all employees of the University. For example, faculty should review the information and policies in the Faculty Handbook and employment-related letters and agreements, as information in such sources would supersede the information here. As well, for certain staff, information and policies in their employment-related letters and departmental policies and directions may supersede the information here.

Guidance for University Sponsored Activities/Events

Information and updated guidance on employee attendance at University of Portland sponsored activities/events can be found here: University Sponsored Activities/Events Guidance.