Where your future begins
Where your future begins
Status: Archived
Approved Date: August 24, 2016
All full-time Nebraska VR staff are allowed to select a work schedule option subject to their Team/Office’s Coverage Plan. Exception: Full-time Office Associate IIs will maintain the work schedule they were originally hired to work. VR Associate or VR Senior Associate are different classifications than an Office Associate II and may select from the Workweek Schedule Options.
Workweek schedule initial requests and changes are to be made with Office Director approval using the NDE Work Schedule Change Request Form. These forms are retained in the local office. Schedule changes should generally occur no more frequently than once a month.
It is preferred that the workweek schedule chosen will be the same schedule each of the weeks in a month. A bi-weekly alternating schedule is also allowed to accommodate situations where multiple team members prefer the same 4-day workweek, or compressed workweek schedule.
There can be change within the month to the workweek schedule for the following reasons.
An employee’s regular scheduled work hours shall fall between the core hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Note: Regular scheduled work hours are the employee’s set work schedule documented on the NDE Work Schedule form.
Exceptions to an employee’s set regular scheduled work hours with a start time earlier than 7:00 a.m. or end time after 6:00 p.m. must be made in advance and approved in advance by the Office Director/Supervisor and Mark Schultz (LCM) using the NDE Work Schedule form. Original is retained by the Office Director/Supervisor.
As noted further in this chapter, a workday adjustment to attend a work-related activity that occurs outside of core hours only requires Office Director/Supervisor approval, as this is not a permanent change to the employee’s set regular scheduled work hours.
VR staff has the option of designating a 30-minute, 45 minute or 60 minute unpaid lunch breaks as a part of their scheduled workday.
A lunch break may not be shortened or skipped in order to shorten the workday.
All workweek schedules shall provide for two paid 15-minute rest periods. Breaks shall be scheduled in the middle of each half workday whenever this is feasible.
Break times may not be saved in order to shorten the workday or to add to the lunch break.
All staff will work a 5-day workweek (8 hours days) for any workweek when one or more holidays fall. Office directors/supervisors may allow Same Week Flexing during a holiday workweek to accommodate issues around childcare, second jobs, or other appropriate reasons. Request made in advance that support the Team Coverage Plan shall not be unreasonably denied.
Upon an advance request, an employee may make up within the workday and/or workweek personal leave (vacation and/or sick leave). While it is preferred that the flexing occur within the core hours of 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., office directors/supervisors may approve flexing outside of the core hours. However, all flexing must occur within the same workweek that the leave was taken. There are no exceptions to same-week flexing.
A workweek begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and ends at 12:00 a.m. the following Saturday. Working a Saturday or a Sunday requires the approval of the Director.
Unanticipated or unplanned events for which same-day and/or same-week flexing may be used should be communicated to the Office Director/Supervisor as early as possible. Such request should be rare rather than an established pattern by an employee.