Alternative Work Schedules

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 
NORTHEAST AND CARIBBEAN REGION 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10278  

SUBJECT: ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES 

1. Purpose. This order updates procedures and operating instructions for the administration of Alternative Work Schedules (AWS) in the Northeast and Caribbean Region. 

2. Cancellation. GSA Order 2ADM 9620.1, dated May 16, 1991, is cancelled. 

3. Authority. The authority for this program emanates from Public Laws 97-221 and 99-190, the National Agreement between GSA and AFGE dated October 1, 1999, the Regional Supplemental Agreement signed on July 20, 2000, and the HB, Time and Leave Administration (OAD P 6010.4). ^. 

4. Definitions. 

   a. Compressed schedule. An alternative work schedule under which a full time employee fulfills an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement in fewer than ten workdays. 5/4/9 and 4/10 are examples of compressed schedules. 

   b. 5/4/9 schedule. An alternative work schedule under which a full time employee fulfills an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement in eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day per pay period. This gives employees an extra day off each pay period in exchange for longer workdays. 

   c. 4/10 Schedule. An alternative work schedule under which a full time employee fulfills an 80-hour basic work requirement in four 10-hour days in each of the two weeks of the pay period. 

   d. Flexitour. An established tour of duty which is different from the official hours of work excluding shift schedules. 

   e. Flexitime. A system of scheduling which splits the workday into two distinct kinds of time: core time and flexible time. Employees do not have a permanent tour of duty but may vary starting time from day to day. 

   f. Flexible band. The designated time band within which an employee may arrive at and depart from work. 

   g. Core time. The designated time band during which all employees must be on duty unless in an approved leave status or at lunch. 

   h. Official hours of work. The official business hours for the Northeast and Caribbean Region in the New York area are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and in the Boston area are 8:20 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. 

   i. Tardiness. Employees authorized to follow the flexitime provisions of this order will be tardy if they do not arrive at work by the end of the morning flexible band. Employees on flexitour, a compressed schedule, or the official business hours schedule who arrive after their established starting time will be considered tardy. 

   j. Credit Hours. Those hours within the flexible band of a flexible work schedule that an employee elects to work, and a supervisor approves, in excess of his/her basic 80-hour per pay period work requirement. The employee and supervisor must agree on the work to be performed during the period that he/she is earning credit hours. Credit hours must be approved in advance. 

5. Coverage. The AWS Program covers all employees in the GSA, Northeast and Caribbean Region American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) bargaining unit. In addition the program has been extended to supervisors, managers, and nonrepresented employees. Employees in the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) bargaining unit are not covered. 

6. Exceptions.  

    a. Employees in the FOP bargaining unit are ineligible to participate in the AWS program. 

   b. The mission of GSA must take priority over the AWS Program. Because of specific job requirements in some offices, the same degree of personal choice may not be possible for all employees. For example, situations involving employees who work as a team, offices with small staffs, the need for coverage, continuous duty and unusual shift schedules, identification of key employees, etc., may limit the degree of flexibility possible in a particular office. Determinations of exceptions by management will be based on the operating needs of the region. Management may deny employees' requests to participate in AWS Programs or modify the flexibility available to specific employees. When coverage requirements do not permit all requested tours to be granted, management will determine what schedules employees may work. 

   c. Managers and supervisors may require employees or groups of employees to go off alternative schedules to meet agency needs. If such changes are to be made permanent, prior written approval of the appropriate official is required. Supervisors may rearrange work schedules or temporarily suspend the flexible bands due to work exigencies. The employee and the Union will be given as much advance notice as possible. 

   d. Management may require an employee who experiences attendance or lateness problems, or, in the case of flexitime and 4/10, fails to adhere to established sign in and sign out procedures to return to the normal official business hours schedule or other tour of duty at management's discretion. 

7. Groundrules.  

    a. The opportunity to participate in the expanded AWS Program or to request a change to another tour will be offered upon the implementation of the program. Changes will be effective at the beginning of the first pay period after the approval of the requested schedule. All requests for particular work schedules will be submitted in writing by the employee to his/her immediate supervisor and will be approved by management subject to office coverage and workload requirements. If approved, the requested tour of duty will become the employee's normal tour and will remain in effect until management approves or directs a change. Supervisors should consider and may approve requests for a change in schedule at any time. Approved permanent schedule changes will be effective at the beginning of the first pay period after the date of approval, or at some other date mutually agreed upon by the employee and the supervisor. 

   b. Covered employees may work on the official business hours schedule or elect one of the following schedules: flexitour, flexitime, 5/4/9 compressed or 4/10 compressed. The tours of duty that are available for each of these options are described in detail in Appendix A. Appendix C outlines the 5/4/9 and 4/10 compressed schedules. 

   c. On flexitime, an employee may arrive at work anytime during the flexible band. Employees are considered late if they do not sign in by the end of the flexible band. The 8 1/2 Overtime hours are all hours other than credit hours over 8 in a day or 40 in a week in which work is officially performed. Appendix B outlines the flexitime schedule. 

   d. Employees on flexitime or 4/10 must indicate actual time arrived and actual time departed each day on the designated timesheet. A clock in the office will be designated as the official clock so that the time posted on the timesheet will reflect the time on the official clock. Employees will use the prescribed GSA Northeast and Caribbean Region Daily Attendance Register to sign in, in the order they arrive, and sign out when they leave. Under absolutely no circumstances may employees sign in or out for someone other than themselves. If an employee fails to follow the established sign in and sign out procedure, management may require that he/she return to the normal business hours schedule or other tour of duty at management's discretion. 

   e. Under flexitour, an employee requests one of six fixed tours of duty that vary from the official hours of work. Once approved, this becomes the employee's normal tour and may only be changed when management approves or directs a change. 

   f. When an employee on a compressed schedule is required to travel or participate in a training course where the number of hours of work are different from the employee's schedule, or in other unusual cases including emergencies, the employee's supervisor will make adjustments in work hours on a case by case basis to obtain 80 hours of work during each pay period. If, for example, the training will last for an entire workweek, an employee on a 5/4/9 schedule may have to return to a normal 8 hour per day schedule for the entire pay period. An employee on a 4/10 schedule may have to return to an 8-hour per day schedule for the week of the travel or training. The employee may still work four 10-hour days in the other week of the pay period, if that week is not affected by the travel or training schedule. If the travel or training conflicts with the employee's scheduled day off, the employee's schedule may be altered to change the day off. However, for employees on 5/4/9 the day off must be rescheduled within the same pay period. For employees on 4/10, the day off must be rescheduled within the same week as the originally scheduled day off. If this is not possible, the employee should return to an 8-hour per day schedule for the full week or pay period, as appropriate. 

   g. Except as modified by this order, all existing laws and regulations relating to overtime pay, compensatory time off, premium pay and holiday pay are applicable. 

   h. Regardless of which schedule an employee chooses, due to the operating needs of the office, managers may limit the maximum number of employees on each schedule. Similarly, if more employees on compressed schedules request a given day off than can be accommodated, employees will be asked to designate alternate days off. Conflicts that cannot be resolved informally will be resolved on the basis of seniority determined by Service Computation Date. All schedules are subject to supervisory approval. 

   i. When an employee is promoted, reassigned, detailed, or otherwise assigned to another office, the employee is not guaranteed the same schedule in the new office. Determination of the schedule by management will be based on the operating needs of the agency. 

   j. Employees on flexitime or flexitour work schedules must obtain permission from their supervisors to work credit hours. If the request is approved, an employee may work up to two (2) hours per day and no more than eight (8) hours per week. The minimum amount of credit hours that may be worked and earned is one half-hour. After the first half-hour, additional credit hours must be earned in half-hour increments, up to the maximum of 2 hours per day. 
Credit hours must be worked and earned between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. A maximum of 24 credit hours may be carried over from one pay period to another. An employee may not be paid overtime pay, Sunday premium pay, or holiday premium for credit hours. Employees on a 
compressed work schedule are not permitted to earn or use credit hours. 

8. Responsibilities. The AWS Program allows considerable latitude and with this flexibility comes the demand for individual responsibility to ensure that the program is carried out as intended. The success of AWS rests equally in the hands of all managers, supervisors and employees. Abuse of this privilege could jeopardize continuation of the entire AWS Program. 
 
    A. HEADS OF REGIONAL SERVICES AND STAFF OFFICES SHALL: 

         (1) Oversee the program within their service or staff office in accordance with this order. 

         (2) Make final determination on exceptions as listed in Section 6 of this order. 

         (3) Establish and maintain a scheduling plan for key officials, including Division Directors. The plan should identify employees who will act in behalf of these, key officials on scheduled days off. 

   B. DIVISION DIRECTORS SHALL: 

         (1) Administer and coordinate the program within their division. 

         (2) Determine the required supervisory coverage for their division. 

         (3) Ensure a balanced distribution of off-days for employees in their divisions. 

         (4) Establish and maintain a scheduling plan for their divisions. 

   C. THE REGIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER SHALL: 
 
          (1) Be responsible for the overall administration of the provisions of this order. 
 
          (2) Provide assistance and answer questions concerning program implementation and administration. 

         (3) Collect data on the AWS Program, including the number of supervisory and non-supervisory employees, by organization, who have elected to participate and which schedules they have elected. 

   D. SUPERVISORS SHALL: 

         (1) Ensure that adequate coverage of their work units is provided during the official business hours. 

         (2) Retain the right to require employees to work fixed-hours when necessary to meet work requirements. 

         (3) Retain the responsibility and authority to direct overtime as required, and approve credit hours as requested. 

         (4) Ensure that all employees on flexitime and 4/10 sign in and sign out on the Daily Attendance Register each day. 

         (5) Ensure a balanced distribution of off-days for employees under their supervision. 

         (6) Establish and maintain a work schedule identifying employees' days of work and number of hours per day. 

         (7) Approve only those schedules that are specifically authorized by this order. 

         (8) Adjust the schedules of employees on compressed schedules to obtain 80 hours of work when they are on travel or participating in a training course. 

         (9) Monitor compliance with the approved AWS schedules and remove employees from the schedule when necessary. 

       (10) Consult with higher management and the appropriate Human Resources Branch official on the proper administration of AWS, and obtain their assistance if any difficulties are encountered. 

       (11) Maintain the Request for Alternative Work Schedule election forms for employees under their supervision. 
 
    E. EMPLOYEES SHALL: 

         (1) Request supervisory approval of their desired schedule. Employees selecting a compressed schedule must also secure approval of the designated day(s) off and the 8-hour day for a 5/4/9 compressed schedule. 

         (2) Request supervisory approval prior to working and using credit hours by formally submitting an SF-71, Request for Leave or Approved Absence, to their immediate supervisor. 

         (3) If on flexitime or 4/10, accurately report time in and time out on the Daily Attendance Register. Misrepresentation of AWS hours will be considered falsification of an official Government document and may result in disciplinary action. 

         (4) If on a compressed schedule, and scheduled for travel and/or training, obtain supervisory approval to remain on their respective AWS schedule prior to their scheduled travel/training. 

         (5) Follow the guidance contained in this order and given by their supervisors relative to this program, and be prepared to change scheduled working hours when necessary to meet job requirements. 

F. TIMEKEEPERS SHALL: 

       (1) Follow the guidance provided in Payroll Operations Timekeeper Handbook, Ch. 10 (COM P 4282.1), Electronic Time and Attendance Management System (ETAMS), this order and the Regional Alternative Work Schedule Desk Guide. 

       (2) Follow existing delegations of authority and regulations concerning pay administration and time and leave administration. 

       (3) File and maintain the Daily Attendance Register in conjunction with regular time and attendance records. 

9. Disposition of records. The Daily Attendance Register shall be maintained and disposed of in accordance with the HB, GSA Records Maintenance and Disposition System, Ch. 3, Part 1, paragraph 4 (a) (OAD P 1820.2A). 
 
10. Termination. 

   a. If an adverse, agency impact in an organization within the region has been determined by management, due to an established particular Alternative Work Schedule(s), then the Regional Administrator, GSA Region 2, may seek to cancel the AWS Program in whole or in part within the Region in accordance with the terms and conditions of Article 25 of the National Agreement between GSA and AFGE, if applicable. 

   b. In accordance with Article 25, Section 2(H)(1) and (2) of the National Agreement, supervisors may require employees to go off alternate schedules, or to rearrange work schedules at any time due to work exigencies or to meet agency needs. The employee and the Union will be given as much advance notice as possible. 

11. Effective Date. This order is effective beginning on October 22, 2000. 
 
12. Forms. This order provides for the use of the attached Daily Attendance Register and Request for Alternative Work Schedule forms. These forms may be duplicated as needed. Employees may use the Request for Alternative Work Schedule form attached to this order to request approval of a particular work schedule from their supervisors. 


THOMAS J. RYAN 
Regional Administrator 


DISTRIBUTION K (25 copies for 2ARC/R) 
Attachments  

Employees may work on the official business hours schedule (8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. - New York and 8:20 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. - Boston) or choose one of the following schedules: 1. Flexitour. An established tour of duty which is different from the official hours of work excluding shift schedules. 

Tours of Duty: 
7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, or  
7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, or  
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, or  
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, or  
9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, or  
9:30 AM to 6:00 PM 


1. Flexitime. A system of scheduling which splits the workday into two distinct kinds of time: core time and flexible time. Core Time is the designated time band during which all employees must be on duty. Core Time is between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Employees will begin work no earlier than 7:00 AM and no later than 9:30 AM and will complete their workday 8 1/2 hours later. There is no fixed arrival time. 

2. Compressed schedules. An alternative work schedule under which a full time employee fulfills an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement in fewer than ten work days. The arrival time is fixed. Employees may not vary their starting times under a compressed schedule.  

   a. 5/4/9 schedule: An alternative work schedule under which a full time employee fulfills an 80 hour biweekly basic work requirement in eight 9 hour days and one 8 hour day per pay period. 

Schedule #1:         9 hour days- 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM 
                           8 hour day - 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM 
Schedule #2:         9 hour days- 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM 
                           8 hour day - 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM 
Schedule #3:         9 hour days- 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM 
                           8 hour day - 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM 
Schedule #4:         9 hour days- 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM 
                           8 hour day - 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM 

   b. 4/10 Schedule: An alternative work schedule under which a full time employee fulfills an 80-hour basic work requirement in four 10-hour days in each of the two weeks of the pay period. 
 
Schedule #1: - 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM  
Schedule #2: - 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM  

1. Figure B-1. Illustrates the flexible arrival and departure schedule for covered employees on the Flexitime Schedule.  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                Figure B-1. Flexitime Schedule 

2. Work schedule. In each pay period employees will work ten 8-hour days not including lunch break (i.e., employees leave 8 % hours after arrival.) Employees are required to sign in when they arrive and sign out when they leave for the day. 

3. Basic work requirements. A full-time employee has an 8 hour daily basic work requirement, and an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement. 

4. Premium pay. Employees on this tour of duty are subject to current regulations under Title 5 (5 U.S.C. 5544) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) on overtime, compensatory time, night pay, holiday pay and Sunday pay. 

5. Absences and leave. Current regulations pertaining to absences and leave remain in effect. 

6. Lunch. As specified in Article 25, Section 2F(4) of the National Agreement, lunch periods must be taken between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. as designated by the supervisor. This means employees must be back at their work station no later than 2:00 p.m. With prior approval of the supervisor, an employee may extend the normal unpaid lunch period and make up the additional time at the end of the day, as long as the extended workday ends no later than 6:00 PM.  

1. Work Schedules. 

   a. 5/4/9 Schedule: In each pay period employees will work eight 9 hour days and one 8 hour day not including lunch breaks. Five days must be worked during one regularly established workweek of the pay period and four days must be worked during the other regularly established workweek of the pay period. An employee may choose any day during the biweekly schedule as his/her compressed day off subject to management's approval. 

   b. 4/10 Schedule: In each week employees will work four 10 hour days. Employees are required to sign in when they arrive and sign out when they leave. An employee may choose any day during the weekly schedule as his/her day off, subject to management's approval. Schedules may be approved that include a different day off in the first and second weeks of the pay period. Approval of schedules with different days off in each week should be considered especially in situations where more employees request a given day off than can be accommodated. 

   c. Approval of days off: Employee days off in a particular work unit should be equitably distributed among the available days. If more employees request a given day off than can be accommodated, employees will be asked to identify alternative days off. Conflicts that cannot be resolved informally will be resolved on the basis of seniority determined by Service Computation Date (SCD) (National Agreement Article 25 sec. 2G(2)). 

2. Basic work requirement: Under the 5/4/9 schedule, a full-time employee has a 9-hour daily basic work 
requirement (eight 9 hour days and one 8 hour day per pay period) and an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement. Under the 4/10 schedule, a full time employee has a 10-hour daily basic work requirement (4 ten hour days per week) and an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement (8 ten hour days per pay period.) 
 
3. Lunch: Lunch must be taken within the hours of 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This means that employees must be back at their worksite by 2:00 PM. With prior approval of the supervisor, an employee may extend the normal 
unpaid lunch period and make up the additional time at the end of the day, as long as the extended workday ends no later than 6:00 P.M. 

4. Premium pay. 

   a. Overtime. "Overtime hours" means any hours over those that make up the compressed schedule. For employees participating in a compressed schedule, work in excess of 80 hours during a two-week pay period, or in excess of 10 hours on a ten hour day, or in excess of 9 hours on a nine-hour day, or in excess of 8 hours on a eight hour day would generally entitle an employee to overtime compensation. 

   b. Holiday pay. A full-time employee who performs non-overtime work on a holiday (or a day designated as the " in lieu of" holiday) during his/her compressed work schedule is entitled to basic pay plus premium pay equal to the rate of basic pay for the work performed on that holiday. 

   c. Sunday pay. A full-time employee who is regularly scheduled to perform work on Sunday is entitled to Sunday pay for the entire 8 or 9 or 10 hour period depending on the number of hours the employee works. 

5. Absence and leave. 
 
    a. Holiday. If a holiday falls on one of the employee's regularly scheduled 10-hour days, he/she gets a 10-hour holiday. If a holiday falls on one of the employee's regularly scheduled 9-hour days, he/she gets a 9-hour holiday. If a holiday falls on the employee's regularly scheduled 8-hour day, he/she gets an 8-hour holiday. An employee may not move his/her 8-hour day in order to obtain a 9-hour holiday. 
 
When a holiday falls on an employee's day off, the employee is entitled to a day off in place of the holiday. (This is known as the in-lieu of holiday.) Generally, the in-lieu of holiday will always be the preceding workday. For example, if a holiday falls on a Monday which is an employee's day off, the in-lieu of holiday for that employee will be the preceding Friday. 

The only exception to this rule is when the actual holiday falls on a Sunday. In that case, the in-lieu of holiday for all employees for whom Sunday is a non-workday would be the next workday, or Monday for most employees. 

For those employees whose scheduled day off is that Monday, the in-lieu of holiday would then be Tuesday, which is their next scheduled workday after Sunday. 
 
    b. Leave. An employee may still request and use leave as always. Leave is charged based upon the number of hours of leave used, as judged by the employee's schedule. If an employee uses a whole day of leave on a day that is regularly scheduled as a 10-hour day, then the employee is charged 10-hours of leave (eight hours on a regularly scheduled eight hour day and nine hours on a regularly scheduled nine hour day.)  

1. DEFINITION: An employee on a flexible work schedule (flexitime or flexitour) may work additional hours in excess of his/her basic 80-hour per pay period requirement in order to earn credit hours that may be used at a later date. The earning and use of credit hours are subject to the following provisions: 

2. GUIDELINES: 

   a. Employees must obtain permission from their supervisors to work credit hours. Requests will be submitted on a Standard Form 71, which will include the hours to be worked and a description of the work to be performed. If the request is approved, an employee may work up to two (2) hours per day and no more than eight (8) hours per week. Credit hours must be worked and earned between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. 

   b. The minimum amount of credit hours that can be worked and earned is one half-hour. After the first half-hour, additional credit hours must be earned in half-hour increments, up to the maximum of 2 hours per day. 

   c. An employee may not carry over more than twenty-four (24) hours of credit hours from one pay period to another. 

   d. Supervisors may not require employees to work credit hours in lieu of overtime or compensatory time. 

   e. An employee may not be paid overtime pay, Sunday premium pay, or holiday premium pay for credit hours. 

   f. The use of earned credit hours must be requested and approved in the same manner as annual leave. 

   g. Credit hours will be documented in a manner similar to earned leave. 

   h. Credit hours may not be earned or used by employees on compressed schedules, including 5/4/9 and 4/10 schedules. 

 

Directions for Employees: Choose the work schedule you would like to follow by checking the appropriate space and entering the required information. Submit the completed form to your supervisor for approval. 

NAME:                                  CORRESP.SYMBOL                                        DATE                  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
AWS SCHEDULES (SELECT ONE SCHEDULE ONLY) 
____FLEXITOUR: 
____7:00 AM to 3:30 PM 
____7:30 AM to 4:00 PM 
____8:00 AM to 4:30 PM 
____8:30 AM to 5:00 PM 
____9:00 AM to 5:30 PM 
____9:30 AM to 6:00 PM 
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

______FLEXITIME: (8 1/2 hour tour which begins between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:30 AM) 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____5/4/9 COMPRESSED: 
____7:00 AM to 4:30 PM 
____7:30 AM to 5:00 PM 
____8:00 AM to 5:30 PM 
____8:30 AM to 6:00 PM 


DAY OFF PREFERRED__________                WEEK #1____ WEEK #2___  
8-HOUR DAY PREFERRED_________            WEEK #1____ WEEK #2___ 


_____4/10 COMPRESSED 
_____7:00 AM to 5:30 PM 
_____7:30 AM to 6:00 PM 
WEEK 1 DAY OFF PREFERRED ______________ 
WEEK 2 DAY OFF PREFERRED ______________ 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS HOURS SCHEDULE 
(8:15 AM to 4:45 PM) (NY area) 
8:20 AM to 4:50 PM) (Boston) 

EMPLOYEE SIGNATURE________________________DATE_________________ 
SUPERVISORY ACTION: SUPERVISORY SIGNATURE_________________ DATE _________ 
____APPROVED 
____DISAPPROVED 
____APPROVED WITH MODIFICATION 

COMMENT________________________________________________________ 
SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE DATE_______________ 


 

Instructions: When arriving at work, employees on flexitime or 4/10 must sign their names in column (A) and enter the time of arrival in column (B). When leaving work, they must enter the time of departure in column (C), and their initials in column (D). Column (E) should be used to indicate any leave taken or credit hours earned or used. 

Unless an employee is directed to work overtime or has had a request for credit hours approved, the employee's workday on a flexitime schedule ends 8 1/2 hours after it begins. A later sign out time will not indicate that an employee has worked more than an official 8-hour day. 

The 4/10 Schedule has a fixed starting and ending time. Employees on a 4/10 schedule must sign-in and out to certify that they have worked a full 10-hour day. (10 1/2 hours including lunch)