Flexible Work Schedules (a) Flexible Work Schedules (FWS) are schedules for which an employee may vary the length of their workday and/or workweek. For FWS, the term Basic Work Requirement means the number of hours, excluding overtime hours, which an employee is required to work or is required to account for by leave or otherwise. The administrative workweek for those on a Flexible Schedule is a period of 7 consecutive days beginning on Sunday. A flexible or compressed work schedule is a scheduled tour of duty and all work performed by an employee within the basic work requirement is considered regularly scheduled work for premium pay and hours of duty purposes (5 CFR § 610.111 (d)). Scheduled hours may vary from pay period to pay period, week-to-week, and day-to-day. An employee’s tour of duty and established work schedule will be recorded in the header of the Paycheck record.
(b) The following FWS may be approved byManagement:
(1) Variable day schedule is a type of FWS containing core hours on each workday in the week and in which a full-time employee has a basic work requirement of 40 hours in each week of the biweekly pay period, but in which an employee may vary the number of hours worked on a given workday within the week within the limits established in this article. Employees must work 5 consecutive days in each week of the pay period. For a part-time employee, the basic work requirement is the number of hours the employee must work in a week.
(2) Variable week schedule is a type of FWS containing core hours on each workday in the biweekly pay period and in which a full-time employee has a basic work requirement of i. 80 hours for the biweekly pay period, but in which an employee may vary the number of hours worked on a given workday or the number of hours each week within the limits established in this article. Employees must work 5 consecutive days in each week of the pay period. For a part-time employee, the basic work requirement is the number of hours the employee must work in a pay period.
(3) Maxiflex schedule is a type of FWS in which the employee may vary the number of hours per day and the number of days per week, accounting for at least 80 hours per pay period, including core hours. There are core hours on fewer than 10 workdays per pay period. For a part-time employee, the basic work requirement is the number of hours the employee must work in a pay period.
(4) Gliding schedule is a type of FWS in which a full-time employee has a basic work requirement of 8 hours in each day and 40 hours in each week. Employees may select a starting and stopping time each day within the established flexible hours. Employees must work 5 consecutive days in each week of the pay period.
(c) A tour of duty under a FWS means the limits set by Management within which an employee must complete their basic work requirement. Employees and their supervisor are expected to communicate regularly about when and where the employee is working and what work activities are planned.
(d) Flexible time bands are the times during the workday, workweek, or pay period within the tour of duty during which an employee covered by an FWS may choose to vary their times of arrival to and departure from the work site consistent with the duties and requirements of the position. (See 5 U.S.C. § 6122 (a)(2)). Changes to the flexible time band for a flexible schedule may be negotiated to address work requirements of the work unit.
(e) Core hours are a component of FWS, will be established with the supervisor and will ordinarily remain consistent after they are initially established. Core Hours are the time periods during the workday, workweek, or pay period that are within the tour of duty during which an employee covered by a flexible work schedule is required by the Agency to be present for work, or otherwise account for their time. Employees may request, and supervisors may grant permanent or temporary deviations from core hours on a case-by-case basis.
1) The default core hours for employees on Maxiflex schedules will be determined by the Supervisor and employee and include 3 days of the employee’s tour of duty from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., excluding a meal break.
2) The default core hours for employees on Variable Day and Variable Week schedules will be 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on each day of the tour of duty, excluding a meal break.
3) Changes to the specific clock hours designated as core hours and which days of the week are core days for the work unit may be negotiated by the Parties.
(f) Credit hours are those hours within a FWS that an employee elects to work, with supervisor approval, in excess of their basic work requirement so as to vary the length of a workweek or workday. Employees on a fixed schedule (Standard or Compressed) are not eligible to earn or use credit hours.
1) Credit hours are earned at the election of the employee and cannot be assigned. An employee may not be forced to earn credit hours. No coercion may be placed on any employee for the purpose of interfering with that employee’s right under a FWS to elect a time of arrival or departure and to work or not work credit hours (5 U.S.C. § 6132).
2) Employees must request approval from their supervisor to earn credit hours, by notifying the supervisor of their intent to earn credit hours at least 2 hours in advance, including the work they plan to perform and approximate time; however, supervisors have the right to deny the earning of credit hours if there is no assigned work that may be performed during that time. Employees and supervisors may mutually agree on alternate arrangements for exceptions to obtaining prior approval regarding the earning of credit hours on a continuing basis. In either case, the supervisor shall be informed as soon as practical that the hours wereworked.
3) Employees have the option of recording credit hours earned daily or after 80 hours.
4) Credit hours may not be earned while an employee is in training. The earning of credit hours or compensation time for travel will be in accordance with existing law and regulation.
5) The use of credit hours must be scheduled and approved in advance like any other absence from work. The employee will be released from work unless there are work-related reasons. Normally, ordinary workload will not preclude this release.
6) Credit hours may be earned and used within the same biweekly pay period, but credit hours must be earned before they can be used.
7) Credit hours may be used during core hours.
8) Employees cannot be forced to use credit hours.
9) A maximum of 24 hours may be used as a credit hour carry-over from one pay period to another with flexible work schedules. Employees on part-time tours may carry over credit hours on a prorated basis of one-fourth of their part-time tour hours.
