Work Hours

Amended date: 12/01/2018

The University’s core hours of business are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  However, there are some schools and organizations within Tufts four campuses that operate on different schedules over the seven day week.  This policy identifies general guidelines about breaks and hours of work

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Customary Hours: The customary work week at Tufts for full time employees is thirty-five (35) hours, seven (7) hours each day, Monday through Friday. The usual workday starts at 9:00 A.M. and ends at 5:00 P.M.  This includes a fifteen (15) minute break during the day for non-exempt staff, and one (1) hour for unpaid lunch. Non-exempt employees who wish to work through a lunch break must seek approval from their manager before doing so. Departments should seek the assistance of Human Resources if there is a need to use a different work week definition for an employee.

Specified work hours and work week may differ for certain employees depending on the needs of their department. Supervisors will inform employees of the hours they are expected to work.

Exempt employees frequently work beyond the confines of a 35-hour workweek, depending on the needs of their position.

For payroll administration purposes, the work week is considered to begin on Sunday at 12:01 A.M. and end Saturday at midnight unless otherwise defined in writing and approved by Human Resources.

Recording Hours Worked: The University is required by state and federal law to keep accurate records of hours worked by non-exempt employees. Departments are responsible for maintaining attendance records for non-exempt staff and time off records including sick, personal, and vacation time for all employees.

An authorized department staff member will enter the hours worked for non- exempt employees (staff, student workers, and temporary employees) in that department into the University’s Time Entry System. This should be completed weekly for hourly non-exempt employees and for salaried non-exempt employees. Access to the time-entry system is obtained through completion of an application and approval of the supervisor.

All employees are expected to accurately report and/or record their time and must understand that failure to do so may result in problems associated with payroll and/or disciplinary action.

Pay Periods, Hourly and Salaried Non-Exempt Employees: Friday is payday for non-exempt employees paid weekly. Weekly pay covers the period Sunday through Saturday of the previous week.

Definitions:  

Staff: any benefits-eligible employee who has standard hours of 17.5 hours/week or more and is not otherwise covered by a collective bargaining agreement.  Postdoctoral scholars’ hiring practices are outlined in the postdoc handbook.  Faculty should refer to the by-laws of their primary school affiliation for guidance.

Related Links and Resources:

Postdoctoral Scholars’ Handbook: https://viceprovost.tufts.edu/postdoc/handbook/

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This Work Hours policy is part of the HR Employee Policies and Procedures that can be found here.

Disclaimer: Changes to this policy and the handbook in which it is maintained may be made at any time, at the sole discretion of the University and is not a contract.  Employment by the University is at will and either the employee or the University may end the employment relationship at any time.