Business Policies and Procedures Manual
Chapter 60: Personnel

Staffing During Suspended Operations or Emergency Closures

60.40

For more information contact:
   Human Resource Services
   509-335-4521

Overview

Emergencies forcing either a limited campus closure or a declaration of suspended operations may occur at any time and may affect all or part of the instructional day (see BPPM 50.40).

Civil Service Employees

The following requirements apply to civil service employees during emergency closure periods:

When Required to Work

An employee who is required to work during the closure receives his or her regular rate of pay for work performed during the period of suspended operations. This policy applies whether the employee is required and authorized to come into the work site or works from home.

Note: A temporary telework arrangement is not required to accommodate work from home during a period of suspended operations, inclement weather, or emergency lasting less than a week. However, the employee must still have the supervisor’s prior approval to work from home during such a period (see also BPPM 60.34).

Overtime-eligible civil service employees receive compensation for overtime worked during a closure in accordance with WAC 357-28 (see also BPPM 60.59).

When Not Required to Work

Civil service employees may:

  • Be allowed to use annual leave or personal holiday;
  • Use sick leave when the employee’s place of business has been closed by order of a public official for any health-related reasons, in accordance with WAC 357-31-130.
  • Request the use of leave without pay or compensatory time (if overtime-eligible);
  • Use up to three days of sick leave per calendar year for absence due to suspended operations, emergency closures, or inclement weather after all other paid leave is exhausted; and
  • Be given an opportunity to reschedule work time lost as a result of suspended operations. Lost work time must be rescheduled and worked within the workweek.

If rescheduling lost work time causes an overtime-eligible employee to work in excess of forty hours in the workweek, compensation must be provided in accordance with WAC 357-28-255, 357-28-260, and 357-28-265. The amount of compensation earned must not exceed the amount of salary lost by the employee due to the period of suspended operations. Refer to WAC 357-31-265.

For information regarding leave usage during periods of suspended operations or inclement weather, civil service employees refer to BPPM 60.57.

Collective Bargaining Unit Employees

Employees covered by collective bargaining unit agreements refer to the applicable agreements regarding suspended operations.

Administrative Professional (AP) Employees

The following requirements apply to administrative professional (AP) employees during emergency closure periods:

When Required to Work

An employee who is required to work during the closure receives his or her regular rate of pay for work performed during the period of suspended operations. This policy applies whether the employee is required and authorized to come into the work site or works from home.

Note: A temporary telework arrangement is not required to accommodate work from home during a period of suspended operations, inclement weather, or emergency lasting less than a week. However, the employee must still have the supervisor’s prior approval to work from home during such a period (see also BPPM 60.34).

Overtime-eligible AP employees receive compensation for overtime worked during the closure in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (see BPPM 60.59).

When Not Required to Work

Administrative professional employees may:

  • Be allowed to use annual leave or personal holiday;
  • Request the use of leave without pay or compensatory time (if overtime-eligible);
  • For overtime-eligible employees, use sick leave when the employee’s place of business has been closed by order of a public official for any health-related reason, in accordance with RCW 49.46.210.
  • For overtime-ineligible (exempt) employees, use sick leave when the employee’s place of business has been closed by order of a public official for any health-related reason.
  • Use up to three days of sick leave per calendar year for absence due to suspended operations, emergency closure, or inclement weather after all other paid leave is exhausted; and
  • Be given an opportunity to reschedule work time lost as a result of suspended operations. Lost work time must be rescheduled and worked within the workweek. The amount of compensation earned for rescheduled work time must not exceed the amount of salary lost by the employee due to the period of suspended operations.

Faculty and Students

The administration determines the need to conduct missed classes and notifies faculty and students if, when, and where classes will be scheduled.

When Not Required to Work (Faculty Only)

Faculty who are not required to work may use annual leave or personal holiday, or may request to use leave without pay during suspended operations or emergency closure periods. Faculty who are not involved with classes account for hours not worked due to suspended operations or emergency closures in the same manner as faculty who have classes.

Faculty who accrue sick leave may:

  • Use sick leave when the employee’s place of business has been closed by order of a public official for any health-related reason.
  • Use up to three days of sick leave per calendar year for absence due to suspended operations or emergency closure after all other paid leave is exhausted.

When Required to Work (Faculty Only)

A faculty employee who is required to work during the closure receives his or her regular rate of pay for work performed during the period of suspended operations. This policy applies whether the employee is required and authorized to come into the work site or works from home.

Note: A temporary telework arrangement is not required to accommodate work from home during a period of suspended operations, inclement weather, or emergency lasting less than a week. However, the faculty employee must still have her or his supervisor’s prior approval to work from home during such a period (see also BPPM 60.34).

Emergencies Under Extraordinary Circumstances

When the President, or the President’s designee, determines that an emergency is of an extraordinarily severe or extended nature, the President, or the President’s designee, may authorize measures to mitigate the impact of the operational suspension on faculty and staff not required to be at work, and to support the faculty and staff who perform essential services and are required to report to work.

Such actions may include, but are not limited to, authorizing exceptional compensation or leave practices or other actions that the President, or the President’s designee, determines are necessary in order to provide for adequate staffing and retention of employees, and to sustain or restore University operations.

Suspension Longer than Fifteen Calendar Days

For civil service employees, a period of suspended operations must not exceed 15 calendar days without approval from the Director of the Office of the State Human Resources Director. (WAC 357-31-280)

December Closure

The end of the calendar year closure (“December Holiday Reduced Operations”) is not a period of suspended operations or emergency closure (see the BPPM 60.76).

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Revisions:  March 2020 (Rev. 544); Jan. 2013 (Rev 409); Dec. 2008 (Rev 332); Aug. 2006 (Rev 285); July 2005 (Rev 262); Aug. 2001 (Rev 194); Nov. 1986 (Rev. 65); Sept. 1984 (Rev. 57); May 1977 – new policy (Rev 17).