Section: Human Resources

Area: General

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1. PURPOSE

1.1. This administrative memorandum provides direction for scheduling work and work locations to accomplish service goals and operational efficiency.  Texas Government Code, Section 658.002 has set provisions regarding the working hours for full-time salaried state employees that apply to faculty and staff.  Texas Government Code, Section 658.010 has provisions regarding where work can be performed by state employees that apply to faculty and staff.  Texas Education Code, Section 51.992 has provisions regarding telework that apply to faculty and staff.  

1.2. This policy supports federal and State of Texas law and applies to all employees of the University of Houston System, and its Universities, including faculty and staff.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1. Faculty Member:  A person who is employed by the University of Houston System or one of its Universities as a member of the faculty or staff and whose duties include teaching, research, administration, including professional librarians, or the performance of professional services.

2.2. Staff:  An administrative employee who is a non-Faculty Member.  

2.3. FTE:  An abbreviation for full-time equivalency that refers to a percentage of time and effort for a position.  One hundred percent or l.00 FTE means full time or 40 hours per week; 50 percent or .50 FTE means half time or 20 hours per week, etc.

2.4. Modified Work Schedule:  An optional work schedule in which the employee works the regular number of weekly hours (based on 40 hours) on a time schedule other than the regular 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday hours. 

2.5. Telework:  A work arrangement that allows an employee to conduct on a regular basis all or some institutional business at a place other than the employee's regular or assigned temporary place of employment during all or a portion of the employee's established work hours.

3. POLICY

3.1. Management is responsible for the enforcement of this policy and for ensuring that decisions regarding work schedules, work locations, and work privileges are fair and equitable.  The policy of the University of Houston System and its Universities is to ensure equal opportunity in all its educational programs and activities, and all terms and conditions of employment without regard to age, race, color, disability, religion, national origin, ethnicity, military status, genetic information, sex (including gender and pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or status, or gender expression, except where such a distinction is required by law.  For the UH System’s Official Non-Discrimination Statement, see SAM.01.D.05 – Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Statement.

3.2. Hours of Work

3.2.1. Full-time hourly and salaried employees are required to work a minimum of 40 hours per week unless in paid leave status.  

3.2.2. Part-time and temporary employees are expected to work those hours designated by the employing department as necessary to fulfill the requirements of their position.  Such hours of work shall be consistent with the FTE of the position.

3.2.3. The normal office hours of the Universities and System shall be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday as documented in Texas Government Code, Section 658.005.  These shall be the regular hours of work for full-time salaried employees, however the work schedules of employees depending on their positions and departments may be adjusted as necessary to provide maximum operational efficiency as well as to ensure employees are best able to accomplish their essential job duties and responsibilities in furtherance of the mission of the System and their respective Universities.

As classroom instruction and research does not always follow an 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule, work hours will vary depending on the situation and those hours are included in the 40 hour work week requirement.  When the respective University President or designee deems it necessary or advisable, offices may be kept open during other hours and on other days, but the time worked under this provision counts towards the required 40 hours per week.

3.2.4. Depending on the circumstances, an employee may be able to work a compressed workweek where the traditional 40-hour work week is scheduled into fewer than five full days by adjusting the number of hours worked per day.  An example of a compressed schedule is working four ten-hour days with one full day off each week.  A compressed workweek requires approval as delegated by the responsible Vice President.

Additionally, depending on the circumstances, an employee may be able to work a Modified Work Schedule with variable arrival, departure and/or lunch times.  It is typically designed to enable employees to come in earlier or leave later than the organization's normal hours of operation.  This approach enables the department to ensure necessary office coverage, customer service, and staff interactions are maintained during the core hours.  A modified work schedule requires approval as delegated by the responsible Vice President.

3.2.5. Employees may be asked to work more than normal hours when operational needs demand it.  Overtime work for non-exempt employees must be authorized in advance by the appropriate business administrator(s), director, and/or department chairperson. Working unauthorized overtime may subject a non-exempt employee to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.  Exempt employees are not eligible to receive overtime pay. 

3.2.6. Texas Government Code, Section 658.005 requires the University to remain open during the noon hour each working day with at least one person on duty to accept calls, receive visitors, or transact business.

3.2.7. Texas Government Code, Section 658.008 requires that the work schedule of an employee who is a member of the National Guard or any reserve component of the Armed Forces must be adjusted so that two of the employee’s regular non-work days per month coincide with the two days of military duty to be performed by the employee.

3.3. Notice of Schedule Change

3.3.1. Some staff positions require more actual working hours than others, and the acceptance of such a requirement is a condition of employment for personnel employed in those positions.  Managers retain the right to schedule the work hours of their direct reports and to modify schedules as the needs of the department or University require.  Employees should receive reasonable notice when a department makes significant changes in work schedules. 

3.3.2. Some staff positions require that the employee be available for service during emergencies (i.e., “essential personnel”).  An employee who has been informed that their position is subject to emergency duty and subsequently fails to report when called for such duty may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination, unless the employee provides an acceptable reason for failure to report for duty.

3.4. Work Locations

3.4.1. Texas Government Code, Section 658.010 requires employees to conduct University-related work at their regular or assigned temporary place of employment unless one of the following conditions is met:

i. Travel:  The employee is traveling for University-related business; or

ii. Prior Authorization:  The employee has received prior written authorization from the responsible vice president to perform work elsewhere.

3.4.2. The regular or assigned temporary place of employment must be in the State of Texas and must be either at the University campus or reasonably close to the University campus.  Any assigned temporary place of employment authorized by the responsible vice president must be located in the State of Texas and must be reasonably close enough to the University campus so, if necessary, the employee can be physically present on campus on the same day as needed.

3.4.3. The Chancellor or President must approve any long-term alternate work location outside the State of Texas and approval will only be considered in cases where the employee’s essential job duties and responsibilities can only be accomplished by the employee working outside the State of Texas.

3.5. Telework

3.5.1. Notwithstanding Section 3.4 above, if one or more of the following applies, an employee may be allowed to Telework on a partial, temporary or permanent basis only if the employee:

i. has a temporary illness and is still able to work;

ii. has a temporary or permanent medical condition or disability requiring the institution to make a reasonable accommodation under state or federal law for the Telework;

iii. has only shared office space available and no other office space is reasonably available;

iv. is employed in a nonteaching position and:

1. has demonstrated the ability to work well with minimal supervision;

2. has a deep understanding of the employee's duties and responsibilities;

3. has demonstrated the ability to manage the employee's time;

4. has a record of thoroughly and efficiently accomplishing the employee's duties; and

5. is employed in a position that does not require the employee's day-to-day physical presence at the institution or in-person interaction with students, administration, or other employees;

v. is employed in a teaching position but is not a Faculty Member of the institution;

vi. is employed in a teaching position and is currently assigned to teach only a course or program that the institution has:

1. approved for remote instruction in accordance with the institution's academic oversight or faculty governance procedures; and

2. designated as:

a. distance education; or

b. a dual credit course or program provided by the institution;

vii. is employed as a Faculty Member and is on a temporary research assignment located off the institution's campus; 

viii. is employed as a Faculty Member who provides telehealth services as part of the employee's assigned clinical, research, or instructional duties; 

ix. is providing instruction for a dual credit course or program:

1. at the campus of a school district or open-enrollment charter school; or

2. is required for the course or program, by telework; or

x. experiences during the actual period of a catastrophe that, as determined by the institution's chief administrative officer or the officer's designee:

1. is an event that directly interferes with the employee's ability to work in person, such as:

a. a fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or wind, rain, or snow storm;

b. a power failure, technical breakdown, cyber attack, transportation failure, or interruption of communication facilities;

c. an epidemic; or

d. a riot, civil disturbance, or enemy attack or another actual or threatened act of lawlessness or violence

2. and the event either:

a. poses or may pose a danger to the employee's physical health or safety; or

b. prevents or may prevent the employee from performing the employee's assigned duties at the institution.

3.5.2. Positions eligible for 100% Telework must be classified as such by Human Resources and approved by the responsible Vice President.  Partial or temporary Telework must be approved by the responsible Vice President.

4. PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING APPROVAL FOR EXCEPTIONS TO NORMAL OPERATING AND/OR WORK HOURS

4.1. To meet their institutional service obligations, it may be necessary for certain University offices to be kept open or for staff to be available on call on a regular basis at times other than 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday. 

4.2. Similarly, in the interest of departmental efficiency, traffic, public safety, environmental concerns, or the approved work-related preferences of employees, management may desire to stagger working hours of their department personnel outside normal posted hours of operation. 

4.2.1. The work schedules of employees choosing modified work schedules require the prior written approval of the supervisor.  Where a department chooses a department-wide modified work schedule that deviates significantly from normal operating hours, the plan requires the additional approval of the University’s Human Resources Director.

4.2.2. Human Resources must be contacted to ensure that the 40-hours-per-week work standard will be followed.  They will provide direction for reporting leave and holiday time for employees with modified work schedules. 

4.3. Temporary changes in office hours do not require this formal approval process.  However, in such cases, sufficient notice should be provided to alert students, faculty, staff, or outside public customers of service interruptions.

Issued: 11/04/1994
Last Reviewed/Revised: 08/23/2025
Responsible Office(s): Human Resources