Manage Work Time

Timesheets

Full-time Officers do not submit timesheets. However, Officers are required to maintain a record of days off.

2023-2024 Tracking Time-off Forms:

Note: Since there is now only one University holidays calendar, there is a universal time-off-tracker for full-time and part-time officers.

2022-2023 Tracking Time-off Forms:

Timesheet

Hourly Officers Record of Hours Worked form

Pay Schedule

Hourly Officers are paid on a bi-weekly payroll schedule.

Non-Exempt

Hourly Officers are Officers of Research, Officers of the Libraries or Officers of Administration are categorized as non-exempt because they earn less than the applicable salary threshold by Federal regulation under the FLSA, or State regulation under the New York State Wage Orders. For more details, see Overtime Pay for Hourly Officers. 

Record of Hours Worked

  • A record of hours worked must be completed and submitted in accordance with your department’s process on a bi-weekly basis. The timesheet is available in the sidebar under Related Documents.

  • If you anticipate needing to work in excess of your standard hours, you must first obtain approval from your Principal Investigator or Chair or Director of the Institute or Center (Officers of Research) or your manager (Officers of the Libraries and Officers of Administration).

  • If you work more than your standard weekly hours, you are entitled to be compensated for all hours worked. Any hours between your standard hours and 40 will be paid at your regular hourly rate. Any hours in excess of 40 in a week will be compensated at the rate of one-and-one-half times your regular rate.

Attendance

The regular workday for most support staff is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding a one-hour period. This schedule results in a 35-hour week.

Service and maintenance employees and certain other employees have different work hours. Certain offices and departments, because of the nature of their operation, may require different work schedules. Specific schedules and changes should be discussed with your supervisor.

If your school uses the Time & Labor and Absence Management (TLAM) system —you can submit time and absence requests online via MyColumbia:

  • Log in to MyColumbia
  • Choose the "Faculty and Staff" Tab
  • Scroll to the "PAC Time and Absence" box
  • Choose the links to submit timesheets or absence requests

 

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA)

The University offers Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA), including Telecommuting, Flextime and the Nine, 10, and 11-Month employment programs so that staff may better manage their personal and professional lives.

Flexible work arrangements also support Columbia’s sustainability goals through reduced emissions, parking and traffic congestion associated from commute travel, particularly from affiliates who live in locations without good access to transit and have a driving commute.

All formal flexible work arrangements must be approved by the department in advance and must allow the department to meet its business needs and operational goals.  

To request a flexible work arrangement, first complete a FWA Proposal Form and submit it to your manager for consideration. Your proposal will go through an evaluation process on its merits.

Guidelines for Initiating a FWA

To request a flexible work arrangement (FWA), a staff member must complete a FWA proposal and submit it to the manager for consideration. Each staff-initiated proposal goes through the same process, as described below, and is evaluated on its own merits.

For more information, see the FWA Policy.

How to Propose a FWA

Staff interested in a FWA should prepare a clear, realistic proposal that includes a strong business rationale for the arrangement. Writing the proposal helps staff think through the issues from their own and other perspectives, and provides a document that staff and managers can use as a basis for discussion. By taking ownership of the process, the staff member has more control and a greater stake in the arrangement’s success.

Assess your readiness for a FWA. Review the guidelines and requirements, your job description and your tasks. Think about, and be prepared to answer questions on how such an arrangement would affect service delivery, deadlines, etc.

  • Complete the Flexible Work Arrangement Proposal Form and submit it to your direct supervisor.
     
  • Meet with your supervisor to discuss the proposal.
     
    • Modify the proposal after the discussion, if necessary.
       
  • Submit the final draft of the proposal to your supervisor.
     
  • Confirm benefits and payroll impact by calling the HR Benefits Service Center at 212-851-7000, or meeting with your departmental administrator or HR manager.
     
  • If the FWA is approved, work with your supervisor to develop an implementation plan.
     
  • Keep a final draft and signed copy of the proposal for your records.

Flextime options include:

  • Fixed starting and departure times
  • Starting and departure times that can vary daily
  • Variations in the length of the workday
  • Compressed work schedules
  • Customized work schedules
  • Part-time work
     

Staff may request a flextime arrangement or managers may restructure work schedules to create flextime opportunities. 

 

An Officer of Administration or Officer of the Libraries or Non-Union Support Staff member, in a regular full-time position may apply for the Nine-, Ten, or Eleven-Month Employment Program.

Under this program, salary is prorated based on the number of months the employee is scheduled to work: 

  • Employees are paid their salaries on their regular payroll cycles over a 12-month period
  • Full-time employment status and designated benefits continue for Eleven-month appointments
  • Benefits changes occur for Nine- and Ten-month appointments*
  • Vacation benefits and personal days are prorated based on vacation eligibility status
  • All other leaves of absence still apply (i.e. salary continuation-medical leave, parental leave, etc.)

This work arrangement may be considered by the department for a new or vacant full-time position.

The time away from work must be taken in 30-day increments, but not necessarily consecutive months.

Staff on a Nine-, Ten- or Eleven-Month Employment Program must work the minimum number of days described below, before taking the 30-, 60- or 90-day time off period:

  • Eleven-month program: One complete working month
  • Ten-month program: Two complete and consecutive working months
  • Nine-month program: Three complete and consecutive working months

Once a position has been designated a Nine-, Ten-, or Eleven-month position, it cannot be reverted to a regular 12-month position:

  • within a year of being filled, if it is a newly created or vacant  position; or
  • within a year of the date of agreement with an incumbent officer.

However, a position can be reverted if business or operational needs dictate such a change, as determined by management, with Human Resources approval.

*Staff in an Eleven-month employment program maintain full-time employment status and receive regular full-time benefits such as health insurance and vacation. Staff in a nine- or ten-month employment program maintain full-time employment status but certain benefits may be modified as per the benefits schedule. See the FWA Policy for more information.

Officers of Administration who are age 55 or over, have completed 10 years of service with the University, and are contemplating retirement may explore the possibility of a Phased Retirement in which your workload is gradually decreased instead of going immediately into full retirement. Please contact your department’s HR Manager for more information.