Compensation

Regular full-time staff positions are anticipated to last for a period of more than six months and are generally scheduled for 40 hours per workweek.

Regular part-time staff positions are anticipated to last for at least one fiscal year and are scheduled for more than 14 and fewer than 40 hours per workweek.

Staff members filling regular positions are eligible for employee benefits, which may be prorated on the basis of the number of hours they are scheduled to work per workweek.

Individuals should have one primary affiliation with the university, as a student or staff member. As a student, the priority is on the education and knowledge the university is providing; therefore, individuals may not hold a student employment position while being hired into a full or part-time benefited staff position.

The university classifies its regular staff positions, including research positions, based on the type of work and the level of work performed in the job. All regular staff positions at the university are systematically arranged within a job classification structure referred to as The Career Path Program. Career Path does not apply to temporary non-student staff positions. Each classification is comprised of a job family, a subfamily, a career stream, and a level.

The Career Path Program provides a logical and consistent method for ensuring that similar roles are assigned salary ranges based upon appropriate, well matched internal and market considerations.

The Career Path section of the Human Resource Management and Development site provides detailed information that may assist in your understanding of and preparation for future opportunities and/or career advancement at the university.

Questions regarding the Career Path should be directed to managers and/or Human Resource Business Partners.

GW’s internal progressive promotion program fosters the career progression of current employees through internal promotional opportunities. Where a vacancy exists, or becomes available, managers may identify and promote staff within their same department or unit who have demonstrated the skills, ability, and performance level to be successful in a higher level position. This streamlined promotion process is designed to develop career growth at the university and to recognize and reward staff who are stepping up to the next level. For more details, please refer to the program’s eligibility requirements and procedural guidelines.

At the time of hire, staff members are assigned a job classification within the Career Path Program, which determines the requirements for time reporting and overtime pay.

The university is obligated by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) law to define jobs as exempt or nonexempt. Exempt employees, such as executive, professional, and supervisory personnel, are expected to fulfill their responsibilities on an ongoing basis and are compensated for the duties they perform, not the hours they work. Exempt positions are not eligible to receive overtime pay and are not subject to other provisions of the FLSA.

Nonexempt employees, who are covered by the FLSA, are paid on an hourly basis. These employees are entitled to receive overtime pay (pay for any work done in excess of 40 hours in one workweek), for which a record of actual hours worked must be maintained.

All employees are advised of their employment classification at the time of hire. Staff in nonexempt positions are entitled to compensation for all time worked. Time worked by nonexempt staff in excess of 40 hours in any workweek is considered overtime and will be compensated at the rate of 1.5 times the regular hourly rate for actual hours worked.

As noted above, some employees are entitled to overtime pay, that is, pay for any work done in excess of 40 hours per workweek. Your manager must authorize overtime before you work overtime. If you have questions about your eligibility or payment for overtime, consult your manager or Human Resource Business Partner.

Nonexempt staff members are expected to document all time worked using the university’s time reporting system.

In making pay calculations for employees who are paid biweekly, the university annualizes salaries based on a work year composed of 2088 hours. In years with fewer or more hours of work, an employee who is paid biweekly will receive one day less or one day more of pay.

Nonexempt staff are paid on a biweekly basis and exempt staff are generally paid on a monthly basis.

The university generally maintains a standard 40-hour workweek.

The workweek begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. Hours of work are set by individual departments to address their particular operational and service needs. Hours worked in the workweek include time required to be on duty, on the premises, or at any other required place of work. Managers are responsible for establishing arrival and departure times and a meal period within the daily schedule.

A bona fide meal period is an authorized period of time during the workday when you are completely free from duties. The university provides for bona fide meal periods of from 30 to 60 minutes, based on individual departmental needs.

Time provided for bona fide meal periods is not paid time.

For regular part-time employees, a meal period may not be appropriate, depending on the arrival and departure times as well as the number of hours scheduled on a particular day.

It is important that time records are accurate. Inaccurate records can lead to loss of pay or errors in calculation that may take time to resolve. The university's Time Reporting System (TRS) is used to collect, manage and report time electronically.

The Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS) is part of the TRS and is connected to the university's telephone system. Nonexempt staff members use this system to document their arrival and departure times. Find instructions for using the TRS on the Payroll website.

As noted, some employees are entitled to overtime pay, that is, pay for any work done in excess of 40 hours per workweek. Your manager must authorize overtime before you work overtime. If you have questions about your eligibility for overtime, consult your manager or contact the Human Resource Business Partner for your unit.

In general, individuals in exempt positions are not entitled to compensatory time. 
FLSA exempt employees are accountable and compensated for their performance outcomes, unlike FLSA non-exempt employees which are compensated for time worked on an hourly basis.

Exempt employees may put in some time and effort beyond the university’s standard business hours in order to fulfill the expectations of their role. However, there may be situations where a department experiences an atypical and exceptional circumstance where an exempt employee must commit extraordinary time and effort beyond the employee’s typical work schedule to meet business needs. In these rare circumstances, managers may consider extending scheduling flexibility to account for these situations on a one-off basis. Scheduling flexibility in these instances is at the discretion of the manager and is not guaranteed, prescribed, or tracked.

Managers are encouraged to consider the options below in lieu compensatory time:

• Evaluate the workload – If the employee is working beyond the standard business hours frequently there may be a need for additional support on that team.
• Consider rewarding a Bonus – A bonus can be awarded for performance (for example, if this was an exceptional year for project or event work performed by exempt staff beyond the scope of their regular job duties).
• Exempt time off - Allow the employee to take time off that does not count against their accrued time off. This is used as an effort to show appreciation for exempt employees who work hours in excess of standard business hours. This is not something HRMD can approve or manage, but is within your role as manager to determine. Be aware of any precedent you may set with regards to fairness in the application of this exempt time off. Note that the amount of exempt time off provided cannot be an hour-to-hour match of the employee’s additional effort but rather should be an acknowledgement of the employee’s willingness to go above and beyond.
• Allow the employee to flex time as needed in the future when large events or projects requiring extra time are planned.

Staff members are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit. When you have opted into direct deposit, the university electronically transfers money from its account to an account that you designate. On or before payday, you will receive verification of the transfer from the university. This verification contains information about gross pay, deductions from pay, and other important data. You should keep this verification for your records.

For those who do not opt into direct deposit, paychecks will be mailed.

Occasionally, problems arise concerning paychecks that may be lost in the mail or misplaced before you receive them. If this occurs, the Payroll Office can provide you with a Stop Payment Request Form, which should be submitted immediately.

By arranging for direct deposit, you can avoid this issue. Other questions regarding receipt of paychecks and deductions may be directed to the Payroll Office at [email protected].

Staff members are responsible for ensuring that the university is repaid in a timely manner for any wages, salary, or other compensation received from the university to which they were not entitled ("Overpayment").

Promptly notifying your manager and the Payroll Office ([email protected]) of the issue is strongly encouraged in order to assist in identifying a plan for repayment. Failure to repay an overpayment may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.