Payroll Policies

Purpose: It is the policy of Willamette University to comply with state and federal laws regarding compensation, including but not limited to overtime, and meal and rest periods.

Definitions:

Exempt Employee - means an employee is exempt from overtime because they meet the criteria for classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Nonexempt Employee - means an employee who is not exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standard Act and is entitled to overtime pay for all hours worked beyond 40 in a work week.

Policy:

1. Meal Periods are a requirement of law for Nonexempt Employees and must comply with the following:
   1. Meal periods are unpaid.
   2. Employees scheduled to work a minimum of six hours will have a scheduled meal period of no less than 30 minutes and no longer than 60 minutes.The meal period should fall approximately midway in the employee’s daily work schedule.  A 60 minute lunch period is assumed for all Nonexempt Employees working 8am to 5pm office hours.
   3. The scheduling of meal periods may, on occasion, be altered due to work and service requirements of the department, but must generally be consistent with subsection b above.
   4. Meal periods may not be skipped to cover a staff member's late arrival or early departure.

1. Rest Periods are a requirement of law for Nonexempt Employees and must comply with the following:
   1. Rest periods are included as paid work time and are to be  provided for every segment of four (4) hours, or major portion thereof, and be no less than ten (10) minutes. Rest periods should not exceed twenty (20) minutes, including travel time to and from the break location.
   2. Rest periods should be scheduled in the middle of the work period. 
   3. The scheduling of rest periods may, on occasion, be altered due to work and service requirements of the department, but must generally be consistent with the above.
   4. Rest periods may not be skipped to cover a staff member's late arrival or early departure or to extend a meal period. 
   5. Rest period time cannot be accumulated to provide for a prolonged rest period later or on the same day. 

1. Overtime is expected of all employees when the needs of the University require it and must comply with the following:
   1. Nonexempt Employees will be compensated for their overtime hours at a rate of time-and-one-half for any work performed in excess of 40 hours in a given week.  Nonexempt Employees must record all hours worked, including overtime hours. Exempt Employees do not receive compensation for working in excess of expected office hours.
   2. Overtime for Nonexempt Employees must be pre-approved by the employee’s manager and is reserved for peak periods, special projects, and emergencies. Nonexempt Employees working unauthorized overtime may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, but must report the overtime hours worked to Payroll.  Failure to report overtime may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.
   3. A workday is defined as a period of 24-consecutive hours, commencing with the beginning of the employee's regularly scheduled work shift.
   4. If an employee is absent during the workweek using earned paid time, i.e. sick time, vacation time, jury duty, bereavement leave, appointment time or a holiday, this time will be considered as time worked for the purposes of calculating overtime compensation.
   5. If a Nonexempt Employee has worked extra hours on one day of the workweek, the supervisor may give an equal amount of time off on another day within the same workweek to prevent use of overtime for the workweek. However, Nonexempt Employees may not be provided  with "comp time" in a separate workweek to offset overtime worked in a prior week.

1. On-Call Time - Certain positions on campus may be required to be on-call as a function of their job duties. Employees who are scheduled to be on call are able to to use their time for their own purposes but should be available to return a call within 15 minutes. Nonexempt employees will be paid for any time that is used responding to a call.  If a Nonexempt employee has a frequency of calls that does not allow them to use their time for their own purposes during an on-call shift, the employee will be paid for the time they waited for calls.
2. Emergency Call Backs - Nonexempt Employees who have completed their regular shift, left the University premises, and without prior notice are required to return to the university and work, other than a continuation of their regular work shift, will receive a minimum of two (2) hours pay at time and one-half. In addition, actual travel time from home to campus will be paid for emergency callbacks.
3. Positions scheduled to work less than 12 months - Due to the nature of the work, as part of their regular schedule, some staff positions may only be required to work during certain months of the year. For these staff, the following will apply:
   1. Employees who work less than 12 months are only paid during the months they work. 
   2. During the scheduled month(s) off, benefits will remain in force for eligible employees.  Employees are responsible for the employee portion of premium(s), and must make arrangements with Payroll.  Employees who do not return to paid status may be required to reimburse the university for the full cost of their premiums.  
   3. Employees do not receive pay for holiday or university closure days during their scheduled time off period.
   4. Employees do not accrue vacation or sick leave during their scheduled time off. 

Effective Date: October 29, 2025
Responsible Person/Primary Contact: AVP for Human Resources

Responsible University Office: Human Resources