Oct 06, 2024  
2024-2025 Employee Handbook 
    
2024-2025 Employee Handbook

Employment Guidelines



Nepotism

The college shall not permit a full-time employee to work in a direct supervisory-subordinate relationship with a relative or member of the same household or economic unit. For additional information on this subject, refer to Board Policy 6.20 - Nepotism. This rule pertains to full-time employees only. Part-time employees and adjunct instructors may be employed with the approval of an appropriate supervisor above the level where the direct or indirect supervision exists. In each case where a relative is approved for part-time employment, the approving supervisor will perform all evaluations.

For this purpose, family member or relative is defined as spouse, parents or stepparents, children or stepchildren, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother or half-sister or their spouses. Persons living together shall be considered to be in the same household or economic unit.

Relationships Between Employees/Students and Supervisors/Employees

College of Central Florida is committed to fostering an educational climate characterized by professional and ethical behavior free of discrimination and conflict of interests. Amorous relationships between employees and other persons within the college community may impair or undermine the learning and work environments when the relationship is based on unequal authority or power, and when one person in the relationship is evaluating the other. Accordingly, it is the policy of College of Central Florida that an employee shall not engage in an amorous relationship with another person within the college community over whom the employee exercises authority, or educational or professional responsibility. Violation of this policy where an employee and student are involved will be reported, investigated and resolved according to the procedures established in the Student Grievance Procedure.

Violation of this policy where a supervisor and an employee are involved will be resolved according to the procedures established in the Discrimination and Harassment Grievance for Employees. Employees found to have violated this policy are subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal, in accordance with established policies.

For the purpose of this policy, “amorous relationship” is defined as a consensual relationship of a romantic or sexual nature between a college employee and another person within the college community.

Immigration Law Compliance

College of Central Florida utilizes the E-Verify employment verification service. To comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, each new employee, as a condition of employment, must complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 and present documentation establishing identity and employment eligibility.

Employees with questions or seeking more information on immigration law issues are encouraged to contact the Human Resources Office. Employees may raise questions or complaints about immigration law compliance without fear of reprisal.

CF is committed to employing only United States citizens and aliens who are authorized to work in the U.S. who are 18 years of age or older, and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of citizenship or national origin.

Recruitment

The college has expanded and intensified its efforts to find the best-qualified persons for vacant positions and is committed to maintaining a diverse workforce. Vacancies for administrative, career, professional, technology and faculty positions may be advertised in a variety of locations, including but not limited to the following: Department of Education’s job listing, professional magazines published for specific groups, online job boards, and major newspapers and magazines both locally and nationally. Announcements may also be sent to the Florida College System, local school boards, and state universities. CF also utilizes the college website for job postings: www.CF.edu/Jobs.

Outside Employment

Outside employment that constitutes a conflict of interest is prohibited for employees per Board Policy 6.03 - Outside Employment and Consulting Services. Employees may not receive any income or material gain from individuals outside CF for materials produced or services rendered while performing their jobs at the college. A Notification of Engagement in Outside Employment should be completed and submitted to the Human Resources Office for placement in the employee’s personnel file. Obtain forms at Inside.CF.edu/forms, under Human Resources.

Outside, full-time employment is not permitted for full-time employees. Otherwise, employees may hold outside jobs as long as they meet the performance standards of their job with CF. All employees will be judged by the same performance standards and will be subject to CF’s scheduling demands, regardless of any existing outside work requirements.

If CF determines that an employee’s outside work interferes with performance or the ability to meet the requirements of CF as they are modified, the employee may be asked to terminate the outside employment if they wish to remain with the college.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests

Disability Accommodations

CF is committed to complying fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensuring equal opportunity in employment and services for qualified persons with disabilities.

All employment practices and activities are conducted on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodation is available to all disabled employees when their disability affects the performance of job functions. All employment decisions are based on merit in accordance with defined criteria, not an individual’s disability.

Employees may consult the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for Employees or Human Resources for further information on requesting or processing a request for reasonable accommodation. Applicants may request a reasonable accommodation from Human Resources, or other individuals involved in the hiring process.

Religious Accommodations

College of Central Florida respects the religious beliefs and practices of all employees and will make, on request, an accommodation for such observances when a reasonable accommodation is available that does not create an undue hardship on business operations. An employee who seeks a religious accommodation must submit a written request for the accommodation to their immediate supervisor. The written request will include the type of religious conflict that exists and the employee’s suggested accommodation. The employee may appeal adverse decisions following CF’s general grievance policy and procedure.

Lactation Accommodation

Upon returning to work after the birth of a child, nursing mothers may request an area to express (pump) breastmilk in the workplace during normal business hours. The employee is responsible for requesting appropriate arrangements with their supervisor to ensure that normal business activities are not severely disrupted and their assigned tasks are completed as expected. Supervisors should consult with the Title IX Coordinator in order to ensure appropriate accommodations are put in place. Supervisors should assist in providing a positive atmosphere supportive of breastfeeding mothers.

Working Days and Hours

The work year for all employees is defined as concurrent with the college’s fiscal year that begins at 12:01 a.m. on July 1 and ends at midnight on June 30 of the following year. Workdays for teaching faculty are published annually in the academic calendar. Workdays for administrators and other personnel are published annually in the administrative calendar. These calendars are approved by the District Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the president and can be located at Inside.CF.edu, under Calendars.

During a seven-day week, full-time administrators, counselors, librarians, other professional, technology and career service employees are required to work 37.5 hours. The majority of these employees work Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. There are varied time periods for librarians, maintenance, custodial and security staff, and some may have shorter weekday schedules in order to perform their duties on the weekend or in the evening.

Summer workweeks for full-time administrators, professionals and career service employees shall consist of a reduced work hours schedule to be performed Monday through Thursday. On an annual basis, the president shall establish the beginning and ending dates of summer workweeks.

Part-time employees should not work more than 25.0 hours per week. If a part-time employee works in more than one department, then the total hours worked each week between departments should not exceed 25.0 hours per week. Student employees should not work more than 15 hours per week. It is college procedure that all part-time employees must take a lunch break after more than 5 hours of work. For questions regarding work hours for part-time employees, contact the payroll office at 352-854-2322, ext. 1267.

An employee’s work schedule will be determined by the employee and his or her supervisor. Due to the nature of business in certain offices, a number of employees are required to work flexible schedules that may differ from those of their co-workers.

Overtime

Only full-time employees classified as non-exempt are eligible for overtime compensation. The classifications are established based on specific federal guidelines. If an employee has a question about the classification of their position, they may review their job description online at www.CF.edu/hr.

College policy defines a workweek as 37.5 hours for all non-exempt employees. According to policy, a workweek can be scheduled for any period between 12:01 a.m. on Sunday and 12 a.m. (midnight) on Saturday.

Overtime must be approved in advance. It is the policy of CF that overtime work be limited to urgent needs or requirements that cannot be satisfactorily handled in another manner. Only the president can authorize overtime pay. For approved overtime, non-exempt employees are paid at the employee’s regular hourly rate for any time worked between 37.5 hours and 40 hours during a workweek. Employees who work more than 40 hours in a workweek are eligible for overtime pay (time-and-a-half) for hours worked above 40.

Supervisors should make it clear how their employees will be compensated before asking employees to work additional hours. Time records must be kept of such activity. Supervisors have no authority to promise nor should employees expect to receive overtime compensation at the college without direct prior approval from the president. Hours worked beyond 37.5 are to be reported on the Extra Duty Report form available from the Payroll Office or at Inside.CF.edu/forms, under Payroll.

Employees on a flexible schedule (different hours each day) or who work during a weekend are not eligible for overtime pay unless the scheduled work hours exceed 37.5. For example, non-exempt employees on a four-day workweek do not receive premium pay just because their scheduled workday is more than 9 hours.

Occasionally, the employee may request the supervisor to modify the employee’s schedule or departmental needs may require a temporary change of the schedule. In such cases, the modified schedule must not exceed the regularly scheduled hours for the employee.

Flexible Scheduling

Flexible scheduling is the temporary rearranging of a full-time employee’s work schedule to accommodate needs in the department. Flexible scheduling options do not include options for telework. Work performed under flexible schedule arrangements must occur on campus.   

  • Either supervisor or employee may initiate a flexible schedule request. If the request is initiated by the supervisor, the employee must agree to work the changed hours if the reason for the change is a condition of employment.
  • The department supervisor must assess the impact of flexible scheduling in terms of production, quality and absenteeism and is responsible for identifying if flexible scheduling is workable within the department.
  • The change in schedule must accommodate the needs of the department. Employees will be considered for flexible scheduling on a case-by-case basis in situations where creative work schedules have been shown to accomplish both work and personal goals, to provide coverage for individual department operations and to serve CF as a whole with increased productivity at no expense to quality output.
  • Scheduling an employee for a flexible workweek must be done in advance.
  • In order for a flexible work schedule to be approved, the employee must have a satisfactory attendance record, meet all performance expectations in his or her current role and consistently demonstrate the ability to complete tasks and assignments on a timely basis.
  • The nature of the employee’s work and responsibilities must be conducive to a flexible schedule without causing significant disruption to performance and/or service delivery.
  • Upon approval of a flexible work schedule, a six-month trial period will apply to assess the impact and effectiveness of the arrangement. After successful completion of the trial period, the work arrangement will be reviewed at least annually thereafter to ensure continued success. 
  • Approval of the president is not required for flexible scheduling that does not exceed 37.5 hours. The arrangement may be canceled for any reason by the department. An employee wishing to change or cancel a flexible schedule arrangement must obtain written approval from his or her supervisor.
  • The schedule must not exceed 37.5 work hours during a calendar week unless the supervisor has requested and received approval from the president for overtime pay for the additional hours.
  • If the employee is scheduled to be off from work during the early part of the week and is not able to work the “make-up” hours during the latter part of the week, the employee must take leave for the hours not worked during the week.
  • If the employee fails to comply with the Flexible Work Schedule procedure, the employee will be returned to the standard work schedule for the department and may be subject to disciplinary action.
  • Flexible scheduling arrangements are not appropriate for all employees or positions and are not a universal employee benefit.

Any employee with questions should contact the Human Resources Office or the Office of Administration and Finance. For additional information on this subject, refer to Administrative Procedure for Flexible Scheduling.

Supplemental Contracts

Supplemental contracts are provided to instructors and other eligible personnel when work is performed beyond their basic contract. These added responsibilities may include a teaching overload, serving as a division dean, or performing other supplemental duties as outlined in District Board of Trustees policies. Rates for these assignments are established annually in the salary schedules or set by the college president for a temporary period of time. Part-time employees are not eligible for supplemental contracts.

Work performed as part of a supplemental contract should not begin until the request is approved by the president. The Agreement for Supplemental Duties request form can be found on the intranet, www.inside.cf.edu, under Forms.