1. Managing staff workload in the California State University

2. A presentation of the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)

3.  CSU non-academic staffing has remained flat over the past several years while enrollment and even campuses have increased  Furloughs have increased the pressure on staff to “do more with less”  Furloughs may be replaced with layoffs next year, increasing the pressure on remaining staff  Workload can effect everything from evaluations to promotion to discipline

4.  Difficulty with deadlines  Repeatedly reviewing priorities  Work out of classification  Irritability at work and home  Giving up on doing a good job  Poor relationships with boss and coworkers  Getting complaints

5.  Position Description  Classification  Assignment  Schedule  Evaluation

7.  The union contract requires that every employee has a position description (Article 17)  Consistent with classification  Regular duties of the position  Elements of the position description (HREO)  Description of regularly assigned duties  Percentages of time on each responsibility  Requirements (skills, certification, equipment)  Supervision  Physical and mental effort

8.  All duties must be included  “Other duties as assigned” legally means duties which are related in kind to the specific duties listed in the sections above  Percentages of time are listed  This establishes priorities  For non-exempt employees, this also translates into expected hours for each responsibility  Requirements are listed  If the job requires a new skill or certification, it is probably out-of-class work

9.  Supervision  Only one person is listed as the administrator, which means work must be assigned through that person  If you are a lead (even of students) the position description will list who reports to you  Effort  Physical and mental effort is listed  Changes must be listed (Article 17)  New duties must be reflected in a new position description at least seven days in advance

10. DO  Request a position description when you are hired  Request a position description change when your duties change  Work within your position description DON’T  Ignore whether or not you have a position description  Let duties accumulate without being added  Work outside of the classification or the hours (non-exempt)

12.  Classification Qualifications and Standards (CQS) are systemwide definitions  Types of duties  Skills, certification, and other requirements  Distinguishing characteristics from other classifications and skill levels  Position descriptions must be consistent with classification

13.  Assignment/reassignment (Article 17)  You must be paid when you temporarily work at a higher classification or skill level  Reassignments are documented in the personnel file  Reclassification (Article 9)  You must be reclassified when you permanently work at a higher classification or skill level  Management may remove duties to prevent reclassification (but the previous work must be paid under reassignment)

14. DO  Get a copy of your CQS from Human Resources or Chancellor’s Office website  Make sure your position description is consistent with the CQS  Make sure out-of-class work results in pay DON’T  Think that your position description is all that matters  Perform work out-of-class without documentation or pay

16.  The union contract allows an employee to request work instructions in writing (Article 17)  This can be used to document an assignment through management directions  CSUEU encourages employees to maintain a work log of their regular and special duties  This is can be used to document an assignment through a daily employee record

17.  What if the supervisor does not document new duties or special assignments?  Send your own email or memo to the supervisor memorializing the assignment (“This is to verify that I will be doing _____ per your request”)  You can ask for confirmation at the same time  Track the task in your work log anyway

18.  Date  Supervisor  Task  Time elapsed  Special requirements  Comments Work logs can be used to track workload, out- of-class assignments, overtime, etc. This documentation can be important for evaluations, reclasses, grievances, etc.

19. DO  Keep track of your assignments and document them regularly  Make sure assignments are given by the administrator (in your position description or written direction) DON’T  Lose track of what you are doing, adding new duties or doing special projects without any record  Expect your administrator to remember what you’ve done in the past or expect a reward (reclass, IRP, bonus) when there is no documentation

21. NON-EXEMPT  Employees receive a fixed work schedule  Employees are paid on an hourly basis  Employees receive overtime for work over 40 hours in a week EXEMPT  Employees work by task rather than schedule  Employees are paid on a salary (monthly) basis  Employees do not receive overtime for work over 40 hours in a week

22.  Monday – Friday  8 hours per day  Set hours for start, stop, breaks, lunch  Overtime for hours over 40 in a week  Overtime payment in cash or CTO  Call back (overtime rate) if brought back to work on a different schedule or day (Articles 18 and 19)

23. DO  Know your work schedule  Work the set hours – start and stop as indicated, take your breaks and lunch  Get paid for extra hours  Longer days get paid overtime if they are over 40 in a week  Called in at different hours not consecutive with your schedule guarantees you at least 3 hours of paid call-back time (even if under 40 hours/week) DON’T  Work through breaks or lunch without pay  Come in early or stay late without pay  Take jobs home and work without pay  Make “informal” overtime arrangements  Flex your days to work a different schedule than authorized to avoid overtime All of these are illegal!

24.  Focused on tasks rather than hours  Example – “Maintain lab” or “Provide IT support”  Most time is flexible although there may be some fixed times for meetings or essential tasks  Employee may start and stop at different times under own discretion to meet task deadlines

25.  Exempt employees are not paid for hours over 40 in a week  Employees must balance their time by taking time off after having worked extra hours  Employees are not charged leave for partial day absences  During a furlough week, Exempt employees become Non-Exempt  In non-furlough weeks, Exempt employees are not supposed to have workload increases to make up for lost time during the furlough week

26. DO  Keep track of task assignments and deadlines  Balance work peaks with time off later (and let your supervisor know)  Attend fixed meeting dates and times DON’T  Report on the basis of a fixed work schedule  Take time off if you haven’t met the deadlines  Work extra hours in furlough weeks without pay  Work extra hours in non- furlough weeks to make up for deferred work earlier

28.  Evaluations are based on position descriptions  Must reflect assigned duties  Changes in duties are listed  Evaluation are a dialogue between the employee and the supervisor  Workload expectations  Performance peaks and valleys  Evaluations may include rebuttals  Significant workload issues can be documented

29. DO  Keep track of your successes over the year in your work log  If you have a problem during the year, record it and the reasons why and mitigating factors  Insist that all duties are reflected in the evaluation DON’T  Count on your evaluation always being good or fair or accurate  Rely on the administrator to remember your successes  Hope your administrator forgets the problems

30.  All of the above can influence layoffs, even though they are based on seniority  Tie-Breaking ▪ When two or more employees are tied for layoff, management must consider only specialized skills, competency, and meritorious services  Presidential Exemption ▪ The President may exempt an employee from layoff if the employee possesses documentable specialized skills which are necessary for the program and not possessed by other employees

31.  Workload influences the decision of management to start layoff  Work speed-ups may precede layoff as a way of reorganizing the work for fewer employees  Workload influences the decision of management to call back employees from layoff  Work shortages may require hiring and jobs go to employees on the layoff list first

32. A STRONG UNION!!!  Our union contract regulates hiring, firing, layoff, assignment, etc.  We have the right to negotiate on the impact of budget cuts  We have stewards and union staff to advise and protect employees  Working together, employees can organize to influence legislators, presidents, and the public

33.  Employees are not automatically members of the Union  If you have not signed a membership card, you are paying fees – you are a fee payer and not a member  Signing a card gives you the right to vote on contracts, get representation in discipline, and enjoy group benefits and insurance  Union membership is less than 25 cents/month

34. University staff keep the University running…