POSTING NOTICE. SUPPLEMENTS to this HANDBOOK are numbered consecutively by handbook and calendar year. Post by document name at the end of each chapter. Remove existing blue pages and replace with this supplement. Retain this transmittal as the first page of this document. The last Supplement to this handbook was R8 Supplement #2.

Superseded

Blue Pages (Number of Sheets)

21.32 1

22 thru 22.22--8 5

25.22 1

26 Thru 27.2 2

Supplements Covered

1, 5/86

2, 12/08/89

Document Name New Pages

6109.11,20 17

Digest:

21.32 - Reissues Guidance on Irregular, Unschedule Overtime.

22.2 - Updates Regional Alternative Work Schedules. Allows employee to work 5-4/9 and 4-10 Compressed Work Schedules.

MARVIN C. MEIER

Acting Regional Forester

21.3 - Irregular, Unscheduled Overtime

21.32 - For Purposes Other Than Fire . Managers/supervisors have the responsibility to analyze each work situation carefully and assure that the use of overtime is the most efficient and cost-effective way to accomplish a particular task. Do other viable alternatives exist? Are all employees in unit being fully utilized? Has leave been approved in same pay period that overtime is to be worked and did this create the need for overtime due to poor planning? These are only a few questions to consider before approving a request for overtime.

Scheduled hours of duty (including overtime) shall be limited to 12 hours per day. Emergency situations may require longer hours of duty but should be limited as practicable.

Overtime work must be approved in advance, unless precluded by emergency conditions, on form FS-6100-30, OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION. Authority to approve overtime is delegated to RO Directors, Forest Supervisors, Forest Manager and S&PF Field Representatives. This authority may be redelegated to District Rangers, CCC Directors and Forest Staff Officers.

The instructions for completing the overtime authorization form are supplemented as follows:

Block 6 - Proposed Schedule for Overtime Work. Identify hours of travel separate from actual work hours if travel time is being authorized for compensation.

Block 7 - Justification. Provide specific information. If travel is included, explain why the travel could not be performed during regular work hours. Explain in detail the event requiring the travel, e.g., purpose of meeting/training, title of training session, who is the sponsor (government, state, private, etc.). This information is needed to determine proper pay entitlement for the travel time.

Block 9 - Personnel Use Only. Prior to approving an overtime request that includes travel, unit must contact the Personnel Office to determine pay entitlement for the travel time.

22 - ESTABLISHMENT OF WORK SCHEDULES . The principal work schedules for use in the Regional Office are: 1) Standard Tour - Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; 2) Flexitours (see item #2); and 3) Alternative Work Schedules (FSH 22.2). Employees are automatically covered by the Standard 7:30-4:00 tour of duty unless a Flexitour or one of the Alternative Work schedules is requested and approved.

The immediate or higher level supervisor has the authority to approve tour requests for their subordinates. This delegation includes the authority to restrict any employee, or position, to the 7:30-4:00 tour or disapprove any employee's request for a tour change. The employee will be given a written explanation of any disapproval of a request for a tour change.

A tour change shall be effective only at the beginning of a pay period and cannot be approved retroactively. A request for a tour change must be submitted, in writing, prior to the proposed effective date. The employee shall receive written approval/disapproval of the request.

1. Standard Tour. Regional Office standard office hours for providing service to the public and field units are 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Directors shall ensure appropriate staff coverage during this time, therefore, it may be necessary to restrict incumbents of certain positions to the standard tour. Forests may establish standard office hours as appropriate.

2. Flexitours. Flexitours approved for use in Region 8 are:

30 Minute Lunch Break 45 Minute Lunch Break 60 Minute Lunch Break

6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 6:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. 6:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

6:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. 6:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 6:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 6:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 6:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

6:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 6:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 6:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 7:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

7:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. 7:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 7:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

7:45 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 7:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

8:15 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 8:15 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

8:45 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. 8:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 8:45 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.

9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 9:00 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

9:15 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. 9:15 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

(Lunch break shall be scheduled during the period 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

22.1 - Conditions Under Which Nonstandard Tours May Be Established. Two types of nonstandard tours are generally used: (1) a staggered tour, e.g. employee is scheduled to work 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Monday/ Tuesday and 12 noon - 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday/Thursday /Friday; and (2) a split shift tour, i.e., daily tour contains more than a 1 hour break between work shifts.

All nonstandard tours must be approved in writing by the official authorized to approve nonstandard tours (FSM 6104.1). Each request for a nonstandard tour must include the following--

--Name of employee, job title, series, grade, and position number;

--Proposed working schedule by hours of the day and days of the week;

--Justification for establishing a nonstandard tour; and

--Effective date requested (beginning of pay period) and proposed duration of tour.

A nonstandard tour may be changed to the unit's standard tour without prior approval; however, the approving office should be notified of the change. A nonstandard tour may not be changed to a different nonstandard tour without prior approval except in emergency situations. Employee shall receive written notice at least 10 days in advance of assignment to a new or different tour.

22.14 - Job Corps. Requests for approval of group tour schedules for employees with homogeneous duties at Civilian Conservation Centers should include all positions (occupied and vacant). For the purpose of establishing group schedules, the term "homogeneous duties" is intended to indicate employees in positions classified in the same series, but not necessarily at the same grade. Each request must include the following--

--Job title, series, grade, and position numbers;

--Proposed schedules by hours of the day and days of the week; and

--Justification for establishing the group schedule.

This does not preclude consideration of individual requests of AWS where it does not impact work requirements of the unit.

22.15 - Full-time Employees With Indefinite (First-Forty-Hour) Weekly Tours. Requests for a first-40 tour of duty must include the following--

--Name of employee, job title, series, grade, and position number;

--Days of week which will comprise employee's basic work week;

--Justification for establishing first-40 tour. Must clearly show that a scheduled tour of duty is impractical.

--Effective date and proposed duration of tour.

Issue a personnel action to change an employee to or from a first-40 tour and show the days of the week comprising the employee's basic workweek in the Remarks section.

22.16 - Less Than Full-Time Tours of Duty. Region 8 policy is to assign a tour of duty which will give an employee the maximum benefits and still meet the needs of the agency.

22.16b - Intermittent. Use intermittent tours only when it is impossible to establish any type of regular tour. If the supervisor can schedule an employee to work at least one day each week, the supervisor must give this employee a part-time tour. An alternating (WAE) schedule is appropriate when the work situation fluctuates between part-time and intermittent. Supervisors should prepare to work an intermittent employee a minimum of two hours when management instructs the employee to report for duty. The supervisor must assign an employee at least two hours of constructive work when the employee cannot perform outdoor duties because of inclement weather.

22.2 - Alternative Work Schedules Region 8 shall utilize the flexible work schedules and the compressed (fixed) work schedules.

22.22 - Variable Day, Variable Week, and Maxiflex Schedules Guidelines.

Flexible schedules encompass:

1. Variable Day: A flexible schedule. An employee may vary the length of the workday daily. An employee must work /account for 10 days per pay period. Employee must work/ account for at least 40 hours per workweek and 80 hours per pay period. An employee must account for core time on each workday (i.e. 5 days each week). A Full-time employee is entitled to receive pay for 8 hours on a holiday. A part-time employee is entitled to receive pay for the number of hours scheduled to work on a holiday. Employee may not elect to work on a holiday and take an alternative "holiday" off on a different day of the week. An employee can carryover credit hours from one pay period to the next up to 24 hours.

2. Variable Week: A flexible schedule . An employee may vary the length of the work week as well as the workday daily. An employee must work/account for 10 days per pay period. Employee must work/account for at least 80 hours per pay period. Employee must account for core time on each workday. An employee can carryover credit hours from one pay period to the next up to 24 hours. The maximum number of credit hours at the end of any pay period is 24. A Full-time employee is entitled to receive pay for 8 hours on a holiday. A part-time employee is entitled to receive pay for the number of hours scheduled to work on a holiday. Employee may not elect to work on a holiday and take an alternative "holiday" off on a different day of the week.

3. Maxiflex: A flexible schedule . An employee may vary the length of the work week as well as the workday daily. An employee may vary the number of hours per day and the number of days per week. An employee must work at least 4 days per week. An employee must work at least 80 hours per pay period. An employee must work established core time for at least four days each week. An employee can carry over a maximum for 24 credit hours from one pay period to the next. A Full-time employee relieved from working on a day designated as a holiday is entitled to receive pay for 8 hours on a holiday. A part-time employee relieved from working on a day designated as a holiday is entitled to receive pay for the number of hours scheduled to work on a holiday. An employee may not elect to work on a holiday and take an alternative "holiday" off on a different day of the week. See Exhibit 01 for the Maxiflex Work Schedules.

22.23 - Compressed Schedules Guidelines

1. 5-4/9 Compressed Schedule: See 22.23 - Exhibit 02 for the Compressed Work Schedules. A fixed scheduled tour of duty consisting of eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day a pay period. An employee schedules the short day and day off with his/her supervisor. An employee on a compressed schedule may not work under a varible day, variable week or maxiflex schedule while on a compressed tour. An employee on a compressed schedule can not work credit hours. Core time deviation or any other deviation from the scheduled tour of duty does not apply. Any period of absence from the preapproved tour must be charged to the appropriate leave category: annual, sick, leave without pay or absent without leave (AL, SL, LWOP or AWOL). A Full-time employee is entitled to receive pay for the number of hours scheduled to work for that day, including holidays. When a full-time employee has 3 consecutive nonworkdays and a holiday falls on the first or second nonworkday, the preceding workday is the "in lieu of" holiday. When the holiday falls on the third nonworkday, the following workday is the "in lieu of" holiday. A part-time employee is not entitled to an "in lieu of" holiday.

1. Goals and Objectives:

a. To improve work force efficiency.

b. To improve service to the public by having offices open for

longer hours.

c. To increase productivity by allowing for more time on-the-job.

d. To reduce mileage and energy consumption.

e. To reduce short-term annual and sick leave use.

f. To increase employee morale.

g. To improve quality of life for employees and their families.

h. To reduce overtime costs.

2. Basic Work Requirement: An employee's basic work requirement is the number of hours within a biweekly pay period, excluding overtime hours, which he/she is required to work or account for by an appropriate leave charge. A full-time employee has an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement. For a part-time employee, the basic work requirement is the number of hours the employee must work in a pay period as recorded on official personnel action.

3. Work Days/Hours: Normal workdays will be Monday through Friday. Normal work hours, not to exceed 10 in a day, will occur during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for Region 8 employees. Immediate or higher level supervisor reserves the right to limit any employee's daily tour to 8 hours when an extended workday interferes with the accomplishment of the job mission of the unit or employee. The employee will be given a written explanation for a denial of a tour of duty request.

Exceptions - When work requirements make night or weekend work more advantageous to the Forest Service, the Unit Head (i.e., Forest Supervisor, Staff Officer, District Ranger, Center Director or RO Director) may make individual exceptions to vary the length of the workday or workweek to extend workday prior to 6 a.m. or beyond 6 p.m. and include Saturday and/or Sunday as workdays. Extensions of the workday will not exceed 10 hours in a day. Differentials (i.e., night/Sunday) will be paid as appropriate.

In pay periods that include a holiday or administrative leave, an employee or crew working under the Maxiflex or Variable Week scheduled to work four 10-hour days may work 10-1/2 hours per day to the extent necessary to complete 80 hours in 8 days, since only 8 hours can be charged to a holiday.

4. Core Time: Core time is the designated days and hours during which an employee must be present for work. Core time for the Region will be 10:00am to 2:00pm, excluding the 1/2 to 1 hour lunch break during this period, as appropriate, two days a week, unless a different core time is negotiated at the Forest level with the Union local. Core days, as established by the supervisor and employee must be documented on the Time and Attendance Report 6100-11. Absences during core time must be charged to appropriate leave, e.g., annual or sick leave, leave-without-pay, etc., unless the work supervisor authorizes employee to deviate from core time hours and make up the absence during flexible hours within the pay period.

Core days and hours negotiated locally will be established in accordance with current laws.

Established core days must be documented on the Time and Attendence Report.

5. Flexible Hours: Flexible hours are designated hours during which an employee may choose his/her time of arrival at and departure from the work site as long as he/she fulfills the basic biweekly work requirement within limits consistent with the duties and requirements of the position.

6. Scheduled Work Requirement:

a. All offices will have a standard 8-hour tour established on Monday through Friday and must be adequately staffed to conduct normal business during these regular business hours. Immediate or higher level supervisors have the authority to immediately change any tour to the established standard office hours when such change is necessary to provide adequate coverage. When management knows in advance of a need for coverage, it will give employees ten (10) days advanced notice before changing the tour. Managers and individual supervisors have the responsibility and accountability for ensuring that employee coverage is adequate to meet all work requirements during office hours and that employees meet time and attendance reporting requirements.

b. Work schedules for full-time employees must cover at least 4 days per week. Leave days and holidays are considered workdays.

c. All members of a field crew must have the same daily work schedule approved by the supervisor. A field crew is defined as employees who are performing work that must be accomplished as a unit for production and safety reasons ( i.e., a timber marking crew ). If Maxiflex is deemed feasible for the work performed, a decision by a majority of a crew to participate in Maxiflex will automatically include all crew members. Absences during the tour established for the crew will be charged to appropriate leave.

When less than a majority elect to go on Maxiflex Schedule, all crew members will remain on a standard 8-hour daily tour. Supervisors of field crews may limit work to 8

hours on a given day if weather or work conditions warrant an 8-hour limit provided hours needed to complete basic work requirement can be rescheduled within the pay period.

d. Work schedules will start and end at 15 minute intervals (on the quarter hour).

e. On any workday of 8 hours or more, an employee is required to observe a minimum 1/2 hour non-compensable lunch break within the 8-hour period (e.g. after first 5 or 6 hours). Work supervisor can decide when the 1/2 hour lunch break will occur or leave this determination to the employee. Employees who are in work situations that do not allow for a lunch break (i.e., firefighting, or overseeing corpsmember on certain recreation activities that require the employee to be on duty without a break) would be compensated for the 1/2 hour lunch break.

f. Each biweekly work schedule is subject to written prior approval of the immediate or higher level supervisor. Work schedules can be approved by individual pay periods or for a block of pay periods. An employee's request for a deviation from the approved schedule can be approved at the discretion of the approving official. The supervisor should communicate the policy regarding approval of deviations to employees. The approving official has the final word in setting an employee's work schedule.

Any work schedule which conflicts with the duties of a position,

hampers its effectiveness or overall service objectives, results in

reduced productivity, or significantly increases costs of Forest Service

operations must be disapproved, discontinued or modified by the

official authorized to approve the work schedule.

The need of an employee for a requested AWS should be considered in

light of the previous paragraph and be condsidered in the final

determination of the work schedule.

g. With advance supervisory approval, an employee will be allowed to continue working under maxiflex while in travel status. If the supervisor determines that the work situation while in travel status does not warrant working beyond the standard eight hour work day, e.g., when the employee attends a training session, the employee will switch to a standard tour of duty for all or part of the pay period while in travel status.

The employee may revert to working under a maxiflex schedule upon return from travel. Approval of the tour of duty is to be documented on the time and attendance report.

h. Credit Hour Carryover. Credit hours are nonovertime hours worked in excess of an employee's basic work requirement which the employee elects to work so as to vary the length of a workday or workweek. Credit hours may be earned outside the employee's established 5 or 6 day administrative workweek. A maximum of 24 hours may be carried over to subsequent pay periods.

An employee may not work more than 10 nonovertime hours in a day. There is no required specified time frame in which credit hours must be used.

7. Leave: Time off during an employee's scheduled basic work requirement must be charged to the appropriate leave category (annual/sick leave, LWOP, AWOL). The maximum daily leave charge is the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on that day.

An employee must request and receive approval from the work supervisor to take leave during scheduled work hours. For requests that need an immediate answer and the supervisor is not available, the employee will contact the next line supervisor. Participation in maxiflex schedule does not give an employee the right to charge leave without the express permission of the work supervisor.

8. Administrative Leave (excused absence) : Under certain circumstances, e.g., hazardous weather, blood donation, etc., an employee may be granted administrative leave (approved absence from work without an annual leave charge). The granting of administrative leave will be governed by regulations established by the Forest Service in FSH 6109.11, Pay, Attendance and Leave Handbook.

9. Holidays:

a. A full-time employee relieved from working on a day designated as a holiday (or an "in lieu of" holiday) is entitled to 8 hours if working under Maxiflex. The employee will receive basic pay for that day, provided such holiday does not fall within a period of nonpay status, e,g., LWOP. An Employee cannot change his/her tour for one pay period which a holiday is designated to a compressed schedule in order to charge 9 or 10 hours for a holiday.

b. A part-time employee relieved from working on a day designated as a holiday is entitled to basic pay for the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on that day, not to exceed 8 hours if working under Maxiflex, provided such holiday does not fall within a period of nonpay status.

A part-time employee is not entitled to an "in lieu of" holiday if a holiday falls on a nonworkday. Management should not change a part-time employee's work schedule for the primary purpose of paying or not paying for hours of nonwork on a holiday.

10. Holiday Work/Premium Pay:

a. A full-time employee who works on a holiday is entitled to basic pay plus premium pay equal to basic pay for those hours (holiday premium pay is limited to 8 hours).

b. A part-time employee is entitled to holiday premium pay only for work performed during his/her basic work requirement on a holiday, not to exceed 8 hours.

c. An employee will not be allowed or permitted to work on a holiday without authorization from the appropriate official. OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION, form FS-6100-30, is used for the purpose of authorizing premium pay for work on a holiday.

11. Sunday Work/Premium Pay: A full-time employee who is scheduled to work on Sunday (nonovertime hours) is entitled to Sunday differential for the entire period of service, not to exceed 8 hours. A part-time employee is not entitled to Sunday differential.

12. Night Work/Premium Pay: A GS employee who is scheduled to work (nonovertime hours) between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. receives night differential for these hours.

A Federal Wage System (WG, WL, WS) employee receives the appropriate 2nd or 3rd night shift differential for all nonovertime hours worked in a day when a majority of these hours occur between 3 p.m. and midnight (2nd shift) or between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. (3rd shift).

13. Overtime Work/Premium Pay: A full-time or part-time employee is entitled to overtime pay for hours of work officially ordered which are in excess of 80 hours in a biweekly pay period. In addition, all hours of work officially ordered which are in excess of 80 a day or 40 hours in a week and not a part of the employee's scheduled basic work requirement are compensable at appropriate overtime rates in accordance with current provisions of the law. GS or FWS employees may request compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay unless prohibited by the Fair Labor Standards Act. OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION, form FS-6100-30, is used to request and approve overtime.

Management will not adjust an employee's tour for the sole purpose of avoiding overtime, or other premium or extra compensation.

14. Travel Time: Travel (to and return from temporary duty station outside limits of official duty station) which occurs between the hours of 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. (not to exceed 10 hours) Monday-Friday counts as work time. An employee who goes to common carrier terminal, e.g., airport, from home without coming to office can have his/her work time start at the same time per diem starts, e.g., when he/she leaves home. Return travel terminates the same as per diem, when employee arrives back at home (or office). Travel prior to 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m. is not counted as part of employee's basic work requirement.

Days in travel status from or to official duty station should be noted by placing a "T" above the "day" on the Time and Attendance Record FS-6100-11.

15. Training: An employee attending a formal all-day training session will normally revert to the unit's standard 8-hour daily tour for the day(s) in the training session and be allowed to make up the hours needed to meet employee's biweekly tour during the flexible hours within the pay period. Also see Section 6g.

16. Time Accounting System: Employees are required to record work time and leave by posting on the Time and Attendance Record (FS-6100-11, dated 2/91).

17. Employee Participation: All employees may participate in the Regional Maxiflex Schedule, subject to the restrictions cited in Section 6f. Enrollees of Human Resource Programs may participate subject to the laws and regulations governing these programs.

No employee will be required to go on maxiflex, except for employees that are members of a field crew. An employee that is a member of a field crew must participate when a majority of the crew elect to go on the Schedule. Exceptions may be made; however, in hardship cases, to reassign an employee to another crew or assign individualized duties.

Changes from a standard tour to this maxiflex must be requested in writing and be effective at the beginning of a pay period. Likewise, a change from maxiflex to a standard or other tour must be requested in writing and effective at the beginning of a pay period, unless an emergency situation exists as cited in Section 6a and 6c. The supervisor can require submission of a request for a tour of duty change up to two (2) weeks prior to the requested effective date. Requests for a change in a tour of duty due to unforseen reasons will be made as soon as the employee is aware of the need. An employee can request a tour change as often as he/she wants, subject to prior approval of the supervisor and the restriction stated in Section 9a relating to holidays.

1. Basic Work Requirement: An employee's basic work requirement is the number of hours within a biweekly pay period, excluding overtime hours, which he/she is required to work or account for by an appropriate leave charge. A full-time employee has an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement. For a part-time employee, the basic work requirement is the number of hours the employee must work in a pay period as recorded on official personnel action.

2. Work Days/Hours: Normal workdays will be Monday through Friday. Normal work hours, not to exceed 10 in a day, will occur during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for Region 8 employees. Immediate or higher level supervisor reserves the right to limit any employee's daily tour to 8 hours when an extended workday interferes with the accomplishment of the job mission of the unit or employee.

In pay periods that include a holiday or administrative leave, an employee or crew working under a compressed work schedule can claim the 8, 9 or 10 hours according the their preapproved schedule for the pay period (see section 22.23).

3. Core Time: Does not apply.

4. Scheduled Work Requirement :

a. All offices will have a standard 8-hour tour established on Monday through Friday and must be adequately staffed to conduct normal business during these regular business hours. Immediate or higher level supervisors have the authority to immediately change any tour to the established standard office hours when such change is necessary to provide adequate coverage. When management knows in advance of a need for coverage, it will give employees ten (10) days advanced notice before changing the tour of duty. Managers and individual supervisors have the responsibility and accountability for ensuring that employee coverage is adequate to meet all work requirements during office hours and that employees meet time and attendance reporting requirements.

b. All members of a field crew must have the same daily work schedule approved by the supervisor. A field crew is defined as employees who are performing work that must be accomplished as a unit for production and/or safety requirements (i.e., a timber marking crew ). If a compressed schedule is deemed feasible for the work performed, a decision by a majority of a crew to participate in a compressed work schedule will automatically include all crew members. When less than a majority elect to go on Compressed Schedule, all crew members will remain on a standard 8-hour daily tour.

c. Work schedules will start and end at 15 minute intervals (on the

quarter hour).

d. An employee is required to observe a minimum 1/2 hour non-compensable lunch break. The work supervisor can decide when the 1/2 hour lunch break will occur or leave this determination to the employee. Employees who are in work situations that do not allow for a lunch break ( i.e., firefighting, or overseeing corpsmembers on certain recreation activities that require the employee to be on duty without a break) would be compensated for the 1/2 hour lunch break.

e. Each biweekly work schedule is subject to written prior approval of the immediate or higher level supervisor. Work schedules can be approved by individual pay periods or for a block of pay periods. The approving official has the final word in setting an employee's work schedule.

Any work schedule which conflicts with the duties of a position, hampers its effectiveness or overall service objectives, results in reduced productivity, or significantly increases costs of Forest Service operations must be disapproved, discontinued or modified by the official authorized to approve the work schedule.

The need of an employee for a requested AWS should be considered in light of the previous paragraph and be considered in the final determination of the work schedule.

f. With advance supervisory approval, an employee will be allowed to continue working a compressed work schedule while in travel status. If the supervisor determines that the work situation while in travel status does not warrant working beyond the standard eight hour work day, e.g., when the employee attends a training session, the employee will switch to a standard tour of duty for all or part of the pay period while in travel status. Approval of the tour or duty is to be documented on the time and attendance report.

g. Credit Hour Carryover. Does not apply.

5. Leave: Time off during an employee's scheduled basic work requirement must be charged to the appropriate leave category (annual/sick leave, LWOP, AWOL). The maximum daily leave charge is the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on that day.

An employee must request and receive approval from work supervisor to take leave during scheduled work hours. Participation in Compressed work schedule does not give an employee the right to charge leave without the express permission of the work supervisor.

6. Administrative Leave (excused absence) : Under certain circumstances, e.g., hazardous weather, blood donation, etc., an employee may be granted administrative leave (approved absence from work without an annual leave charge). The granting of administrative leave will be governed by regulations established by the Forest Service in FSH 6109.11, Pay, Attendance and Leave Handbook.

7. Holidays:

a. A full-time employee relieved from working on a day designated as a holiday (or an "in lieu of" holiday) is entitled to 8, 9 or 10 hours depending on the employee's scheduled tour of duty. The employee will receive basic pay for that day, provided such holiday does not fall within a period of nonpay status, e,g., LWOP. When a full-time employee has 3 consecutive nonworkdays and a holiday falls on the first or second nonworkday, the preceding workday is the "in lieu of" holiday. When the holiday falls on the third nonworkday, the following workday is the "in lieu of" holiday. A part-time employee is not entitled to an "in lieu of" holiday. An Employee cannot change his/her tour for one pay period which a holiday is designated to a compressed schedule in order to charge 9 or 10 hours for a holiday.

b. A part-time employee relieved from working on a day designated as a holiday is entitled to basic pay for the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on that day, not to exceed 8, 9 or 10 if working a compressed work schedule, provided such holiday does not fall within a period of nonpay status. A part-time employee is not entitled to an "in lieu of" holiday if a holiday falls on a nonworkday. Management shall not change a part-time employee's work schedule for the primary purpose of paying or not paying for hours of nonwork on a holiday.

8. Holiday Work/Premium Pay:

a. A full-time employee who works on a holiday is entitled to basic pay plus premium pay equal to basic pay for those hours (holiday premium pay is limited to 8, 9 or 10 hours) depending on the employee's scheduled tour of duty.

b. A part-time employee is entitled to holiday premium pay only for work performed during his/her basic work requirement on a holiday, not to exceed 8, 9 or 10 hours depending on the employee's scheduled tour of duty.

c. An employee will not be allowed or permitted to work on a holiday without authorization from the appropriate official. OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION, form FS-6100-30, is used for the purpose of authorizing premium pay for work on a holiday.

9. Sunday Work/Premium Pay: A full-time employee who is scheduled to work on Sunday (nonovertime hours) is entitled to Sunday differential for the entire scheduled period of service that day. A part-time employee is not entitled to Sunday differential.

10. Night Work/Premium Pay: A GS employee who is scheduled to work (nonovertime hours) that is a part of the regular scheduled tour of duty between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. receives night differential for these hours.

A Federal Wage System (WG, WL, WS) employee receives the appropriate 2nd or 3rd night shift differential for all nonovertime hours worked in a day when a majority of these hours occur between 3 p.m. and midnight (2nd shift) or between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. (3rd shift).

11. Overtime Work/Premium Pay: A full-time or part-time employee is entitled to overtime pay for hours of work officially ordered which are in excess of 80 hours in a biweekly pay period. In addition, all hours of work officially ordered which are in excess of 8 a day or 40 hours in a week and not a part of the employee's scheduled basic work requirement are compensable at appropriate overtime rates in accordance with current provisions of the law. GS or FWS employees may request compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay unless prohibited by the Fair Labor Standards Act. OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION, form FS-6100-30, is used to request and approve overtime.

Management will not adjust an employee's tour for the sole purpose of avoiding overtime, or other premium or extra compensation.

12. Travel Time: Travel (to and return from temporary duty station outside limits of official duty station) during the employee's compressed work schedule counts as work time. Travel time outside the compressed work schedule is not counted as part of employee's basic work requirement.

Days in travel status from or to official duty station should be noted by placing a "T" above the "day" on the Flexible Schedule Time Report.

13. Training: An employee attending a formal all-day training session will normally revert to the unit's standard 8-hour daily tour for the day(s) in the training session.

14. Time Accounting System: Employees are required to record work time and leave by posting on the Time and Attendance Record (FS-6100-11, dtd 2/91).

15. Employee Participation: All employees may participate in the Regional Compressed work schedule, subject to the restrictions cited in Section 6f. Enrollees of Human Resource Programs may participate subject to the laws and regulations governing these programs.

No employee will be required to go on a compressed work schedule, except for employees that are members of a field crew. An employee that is the member of a field crew must participate when a majority of the field crew elect to go on the schedule. Exceptions may be made, however, in hardship cases, to reassign an employee to another field crew or assigned individualized duties.

Changes from a standard tour to a Compressed Work Schedule must be requested in writing and be effective at the beginning of a pay period. Likewise, a change from a Compressed Work Schedule to a standard or other tour must be requested in writing and effective at the beginning of a pay period, unless an emergency situation exists as cited in Section 4a and 4b. For routine requests, the supervisor can require submission of a request for a tour of duty change up to two (2) weeks prior to the requested effective date. Requests due to unforseen reasons will be submitted as soon as the employee becomes aware of the need. An employee can request a tour change as often as he/she wants, subject to prior approval of the supervisor. A change in work schedule shall not be approved solely to charge 9 or 10 hours for a holiday.