UPPS 04.04.57 - On-Call Procedures

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to maintaining a process for employees to receive proper guidance and compensation while on-call.

1. SCOPE

   1. This university policy and procedure statement (UPPS) establishes the procedures for an on-call response for Texas State University units.

   2. This UPPS also establishes the basis for on-call compensation to provide payment for employees who are scheduled to respond to calls after regular work hours, on weekends, holidays, and energy conservation (EC) days.

2. PROCEDURES FOR ON-CALL RESPONSE

   1. Department heads will be responsible for determining on-call requirements and for ensuring employees are identified and scheduled as appropriate. Supervisors of on-call employees will maintain a rotation of on-call employees, considering the personal needs of the individual employees, such as scheduled vacations and other personal matters. For safety reasons, supervisors will only designate a person on-call when that person is sufficiently familiar with the campus operations to which they are expected to respond.

   2. An on-call employee must be available for recall for the entire on-call period for which the employee is being compensated. Being on-call requires that the employee be available to immediately respond to a call-back. The employee should respond to campus as quickly as safely possible. The response to campus should not be longer than 60 minutes. During the call-back period, the employee must remain fit to perform the required duties of their position. Failure to respond to a call-back may result in disciplinary action.

   3. If the designated on-call employee is sick, the supervisor will designate a replacement for that employee until the employee returns to full duty. The employee must keep their supervisor informed if at any time they are unable to fulfill their assigned on-call duties.

   4. Most on-call employees will be on-call either all week or on weekends only. On-call duty will be based on a “weekly” on-call schedule. Employees will be on call Monday through Friday from the end of the normal workday, 5:00 p.m., and continue until 7:00 a.m. the next day. They will also be on call from 7:00 a.m. Saturday to 7:00 a.m. Monday morning. EC days will be treated as normal workdays. Holidays will be treated as weekend days.

   5. Each on-call employee will receive a special payment for the time they are on-call. On-call rates will be published on the Human Resources website. Payment for on-call will be made at least monthly or more frequently, as determined by the department, and paid by Personnel Change Request (PCR).

   6. Employees using personal vehicles to respond to campus for callbacks will be reimbursed for mileage traveled from their home address on file in SAP. Payment for mileage will be calculated at the standard State of Texas mileage rate. Employees may calculate the distance traveled from their home address on file in SAP either by odometer reading or by calculating distance traveled by using MapQuest. This documentation must always be attached to the PCR.

   7. If an employee is called back, the employee will begin logging hours when they arrive at the university, either straight time or overtime, depending on whether or not 40 hours of work will be achieved for the week. The employee will be compensated for a minimum of two hours of work if on campus for two hours or less. If on campus for more than two hours, the employee will be compensated for the actual amount of time spent on campus.

   8. If an employee responding to an on-call request determines that additional help is needed, they will contact their supervisor to request assistance. If the supervisor is unavailable, the employee will contact the next person in the supervisory chain. They will continue to work their supervisory chain until they contact someone and receive guidance or assistance (e.g., a supervisor, followed by an assistant or associate director, followed by a director, followed by an associate vice president).

3. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

   1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

      Position	Date
      Associate Vice President for Human Resources	September 1 E5Y
      Associate Vice President, Facilities	September 1 E5Y
      Executive Director, Housing and Residential Life	September 1 E5Y

4. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

   This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

   Associate Vice President for Human Resources; senior reviewer of this UPPS

   Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer

   President